Grades 4-6 at the RAO
Teachers may choose one of the programs below and book through our Acuity page: See our Booking Information for details including cost, class size, and how to prepare for your visit. Please email rao@ucalgary.ca for questions or to discuss specific requests.
Exploring the Solar System
Take a guided trip through our solar system and discover what makes each world unique. Students will visit the planets through a virtual planetarium presentation. Along the way, they will learn how telescopes and robotic spacecraft help us explore places humans cannot yet visit.
If the sky is clear, students will observe the Sun or planets during the day. They will also tour the observatory and discuss our research as it connects with their curriculum. Students are encouraged to share their big astrophysics questions and learn how astronomers in Calgary are contributing to our understanding of space.
Curriculum Connections – Grade Four Science: Objects in space and their connections to daily life; scientific observation; evidence and technologies used to study space.
Our Home: The Earth and Moon
Why is the Moon covered in craters? Where did it come from, and how does it affect life on Earth? Students will explore the relationship between Earth and its closest neighbour. They will learn everything from lunar phases to its formation.
If the sky is clear, students will observe the Sun or planets during the day. They will also tour the observatory and discuss our research as it connects with their curriculum. Students are encouraged to share their big astrophysics questions and learn how astronomers in Calgary are contributing to our understanding of space.
Curriculum Connections – Grade Four Science: Connections between objects in space and daily life; using observations and evidence to build scientific explanations.
Curriculum Connections – Grade Five Science: Interpreting observable processes involving the Sun, Moon, planets and stars in relation to daily life.
Planetary Weather Report
Forecasting gets a little more exciting when the destination is Mars, Venus or Jupiter. Students will discover the clouds, winds, storms and extreme conditions found on other worlds. Each team will then prepare a planetary weather broadcast with environmental hazards and advice for future explorers.
If the sky is clear, students will observe the Sun or planets during the day. They will also tour the observatory and discuss our research as it connects with their curriculum. Students are encouraged to share their big astrophysics questions and learn how astronomers in Calgary are contributing to our understanding of space.
Curriculum Connections – Grade Five Science: Observable processes on planets, climate and weather, and communicating scientific information.