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A Teacher Example:

How to Set Up and Operate Your SMOC

Each school, and each classroom, is unique in how it incorporates KidSat. For example, in past KidSat flights, some schools have used one classroom of students, others have used an entire grade, others used it as an after school club, and still others involved the whole school. We realize it is difficult to know where to begin (how many students to involve etc.), so the following section contains a description of how one teacher, who participated in the STS-81 flight, set up and operated her SMOC. For this example, four classes of 6th Grade Science students were involved. The students covered all ability levels (i.e. Special Ed to Gate). Remember, this is only one example of how you can set up and operate your SMOC; you are free to incorporate KidSat and set up your SMOC however it best works for you and your students!

Welcome Area (two to three students)
This was a great area! The students had to really know what was going on, so they could answer any questions visitors had. They would take visitors on a tour around the "SMOC." This area was great practice in managing people (there were lots of visitors!) This area was also responsible for putting together a bulletin board, brochures, flyers, a map of the classroom, and for knowing which students were in which group).

NASA TV (used two students, need only one)
During the day, students monitored NASA TV. They would record anything they found to be interesting. A secondary job was for them to check the MET listed on NASA TV with their MET. They were also responsible for keeping current information on the location of the shuttle.

After the mission, these students were responsible for sharing with the class three things they taped that they found to be interesting (this gave students who may have been too busy during the mission to watch NASA TV a chance to see what was on). Students in this area got to practice taping, editing etc. If NASA TV was not on, they would monitor the weather station to look for any exciting events to report (NASA TV runs at different times in different areas).

Next year, this teacher plans to have the students, either from the Weather/Volcano Area or the NASA TV area, check the Weather Events Page in the newspaper for any interesting weather or geological occurrences (i.e. in San Diego, every Wednesday there is a page that lists current volcanoes, hurricanes, etc.).

Teachers' Handbook                     Page 31