 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Teachers gain access to lunar samples
By LOGAN NEILL © St. Petersburg Times, published November 30, 2000 Though the moon is 238,857 miles from Earth, Hernando County elementary students might soon have the opportunity to get an up-close look at pieces of it without leaving their classroom. Twenty-seven teachers from several elementary schools recently completed certification that will allow them to check out lunar rock and soil samples and other classroom materials from NASA's education services. "Teachers will be able to access material that can help broaden their students' knowledge and appreciation for space science," said NASA education specialist Les Gold. Gold visited Moton Elementary recently to give a series of student lectures and to host a workshop for teachers wishing to become certified in handling the rare lunar samples. Gold came at the request of Moton's technology coordinator, Carla Schutte, whom he had met at a technology conference in the summer. When told of the NASA space education program, Schutte contacted area schools to see whether there was interest in holding a certification workshop. Though pleased with the response, she said she was a bit disappointed at having no participants from the middle and high school levels. "It's a terrific program because you get everything from lesson plans to videos and slides," Schutte said. "The teacher can simply take it from there." The pivotal point of interest, of course, is the ability for students to examine moon rock pieces, lunar soil, and even meteorite samples. In order to check out those materials, the teachers had to agree to specific conditions in handling the rare moon samples, all of which were collected during the Apollo missions in the 1970s. Although the sample rocks are encased in plastic, safeguards are needed to prevent damage and theft. "The idea is to allow students to view them up close so they can make comparisons to rocks from their own back yards," Schutte said. Tammy Larmer, who was among eight Moton teachers certified to handle the lunar samples, said the rocks will add a certain flair to teaching her fourth-grade students about the solar system. "They're fascinated about space anyway," said Larmer, who plans to put in a request for the materials this week. "This adds something special to the subject because there is so much history behind our country going to the moon. It's very relevant to them."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Hernando Times |
