GEMS® Space Science Sequence

Product or Programme · All products and programmes
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 3 studies (3 causal), q2–q3 · 1 of 3 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description

A grades 3–5 space-science curriculum developed by the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley, comprising four units and 24 class sessions with teacher guides and materials.

Components

• GEMS® Space Science Sequence curriculum for grades 3–5: The GEMS® Space Science Sequence is an instructional curriculum for grades 3–5 covering "planetary sizes and distance, the Earth’s shape and movement, gravity, and moon phases and eclipses", using the solar system as the focal point for learning. It comprises 24 sixty-minute class sessions in four units (How Big and How Far?, Earth’s Shape and Gravity, How Does the Earth Move?, Moon Phases and Eclipses), each of which can stand alone or build into an overall learning progression. It comes with a teacher’s guide, materials kit, master copies, and a CD-ROM of resources, and is available from Carolina Curriculum for $515 (kit) and $149.95 (teacher’s guide). (GEMS Space Science Sequence)

Claims

• The effect of GEMS® Space Science Sequence on the Space Science Content test is smaller and not statistically significant at the five-month follow-up [+W]
• GEMS® Space Science Sequence produces a statistically significant positive immediate-posttest effect on the Space Science Content test for grades 4–5 students [+W]
• The WWC rates GEMS® Space Science Sequence as having potentially positive effects on general science achievement, with a small extent of evidence [+W]

Related Products and Programmes

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Key Sources

• U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse. (2012, June). Science intervention report: Great Explorations in Math and Science® (GEMS®) Space Science Sequence. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/612

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	product
id	gems-space-science-sequence
title	GEMS® Space Science Sequence
description	A grades 3–5 space-science curriculum developed by the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley, comprising four units and 24 class sessions with teacher guides and materials.
status	review
moved_from	element/gems-space-science-sequence-curriculum
product_kind	curriculum
generated	by process:sweep-kinds on 2026-10-10
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — us-department-of-education-institute

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