CosmoQuest: Supporting Online Citizen Science Through Activities and Classroom Lessons

CosmoQuest.org is a website for participants ages 13 and up that supports both doing science and learning science. To facilitate free-choice learning and learning in informal settings, we provide engagement activities and even museum kiosks. We support classroom engagement in our citizen science programs through inquiry-based lesson plans appropriate for grades 6-16. These lesson plans are based on the three-dimensional framework suggested by the Next Generation Science Standards. These materials are designed to provide learners with an introduction to the science behind the citizen science projects, and to allow students to take a deep dive into the concepts addressed by each project. All materials are tested to assure quality and ease of use. Informal education materials are tested in museum and public event settings. Lessons have been tested by master teachers and revised based on best practices and pedagogy, and submitted for peer-review through NASA Wavelength, and upon acceptance are included in this larger repository of curated lessons (NASAwavelength.org). All lessons and activities are available free-of-charge on CosmoQuest.org, and may be used by anyone within their own educational settings. In this presentation, we highlight activities related to astronaut photography of the Earth, cratering on terrestrial bodies, lunar science specifically, and citizen science in general.