Somewhat disappointing is the under-utilization of the Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness Web resources (http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo.html), especially at the fourth grade level. As it turns out, there are great Internet resources which could be used to greatly enhance and enrich the classroom study of the Solar System. Next year, we'll work to increase teachers' awareness of these resources and suggest strategies which may be used to integrate them into existing units of instruction--not just in science but across all disciplines.

Serving a diverse student population including many children with special needs (including 35% of FCPS Project Excel schools), it's abundantly evident that the Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness is making a valuable contribution to the science education Program of Studies in Fairfax County Public Schools!

The survey instrument is available online: Teacher Survey.

Note: Direct quotes from survey respondents appear in italics within "quotation marks." Editorial comments appear in [brackets]; strategies which have been (or will be) implemented to address areas of concern appear in green text.

Grade Level 4 Teacher Survey Results

1. 100% of Grade Level 4 teachers thought that the information provided to the classroom teacher by the Planetarium Teacher regarding scheduling of site visits to classrooms and planetarium visits, program content, and expectations of teachers and students was "just right."
2. When asked, "What worked?" comments such as the following were fairly typical:
   • "It all worked well."
   • "The whole program this year. Nice job revamping."
3. When asked, "What didn't?" there were virtually no comments. One teacher suggested, "Better definitions [Astronomy BINGO!] in 'lay terms' would help."
4. When asked for suggestions for improvement, again virtually the only comment related to the Astronomy BINGO! vocabulary list: "Shorten list of definitions; use [more] pictures." [Overall, Astronomy BINGO! was a smashing success. Vocabulary list revisions are planned.]
5. 88% of teachers thought that the presentations (site visit and planetarium visit) were at an appropriate level for the audience; one teacher thought the level was "a little too high for some students."
6. 88% of teachers rated the duration of site visits and planetarium visits "just right." One teacher did not respond to this item.
7. 100% of teachers agree that the site visit and planetarium visit presentations were interesting for students.
8. 100% of teachers agree that the site visit and planetarium visit were a valuable part of the astronomy unit.
9. 100% of teachers feel that the site visit and planetarium visit were well-integrated with their classroom-based astronomy unit.
10. 50% of teachers report having observed long-term changes in student interest in science (especially astronomy or meteorology) and mathematics which they believe are directly attributable to the site visit or planetarium visit; 50% did not.
11. 50% of teachers use the information resources of the Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness (SCSA) Web site (http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo.html) "occasionally"; 50% of teachers have "never" visited the SCSA Web site.
12. 25% of teachers use the Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness "Website of the Week!" (WoW!) (http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo/wow.html) to deliver timely, thematic instruction "occasionally"; 75% have never used "WoW!"
13. 38% of teachers use the information resources of the FCPS Planetaria Web site (http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/DIS/OHSICS/planet/index.htm) "occasionally"; 63% have "never" visited the FCPS Planetaria Web site.
14. 38% of teachers think that a monthly planetarium newsletter (posted to FirstClass Conferences) would be useful; 63% do not.

Grade Level 5 Teacher Survey Results

1. 94% of Grade Level 5 teachers thought that the information provided to the classroom teacher by the Planetarium Teacher regarding scheduling of site visits to classrooms and planetarium visits, program content, and expectations of teachers and students was "just right." One teacher thought "too much" information was provided. [Better to err on the side of too much information rather than too little!]
2. When asked, "What worked?" comments such as the following were fairly typical:
   • "The classroom visit prepared the students for the planetarium presentation."
   • "The students took ownership and researched a constellation to present."
   • "Having the students [actively] participate--making them responsible for researching the constellations [associated mythology]. The pointer worked well. The children liked using it--even if they aimed all over."
   • "Student involvement in presentations very meaningful."
   • The astronomy unit "...does integrate well with our Social Studies curriculum" and "it works well with our study of Greece."
3. When asked, "What didn't?" there were relatively few comments. One teacher commented, "Need some adjustment and adaptation for Special Ed students." [As teachers become familiar with the planetarium program of instruction, it is hoped that they will make the necessary adaptations, since they are more familiar with students' specific learning disabilities.] Another teacher mentioned that it was "difficult to hear students..." during their presentations in the planetarium. [Next year, students will be able to use a hand-held wireless microphone.] "Several students didn't appreciate the planetarium visit. Next year we'll bring chaperones." [Good idea for all schools! Please refer to published guidelines for Visits to the Sandburg Planetarium. Thanks!]
4. When asked for suggestions for improvement, several comments focused on FCPS support for the classroom component of the astronomy unit:
   • "We do not have a lot of material for our astronomy unit."
   • "Any chance that the county will issue (reissue) astronomy units for classroom use?"
   [FCPS Planetarium Teachers have raised this issue with the Instructional Services Department (ISD); the issue will be revisited. Astronomy-related tradebooks for grade level four and five were delivered to each school's library, Spring '99.]
5. 94% of teachers thought that the presentations (site visit and planetarium visit) were at an appropriate level for the audience; one teacher thought the level was too high. Several teachers expressed some concern regarding inappropriate content on a few constellation mythology Web sites. [The Sandburg Planetarium Teacher is working with the Webmasters at these sites to remove the inappropriate material.]
6. 76% of teachers rated the duration of site visits and planetarium visits "just right." Two teachers thought the planetarium visit was too short [can't get enough of a good thing?]; one teacher thought the site visit lesson was too long. One teacher did not respond to this item.
7. 100% of teachers agree that the site visit and planetarium visit presentations were interesting for students.
8. 100% of teachers agree that the site visit and planetarium visit were a valuable part of the astronomy unit.
9. 82% of teachers feel that the site visit and planetarium visit were well-integrated with their classroom-based astronomy unit; one teacher did not (problem cited: lack of classroom instructional materials). Two teachers did not respond to this item.
10. 41% of teachers report having observed long-term changes in student interest in science (especially astronomy or meteorology) and mathematics which they believe are directly attributable to the site visit or planetarium visit; 35% did not. Four teachers did not respond to this item.
11. 82% of teachers use the information resources of the Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness (SCSA) Web site (http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo.html) "occasionally." One teacher uses the site "often"; one teacher has "never" visited the SCSA Web site. One teacher did not respond to this item.
12. 29% of teachers use the Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness "Website of the Week!" (WoW!) (http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo/wow.html) to deliver timely, thematic instruction "occasionally"; 65% have never used "WoW!" One teacher did not respond to this item.
13. 47% of teachers use the information resources of the FCPS Planetaria Web site (http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/DIS/OHSICS/planet/index.htm) "occasionally"; 47% have "never" visited the FCPS Planetaria Web site. One teacher did not respond to this item.
14. 59% of teachers think that a monthly planetarium newsletter (posted to FirstClass Conferences) would be useful, One teacher thinks a newsletter would not be useful; one was unsure. Five teachers did not respond to this item. One teacher suggested including "a myth a month for 5th grade." [Great suggestion--thanks, Ruth! At a minimum, this feature will be added to the SCSA Web site.]

