Grade Six to Eight at the RAO
Teachers may choose one of the programs below and book through our Acuity page. See our Booking Information page 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.
Beyond the Planets
Planets are only part of our solar system. Students will meet dwarf planets, comets and asteroids and discover how these smaller bodies differ. They will understand the kind of reasoning astronomers use when studying distant worlds.
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 Six Science: Characteristics and composition of solar-system bodies and the technologies used to explore them.
Robots of the Solar System
Should your mission use a flyby, orbiter, lander or rover? Students will learn how robotic spacecraft explore the solar system and how cameras, drills, radar and spectrometers collect evidence.
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 Six Science: Celestial bodies, solar-system exploration and technologies used to gather scientific information.
Planetary Case Study
Every crater, channel and lava plain is evidence of something that happened long ago. Students will examine images of planetary surfaces, uncover geological clues and reconstruct a sequence of events. Their challenge is to tell the story of an unfamiliar landscape and defend it using visible evidence.
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 Seven Science: Planet Earth, changes in landforms, geological evidence and processes that reshape planetary surfaces.
How Could We Live There?
What would people need to survive on Mars, Europa or Titan? Students will compare these environments with Earth before designing a base equipped with water, power, shelter, communication and radiation protection. A surprise emergency will test whether their habitat is truly ready.
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 Seven Science: Interactions and ecosystems, heat and temperature, Planet Earth, environmental conditions and scientific problem-solving.
Build a Telescope
Follow a beam of light through a telescope and discover how lenses bring distant objects into view. Students will form a real image, find a focal point and assemble a working refracting telescope. They will test their design on a daytime target and learn how lenses and mirrors collect and focus light.
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 Eight Science: Light and Optical Systems, including lenses, refraction, image formation, ray models and optical technologies.
Optical Challenge Lab
Students put light to work in a series of hands-on puzzles involving mirrors, lenses, filters and transparent materials. They will redirect beams, trace refracted light, and complete light paths while discovering how different optical components change what we see.
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 Eight Science: Reflection, refraction, colour, geometric ray models and the design and use of optical systems.