Information for Teachers

Arlington Public School’s David M. Brown Planetarium

1426 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA 22207   703-228-6070

Over Fifty Years of Service to Arlington Students and the Greater Community

School Group Showtimes

The planetarium offers three shows daily 9:45 am, 11:05 am, and 12:25 pm Monday through Friday. During this re-opening year, we are only scheduling APS elementary students in Grades K to 5. Next school year we will once again offer APS Grade 6 classes the opportunity to visit, along with APS secondary astronomy classes. Once the schedule for 2023-2024 is set, we will make openings available to non-APS schools, scout programs, and similar groups.

Currently Offered School Programs

Kindergarten/Preschool

 One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Big Adventure – Big Bird, Elmo and their friend from China, Hu Hu Zhu, take viewers on a journey of discovery to learn about the Big Dipper, the North Star, the Sun, and the Moon.

• • • • • Curriculum Guide from the producers of the show.

After the show, as time allows, students will practice locating their “Friendship Star” from the Arlington sky.

First Grade

Accidental Astronaut – Follow the adventures of Cy and Annie and their dog Armstrong as they embark on an unexpected journey into space! Explore the Earth, Sun and Moon system with a wise-cracking starship computer. Bounce along with them on the surface of the Moon. Get up close and personal with a solar storm. And gain a new appreciation of our home planet.

• • • • • Curriculum Guide from the planetarium

As time allows, students will also take a tour of the current night sky, highlighting seasonal constellations and visible planets.

Second Grade

3-2-1 Lift Off! – Is an adventurous animated film about courage and wits you need to have to get into space and back.

Second Grade standards addressed: Thinking like a Scientist, Forces and Motion.

321liftoff-worksheets and 321liftoff-ColoringBook from the producers of the show.

Life of Trees – Taking the perspective of insects, this film reveals the magic of the microcosm. On their excursion these two insect friends zip around a tree, and in doing so, playfully learn its secrets: How do plants get their food from the sun? How do they grow? How does water get from the roots to the top of the crown? And how does all this make life on our earth possible?

Second Grade standards addressed: Plants undergo a series of orderly changes as they grow and develop which are part of their life cycles.

As time allows, students will also take a tour of the current night sky, highlighting seasonal constellations and visible planets.

Third Grade

We Are Guardians –  Looks at how our world, its peoples and ecosystems are intrinsically connected, and how with the help of satellite monitoring we can examine the links between human activities and climate change.

Third Grade standards addressed: Natural events and humans influence ecosystems.

Dinosaurs: A Story of Survival – Celeste will join Moon in a journey through time. An exciting adventure that will show them the dinosaurs and the Earth as it was in the very distant past.Third Grade standards addressed: Organisms possess physical characteristics and behaviors that enable them to survive in their environment and obtain resources to meet basic needs and carry out life processes.

Third Grade standards addressed: Natural events and humans influence ecosystems and adaptations.

As time allows, students will also take a tour of the current night sky, highlighting seasonal constellations and visible planets.

Fourth Grade

Expedition Reef – Learn the secrets of the “rainforests of the sea” as you embark on an oceanic safari of the world’s most vibrant—and endangered—marine ecosystems. Expedition Reef immerses you in the undersea adventure.

Fourth Grade standards addressed: Organisms, including humans, interact with one another and with the nonliving components in the ecosystem

Earth, Moon, and Sun – This show explores the relationship between the Earth, Moon and Sun with the help of Coyote, an amusing character adapted from Native American oral traditions who has many misconceptions about our home planet and its most familiar neighbors. Curriculum Guide from the producers of the show.

Fourth Grade standards addressed: There are relationships among Earth, the moon, and the sun.

As time allows, students will also take a tour of the solar system highlighting our place in space, and review the order and characteristics of the planets in our solar system.

Fifth Grade 

We Are Stars – Narrated by Andy Serkis, this show seeks to answer some of the biggest questions of all time. What are we made of? Where did it all come from? Explore the secrets of our cosmic chemistry, our explosive origins and connect life on Earth to the evolution of the Universe. A family-friendly film full of fun, adventure, and enlightenment.

Fifth Grade standards addressed: Matter is composed of atoms, has properties and can change based on energy.

Beyond the Sun – While CELESTE is fighting off sleep in her room by reading a book on astronomy she receives an unexpected visit from MOON.Together, they will enjoy a journey through the Universe to discover what exoplanets are and how they can be detected.

Fifth Grade standards addressed: Matter is composed of atoms, has properties and can change based on energy.

As time allows, students will also take a tour of the Milky Way.

Secondary Science Shows Secondary Show List Nov 2022