The James Webb Space Telescope

Materials for Educators

Lesson Plans, Activities & Programs

RealWorld-InWorld Engineering Design Challenge - The RealWorld-InWorld NASA Engineering Design Challenge invites high school students to work cooperatively as engineers and scientists to solve real-world problems related to the James Webb Space Telescope. There is a classroom part to the challenge, as well as a virtual portion. See the link for more information.

Scope It Out! - An educational game that compares a simple telescope to both the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. Approved by the NASA Education Product review. Lesson plans available.

Worlds Beyond - The Worlds Beyond program is an educational art project that explores the fascinating topic of planets outside our own solar system.

Space Math @ NASA (http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov) - Visit this NASA resource to download hundreds of math problems for grades K12 featuring a behind the scenes look at NASA press releases and discoveries. The problems range from simple scaling and proportions to algebra and calculus, and cover topics spanning all NASA science and engineering activities. Here are the Space Math problems that use the James Webb Space Telescope:
- Detecting the Most Distant Supernova in the Universe (.pdf) - Students use a graph to compare the brightness of supernova produced by three different masses of stars, and predict whether the Webb Space Telescope can see them. [Grade: 6-8 | Topics: Analyzing a graph; interpreting mathematical models]
- Exploring the Cosmos with Supercomputers (.pdf) - Students use two images created by a supercomputer calculation to explore the size and accuracy of computer models of the distanct universe. [Grade: 7-9 | Topics: scale model; proportions; Scientific Notation]
- Seeing the Distant Universe Clearly (.pdf) - Students calculate the angular sizes and scales of distant objects to study how different sized telescopes see details with varying degrees of clarity. [Grade: 7-9 | Topics: solving a simple equation for X; angular measure; Scientific Notation]
- The Cosmological Redshift - Changing the light from a galaxy (.pdf) - Students learn about the redshift unit of measurement in astronomy, and solve a simple linear equation to explore how the light from very distant galaxies is reddened compared to nearby galaxies. [Grade: 8-10 | Topics: solving a simple equation for X]

NASA e-Clips (http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/nasaeclips/search.html?terms=
%22James%20Webb%22&category=0000&disp=grid) - a site of short, educational videos. The link will take you to the ones about the James Webb Space Telescope, including "Launchpad: Cryogenics - The Cold Hard Facts".

Taking a Closer Look: Examining Light and Telescopes (.pdf) - A program of activities appropriate for grades 3-9, which can be presented in approximately 1 hour. Students explore how lenses gather and focus light by examining images using magnifying glasses and telescopes.

Build the Webb's Mirror - An activity from Ball Aerospace to learn about how the Webb's mirror is segmented. For younger kids.

Everything Emits Infrared Energy - Even You! - An activity from Ball Aerospace to learn about infrared energy/light.

Webb coloring page (.pdf) - A picture of Webb that can be printed out and colored in.

Links to other James Webb Space Telescope Education & Outreach sites

NIRCam Education & Outreach (http://zeus.as.arizona.edu/~dmccarthy/GSUSA/index.htm) - This is the website for EPO material associated with the Near InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) instrument. There are activities (http://zeus.as.arizona.edu/~dmccarthy/GSUSA/Activities.htm) available, which were developed and are used regularly for their workshops with the Girl Scouts.

Links to other Education & Outreach Resources

StarChild: Goddard Space Flight Center hosts this learning center for young astronomers (grades K-8) that offers a fun introduction to basic topics of astronomy.

Imagine the Universe: This site, a service of the Exploration of the Universe Division at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, is intended for students age 14 and up or anyone interested in learning about our universe. It covers such topics as black holes, gamma rays and cosmology and includes the Ask an Astrophysicist service where scientists answer questions from the public.

The Cosmic Distance Scale (http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/cosmic/) - This feature gives an impression of how immense our Universe is by employing a method used many times in "Power of 10" films - that is, starting with an image of the Earth and then zooming out towards the furthest visible reaches of our Universe. Approved by the NASA Education product review, with educational standard information available.

Amazing Space (http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/): A set of Web-based activities from the Space Telescope Science Institute. These are primarily designed for classroom use, but made available for all to enjoy.

Cool Cosmos (http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/): Learn more about infrared light, astronomy, and the world around us. Spectacular images, fun games, resources for educators, and more!

Mission:Science (http://missionscience.nasa.gov/): Provided by NASA's Science Mission Directorate to engage students in NASA Science and showcase educational resources created by NASA and its partners.

NASA Space Science Education Resource Directory (http://teachspacescience.org/): This site offers a convenient way to find NASA space science products for use in class

Universe Education Forum (http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/seuforum/): The Universe Education Forum works with NASA missions and research partners to create exciting and substantive learning experiences for students, teachers, museums, and the public. This site contains multimedia tutorials, lesson plans, etc. srooms, science museums, planetariums, and other settings. It is searchable by topic or grade. (Please note: This is an archived site. This Forum is no longer active and has been superseded by the Astrophysics Forum.)

Origins Education Forum (http://origins.stsci.edu/): The Education Forum is the public gateway to the research results, the data, the information, and the human expertise behind NASA missions to understand our origins. Origins is the scientific study of the long chain of events from the birth of the universe in the Big Bang, through the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets, and the chemical elements of life to the profusion of life. (Please note: This is an archived site. This Forum is no longer active and has been superseded by the Astrophysics Forum.)

NASA education (http://education.nasa.gov/home/index.html): Comprehensive site for NASA educational activities for students and teachers at all grade levels. You can also explore the Goddard Education (http://education.gsfc.nasa.gov) Web site for programs and activities for students and educators from K-12 through the university level.