NASA Storybook & Educator Guide
When I was the Education Lead for a NASA mission, I managed the design and development of a standards-based storybook and educator guide that were published on NASA.gov, PBS, and Apple Books. These products were part of the NASA Think Scientifically series, an elementary school science literacy program that aimed to keep science in the classroom; many schools, especially those in underserved communities, were dropping science instruction due to the pressure of improving math and reading test scores. To solve this problem, the storybook and educator guide provided teachers with an integrated way to incorporate math, reading, and science content into their curriculum. I coached teachers on how to use these products in the classroom through virtual and in-person trainings to ensure their success.
- Audience: 3rd-5th Grade teachers and students
- Responsibilities: Project Management, Curriculum Development, Product Design and Development, Instructional Coaching
Overview
The Sun and The Water Cycle science storybook follows two sisters, Marisol and Sofia, as they discover what role the Sun plays in the water cycle. The accompanying educator guide includes science, math, and language arts activities that align with the story. These resources were created so that 3rd-5th grade teachers could easily include them in their classroom instruction. The characters featured in the book were thoughtfully created to encourage underrepresented groups to pursue scientific endeavors.
Process
Research: When I took on the project, I researched trends in children’s literature relating to diversity of book characters; I quickly learned that white characters were featured in children’s books over 70% of the time while characters from diverse backgrounds appeared less than 10% of the time (source). The first two books in the NASA Think Scientifically series, written by my predecessor, reflected this trend, so I wanted to feature Latinx characters in the third and final book. It is important for diverse groups of learners to see themselves represented not only in children’s books but STEM-focused books to encourage them to pursue opportunities in STEM fields.
Book Development and Standards Alignment: Once deciding on my main characters, I carefully mapped out which key NGSS standards to include in the book and then meticulously planned out every page with how to best teach the concept through words and images. I also collaborated with subject matter experts (e.g. teachers, scientists) to get feedback to improve the book’s content to ensure that educators and students would benefit as much as possible. With a final draft of the story in hand, I hired an illustrator and worked closely with her to make sure the artwork was scientifically accurate as well as aesthetically pleasing.
Educator Guide Development: I created an educator guide to accompany the book that included science, math, and language arts activities that aligned to the story’s content. You can view this resource by clicking on the button below; please note that this was created in 2014, so the science standards may have changed some since that time.
Results & Takeaways
These resources reached 300+ classrooms in printed form and countless others in digital form through NASA.gov, PBS, and Apple Books. I trained 75+ teachers in related science, math, and language arts activities both in classrooms and at the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) conference.
Since these resources were published in 2014, I have gained another decade of experience in education as an instructional coach and STEM teacher, education leader at Smithsonian, and learning consultant. If I did this project again, I would make the educator resources more interactive with online learning components including asynchronous self-paced training materials and eLearning modules based on math, science, and language arts standards.
Want to see more?
My next project features a gamified, interactive study tool that makes technical content more engaging for learners.
