Planetarium Programs
1st Grade Program Description: We use our inflatable planetarium to help students understand the apparent motion of objects in the sky during each night, the changes in positions of the stars throughout the year, and changes of daylight hours throughout the year.
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
5th Grade Program Description: We use our inflatable planetarium to help students understand seasonal changes of the Sun, Moon, and stars in the sky, the changes of sunrise/sunset times and length of shadows throughout the year, how the brightness of stars varies with distance, and how gravity influences objects on Earth and in space.
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, 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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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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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. |