Download Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy

Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy
Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: 6–12
Curriculum Focus: Astronomy/Space
Duration: 7 segments; 66 minutes
Program Description
This library of videos contains seven segments on celestial bodies and related science.
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What Is a Scientific Investigation? (10 min.)
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What Are Scientific Measurements? (10 min.)
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The Scientific Method (12 min.)
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The Origin of the Moon (9 min.)
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Space Travel (8 min.)
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Mars (8 min.)
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Neutron Stars and Black Holes (9 min.)
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
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Discuss how scientists have learned about space through unmanned spacecraft and probes,
manned space missions, and advanced telescopes.
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Create a “mission report,” a current example of space exploration.
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Discuss the advantages and limitations of different types of space exploration.
Materials
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Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy video
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Internet access
Procedures
1. After watching the video, ask students to consider ways scientists have learned about space. To
guide the discussion, ask the following questions:
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How do we know about the different phases of the moon, and that they go through
a 29-day cycle?
Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy
Teacher’s Guide
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How do we know that the sun changes position in the sky throughout the day and
throughout the year?
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How do we know about the effects of microgravity on the human body?
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How do we know about the surface of the moon?
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How do we know about the atmosphere or Mars?
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How have we obtained evidence that liquid water once existed on Mars, or that ice
exists there now? (For example, how do we know that there are sulfates in rocks on
Mars?)
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How do we know about the varied landscapes on Mars?
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How do we know that stars go through a life cycle?
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How do we know where black holes exist?
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How did we detect the Crab Nebula?
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2. Ask students to think about the forms of space exploration they discussed. How did humans
first learn about the positions of the moon and sun? (By observing the sky from Earth) In modern
times, much of space exploration has fallen into three major categories:
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Unmanned spacecraft and probes (Spirit and Opportunity Rovers)
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Manned space missions (Apollo Missions and the International Space Station)
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Advanced telescopes (Hubble Space Telescope)
3. Ask students to work with a partner and choose one form of space exploration to learn more
about. Then have them research one current mission. They may choose an example from the
video or from their research, such as the Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn or the telescope at
the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The following Web site provides information on many NASA
missions:
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NASA Missions
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/timeline/index.html
4. Have students prepare a “mission report,” which should include at least one image and address
the following:
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The name and purpose of the mission
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The type of technology used
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Estimated duration of the mission
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What have scientists learned from this mission so far?
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What are the mission’s limitations?
5. Have students present their reports to the class. End the lesson with a discussion about the
three types of space exploration. What kinds of information does each one provide? What are
the advantages and limitations of each kind?
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy
Teacher’s Guide
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Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students’ work during this lesson.
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3 points: Students participated actively in class discussions; wrote a thorough, engaging
mission report that addressed all issues; included at least one interesting image.
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2 points: Students participated in class discussions; wrote a satisfactory mission report that
addressed most of the issues; included a satisfactory image.
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1 point: Students did not participate in class discussions; wrote an incomplete or unclear
mission report that addressed few or none of the issues; did not include an image.
Vocabulary
atmosphere
Definition: The gases that surround Earth or other planets
Context: Today the atmosphere on Mars is too thin and cold for liquid water to exist.
black hole
Definition: An object with a gravitational field so strong that light cannot escape; created in the
collapse of a massive star
Context: Scientists cannot see a black hole, but they can detect its presence by its gravitational
pull on other objects.
microgravity
Definition: A condition of real or apparent reduced gravity experienced on orbiting space
vehicles
Context: Microgravity causes changes in the human body, including the nerves, bones, muscles,
and bones.
nebula
Definition: A cloud of gas or dust in interstellar space
Context: The Crab Nebula resulted from the explosion of a giant star in the Milky Way Galaxy.
neutron star
Definition: Extremely dense, compact star composed primarily of neutrons, formed from the
collapsed core of a supernova
Context: Neutron stars may measure only about 12 miles in diameter, but they have a mass
equal to about one-and-a-half times that of the sun’s.
pulsar
Definition: A rapidly spinning neutron star that sends out pulses of radiation at regular
intervals; pulsars have extremely strong magnetic fields.
