Download Astronomy Unit 1 – Unit Overview

Title of Unit
Curriculum Area
Developed By
Unit 1 - The Celestial Sphere
Astronomy
Shelly Gould Burgess
Grade Level
Time Frame
11 & 12
3 – 4 weeks
Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)
Content Standards
By the end of the unit, students will be able to…
1. Describe what astronomy is.
2. Utilize Right Ascension and Declination to map the sky.
3. Locate and identify stars using star map.
4. Analyze and explain the location of the celestial equator and relate it to latitude changes.
5. Examine the role constellations play in astronomy.
6. Examine various constellations in detail
7. Analyze and explain the diurnal motion of Earth
8. Analyze and explain the diurnal motion of the celestial sphere.
9. Distinguish between the solar and sidereal day and relate these to the seasonal constellation phenomenon, including the
stars of the zodiac.
10. Analyze and explain the annual motion of Earth.
11. Analyze and explain the annual motion of the celestial sphere.
12. Analyze and explain the circumpolar star circle phenomenon and relate it to latitude changes.
13. Analyze and identify star magnitude (brightness.)
Understandings
Essential Questions
Overarching Understanding
Students will understand how and why the celestial sphere
appears to move as it does when viewed from Earth’s
northern hemisphere.
Overarching
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What is astronomy?
How do we map the celestial
sphere?
Topical
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Related Misconceptions
Many common misconceptions about celestial motion
will be cleared up as a result of mastering this unit.
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What are constellations?
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What is the diurnal motion of
Earth and the celestial sphere
when viewed from Earth?
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What is the annual motion of
Earth and the celestial sphere
when viewed from Earth?
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How do we measure star
magnitude?
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Why do people study astronomy?
What is a zenith?
What is Right Ascension?
o How is RA measured?
What is Declination?
o How is DEC measured?
What is the celestial equator?
How does the celestial equator change with
latitude?
How do we use RA and DEC to locate and
identify stars?
What role do constellations play in
astronomy?
What are some constellations in our sky?
How does Earth move diurnally?
How and why does the celestial sphere
appear to move diurnally when viewed from
Earth’s northern hemisphere?
What is a solar day?
What is a sidereal day?
Why does the phenomenon of the seasonal
constellation occur? (Relate to solar
day/sidereal day discrepancy.)
What is the zodiac?
What is PN?
What are circumpolar stars?
How do PN, circumpolar stars, and seasonal
constellations change with latitude?
How does the star magnitude scale work?
Knowledge
Skills
Students will know…
Students will be able to…
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What astronomy is.
What a zenith is.
What the celestial sphere is.
What RA and DEC are and how they’re measured.
What the celestial equator is.
What role constellations play in astronomy.
How Earth moves diurnally.
How the celestial sphere appears to move diurnally when viewed from
Earth.
The difference between a sidereal and solar day and how that creates the
seasonal constellation phenomenon (example: the zodiac.)
What PN is.
What the circumpolar star circle is.
What star magnitude is.
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Use RA/DEC and a star map to identify and locate stars on the
planetarium dome.
Locate the celestial equator at various latitudes.
Predict which constellations will be seasonal at various latitudes.
Locate the PN at various latitudes.
Identify the range of the circumpolar star circle at various latitudes.
Predict which constellations will be circumpolar at various latitudes.
Identify the magnitude of a star given a measurement tool.
Given the magnitudes of a pair of stars, determine which star is
brighter.
Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)
Performance Task Description – Lesson 1
Goal
Role
Audience
Situation
Product/Performance
Standards
Students will learn about how to map the celestial sphere
Facilitator
24 high school juniors and seniors
Classroom astronomy planetarium; lecture room with Activboard and class set of computers and ActivExpressions
Students will create evidence of their learning while doing an activity; students will take notes; students will take a quiz
1-4
Performance Task Description – Lesson 2
Goal
Role
Audience
Situation
Product/Performance
Standards
Students will learn about constellations
Facilitator
24 high school juniors and seniors
Classroom astronomy planetarium; lecture room with Activboard and class set of computers and ActivExpressions
Students will create evidence of their learning while doing an activity; students will take notes.
5-6
Performance Task Description – Lesson 3
Goal
Role
Audience
Situation
Product/Performance
Standards
Students will learn about diurnal motion of Earth and the celestial sphere, the sidereal vs. solar day, and the phenomenon of
the seasonal constellation.
Facilitator
24 high school juniors and seniors
Classroom astronomy planetarium; lecture room with Activboard and class set of computers and ActivExpressions
Students will create evidence of their learning while doing an activity; students will take notes.
7-9
Performance Task Description – Lesson 4
Goal
Role
Audience
Situation
Product/Performance
Standards
Students will learn about annual motion, circumpolar stars, and star magnitude.
Facilitator
24 high school juniors and seniors
Classroom astronomy planetarium; lecture room with Activboard and class set of computers and ActivExpressions
Students will create evidence of their learning while doing an activity; students will take notes.
