Star Wars is the movie that proved science fiction could be a blockbuster. Within the Star Wars fandom, May Fourth is celebrated as “Star Wars Day.” The date was chosen because of the pun on the famous catchphrase “May the force be with you.” Even though it is not an official holiday, fans across the world take the opportunity to celebrate. The astronauts on the International Space Station have even watched the movie from orbit!
Whether your students are huge fans, or have yet to see a single episode, May 4th is a good opportunity to connect your students to some real-world science and technology that isn’t far removed from the futuristic storylines found in this iconic series.
We have curated the following lesson plans, videos, and more from PBS LearningMedia for those inspired (Jedi) instructors out there. And remember… Teach. Or teach not. There is no try.
A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away…
We live in the Milky Way galaxy, which is just one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known Universe. As this signature opening to Star Warshints at, the farther we look out into space, the further back in time we are seeing— when the universe was much younger and the galaxies were still forming. Explore the size and structure of our own universe, and the many kinds of galaxies within, with these resources.
- Take a Tour of the Universe (video, grades 6-8)
- Model Galaxies | NOVA (video, grades 6-12)
- What’s in Space? (interactive, grades 3-5)
- How to Find a Galaxy (video, grades 9-12)
- To Scale: Explore the Solar System (video, grades 6-8); pairs well with Map a Model Solar System (interactive, grades 6-8)
- Take a Voyage Through Galaxies (video, grades 3-12)
- Observe the Center of the Milky Way | NOVA (media gallery, grades 9-12)
- Search for the First Galaxies (media gallery, grades 9-12)
- Map the Milky Way Galaxy (video, grades 9-12)
Use the force!
A core idea in the Star War universe is the Force, described as, “an energy field created by all living things. It… binds the galaxy together.” Ok, as a physics teacher I will tell you that that last one is actually gravity (or duct tape, if you are an engineer). Explore the forces of our own universe with these lesson plans and the most popular interactive on PBS LearningMedia (listed first).
- Discover the Energy in a Roller Coaster Ride (interactive, grades 3-12)
- Explore Sports Science with Ruff Ruffman(collection, grades K-2)
- Learn About Gravity and Falling Objects (lesson plan, grades 3-5)
- Explore Exoplanets Using Kepler’s Laws (lesson plan, grades 9-12)
- Using VR Tools: Invisible Force Challenge (teacher guide and media, grades 3-8)
- Dive Into a Black Hole Apocalypse: Gravity and Spacetime (video, grades 9-12)
Space Travel
So maybe hyperdrive isn’t possible… yet. However, this hasn’t stopped us from thinking big and traveling far! These short videos explain some of the possibilities, dangers, and triumphs of space travel.
- Living and Working in Space (resource collection, grades 3-8)
- Engineer Design for Space (collection, grades 9-12)
- Learn About Voyager: Humanity’s Farthest Journey (video, grades 6-12)
- Should You Go to Mars? (Featuring Bill Nye) | Physics Girl(video, grades 6-12)
- How do Meteoroids Endanger Spacecrafts? (video, grades 6-12)
- A Bathroom in Space: Toilet Facilities Tour Inside the Space Station (video, grades 3-8)
- Explore the Health Effects of Zero Gravity (video, grades 6-12)
- Pushing a Spacecraft with Light? | Physics Girl(video, grades 6-12)
Alien Creatures
Finding life on other planets isn’t as simple as crash landing on a planet or flying into a giant space slug burrowed into an asteroid (fun fact, the one in The Empire Strikes Back is called an "exogorth"). And even if we haven’t (yet) discovered life beyond Earth, there are still some pretty strange creatures in our own planet to delve into!
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Are We Alone? (video, grades 3-12)
- Explore the Cephalopod Brain (video, grades 6-12)
- Finding Life Beyond Earth | NOVA (collection, grades 6-12)
- Using Light Signatures in the Search for Alien Life | NOVA Wonders: Are We Alone? (video, 6-12)
- Is It Irrational to Believe in Aliens? | PBS Space Time (video, grades 9-12)
- Extreme Habitats and the Search for Alien Life | NOVA Wonders: Are We Alone? (video, grades 6-8)
- Learn About Frozen Frogs | NOVA(video, grades 6-12)
- The Anatomy of Anglerfish (video, grades 3-12)
Droids, Robots and Artificial Intelligence
R2D2 and C-3PO were just two of the many Star Wars robots that possessed various degrees of artificial intelligence (and a sense of humor). Kids of all ages are fascinated with robots, and these resources examine the reality of robots today — including a video clip that features a scientist who was inspired by Star Wars!
- The Rise of the Robots (video, grades 6-12)
- Making a Humanoid Robot (video, grades 6-12)
- Scientist Profile: Robotic Life Scientist (video, grades 4-6)
- Learn About Biomorphic Robots (video, grades 3-12)
- Discover the Hive Mentality of Swarm Robotics (video, grades 6-12)
- Driverless Vehicles Yield to Complex Issues | NOVA Wonders: Can We
- Build a Brain? (video, grades 9-12)
- Teaching Machines to See | NOVA Wonders: Can We Build a Brain?(media gallery, grades 6-8)
Strange Planets
From the hot sands of Tatooine to the icy world of Hoth, the settings of Star Wars offered wildly imaginative moons and planets. These videos explore some of the strange places we are finding in our solar system, like Saturn’s “Hoth-like” moon, Enceladus, and the exoplanets beyond.
- How to Discover a New Planet (video, grades 6-12)
- Detecting Exoplanets | NOVA Universe Revealed: Alien Worlds (media gallery, grades 9-12)
- Is There Life on Enceladus? (video, grades 6-12)
- Take a Trip and Soar Over Mars (video, grades 6-12)
- Evaluate the Evidence for Water in the Solar System (media gallery, grades 6-8)
Epic Space Rescues and Cybernetics
From lightsabers to the prosthetics needed to fix people after a (fictional) fight, there was plenty of action throughout this series. Some of the ways that we are healing people today might already seem like science fiction, as these videos show.
- Explore the Mechanics of Epic Space Rescues | Physics Girl (video, grades 6-12)
- Meet a Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm (video, grades 6-12)
- How to Bioengineer Body Parts (video, grades 9-12)
- Learn About Robotics in Medicine (video, grades 3-8)
- Manipulate Memories with Optogenetics (video, grades 6-12)
The “Kessel Run” and Black Holes
Han Solo’s classic boast about his ship, the Millenium Falcon, making the “Kessel Run in 10 Parsecs” has caused much debate, with even Neil DeGrasse Tyson weighing in. The solution? Turn it into a dangerous route through a path of black holes.
- The Stellar Life Cycles of Black Holes (video, grades 9-12)
- Black Holes: Are They Objects of Attraction? (video, grades 9-12)
- Explore Supermassive Black Holes at the Centers of Galaxies | NOVA Universe
- Revealed: The Truth About Black Holes (media gallery, grades 6-8)
- Observe Supermassive Black Holes (media gallery, grades 9-12)
We will leave you with this blog from NASA about some of the connections between the science and technology of our own space agency, and a galaxy far far away.
May the Fourth Be With You.
