Transcript Third Grade Astronomy

Third Grade Astronomy
Earth/Sun/Moon
John Heffernan, Ronen Plesser,
and Kitty Rutherford
Lead Teacher Development
Institute
June 27, 2006
Session Goals
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Explore activities for the Earth/Sun/Moon( ESM) 3rd
Grade science goal using materials from TRACS
Investigating Objects in the Sky (IOBS) kit and an online
ESM Unit
Learn inquiry process and additional content of the ESM
Unit to help teach additional activities to enhance the
IOBS kit, with more active recording and modeling of the
observable patterns in our sky.
Share ideas for integrating science notebooking, literacy,
technology and math
Doing Science and the Scientific
Method
Five Science Misconceptions:
1. There is one scientific method.
2. Inquiry is only when the student generates the
question.
3. The process is what’s important not the content.
4. Inquiry based instruction is the only method to teach
science.
5. Using kits and hands-on materials makes inquiry
teaching easy.
From http://scienceeducation.nih.gov/supplements/nih6/Inquiry/guide/info
_process-b.htm#features
Inquiry Problem-based Learning Cycle
National Science
Content Standards
1. Science as Inquiry:
 Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
 Understandings about Scientific inquiry
2. Science & Technology:
 Abilities of technological design
 Understandings about science and technology
National Science
Content Standards
3. History and Nature of Science:
 Science as a human endeavor
4. Unifying Concepts and Processes
 Systems, order, and organization
 Evidence, models, and explanation
 Constancy, change, and measurement
 Form and function
National Science Education Content
Standards and Benchmarks
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Objects in the Sky have patterns of movement. The Sun, for example,
appears to move across the sky in the same way everyday, but its path
changes slowly over the seasons. The moon moves across the sky on a
daily basis much like the Sun.
The Sun, Moon and stars all have properties, locations and movements that
can be observed and described.
The observable shape of the Moon changes from day to day in a cycle that
lasts about a month.
The patterns of the stars stay the same although they appear to move
across the sky nightly.
The Earth is one of several planets that orbit the Sun and the Moon orbits
the Earth.
NC Standard Course of Study
Standards
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Competency Goal 3: The learner will make observations and
use appropriate technology to build an understanding of the
earth/moon/sun system.
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Objectives 3.01 Observe that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an
object and is reflected and/or absorbed.
3.02 Observe that objects in the sky have patterns of movement including:
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Sun.
Moon.
Stars.
3.03 Using shadows, follow and record the apparent movement of the sun in
the sky during the day.
3.04 Use appropriate tools to make observations of the moon.
3.05 Observe and record the change in the apparent shape of the moon from
day to day over several months and describe the pattern of changes.
3.06 Observe that patterns of stars in the sky stay the same, although they
appear to move across the sky nightly.
Astro Unit Lesson Sequence
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Sun Moves in the Sky
Light and Shadows Part 1 & 2
Pinhole Viewers
Changes in Shadows
Day and Night on a Spinning Plate
Earth is Round
Day and Night on a Spinning
Globe
Tilting the Globe
Seasons and the Orbit
Phases of the Moon
Dance of the Earth and the Moon
Eclipses
The Full Dance
TRACS Unit Lesson Sequence
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Sky Wilderness
Moon Watching
Changes in Shadows
Star Gazing
Star Guides
Moon Movies
Patterns in the Sky
Movement in the Sky…Why?
Other objects in the Sky
Confusion in Sky Wilderness
Fundamental Elements our
Astro Inquiry Lessons
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Teamwork & Partnership
Science Notebooks
Motivation/Challenge: Pre & Post Assessment
Observable Phenomena
Sequential Learning
Year-long Project Learning
Developing the ability to compare and integrate
appearance of same phenomenon from different
points of view
Day 1: Three Lessons:
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Day and Night on a
Spinning Plate
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Earth is Round
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Day and Night on a
Spinning Globe
Day and Night on a Spinning Plate
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Follows lessons on Sun’s
apparent motion in the sky and
on the properties of light,
including a study of the
properties (shape, size) of
shadows.
