How to teach ... UFOs

From flying saucers to alien life on other planets, our lessons will help you explore all things extra-terrestrial from the comfort of your classroom

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? If you have to ask, then - technically - it is an unidentified flying object (UFO), although not necessarily an alien craft. Saturday 2 July is World UFO day, when residents of Earth are encouraged to look skyward in search of unexpected items whizzing around. The date was chosen in honour of the first ever reported UFO sighting: US pilot Kenneth Arnold claimed to have seen nine objects flying in tandem on 24 June 1947 in Mount Rainier national park.

This year's World UFO day was also chosen to mark the anniversary of the supposed UFO crash in Roswell - and is commemorated as a means of encouraging the US government to declassify its files on UFOs. It's an intriguing subject, and one that works across the curriculum. So how can you explore it with your students?