Grade Level 8 Teacher Survey Results

1. 100% of Grade Level 8 teachers thought that the information provided to the classroom teacher by the Planetarium Teacher regarding scheduling of planetarium visits, program content, and expectations of teachers and students was "just right."
2. When asked, "What worked?" comments such as the following were fairly typical:
   • "Loved the moon phase dials!"
   • Effective use of the "meridian, ecliptic, and geosphere."
   • "The almanac activity captured their [student] interest in doing simple math." [Bob Ryan's Almanac & Guide for the Weatherwise Sky Awareness Activity is used by many teachers as an effective "off day" activity.]
3. When asked, "What didn't?" several comments focused on the content-heavy program. One teacher commented, "Too much content in one lesson for my regular students." Another teacher added, "No more moon phasers--teachers should (can) do that." [Should is the operative word. The fact of the matter is that classes arrive for the planetarium program at many different points in the astronomy unit--in my opinion, it's better to continue to work (at least briefly) with the moon phaser during the program. Besides, having students use the moon phaser to predict the current moon phase and times of moon rise and moon set represents perhaps the only opportunity to make the Grade Level 8 planetarium program interactive.]
4. Suggestions for improvement:
   • "Need to divide the subject matter content into Moon Phases and Tides (Day 1); Seasons (Day 2)."
   • "Devise a plan to allow students to stay longer."
   [Note that both of the preceding comments were made by Carl Sandburg MS (CSMS) teachers. CSMS class periods are 50 minutes long. 50 minutes is a little too short for the planetarium program; 100 minutes (two class periods) is a little too long. Next year, the Sandburg Grade Level 8 science teachers plan to explore the feasibility of scheduling a 90-minute "in-house" field trip to the planetarium.]
5. 75% of teachers thought that the planetarium visit presentations were at an appropriate level for the audience; one teacher did not respond to this item.
6. 50% of teachers rated the duration of planetarium visits "just right." One teacher rated the program "too short" and another did not respond to this item.
7. 100% of teachers agree that the planetarium visit presentations were interesting for students.
8. 100% of teachers agree that the planetarium visits were a valuable part of the astronomy unit.
9. 100% of teachers feel that the planetarium visits were well-integrated with their classroom-based astronomy unit.
10. 75% of teachers report having observed long-term changes in student interest in science (especially astronomy or meteorology) and mathematics which they believe are directly attributable to the site visit or planetarium visit; one teacher did not respond to this item.
11. 50% of teachers use the information resources of the Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness (SCSA) Web site (http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo.html) "occasionally"; one teacher (and his students) uses the resources "often" and one teacher has "never" visited the SCSA Web site.
12. 25% of teachers use the Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness "Website of the Week!" (WoW!) (http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo/wow.html) to deliver timely, thematic instruction "occasionally"; 75% have never used "WoW!"
13. 25% of teachers use the information resources of the FCPS Planetaria Web site (http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/DIS/OHSICS/planet/index.htm) "occasionally"; 75% have "never" visited the FCPS Planetaria Web site.
14. 75% of teachers think that a monthly planetarium newsletter (posted to FirstClass Conferences) would be useful; one teacher is unsure. A couple of teachers commented that the newsletter should "tell us what to look for in the sky." [It's worth pointing out that two existing features of the SCSA Web site already do just that: What's Up? and Special Events.]