Use a rotating plate with tees
attached to integrate these
into an understanding of how
the orientation of the Earth
can create the conditions
observed throughout a day:
morning, noon, evening, night.
This is the students’ first
experience with a view from
off Earth.
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By rotating the plate, students
manage to cause the tee’s
shadow to reproduce the
behavior of their shadows over
the course of a day on Earth.
Challenge: what would a
person in the tee’s position see
– integrate with previous
activities.
Challenge: Our shadows do
not vanish at noon (they never
do). How to modify plate’s
motion to reproduce this – tilt.
Earth is Round
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Actual experience differs
from the rotating plate
because Earth is round.
Modeling Earth with a
styrofoam ball, study the
effect of Earth’s curvature
on our experience.
Emphasize points of view:
the classroom models
outer space.
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On a round Earth, up is a
different direction at
different locations.
As Earth rotates, the part
of space visible at a given
location changes.
Once more, classroom is
outer space looking down
on Earth
Challenge: find the part
of space always visible
from some location, and
the part of space never
visible.
Day and Night on a Spinning Globe
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Integrate previous
activities to understand
how a rotating round
Earth explains the
alternations of day and
night we observe.
Investigate the apparent
motion of objects in the
sky at various latitudes
Why do we use time
zones?
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As a round Earth turns to
the East, objects in space
appear to rotate around
us from East to West.
The axis of apparent
rotation is the Earth’s
axis. This is vertical at
the poles, horizontal at
the equator, and tilted in
between.
The part of the sky
always visible includes
circumpolar stars.
Review Day 1
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How does tilting and
rotating effect a
shadow’s size and
shape?
If you are standing on
the Earth where is up
and down?
Where on the world is
sunset, sunrise, noon
and midnight?
National Standards
vs.
Traditional Teaching Methods
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The Five-minute University offers a
proposal based on what students retain
from traditional teaching
Day 2:
Changing Emphases:
Less:
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Treating everyone alike & only
responding to the whole group
Only focus on student
acquiring info
Assess only facts learned
More
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Responding to individual
students’ strengths & needs
Focus on student
understanding
Providing opportunities for
discussion and debate
3 Lessons
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Seasons and the
Orbit
Phases of the Moon
Dance of the Earth
and the Moon
Seasons and the Orbit
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Why do we have the
seasons?
Model an Earth orbiting
the Sun while rotating
about a tilted axis to
understand seasonal
changes.
Northern and Southern
Hemisphere, angles,
length of days and
shadows
Marking the Change of
Season: Solstices and
Equinoxes
Distance from the Sun?
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As the Earth orbits the
Sun, the Earth’s tilt
causes sunlight to fall
differently on Earth at
different times of year.
What seasonal changes
would you expect at the
equator?
Why are the stars we see
in summer different from
those visible in winter?
Challenge: Earth’s
rotation takes less than
24hrs?
Phases of the Moon
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What causes the
changing shape of the
Moon in the sky?
Moon is a rocky ball.
Why does it shine in the
sky at all?
Model the moon with a
styrofoam ball; here
student’s head models
Earth
Describing the phases:
New, crescent, waxing,
quarter, gibbous, full,
waning
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Moon shines by reflecting
sunlight.
As Moon orbits Earth,
fraction of visible side of
Moon illuminated by Sun
varies, causing phases.
Does Earth exhibit phases
as seen from Moon? How
are these related to Moon
phase?
Crescent Moon often
shows a faint completion:
optical illusion?
Dance of the Earth and Moon
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Integrate all the
motions in
Earth/Sun/Moon
system in a kinetic
exercise
Students play role of
Earth and Moon
Explain the missing
four minutes
Replacing ESM Misconceptions
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The Private Universe illustrates
misconceptions that survive (or are aided)
by instruction