10 - 13
Learning Plan (Stage 3)
Where are your students headed? Where have
Students will learn about the diurnal and annual motions of Earth and the celestial spheres.
they been? How will you make sure the
Students have a background in geometry. Students will create four projects.
students know where they are going?
How will you hook students at the beginning of
Demonstration in the planetarium
the unit?
What events will help students experience and
Students will work take notes and make observations of the planetarium; students will create
explore the big idea and questions in the unit?
projects; teacher will teach technology and content through demonstrations, notes, and
How will you equip them with needed skills and
laboratory facilitation.
knowledge?
How will you cause students to reflect and
Students will do one learning log and one reflective summary project (the last project of the
rethink? How will you guide them in rehearsing, unit;) students will do readings, lab activities, and quizzes and will receive teacher feedback.
revising, and refining their work?
How will you help students to exhibit and selfStudents will do readings, lab activities, and quizzes and will evaluate their success.
evaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and
understanding throughout the unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise personalize
By utilizing multiple strategies within each lesson, students of different learning styles will
the learning plan to optimize the engagement
receive optimal instruction. Strategies will include use of technology, laboratory work, lecture,
and effectiveness of ALL students, without
reading, practice problems, inquiry, quizzes, test, and reflection.
compromising the goals of the unit?
How will you organize and sequence the
Four lessons as described above.
learning activities to optimize the engagement
and achievement of ALL students?
From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development ISBN # 0-87120-313-8
(ppk)
Lesson 1
I. Objectives: Students will be able to…
 Describe what astronomy is.
 Utilize Right Ascension and Declination to map the sky.
 Locate and identify stars using star map.
 Analyze and explain the location of the celestial equator and relate it to latitude changes.
II. Materials: Classroom set of computers with ActivStudio; planetarium
III. Procedure:
A. What is astronomy?
1. Flipchart page 1: Open discussion
2. Flipchart page 2: Notes
B. Notes: Pages 3 – 11 in the planetarium
C. Planetarium lab on page 11: In teams, use your maps to find the coordinates of three stars. You will then locate the stars on the dome and
show them to the class.
 Assessment rubric: Right Ascension/Declination Mapping Activity
IV. Evaluation:
A. Homework: Reading: “The Position of a Star” handout
B. Lab
C. Quiz 1
Lesson 2
I. Objectives: Students will be able to…
 Examine the role constellations play in astronomy.
 Examine various constellations in detail
II. Materials: Classroom set of computers with ActivStudio; planetarium
III. Procedure:
A. Notes and discussion: page 12 in the planetarium
B. Planetarium lab on page 13: In teams, select a constellation and make a poster. Your poster should include...
 a diagram showing the stars in the constellation
 the RA, DEC, and names of three stars in the constellation
 a sketch of the asterism over the stars
 a brief synopsis of the story of the constellation
 Assessment rubric: Constellation Activity
IV. Evaluation: Performance on lab
Lesson 3
I. Objectives: Students will be able to…
 Analyze and explain the diurnal motion of Earth
 Analyze and explain the diurnal motion of the celestial sphere.
 Distinguish between the solar and sidereal day and relate these to the seasonal constellation phenomenon, including the stars of the zodiac.
II. Materials: Classroom set of computers with ActivStudio; planetarium
III. Procedure:
A. Notes: pages 14 – 18 in the planetarium
B. Planetarium lab on page 19: In groups, research a zodiac constellation. Create a poster that shows...
 A large drawing of the star alignment with the outline of what the constellation represents sketched over the stars.
 The zodiac symbol.
 The dates during which the sun is in front of the constellation.
 The months when the constellation is visible at night.
 A paragraph describing the myth associated with the constellation.
 Assessment rubric: Zodiac Activity
IV. Evaluation: Performance on group activity, quiz
A. Lab
B. Quiz 2
Lesson 4
I. Objectives: Students will be able to…
 Analyze and explain the annual motion of Earth.
 Analyze and explain the annual motion of the celestial sphere.
 Analyze and explain the circumpolar star circle phenomenon and relate it to latitude changes.
 Analyze and identify star magnitude (brightness.)
II. Materials: Classroom set of computers with ActivStudio; planetarium
III. Procedure:
A. Notes: pages 20 – 29 in the planetarium
B. Project: Celestial Travel Agency on page 30: You and your lab group are travel agents who must design a stellar trip for some wealthy
socialites. You are to make four stops: The North Pole, the Arctic Circle, the Tropic of Cancer, and the Equator. You must create a poster (1/4 for
each destination) that shows the following for each place:
1. A drawing showing...
o the position of PN
o the Celestial Equator
o the circumpolar star circle
2. A list of four constellations that will be visible during the current month.
o You must identify each as either circumpolar
o or noncircumpolar (seasonal.)
o You must identify the magnitude of one star in each constellation.
IV. Evaluation: Performance on group activity, quiz
A. Homework: Reading:
B. Lab
C. Quiz 3