IRIS was developed, organized, and presented through the efforts of several people representing NASA, the University of Idaho, the Idaho Department of Education, Ririe School District and Boise School District with financial support from the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. Without the commitment of these people, and the support of the organizations they represent, the idea of capitalizing on the educational benefits derived from having an Idaho teacher, Barbara Morgan, serve as a crew member aboard space shuttle mission STS-118 would have remained just that, an idea.The IRIS workshop consists of ten presentations covering topics that include: micro gravity, principles of flight, rocketry, space physiology, astronomy, and educational resources available from NASA. A group of Idaho teachers were brought together to align every activity chosen for IRIS to Idaho’s Science, Math and Language Arts Standards. The alignment documents were prepared for each grade level targeted by IRIS. At the beginning of the workshop participants are given the specific alignment document for the grade they teach, so when a teacher begins to organize units based on the IRIS activities the link to the standards will be clear beginning with the planning stages.Images of the 2004 IRIS Workshops held in Nampa, McCall, and Pocatello in June.(From top left: simulating a shuttle docking with the Space Station, inspiring the next generation of explorers, teleconference with Barbara Morgan in Pocatello, exploring Bernoulli's Principle in Nampa, using a Star Chart, jet propelled cars in McCall, and two stage balloon rockets in Pocatello.)
Idaho Department of Education 650 West State Street PO Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720-0027Carie Ernst Administrative Assistant - Science cernst@sde.state.id.us phone: 208-332-6940 fax: 208-334-4664
The Idaho Space Grant Consortium is funded through a NASA Training Grant
IRIS was developed, organized, and presented through the efforts of several people representing NASA, the University of Idaho, the Idaho Department of Education, Ririe School District and Boise School District with financial support from the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. Without the commitment of these people, and the support of the organizations they represent, the idea of capitalizing on the educational benefits derived from having an Idaho teacher, Barbara Morgan, serve as a crew member aboard space shuttle mission STS-118 would have remained just that, an idea.The IRIS workshop consists of ten presentations covering topics that include: micro gravity, principles of flight, rocketry, space physiology, astronomy, and educational resources available from NASA. A group of Idaho teachers were brought together to align every activity chosen for IRIS to Idaho’s Science, Math and Language Arts Standards. The alignment documents were prepared for each grade level targeted by IRIS. At the beginning of the workshop participants are given the specific alignment document for the grade they teach, so when a teacher begins to organize units based on the IRIS activities the link to the standards will be clear beginning with the planning stages.
