Welcome to the Chatterton Middle School Planetarium! This planetarium opened and has been in use since 1970. While the room and other equipment have gone through some updates, the original Spitz A-4 Star Projector still provides my students with a wonderful learning experience of the night skies.
My passion for all things space has taken me to some very exiting and wonderful places. I have been able to tour facilities where most people cannot go at four different NASA locations (Glenn, Marshall, Johnson, and Kennedy), I have won trips to Teacher Space Camp and Advanced Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, I have been inside of NORAD Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and I officially became a "zeronaut" after going on a zero gravity flight provided by Northrup Grumman. I have met and spoken to many astronauts, engineers, and rocket scientists, including one of the original Von Braun scientists. These experiences have not only helped me do a better job teaching astronomy, but I feel I am able to bring many space topics to life for my students.
Sixth grade students are able to take Astronomy as one of their encore or activity classes. During the trimester long class, we cover such topics as phases of the moon, Earth's seasons, constellations, use of star maps and star finders, planets and other objects in our solar system, such as asteroids, meteors and comets, and finally the very interesting topic of life beyond Earth. These topics are from the 6th grade State of Michigan objectives for Astronomy that are tested on the 8th grade Science MEAP test.
There are very few schools that have a planetarium in them, and with this advantage comes some extra responsibility. If your child is in my Astronomy class, please take a moment to emphasize the importance of taking the content of the class seriously as well as respecting the room and equipment in it. Below are a few specific rules your child will need to follow for this class:
* Please keep hands and other objects off all equipment and models in the planetarium.
* Gum, candy, food, or drinks are not allowed in the planetarium.
* Feet need to kept off seats and seat backs.
* Hands, feet and other objects need to be kept to self at all times, especially while in the dark.
* Being on time for class is important for all classes, but when you are late coming to the planetarium, you may have to wait to come in until the lights come up if a lesson is in progress. Please go to the bathroom or get a drink before class starts.
My passion for all things space has taken me to some very exiting and wonderful places. I have been able to tour facilities where most people cannot go at four different NASA locations (Glenn, Marshall, Johnson, and Kennedy), I have won trips to Teacher Space Camp and Advanced Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, I have been inside of NORAD Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and I officially became a "zeronaut" after going on a zero gravity flight provided by Northrup Grumman. I have met and spoken to many astronauts, engineers, and rocket scientists, including one of the original Von Braun scientists. These experiences have not only helped me do a better job teaching astronomy, but I feel I am able to bring many space topics to life for my students.
Sixth grade students are able to take Astronomy as one of their encore or activity classes. During the trimester long class, we cover such topics as phases of the moon, Earth's seasons, constellations, use of star maps and star finders, planets and other objects in our solar system, such as asteroids, meteors and comets, and finally the very interesting topic of life beyond Earth. These topics are from the 6th grade State of Michigan objectives for Astronomy that are tested on the 8th grade Science MEAP test.
There are very few schools that have a planetarium in them, and with this advantage comes some extra responsibility. If your child is in my Astronomy class, please take a moment to emphasize the importance of taking the content of the class seriously as well as respecting the room and equipment in it. Below are a few specific rules your child will need to follow for this class:
* Please keep hands and other objects off all equipment and models in the planetarium.
* Gum, candy, food, or drinks are not allowed in the planetarium.
* Feet need to kept off seats and seat backs.
* Hands, feet and other objects need to be kept to self at all times, especially while in the dark.
* Being on time for class is important for all classes, but when you are late coming to the planetarium, you may have to wait to come in until the lights come up if a lesson is in progress. Please go to the bathroom or get a drink before class starts.