Physical Science - University of Dayton



WeEXCEL Project

Astronomy Lesson

Introduction:

Ever since the existence of the human race, mankind has been captivated by vast unknown of the heavens above us. In the early civilizations, people believed that the Earth was covered by a dome on which the sun, stars, and planets moved. In the middle ages, people thought the sun, stars, and planets, circled the Earth which sat in the center of our universe. Today, we know that the Earth and planets orbit around the sun and the stars are very far away. What is the process by which science continues to modify and change with new information? How did our universe begin, and what evidence is there regarding the origins and nature of space? These are just a few of the questions for which we will seek the answers to help unlock the mysteries of our solar system and our universe.

Essential Questions:

← What is the ‘Big Bang’ and what is the evidence for its support?

← How can we illustrate the span of time since the beginning of the universe?

← How can we construct a model to represent the vast distances within our solar system?

Indicators Addressed:

← Earth Science 9-10 Bench. A, Indicator 2—Describe the current scientific evidence that supports the theory of the explosive expansion of the universe, the Big Bang, over 10 billion years ago.

← Scientific Inquiry 9-10 Bench. A, Indicator 3—Construct, interpret and apply physical and conceptual models that represent or explain systems, objects, event or concepts.

← Scientific Ways of Knowing 9-10 Bench. B, Indicator 6—Explain that inquiry fuels observation and experimentation that produces data that is the foundation of science.

Materials Needed:

← Adding machine tape

← Meter sticks, rulers

← Felt tip markers

← Graph paper

← Handout of inquiry steps

← Computers with internet access

Part 1: Span of time

Procedure:

To start this lesson, we will discuss briefly the steps of scientific inquiry. The students can use the chart to see how inquiry is based upon asking scientific questions. They will be encouraged to ask questions (like our essential questions) and seek answers using a variety of methods. The purpose of this stage of the lesson is to allow the kids to see how valid and reliable data can be obtained through a series of experimental stages.

Now that the kids understand how inquiry fuels scientific discussion, we’ll do a quick little activity to demonstrate how truly large these values and distances are of our universe.

Activity / Assessment: Have students calculate how many seconds are in 30 years. They can use conversions to illustrate their results. Here’s an example:

[pic]

We use terms like ‘millions’ all the time today. Every game show offers contestants the chance to win ‘millions’ of dollars in prizes. Unfortunately, we’ve lost touch with just how enormous these values are. This quick conversion should get the kids to begin to understand how big some values are that we’ll use to describe our universe. Next, we can give a quick review on the speed of light and the distances traveled in one light year, as well as astronomical units and the distances that they represent. Again, this will reinforce the distances and units that are used to describe the vast space between celestial objects in our universe.

Activity / Assessment: Now that the students have a new appreciation for the incredible expanse of distance of our universe, it’s time to show them the vast amount of time that has been recorded since the birth of the universe. Each group should have a meter stick, a roll of adding machine tape, a pencil or felt tip marker, and a timeline of the evolution of the universe handout (you can print a pdf handout from the following web address: astro.psu.edu/~niel/scales/scales.htm).

Have the students write the information from the handout on the adding machine tape at the appropriate distances from the beginning of the roll. When they are finished, they will have a physical model to describe the vast distance of time that has made up our universe, our planet, and many of the familiar species of living organisms that we are familiar with today.

Part 2: In the beginning

Procedure:

At this point, most students have at least heard of the Big Bang concept. In this next activity, we will attempt to demonstrate how the Big Bang occurred to produce the celestial behavior that we can observe from our perspective. We will also investigate the evidence for support of the Big Bang theory.

Demonstration:

Fill a balloon with confetti and blow the balloon up. Stand in the center of the classroom, holding the balloon above your head. Ask students to watch closely as you pop the balloon, sending the confetti flying everywhere. Of course, this will make quite an impact on the class, but you’ll have to ask them to ‘pretend’ that if there were no gravity to influence the behavior of the confetti as it went flying, how would this affect their motion? In essence, the confetti would represent the many galaxies of the universe as they travel through space. The students can imagine that without gravity, the confetti (galaxies) would continue on their trajectories moving apart from each other.

Now that the class has a basic understanding of the expanding universe, it is time to search for the clues that point to the origins of the ‘Big Bang’ theory. Before we start this part of the investigation, it would be a good time to present the handout over the scientific inquiry process. Students should already have been exposed to this process. The purpose of the handout is not to “re-teach” any of this material, rather, to be used as a supplement for the scientific inquiry process.

