Course Syllabus Template



*Physical Science/Brooklyn Technical High School

*Astronomy

Syllabus

Part 1: Course Information

Instructor Information

Instructor: Joseph Gerraputa

Office: 4S6

Office Hours: 10th period

Office Telephone: *718-804-6400 x 6560

E-mail: jgerraputa@schools.

Course Description

This course will be divided into segments. Solar System Astronomy, Stellar and Galactic Astronomy and The Universe. The first half will explore our solar system. The second half will explore outside our solar system. The course will emphasize practicing astronomy throughout the course!

Solar System Astronomy:

Before we can become avid astronomers, it is imperative we must understand the motions of the earth, the coordinate system used and the celestial sphere. It is paramount that we can interpret celestial maps.

To become a solid astronomer, one must now apply these concepts into viewing the heavens. This can be done with the naked eye, binoculars and telescopes. During this unit of study students will have hands on experience with telescopes and viewing opportunities. These skills will be emphasized throughout the year.

The course will take a step back and appreciate the evolution of astronomy through the lens of an historical perspective. It will be presented in a manner of a timeline like structure including the faces, discovery and advances of the science.

Then students will delve into other solar system objects such as the planets, the Sun, asteroids, meteors, comets, etc.

Stellar and Galactic Astronomy: This part of the course will look at stars and galaxies. Some concepts that will be emphasized are distances, luminosity, bright line spectra, temperature and masses. The HR Diagram will be analyzed through the lens of types of stars and its life cycle.

We will move onto the Milky Way and take a look at types of galaxies. Here is where we will segway into the Universe.

The Universe/Cosmology: Students will take a look the structure of the Universe. How it began, its current state and the future of it. We will discuss The Big Bang, Hubble Law, Curvature of Space and delve into parts of particle physics.

Course Goals:

My goal is in this course is threefold. My first goal is to have them to become scientific literate in the field of astronomy. The second goal is to is to spark their interest in the hopes of them pursuing additional knowledge to satisfy their curiosity. Thirdly, the course will connect them to different disciplines such as art, music, poetry, literature and history.

I want to make Socratic seminars a part of the course especially when it comes to the cosmology piece. The seminars will revolve around readings and excerpts from the suggested texts listed below and other relevant articles from the current literature.

NGSS:

The crosscutting concepts, skills, and content will be reflected in the course. These attributes will be pointed out and explained to the students how they relate to other disciplines of science. Through these strands and skills, they will be able to apply consistent concepts to understand the natural world.

Prerequisite

• NA

GE Area if Applicable

• NA

Textbook & Course Materials

Required Text

• Astronomy Journey to the Cosmic Frontier sixth edition

Author John D. Fix

Recommended Texts & Other Readings

• Quantum A Guide for the Perplexed by Jim Al-Khalili

• Universe in a Nutshell by Hawking

• A Brief History Of Time by Hawking

• Quantum A Guide for the Perplexed by Jim Al-Khalili

• Cosmos by Sagan

• Welcome to the Universe by deGrasse Tyson

• The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide by Dickinson

• Bad Astronomy by Plait

• The Complete Manual of Amateur Astronomy by Sherrod

Publications

• Sky and Telescope

• Astronomy

• Smithsonian Air and Space

Cross Curriculum

• Hidden Figures by Shetterly

• The Glass Universe by Sobel

• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bryson

• Celestial Sleuth by Olson

Course Requirements

• Internet connection (DSL, LAN, or cable connection desirable)

• Library Card

• Star Wheel

Course Structure

*The course will consist of lecture, activities, projects and night sky viewing at Floyd Bennet Park and Fort Greene. Students will keep a journal of the sun, moon and other nighttime objects including planets and constellations.

Online Resources

Teacher Website: mrgschemistrypage.

Part 2: Student Learning Outcomes

*List the student learning outcomes for this course.

