School Shows

The Seminole State Planetarium custom-produces interactive, multimedia, virtual reality shows designed to meet FCAT space science requirements. Our shows are hosted live, by knowledgeable professionals, and they are kept up-to-date with the very latest information and new discoveries.

Seminole Space Science Series

This series teaches all of the FCAT space science requirements for grades K-5. All episodes feature live host-student interaction throughout to engage your students in the learning process.

• Kindergarteners: This show begins with our virtual sky set at sunrise. As the sun moves across the daytime sky, students learn how the position of the sun changes throughout the day and will discuss the effects of sunlight and shade on objects. As the sun sets, students learn the differences in the appearance of the day- and nighttime skies. They also learn how the color of a star reveals its age, size and temperature. By the end of the show, students are able to identify up to four major constellations in the current night sky.
• First-Graders: This show will expand students' knowledge of visible objects in the day- and nighttime skies. They will learn how the rotation of the Earth causes day and night; how the heat from the sun has varying effects, depending on what it strikes; and how gravity affects the motion of objects, such as the moon, and combine this knowledge to learn how the sun's light, reflecting off of the moon's surface, changes over a 29-day cycle to produce the phases of the moon that we see from Earth.
• Second-Graders: Students will learn the difference between the Earth's and moon's rotation, as well as their axes and paths of revolution around each other and the sun. They will also learn the length of the Earth's rotation and how to relate their position on the Earth to the sun and the time of day; that the stars and planets are always in the sky but the brightness of the sun's light striking the Earth's atmosphere hides them during the day; the primary lunar phases, including those visible during daylight hours; and how to identify the constellations of the Big and Little Bears, as well as the Polaris, the North Star, and learn the European and Native American mythology associated with them.
• Third-Graders: This show teaches students will learn the relative positions of the planets in the solar system and the characteristics of the inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars; that the sun's light and heat provide energy to the Earth and that the amount of energy received changes throughout the year, as the length of day and night varies due to the tilt of the Earth's axis; and that the sun is a star, like other stars but much closer than the others.
• Fourth-Graders: This show teaches students that the sun's light and heat provide energy for most Earth lifeforms; that humans can capture the sun's energy; that the amount of energy available varies the seasons, as the length of day and night change due to the tilt of the Earth's axis; what causes the lunar phases and how gravity keeps the Moon and the planets in their orbits; the characteristics of the outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto; and that the sun is a medium-sized star located near the edge of one of billions of galaxies, each containing billions - or even trillions - of stars.
• Fifth-Graders: Students review many of the concepts presented in the K-4 shows in the Seminole Space Science series, such as the position of the Earth, moon and sun during each phase of the moon; the effect of the Earth's axis tilt on seasonal solar energy availability; and the order, distances, sizes and characteristics of the planets in our solar system. New concepts are introduced and emphasis is placed on polar climates related to the Earth's axis tilt, the elliptical shape of the Earth's orbit; and how motion in space is different than motion on the Earth's surface due to changes in gravitational force and friction.

To the Stars and Beyond

Show topics include stellar life cycles from birth to their various types of deaths as white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes, to the recycling of their stellar substances into new stars. Students will also learn the structure and classifications of galaxies.

Though produced as a supplement for Seminole County Public Schools' sixth-graders curriculum but has not yet been updated to match FCAT requirements for sixth grade.

Note: More middle and high school-level shows will be added in the future, in addition to "To the Stars and Beyond," for sixth grade students; however, many of our other shows may be appropriate for students studying subjects other than science:

• "Myths in the Night!" (for English and humanities classes)
• "Lords of the Night: Mayan Astronomy of Ancient Mexico" (for world history and Spanish classes)
• "A Star to Steer by: Astronomical Concepts of Celestial Navigation" (for Math and ROTC classes)
• "Space Art" (for art classes)
• "Tonight's Sky," "The 13th Sign: Facts vs. Myths of Astrology" and "Where's the Science?" (These shows teach the scientific method and critical-thinking skills for science classes.)

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