Focus Question: - Dearborn Public Schools



Name __________________________________________ #______ Date _________________ Hour ______The Aurora Borealis (20 point formative assessment)Unit Essential Question: __________________________________________________________________Focus Question: Why Does Air Glow At the North and South Poles?Task Objective: You will understand the relationship between the Sun’s charged particles and the Earth’s magnetic field.Part I Directions: As a whole group, we will watch a short Bill Nye video: . After watching the video, answer the focus question: Why does air glow at the north and south poles?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Part II Directions: Get a highlighter; read the passage below and highlight any unfamiliar vocabulary words.The Aurora Borealis Turns the Night Sky into a Paint Box of ColorsWhen Don Hampton was a graduate student in Alaska, he looked up at the night sky. He saw candy-colored lights swirling above his head. Fireworks? No, nature's laser show. "The sky lit up with patterns of green and bright pink," he said. "The motion and scale were just amazing." Hampton was experiencing the aurora borealis, an astronomical phenomenon that is typically visible in the Northern Hemisphere from September through March. He now sees the northern lights 30 to 40 times a year. That is one of the benefits of being a professor of geophysics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. "I never get tired of watching them," he said.Elizabeth MacDonald, a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, also studies the northern lights for a living. The splashy display never fails to amaze her. "You just look up at the sky and say, 'Wow,'" she said. We asked the two experts to explain the science behind the aurora borealis and where you can see the lights in your parka — or your pajamas. What causes the aurora borealis? The sun releases energy in the form of light and particles — "a glitter bomb of charged particles," MacDonald said — that travels 93 million miles to Earth. The particles collide with gases in the upper atmosphere and create ribbons of color that move like ghostly dancers on a dark stage. The most common color combination is neon green with pink edges, but the sky can resemble a paint box with shades of red, blue and violet. Where does it happen? The Earth's magnetic field draws the sun's particles toward the poles. The aurora borealis takes place near the northern polar regions, about 60 to 180 miles above the planet's surface. (Its twin, aurora Australis, occurs during the Southern Hemisphere's winter, from March through September.) For the biggest and brightest show, Earthlings should book a plane ticket to Fairbanks, Iceland, northern Scandinavia or Yellowknife, Canada. What are the best conditions for seeing the lights? The ideal setting is pitch-black with a clear, moonless sky. "You have to be able to see the stars," MacDonald said. Winter is the best season for viewing. Summer is the worst because near the Arctic Circle the sun is out all night, or most of it. So the northern lights can't be seen. The spectacle often peaks around midnight and can last from five minutes to several hours. For gear, you just need your eyes, but a digital camera can help, too. "Cameras have better night vision," MacDonald said. "They pick up more color." For a sharper image, Hampton recommends placing your camera on a tripod, railing or another steady surface.If you live far from the lights, can you still see them? Yes, you can. Several organizations set up video cameras to capture the northern lights and share the real-time images on their websites. Bundle up in your coziest pajamas and check out the Geophysical Institute, part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks; AuroraMax, which is run by the Canadian Space Agency; or Gnometech, for a virtual-reality experience — no headset required._____teacher check-inPart III Directions: Answer the questions below by writing the letter of the correct answer on the line in front of the question number; use the passage to help determine the answer._____1. Which section highlights when to see the aurora borealis? (A) "What causes the aurora borealis?" (B) "Where does it happen?" (C) "What are the best conditions for seeing the lights?" (D) "If you live far from the lights, can you still see them?" _____2. Read the following statement: The aurora borealis takes place near the northern Polar Regions. Which sentence from the article provides the BEST support for the above statement? (A) We asked the two experts to explain the science behind the aurora borealis and where you can see the lights in your parka — or your pajamas. (B) The most common color combination is neon green with pink edges, but the sky can resemble a paint box with shades of red, blue and violet. (C) For the biggest and brightest show, Earthlings should book a plane ticket to Fairbanks, Iceland, northern Scandinavia or Yellowknife, Canada. (D) The spectacle often peaks around midnight and can last from five minutes to several hours._____3. Determine which two of the following sentences from the article include central ideas of the article:1. Hampton was experiencing the aurora borealis, an astronomical phenomenon that is typically visible in the Northern Hemisphere from September through March. 2. Elizabeth MacDonald, a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, also studies the northern lights for a living. 3. The particles collide with gases in the upper atmosphere and create ribbons of color that move like ghostly dancers on a dark stage. 4. Its twin, aurora Australis, occurs during the Southern Hemisphere's winter, from March through September. (A) 1 and 3 (B) 1 and 4 (C) 2 and 3 (D) 2 and 4 _____4. Which sentence from the article would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article? (A) When Don Hampton was a graduate student in Alaska, he looked up at the night sky. (B) That is one of the benefits of being a professor of geophysics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. (C) For a sharper image, Hampton recommends placing your camera on a tripod, railing or another steady surface. (D) Several organizations set up video cameras to capture the northern lights and share the real-time images on their websites.5. Summarize the passage in 3-5 sentences: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________teacher check-inPart III Directions: Choose a vocabulary term from the passage to create an illustrative definition about; staple it to the back of this packet when finished and turn it in. ................
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