A teacher and students at Uranus on Voyage Opening Day, October 17, 2001. Class tours can be self-guided, or facilitated by a museum docent or museum educator. The key to success is connection back to the classroom through the teacher.

Professional development for teachers many weeks in advance of a class tour can facilitate a multi-week unit on Solar System science using the Voyage lessons. Before a tour, the teacher can use specific lessons in the classroom to assess pre-knowledge and misconceptions, and develop a broad conceptual understanding of the Solar System. Lessons after a tour build on the exhibition experience, e.g., allowing students to measure the distance to the real Sun and Moon, explore orbits in the Solar System, search for abodes of life, and explore the physics of cratering.

Credit: ©Smithsonian Institution, Jeff Tinsley