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Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy
Teacher’s Guide
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Context: As the pulsar rotates, it sends out beams of light that are picked up on Earth
periodically.
space station
Definition: An orbiting spacecraft designed for occupation by teams of astronauts or cosmonauts
over a long period
Context: The International Space Station is a facility designed to conduct research in an
environment of microgravity.
supernova
Definition: A rare celestial phenomenon involving the explosion of most of the material in a star,
resulting in an extremely bright, short-lived object that emits vast amounts of energy
Context: A black hole forms when the material from a supernova collapses in on itself.
Thematic Units
Help your students evaluate and analyze what they view in the videos with the Essential Questions
for each Thematic Unit.
Energy
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
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What types of energy are found in space? How are they different from types of energy
on Earth?
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How does a star’s energy change throughout its life cycle?
SEGMENT
Neutron Stars and Black Holes
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Pre-viewing question
What is a star? What is a black hole?
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Post-viewing question
How is a star’s mass related to its life span? What happens when a star dies?
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Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy
Teacher’s Guide
Adaptation
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
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What adaptations have humans made to survive in space?
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What do humans need to survive? What adaptations would be necessary to live on Mars?
SEGMENT
Mars
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Pre-viewing question
What is in Earth’s atmosphere? What elements are essential to life?
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Post-viewing question
What technological adaptations would be required for humans to adapt to life on Mars?
Classification
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
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What classification tools and terminology are used in the field of astronomy?
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Describe the different types of stars. How do the life cycles of each differ?
SEGMENT
Neutron Stars and Black Holes
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Pre-viewing question
Describe celestial bodies outside our solar system.
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Post-viewing question
Describe a star’s life cycle. What is the relationship between a star and a black hole?
Inquiry
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
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What is scientific investigation? How is it applied to the study of astronomy?
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Why are the steps of scientific method important? What would happen if one step were
omitted?
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Give examples of scientific inquiry and methodology used in the field of astronomy.
SEGMENTS
What Is a Scientific Investigation?
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Pre-viewing question
When is scientific inquiry used in the real world? Who makes use of it?
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Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy
Teacher’s Guide
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Post-viewing question
What are the essential steps of scientific inquiry? Why is each step important?
The Scientific Method
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Pre-Viewing Question
What is the scientific method?
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Post-Viewing Question
Describe the scientific method the Wright brothers used to design and build the first flying
machine.
The Origin of the Moon
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Pre-Viewing Question
What celestial body is Earth’s closest neighbor? What is known about its composition and
origin?
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Post-Viewing Question
Describe four theories about the moon’s origin. Which is most accurate?
Space Travel
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Pre-Viewing Question
When did the first humans travel into space? Why?
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Post-Viewing Question
What are the goals of space exploration? Do you agree with these goals?
Mars
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Pre-Viewing Question
Where is Mars in relationship to the Earth? What do you know about its surface and
climate?
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Post-Viewing Question
What are some differences between Earth and Mars?
Science and Technology
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
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What environment, tools, and standards are necessary for productive scientific work?
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How does information about the moon and other celestial bodies affect life on Earth?
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What advances in the field of astronomy have improved human life?
SEGMENTS
What Are Scientific Measurements?
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Pre-viewing question
Why is accurate measurement important in science and the real world?
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Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy
Teacher’s Guide
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Post-viewing question
What are some examples where accurate timekeeping and measurement are important?
What other scientific measurements must be accurate?
Space Travel
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Pre-viewing question
What environmental conditions make space exploration a challenge?
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Post-viewing question
How has the technology of space exploration changed in the past 50 years?
Mars
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Pre-viewing question
What evidence on Mars would indicate that life once existed there?
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Post-viewing question
How are the Spirit and Opportunity probes helping scientists learn about Mars? What have
they discovered?
Neutron Stars and Black Holes
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Pre-viewing question
What technology is essential to the study of astronomy?
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Post-viewing question
What accomplishments in astronomy came about due to the Hubble Space Telescope?
History
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
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What does astronomy reveal about the age of Earth, our solar system, the Milky Way, and
the universe?
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How does the study of astronomy help scientists make predictions? Why is this important?
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What are some scientific accomplishments in astronomy?
