Art and Science in the Classroom

Five DrawTogether Classrooms (DTC) were selected to participate in a collaboration with NASA’s Art in Space program. In collaboration with Luke Idziak of NASA, DrawTogether developed a lesson plan for participating educators and students that provided a brief history of Carl Sagan’s Pioneer Plaque and Golden Record, and a short lesson on the history of symbols and communication.

Kids were asked to create a symbol to represent something they are proud of on earth and that they would like to share with the rest of the universe. Educators provided each kid with a 6”x6” piece of paper and a pen to create their symbol, and asked to write a single sentence sharing why they drew what they did. These drawings were sent back to DTC.

DTC reviewed all the artwork and grouped the artwork into themes. One piece of art was chosen from each of the themes, and a diagram was created using the kids artwork. This diagram is the final artwork that was etched into the satellite. While not every kid’s drawing made it on the satellite, every kid contributed meaningfully to the collaboration and received a certificate of participation signed by WendyMac of DrawTogether and Luke Idziak of NASA.

While the project is completed, educators can download the original lesson plan and use it with their classrooms to learn about Carl Sagan’s Golden Record and the intersection of art and space at NASA. Educators can also download Luke Idziak’s presentation on the art on satellites program at NASA.

For more information, contact Kate Levitt, Director of Education and Impact, DrawTogether at Kate@DrawTogether.Studio

Download the lesson plan