Activity / Assessment: Investigating the known

Now, we will go to the computers to investigate the known information regarding the scientific proof for the support of the Big Bang Theory. You may allow the students to work freely on searching for the scientific evidence that is in support of the Big Bang Theory. Ask them to find at least 2 supporting facts that suggest the universe began in this way. is a good place to start. Again, remind the students to read with a critical eye, looking for bias or any information that is not supported with data. Also, give the students an opportunity to search for any data that may contradict the Big Bang Theory. Again, use caution to make sure that any materials are supported with scientific data, not someone’s personal opinion. This will allow your students the opportunity to make an informed decision on this important / controversial topic. By the end of the period, students should create a simple written response that shows the supporting evidence (and possible contradicting evidence) in regards to the Big Bang.

Part 3: Our solar system

Procedure:

In this final procedure, we will discover the vast distances of space that exists between the planets of our solar system. Unfortunately, many illustrations in texts grossly miscommunicate to the reader the actual distances and sizes of the planets in relationship to one another. At the end of this activity, students should have a better understanding of the relative distances and sizes of the planets.

Activity / Assessment:

First, you’ll need to visit this web site:

If you scroll down, you’ll see the Solar System Model interactive chart. Type in a value of 6 inches for the body diameter for the sun. Then, push the calculate button to see the relative sizes and distances of the various planets. The left columns tell you the diameter of the bodies, whereas the right columns show their radius’ from the sun (note: they give you both inches and meters). Alright, here’s the task:

1. Round all of the radius values to the nearest foot.(ex: 20 feet, 9.8 inches would round to 21 feet)

2. Convert all of the feet values to yards. Remember there are 3 feet in one yard. (ex:: set up a conversion. . . 21 ft. __1 yard__ = 7 yards

3 feet

3. Now, create a drawing to show where the planets would be placed on a football field. Put the sun on the left goal line and draw the planets to the right across the field. Don’t worry about trying to draw the right size for the planets, just show me where each planet would be on the field (or fields). If you notice, the first five planets will fit on one field. After that, you’ll probably want to draw another diagram with many more fields to show where the outer planets would be.

This part does a great job showing us the vast expanse of space just in our solar system. Remember, the sun was only 6 inches in diameter sitting on the goal line, and we saw just how much “room” there is in between the planets. Now, this next task will give you the added dimension of understanding the sizes of the planets, relative to their distance.

Go back to the web page of the Solar System Model. This time, put the sun diameter as 40 inches. This would put the sun at about the size of a large beach ball. We’ll calculate the values for the planets for their diameters and distances. If you liked the last one, you’ll love this one:

1. Round all of the radius values to the nearest foot.

2. Convert all of the feet values to miles. Remember, there are 5280 ft in 1 mile. I think you can set up this conversion on your own!

3. Now, pretend that you place the sun (beach ball) under a stoplight uptown. Next, you are going to begin walking in a certain direction. You can use a trundle wheel to measure, or, use a person and measure an average pace in feet for that person and have them walk off the distances by counting paces. As you walk, discuss where you would place each planet (maybe give an address, or tell who’s house your putting it in front of) and tell how big the planet is (maybe give an example object, it doesn’t exactly have to be a kind of ball. Maybe an egg, a CD, nuts, etc. Be creative.) You may only want to do up to Jupiter, due to time constraints and distances. The students could finish the rest of the planets on their own as an enrichment activity to be completed over a weekend.

Conclusion:

By the end of this lesson, students should have a deeper understanding of the Big Bang Theory and the sizes and distances of the planets within our own solar system. Scientific inquiry requires us to ask questions and seek answers to those questions using a variety of means. Hopefully, by the end of this project, students will have a strong scientific base regarding earth / space science, and relieve many of the misconceptions that still haunt many of these topics.

Copies of materials and assessments:

Big Bang Lesson

Pre Test Post Test

[pic]

1. Which of the following puts the steps of a scientific experiment in their correct order?

A. 2, 1, 3, 4 B. 4, 2, 3, 1

C. 2, 1, 4, 3 D. 2, 3, 1, 4

[pic]

2. In the late 1920s, Edwin Hubble and Milton Humason determined the distance to a number of galaxies and the velocity of those galaxies relative to the Earth. The graph above shows the early results that were obtained. What approximate ratio did the scientists calculate between velocity and distance based on these early findings? (see next column)

2. answers (circle one)

A 150 km / s per one million light years

_

B 300 km / s per one million light years

C 450 km / s per one million light years

D 600 km / s per one million light years

3. When examining the red shift of galaxies outside our own, every galaxy appears to be moving away from the observer. This observation supports the Big Bang Theory because it indicates that

