Ask Dr. Sam
Ask Dr. Sam is a student-driven, in-person or virtual program during which the Founder and Executive Director of Wyoming Stargazing, Dr. Sam, will present some astronomical content of your choosing and then provide opportunities for students to direct the remainder of the lesson based on their curiousities. We’ll use web-based images, videos, and applets to explore and address any physics or astronomy related standard for elementary school.
Kindergarten Cross Disciplinary Concepts: Patterns in the natural and human designed world can be observed and used as evidence.
Kindergarten Vocabulary: cloudy, cold, rainy, sunny, snowy, temperature, warm, windy
1st Grade Cross Disciplinary Concepts: Patterns in the natural world can be observed, used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence.
1st Grade Vocabulary: Pattern, position, shadow, phase, planet, rotation
3rd Grade Cross Disciplinary Concepts: Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change.
3rd Grade Vocabulary: All vocab listed on corresponding proficiency scale
5th Grade Cross Disciplinary Concepts: Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort, classify, communicate, and analyze simple rates of change for natural phenomena.
5th Grade Vocabulary: axis, brightness, direction, distance, gravitation, magnitude, orbit, position, rotation, shadow, star, sun
Science Standards This Program Meets
1-ESS1-1 Earth’s Place in the Universe
- Grade: 1st Grade
- Discipline: Earth & Space Science
Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.
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1-ESS1-2 Earth’s Place in the Universe
- Grade: 1st Grade
- Discipline: Earth & Space Science
Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year.
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1-PS4-1 Waves & Their Application in Technologies for Information Transfer
- Grade: 1st Grade
- Discipline: Physical Science
Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.
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1-PS4-2 Waves & Their Application in Technologies for Information Transfer
- Grade: 1st Grade
- Discipline: Physical Science
Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects in darkness can be seen only when illuminated.
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1-PS4-3 Waves & Their Application in Technologies for Information Transfer
- Grade: 1st Grade
- Discipline: Physical Science
Plan and conduct investigations to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light.
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1-PS4-4 Waves & Their Application in Technologies for Information Transfer
- Grade: 1st Grade
- Discipline: Physical Science
Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance
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3-ESS2-1 Earth’s Systems
- Grade: 3rd Grade
- Discipline: Earth & Space Science
Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
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3-ESS2-2 Earth’s Systems
- Grade: 3rd Grade
- Discipline: Earth & Space Science
Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.
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5-ESS1-1 Earth’s Place in the Universe
- Grade: 5th Grade
- Discipline: Earth & Space Science
Support an argument that differences in the apparent brightness of the sun compared to other stars is due to their relative distances from Earth.
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5-ESS1-2 Earth’s Place in the Universe
- Grade: 5th Grade
- Discipline: Earth & Space Science
Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.
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5-PS2-1 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
- Grade: 5th Grade
- Discipline: Physical Science
Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.
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K-ESS2-1 Earth’s Systems
- Grade: Kindergarten
- Discipline: Earth & Space Science
Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns overtime.
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K-PS3-1 Energy
- Grade: Kindergarten
- Discipline: Physical Science
Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface.
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About Wyoming Stargazing
Wyoming Stargazing is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Jackson Wyoming that excels at making the often difficult to understand concepts of astronomy accessible to everyone. Our mission is to inspire and educate through Wyoming’s extraordinary skies. We offer public and private stargazing programs, solar astronomy programs, planetarium programs, as well as other indoor astronomy presentations. Our vision is to build an observatory and planetarium in Jackson Hole.
View All Programs Visit Website| Who | We work with all age groups from Preschool - Adults. |
| What | We offer engaging indoor and outdoor lessons that cover Earth and Space Science, Motion and Stability, Energy, and Technology standards. |
| When | Our classroom-based and planetarium programs can take place any time of year. Stargazing Programs are best suited for the beginning or end of the school year. |
| Where | We can bring our lessons to your classroom and our planetarium to your school gym, cafeteria, or multipurpose room. Stargazing can take place on any playing field near your school. |
| Why | Astronomy is a “gateway science”. It’s a hook that can get students excited about science who otherwise might never think about science as a career path. We excel at making difficult to grasp concepts about the Universe understandable for everyone and our portable space theater brings the Universe right to your students’ fingertips. |