CONTEXT SETTING
ADVENTURES
CONTEXT SETTING
ADVENTURES
ACTIVITIES

How to Teach These Units
Take a little time to prepare and get ready to teach. The pages linked below give you an easy-to-follow checklist and resources that get you prepared for facilitating PLANETS activities.
STEM Night Activity: Space Trash

Design a shield to protect your
“spaceship” from space trash!
Learners make and test a device that detects differences in light. Note that this activity is an adaptation of activities from the Remote Sensing Science Curriculum. It is intended for use at a booth at family nights, STEM Events, Fairs, etc. It has material that is repeated from the curriculum.
Activity Downloads
- 1
Educator Guide (PDF)
- 2
Handouts (PDF)
Setup: Prep Time 15 min
- Print educator directions and Learner Handout. Assemble listed materials and set up on a table.
*See Materials & Preparation in the Educator Guide linked above for full info.
Learning Objectives/Key Messages
- Design and test a shield that will protect a spacecraft from space trash.
- Even if space trash is tiny, it can cause a lot of damage to spacecraft because it
is traveling so fast.
Age/Ability
- 3-5 grade, adaptable for K-Adult
- Multimodal, accessible for all physical abilities