Welcome!
This page links to resources supporting various units in astronomy, intended primarily for students in the IBO’s Middle Years Programme. You’ll find class presentations, videos, simulations, and a variety of other resources related to the study of outer space on this page.
Because the MYP approaches science conceptually (rather than through the memorization of facts), each of our units of study focuses on one of the key concepts of systems, relationships, or change. Each unit uses related concepts, such as energy, movement, transformation, and models to strengthen and deepen students’ understanding of the content.
If the scientific concepts of each unit are what students should know, then the skills in each unit comprise what students should be able to do. MYP science skills can be broadly categorized into two categories: 1) designing, conducting, and evaluating scientific investigations, and 2) reflecting on the ways science impacts society. The content in some units is particularly suited for lab or field experiments, while other content is more approachable via reflection.
Units of Study
- Introduction to Astronomy and Distances in Space
- The Big Bang
- Stars and planetary systems
- Planetary motion
- The Sun-Earth-Moon System
- Astrobiology: The search for life in outer space
- Deep Space Phenomena
General astronomy resources
The links below were active at the time of posting. Some may be broken now – they change too quickly for me to keep up!
- Navigating the Stars: A Young Learner’s Guide to Astronomy – Some readers shared this article with me, saying it could be valuable for young learners interested in all things astronomy: the Sky, Stars, and Galaxies.
- Big History Project – a history of everything from the start of the Universe through today!
- The Scale of the Universe – a fantastic scalable animation from tiny to tremendous (developed by high school students, by the way)
- 100,000 Stars – visualize the Universe on a variety of scales
- Planet Hunters – search actual astronomical data for exoplanets
- Full Moon Atlas – interactive maps of the moon
- Planetarium – interactive star map and virtual sky
- Your Sky – see what the sky looks like from many different cities around the world
- Hands-on astronomy activities – Astronomical Society of the Pacific
- Advanced astronomy simulations – University of Nebraska, USA
- SEDS Messier database – a catalogue of Messier objects to observe with your telescope
- Astronomical distances – how long would it take to travel to…?
MrKremerScience.com 