Our place in space (OPIS), an inquiry-based curriculum in space science, observation, and exploration for middle school teachers, will be developed by the museum of science and industry, chicago (MSI)…

Our place in space (OPIS), an inquiry-based curriculum in space science, observation, and exploration for middle school teachers, will be developed by the museum of science and industry, chicago (MSI) through a committed partnership with the advanced concepts office in NASA's marshall space flight center (MSFC) and with endorsement from the chicago public schools. Project goals: 1) design, test, and deliver OPIS curricula for a year-long course at MSI for science teachers (grades 4-8) that focuses on space observations and explorations using NASA assets and inquiry processes that combine informal learning traditions with the rigor of national and state education standards for middle school science; 2) facilitate teachers' use of NASA's digital media and visualization technologies; 3) modify and disseminate OPIS curriculum to 248 out-of-school program leaders and 10,440 youth at community sites affiliated with MSI S science minors clubs located throughout northeastern illinois and northwestern indiana. The advanced concepts office will coordinate the participation of MSFC scientists who will ensure accuracy of content, keep the curriculum up to date with emerging technologies and discoveries, and mentor OPIS teachers and science minors clubs leaders through NASA's digital learning network. The OPIS curriculum is aligned with next generation science standards, and will enable teachers to integrate instruction in the fundamental principles of space science with cross-cutting concepts while also presenting engineering and design challenges that exercise students' inventiveness, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Design challenges in OPIS encourage teachers and their students to wrestle with the same engineering problems that intrigue NASA scientists themselves. NASA scientists themselves.