NASA Quest presents...

Curriculum Supplements

Your students will benefit from learning about problem solving procedures and develop various strategies for solving these problems. Strategies gathered from these problems can be applied or combined with other strategies to creat the stumper questions. Discuss the question and specific strategies your students used to solve the problems and whether those strategies were effective choices in arriving at the correct answer. Class discussions as a follow up to the webcast are valuable in providing opportunities to hear other's points of view in addition to the strategies Dr. Joy will cover.

Try using these problem solving strategies when working through the problems with your students.

Draw a picture
Use tally marks
Use objects
Guess and Check
Write an equation
Solve a similar problem

A Word on Calculators

Calculators provide a level of computational support for problem solving that enables students to answer a wider range of complex problems. Research affirms the positive impact of calculator use on the develoment of problem solving strategies and performance. However, access to calculators does not replace the need for students to learn and become fluent with basic arithmetic facts, to develop efficient and accurate ways to solve multi-digit arithmetic problems, and to perform algebraic manipulations. As a teacher you have the choice about using calculators for particular questions, on the basis of how well the tool will help or hinder the intened mathematical process.

Useful Conversions

These conversions may help your students with many of the problems we have developed or any additional problems you might create.

Standard/Metric Conversions

inch x 25.4 = millimeter
foot x .3048 = meter
yard x .9144 = meter
miles x 1.6093 = kilometer
ouce x 28.3495 = gram
pound x .4536 = Kilogram
-32 Degrees Fahrenheit x 5/9 = degrees Celsius

Units of Length

1 mile = 1,760 yards = 5,280 feet = 63,360 inches = 1,609,344 millimeters = 160,934.4 centimeters = 1,609.34 meters = 1.61 kilometers

1 foot = 12 inches = 30.48 centimeters = .3 meters

1 inch = 2.54 centimeters

1 centimeter = .39 inches = .01 meters

1 meter = 3.28 feet = 39.38 inches = 100 centimeters

Units of Weight

1 ton = 2,000 pounds = 32,000 ounces = 907,184 grams = 907.18 kilograms

1 pound = 16 ounces

Temperature Conversion

-18 Celsius = 0 Fahrenheit (F - 32) x 0.56 = C
(C x 1.8) + 32 = F

Fun Facts About Living in Space

Web page created by Young Women of NASA council member that contains useful information and facts for creating additional Astroclaus and space shuttle questions.
Brianna's Adventure Journal

The Aerospace Lesson Plans provide activities for all grade levels that focus on aeronautics and aircraft, they can be used as stand alone lessons or as part of a unit. The three mini-units: General Aviation Aircraft, Commercial Aircraft, and Research Aircraft provide students with a variety of activities that span across the curriculum.
Aerospace Lesson Plans

The Space Team Online project pages provide fascinating from NASA people who lives directly impact the space program.

Watch A Launch

Fun Facts About Living in Space

Live Interview with Susan Helms while living aboard the ISS

A Field Journal from astronaut Dave Williams: Practicing Space Walking Underwater