Spiral Galaxies | Space Science Research Project Template | Digital + Print

A research project template built around spiral galaxies turns their dazzling arms and hidden dark-matter halos into a scaffold for authentic STEM practice: students engage with driving questions like 'Why do spiral arms light up with newborn stars?' or 'How does rotation curve data hint at invisible mass?' then plan investigations that weave together physics, astronomy, data science, and even history of discovery. Because the template breaks the work into clear milestones, teachers can map each phase directly onto NGSS inquiry standards, streamline assessment, and reuse the scaffold year after year. The intrinsic wow factor of stunning galaxy images sustains engagement, but the structured process ensures every learner moves beyond mere wonder, gaining transferable skills in evidence-based reasoning, collaborative problem-solving, and scientific communication making class time both captivating and academically rigorous. With this in mind, let's engage with this excellent learning and teaching resource.

This spiral galaxies science research project template (webquest) provides the perfect grab and go, print and provide resource that can help your students learn all about the topic of spiral galaxies. For digital, you can provide a Google doc copy for ease of submission or a Microsoft word version as well.

THIS SPIRAL GALAXIES SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT TEMPLATE CAN BE USED SO MANY WAYS:

• Useful for substitute (sub) teaching
• To extend students
• To increase scientific literacy in your class
• A weekly reading task
• Great as a lesson filler when class goes too fast
• To inspire students on a particular topic
• Give a selection of these articles for students to choose from

WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SPIRAL GALAXIES SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT TEMPLATE:

• 7 page Google doc image - textboxes teacher version with supporting appendix items
• 3 page Google doc image - textboxes student version with room to fill in answers (text boxes)
• 7 page Word doc image - textboxes teacher version with supporting appendix items
• 3 page Word doc image - textboxes student version with room to fill in answers (text boxes)
• 7 page PDF teacher version with supporting appendix items
• 3 page PDF student version with space to fill in answers
• 1 page 20 point rubric for self or teacher assessment in all three - Google doc, Word doc and PDF form

Please note: That the Google Doc / Microsoft Doc versions are images with editable text boxes overlayed on top and this is the most effective way to keep the article sleek and well-designed and also that students cannot change things significantly.