Download Educator Guide: Starlab (Grades K-2)

Educator Guide: Starlab (Grades K-2)
This document is a resource for teachers whose classes are participating in the Museum of Science’s Grade K‐2 Starlab Traveling Program. The information in this document may be used as a classroom resource and/or as background information for the teacher concerning the subject of astronomy. Table of Contents:
Vocabulary List……………………………………………………………………………2
Further Background Reading…………………………………………………………...5
Suggested Classroom Materials……………………………………………………... 6
Activity Descriptions……………………….…………………………………………... 7
Video Descriptions……………………………………………………………………... 8
PowerPoint Description………………………………………………………………… 9
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Vocabulary List
This is a list of common astronomy terms that teachers may wish to be familiar with for the Starlab program. This list is also a suggestion of vocabulary for students participating in the Starlab program to learn, though prior study of these words is not required for student participation. Asterism – a recognizable pattern of stars that is not an officially recognized constellation, i.e. the Big and Little Dippers as they are smaller parts of larger constellations
Asteroid – small rock or metal object of any shape in orbit around the sun, usually found in the Asteroid Belt
Asteroid Belt – region between Mars and Jupiter where a large field of asteroids orbits the sun
Astronomy – the study of space
Black Hole – a region of space with such density that light cannot escape from its gravity; created by an extremely large supernova event
Binoculars – a hand‐held device consisting of a series of lenses and prisms, used to magnify objects so that they can be better seen from a distance, and looked at through both eyes
Comet – a small object that orbits around the sun in an extremely elliptical orbit and is made up of dust and ice, which may burn off from it and leave a tail
Constellation – one of the 88 patterns of stars officially recognized by astronomers Dwarf Planet – an object in orbit around the sun that is large enough to be round, like a planet, but has not cleared its orbit of other objects significant in size compared to itself 2
Ecliptic – the plane of our solar system that is marked by the apparent path that the Sun, Moon, and planets appear to take across the sky
Ellipse – a flattened oval; the orbits of the planets are ellipses.
Extrasolar Planet – a planet found outside of the solar system that is orbiting around another star; may also be referred to an “exoplanet”
Galaxy – a large system of stars held together by gravity
Lunar Eclipse – when the sunlight which usually is reflected off the Moon is blocked by Earth, causing a darkened moon
Meteor – also known a shooting star, this is not a star but a small object from space that falls through Earth’s atmosphere and is heated up so that it burns brightly as it crosses the sky
Meteorite – a meteor that does not completely burn up before hitting Earth, leaving a solid object from space that can be studied Meteoroid – a small object currently in space that has not yet fallen through Earth’s atmosphere
Moon – a naturally formed object that orbits a planet Moon Phases – varying appearances of the moon as it is in different parts of its orbit
Nebula – a cloud of gas and dust in space; some nebulae like the Orion Nebula are the birthplaces of stars
Orbit – circling a larger object; also known as revolve
Planet – an object in orbit around the Sun that is large enough to be round and has cleared its orbit of other objects significant in size compared to itself Revolve – circling a larger object; also known as orbit
Rotate – spin on an axis
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Solar Eclipse – when the Moon moves directly between Earth and our Sun, blocking the sun from view for people on certain parts of Earth
Solar System – the Sun (our star) and everything in orbit around it; can refer to any star along with whatever orbits around it
Star – a huge ball of plasma (a type of gas different from normal gasses) which produces light
Supernova – the explosive death of a massive star Telescope – a device which uses lenses, mirrors, or a combination of both, to create a larger image of a far away object. There are many types of telescopes, including reflecting and refracting, and these are usually mounted on a tripod and viewed through one eye.
Universe – everything out there!
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Further Background Reading
This is a suggested reading list for teachers looking to improve their understanding of astronomy. Books
Secrets of the Night Sky by Bob Berman. Harper Paperbacks. 1996.
The Stars: A New Way to See Them by H. A. Rey. HMH Books. 1976.
Bad Astronomy by Philip Plait. Wiley Publishers. 2002.
365 Starry Nights by Chet Raymo. Fireside Publishers. 1990.
Links
Museum of Science planetarium’s monthly sky chart –
http://www.mos.org/planetarium
Age of the Universe: How Astronomers Know the Vast Scale of Time –
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/56/
NASA’s eclipse website –
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
Moon phases and misconceptions –
http://aer.noao.edu/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=138
Teaching “What is a planet?” –
http://aer.noao.edu/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=207
NASA’s webpage for educators –
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html
Sky and Telescope: The Essential Magazine of Astronomy –
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/
Microsoft Research World Wide Telescope –
http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/Home.aspx
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Classroom Materials
Below are some suggestions for books, videos, and websites to help students increase their understanding of astronomy. Books
A Child's Introduction to the Night Sky: The Story of the Stars, Planets, and
Constellations--and How You Can Find Them in the Sky by Michael Driscoll.
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. 2004.
Kingdom of the Stars by Jacqueline Mitton. Frances Lincoln Children’s Books.
2003.
Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations by Jacqueline Mitton. National
Geographic Children’s Books. 2004.
Once Upon a Starry Night: A Book of Constellations. National Geographic
Children’s Books. 2009.
There’s No Place Like Space by Tish Rabe. Random House Books. 1999.
Telescope Power: Fantastic Activities and Easy Projects for Young Astronomers
by Gregory L. Matloff. Jossey-Bass. 1993.
The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons. Holiday House. 1998.
Video
The Magic School Bus: Space Adventures. DVD. 2009.
Links
The Space Place (fun site of games and activities, presented by NASA) –
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/
StarChild Learning Center (informative site created by NASA and GSFC) –
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
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Activity Descriptions
See the “Documents” section on the website to download these activities. Constellation Scopes
Have you ever wondered which stars in the night time sky belong to different seasonal constellations? In this activity, learn how to recognize these popular constellations in the evening sky. Students will make their own constellation scopes using simple materials, and discover the basic shapes of some of the most famous celestial patterns. Moon Models
For hundreds of years, the moon has captivated the imagination and intellect of people from many generations. One of the most famous, Galileo Galilei, was an Italian astronomer credited for some of the first detailed sketches of the moon’s surface. Previously considered a smooth sphere, Galileo determined the moon was actually covered with many lunar mountains and craters. In this activity, students will learn about the surface of the moon through Galileo’s sketches, and use this information to create a model of the moon. 7
Video Descriptions
See the “Media” section on the website to download these videos. Big Dipper
This 45 second video shows that constellations do not look the same from every angle and helps students get a feel for the three‐dimensionality of outer space. When we look at the stars of the Big Dipper, we see a certain two‐dimensional pattern. But if you were to fly far out into space past those stars and view it from an alternate direction, the Big Dipper pattern that we can see would no longer be visible. Moon
This 30 second video shows the phases of the moon over an entire month, beginning at the New Moon, then waxing into the Full Moon and waning back to the New Moon. 8
PowerPoint Descriptions
See the “Documents” section of the website to download the PDF of these PowerPoints. Constellation Outlines
This PowerPoint PDF provides basic outlines of some of the most well known and easy to see constellations and asterisms in the night sky. For each of the star patterns provided, an image of the stars as they would appear in the sky is accompanied by a drawing connecting the stars together. Constellations and Asterisms included are the Big Dipper (from Ursa Major), Leo, the Summer Triangle, Cygnus, Taurus, Boötes, Pegasus, Orion, Scorpius, Cassiopeia, and Andromeda. Rotating Big Dipper
This PowerPoint PDF illustrates the different orientations of the Big Dipper, as it would appear in the evening sky, due to the rotation of the Earth. 9