NASA-Polk Project

Middle & High School Insertion Modules

Polk County Public Schools (PCS) was awarded a highly competitive grant from NASA: it was one of nine successful proposals from 83 proposals that had been submitted, and was the largest of the nine awarded. The public announcement was made April 2009 in a News Conference held with a large audience at the Aerospace Museum at the Lakeland Sun ‘n Fun. The major partners are PCS, CSL at USF, and the USF Polytechnic. The project is an excellent example of how several parts of USF worked together to assist our community in meeting local and national goals; in this case better preparation of students in science and technology and increased interest in pursuing courses of study related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The Coalition for Science Literacy (CSL) in partnership with Polk County teachers and university faculty created science and technology insertion modules to be used in middle and high school technology, science, and engineering classes. These modules use a variety of sources to provide 1-day to 6-week lesson plans. The modules provide a deeper understanding of science and the underlying relevant technology, correlate with Next Generation of the Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) (science and mathematics) standards, and take advantage of relevant NASA-developed materials and resources, as well as other educational resources. These modules were created to inspire and engage students in STEM education, and to prepare them for further study in STEM fields. The lessons model inquiry practices that provide opportunities for discovery, creativity, and peer interaction and discussion.

USF Polytechnic is now providing professional development to Polk County teachers in the use of these modules. USF Polytechnic will provide valuable feedback in updating and revising the modules. All modules are expected to be piloted and revised by May 2011. After this time the modules will be available to download.

Below is a list of titles and a brief description of the 20 modules (11 MS and 9 HS modules) created under this grant. Middle school (MS) modules are 2 weeks in length for 50-minute classes, high school modules are 6 weeks in length for the same class time. Click on the title to view the overview. To examine the entire module and activities please contact Dr. Anna Lewis and we'll be happy to share them.

• MS Foundational Module – Graphing, measurement, data collection practice
• MS Aeronautics Module – Beginning exploration of Bernoulli’s principle & flight
• MS Lunar Module – Investigating the lunar surface
• MS Robotics Module – Using robots to discuss force and motion
• MS Earth’s Interior – How earthquakes help us understand the Earth’s structure
• MS Earth is Moving – Plate tectonics
• MS GalactiveWave – Electromagnetic Spectrum
• MS Geotime – Measures of time
• MS Mooning Around – Moon orbits and the Moon’s impact on Earth
• MS Carbon – Investigating the Carbon Cycle
• MS PVT – Exploring the relationships between pressure, volume, & temperature
• 9th Grade Aeronautics Module – More in-depth flight exploration
• 9th Grade Lunar Module – Multiple tasks to explore engineering & science behind devices
• 9th Grade Robotics Module – Examine the parts and function of robots
• 10th Grade Aeronautics Module – Investigating and building rockets
• 10th Grade Lunar Module – Using CAD to replicate and redesign rockets
• 10th Grade Robotics Module – Investigating projectile motion & robot components, i.e. gears
• 11th Grade Materials – Exploring the properties of materials used in manufacturing
• 11th Grade Composites – Exploring the properties of composites
• 12th Grade BioMed – Exploring biomedical devices to modify or enhance physical movement

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