Challenging the Standard: Bringing Plasma Physics Into K-12 Classrooms

The word "plasma" is absent from the science standards used in 48 of the 50 US states; it appears only in Virginia and Georgia. . As content in state standards are required to be covered each year by each teacher, many do not have the time or resources to add topics not assessed. This often prevents both plasma physicists interested in outreach and the teachers they hope to work with from seeing the benefits existing plasma-centric outreach could provide. While the fourth state of matter may be absent in name, that does not mean it cannot support standards based learning. There are many standards from areas like electricity and magnetism, matter and interactions, engineering design that do connect to plasma physicists' work. Scientists aiming to conduct outreach should capitalize on these connections both when designing outreach activities and proposing them to existing and potential K-12 partners. This session will review how to break down local standards to find connections, and how to communicate those connections to formal education stakeholders.