SEGMENTS
The Scientific Method
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Pre-viewing question
What is the scientific method?
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Post-viewing question
Describe the scientific method the Wright brothers used to design and build the first flying
machine.
Space Travel
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Pre-viewing question
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Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy
Teacher’s Guide
Who was the first astronaut to travel into space?
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Post-viewing question
What are the major accomplishments of the United States’ space program in the past 50
years? What are its future goals?
Academic Standards
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences provides guidelines for teaching science in grades K–12 to
promote scientific literacy. To view the standards, visit this Web site:
http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/overview.html#content.
This lesson plan addresses the following science standards:
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Earth and Space Science
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Science as Inquiry
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Science and Technology
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL’s Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit link:
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
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Science—Earth and Space Sciences: Understands the composition and structure of the
universe and the Earth's place in it; Nature of Science: Understands the nature of scientific
inquiry
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Language Arts—Viewing: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret
visual media
Support Materials
Related Lesson Plans
You can find hundreds of lesson plans online at http://www.discoveryschool.com. The following lesson
plans work well with the video segments in this library collection.
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Black Holes: The Ultimate Abyss (grades 6–8)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/blackholes/
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Heavens Above (grades 6–8)
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
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Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy
Teacher’s Guide
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/heavensabove/
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/iss/
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Mars (grades 6–8)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/discovermagazine-solarsystem/
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Telling Time by the Light of the Moon (grades 6–8)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/lightofthemoon/
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Understanding: The Universe (grades 6–8)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/understanding-theuniverse/
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Understanding: Space Travel (grades 9–12)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/understanding-spacetravel/
Other Resources
Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching
tools offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save
them to a Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit
•
http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html
DVD Content
This program is available in an interactive DVD format. The following information and activities are
specific to the DVD version.
How To Use the DVD
The DVD starting screen has the following options:
Play Video—This plays the video from start to finish. There are no programmed stops, except by
using a remote control. With a computer, depending on the particular software player, a pause
button is included with the other video controls.
Video Index—This video is divided into seven segments; the total running time (TRT) is noted for
each one. Watching all the segments in sequence is identical to watching a video from start to
finish. To play a particular one, press Enter on the remote control; on a computer, click once to
highlight a title and start the segment.
Thematic Units—This option groups segments by curricular units, indicated by video thumbnail
icons. The themes are Energy, Adaptation, Classification, Inquiry, Science and Technology, and
History.
Slide Show—A visual overview of the video with key imagery to use for discussion or analysis
Standards Link—Selecting this option displays a single screen that lists the national academic
standards the video addresses.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
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Science Investigations: Investigating Astronomy
Teacher’s Guide
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Teacher Resources—This screen gives the technical support number and Web site address.
Video Index
I. What Is a Scientific Investigation? (10 min.)
Scientific investigations involve observing, inferring, predicting, modeling, forming and testing
hypotheses, and arriving at conclusions. Forensic science is one discipline that relies on these steps
to solve crimes.
II. What Are Scientific Measurements? (10 min.)
Accurate measurement is essential to scientific practice. Measuring time correctly is important in
laboratories and the real world. Seafarers and other navigators have long understood accuracy’s
importance.
III. The Scientific Method (12 min.)
Wilbur and Orville Wright followed a six-step scientific method to design the first flying machine.
They identified a need, researched the problem, devised a solution, built a prototype, and
redesigned it before they came up with the solution.
IV. The Origin of the Moon (9 min.)
Throughout history people have asked questions about the moon. Science has proposed at least
four theories about its origin, but the collision theory reigns today.
V. Space Travel (8 min.)
Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space in 1961. Since then, 12 American astronauts have
explored the moon, many have worked on the International Space Station, and others anticipate a
day when technology makes long space journeys a reality.
VI. Mars (8 min.)
Mars, a source of great curiosity, is Earth’s closest planet. NASA sent the probes Spirit and
Opportunity to explore for water—evidence that life may have existed there.
VII. Neutron Stars and Black Holes (9 min.)
The Hubble Space Telescope gives astronomers a clear view into the far reaches of the universe.
Thanks to its powers, scientists have learned about the life cycles of giant and supergiant stars,
pulsars, and black holes.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.