• *Students will learn to navigate the Earth and therefore the Sun, Moon, planets and constellations

• *Students will gain an historical perspective of astronomy and the people and roles they played in the advancement of astronomy

• *Students will continue their learning of the advancements of astronomy by researching modern day exploration (Hubble Telescope, Apollo Missions, International Space Station, Space Shuttle, etc)

You will meet the objectives listed above through a combination of the following activities in this course:

• *Quizzes and Tests

• *Projects

• *Classwork/Activities/Labs

*Astronomy

Part 3: Topic Outline/Schedule

• Topic 1: Earth’s Motions

o *Rotation/Revolution

o Coordinates latitude/longitude

o Celestial Sphere/ apparent motion of the moon stars and planets

Activity/Lab: Celestial Sphere

o Timekeeping

Activity/Lab: Star Wheel

• Topic 2: Telescopes

o Brief Overview of Light and Waves

o Types of Telescopes

o Unit 1-3 AP Documents (Evangelist)

o Activity/Lab: Magazine/accessories/telescope budget

Activity/Lab: Telescope lab/ manipulating lenses, focal lengths, etc

• Topic 3: History

o Egyptians

o Early Greeks/ Pythagoras/ Aristotle

o Later Greeks/ Eratosthenes/ Hipparchus/Ptolemy

o Renaissance; Heliocentric/ Copernicus/ Brahe/Kepler/ Galileo

Activity/Lab: Timeline

Activity/ Lab: Kepler’s Laws

• Topic 4: Solar System

o Earth

o Moon

Activity/Lab Moon Crater

Activity/Lab Phases of Moon Wheel

Activity/Lab Moon Journal

• Topic 5: Space Exploration

o History of

o Social/Political impact of

Activity/Lab TBA (possible paper/ presentation/ model)

• Topic 6: Inner Planets

o Mercury, Venus, Mars

Activity/Lab TBA

• Topic 7: Outer Planets

o Outer Planets; Jupiter, Saturn,

Activity/ Lab: Saturn Model

o Uranus, Neptune

• Topic 8: Satellites of Planets

o Mars

o Jupiter

o Saturn

o Uranus/Neptune

o Activity/Lab TBA

• Topic 9: Solar System Bodies

o Meteors/Meteorites

o Asteroids

o Comets

o Activity/Lab TBA

• Topic 10: Properties of Stars

o Motion of Sun

o Brightness

o HR Diagramns

o Activity/Create a Sundial

• Topic 11: The Sun

o Composition

o Characteristics

o Activity/Lab TBA

•

• Topic 12: Star Formation

o Life cycle of a star

o Planetary Systems

o Activity/Lab TBA

• Topic 13: Evolution of Stars

o HR Diagrams

o Mass, size, temperature, luminosity

o Main sequence

o Post Main Sequence

o Activity/Lab TBA

• Topic 14: White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars and Black Holes

o Evolution of White Dwarfs

o Neutron Stars/ Supernovae

o Pulsars

o Nebula

o Activity/Lab TBA

• Topic 15: Binary Star Systems

o Kinds

o Detecting

o Formation and Evolution

o Activity/Lab TBA

• Topic 16: Galaxies

o Milky Way-Overview

o Types-examples

o Quasars

o Activity/Lab TBA

• Topic 17: Cosmology

o Cosmological Models

o Hubble’s Law

o Big Bang

o Fate of Universe

o Activity/Lab TBA

ALTERNATE FORMAT:

|Week |Topic |Readings |Activities |Due Date |

|1 | | | | |

|2 | | | | |

|3 | | | | |

|4 | | | | |

*Note about calendar/schedule. TBA

*Department/College

*Course Name

*Semester Syllabus

Part 4: Grading Policy

Graded Course Activities

|Points |Description |

|30% |Tests |

|30% |Projects |

|20% |Homework |

|20% |Classwork |

Late Work Policy

*Example: Be sure to pay close attention to deadlines—there will be no make up assignments or quizzes, or late work accepted without a serious and compelling reason and instructor approval.

*Include a statement about the timeframe of when to look for grades. Example: I work extremely hard to get your grades back to you as soon as possible.

*Department/College

*Course Name

*Semester Syllabus

Part 5: Course Policies

Refer to BTHS handbook

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