A. our galaxy is not moving

B. the universe is expanding

C. most galaxies have the same mass.

D. Earth is at the center of the universe.

4. What is the estimated relative age of the universe?

A. 3-5 billion years

B. 6-9 billion years

C. 12-16 billion years

D. 20-22 billion years

5. Use the space provided to show your work in converting 26 years, 3 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, and 2 hours into seconds:

6. _______ Which factor is responsible for slowing down the rate at which the universe is expanding?

a. gravity b. strong nuclear force

c. friction d. pressure

7. _______ Which statement is part of the Big Bang theory?

a. the universe is expanding

b. the universe is collapsing

c. the universe will eventually explode

d. the universe is not changing

8. _______ Astronomers can determine the distance of a faraway star if they know which of the two quantities?

a. temperature and mass

b. apparent brightness and absolute brightness

c. absolute brightness and temperature

d. temperature and diameter

9. Since one astronomical unit (a.u.) equals 150 million kilometers and the distance from the sun to Jupiter is 5.2 a.u., convert that distance to kilometers:

Big Bang Theory

Web search

Visit and begin a search for the scientific evidence is support of the Big Bang Theory. The Wiki site regarding this topic is a good place to start. Also, the Origin of the Universe link (imagine.gsfc. . . .) also puts things into terms that one can grasp. In the space provided, please list and briefly describe some of the evidence in support of the Big Bang Theory:

Next, you may search for scientific evidence that contradicts the Big Bang. Be careful. Make sure that your sites are relevant and stick to the scientific facts. One good one is an article about dark matter from . This will be a good place to start. In the space provided, list and briefly describe some data that may suggest that the Big Bang is not necessarily true:

Enrichment Activity

Astronomy

First, you’ll need to visit this web site:

If you scroll down, you’ll see the Solar System Model interactive chart. Type is a value of 6 inches for the body diameter for the sun. Then, push the calculate button to see the relative sizes and distances of the various planets. The left columns tell you the diameter of the bodies, whereas the right columns show their radius’ from the sun (note: they give you both inches and meters). Alright, here’s the task:

1.Round all of the radius values to the nearest foot.(ex: 20 feet, 9.8 inches would round to 21 feet)

2.Convert all of the feet values to yards. Remember there are 3 feet in one yard. (ex:: set up a conversion. . . 21 ft. __1 yard__ = 7 yards

3 feet

3.Now, create a drawing to show where the planets would be placed on a football field. Put the sun on the left goal line and draw the planets to the right across the field. Don’t worry about trying to draw the right size for the planets, just show me where each planet would be on the field (or fields). If you notice, the first five planets will fit on one field. After that, you’ll probably want to draw another diagram with many more fields to show where the outer planets would be.

This part does a great job showing us the vast expanse of space just in our solar system. Remember, the sun was only 6 inches in diameter sitting on the goal line, and we saw just how much “room” there is in between the planets. Now, this next task will give you the added dimension of understanding the sizes of the planets, relative to their distance.

Go back to the web page of the Solar System Model. This time, put the sun diameter as 40 inches. This would put the sun at about the size of a beach ball. We’ll calculate the values for the planets for their diameters and distances. If you liked the last one, you’ll love this one:

1.Round all of the radius values to the nearest foot.

2.Convert all of the feet values to miles. Remember, there are 5280 ft in 1 mile. I think you can set up this conversion on your own!

3.Now, pretend (oohh, this sounds fun) that you place the sun (beach ball) under the stoplight uptown in Ansonia. Next, you are going to begin walking south (towards the train tracks) on the west side of 118 (the side of the bank). As you walk, tell me where you would place each planet (maybe give me an address, or tell me who’s house your putting it in front of) and tell me how big the planet is (maybe give me an example object, it doesn’t exactly have to be a kind of ball. Maybe an egg, a cd, nuts, etc. Be creative.)

Big Bang Lesson

Pre Test Post Test

[pic]

1.Which of the following puts the steps of a scientific experiment in their correct order?

A. 2, 1, 3, 4 B. 4, 2, 3, 1

C. 2, 1, 4, 3 D. 2, 3, 1, 4

[pic]

2. In the late 1920s, Edwin Hubble and Milton Humason determined the distance to a number of galaxies and the velocity of those galaxies relative to the Earth. The graph above shows the early results that were obtained. What approximate ratio did the scientists calculate between velocity and distance based on these early findings? (see next column)

2. answers (circle one)

A 150 km / s per one million light years

_

B 300 km / s per one million light years

C 450 km / s per one million light years

D 600 km / s per one million light years

3. When examining the red shift of galaxies outside our own, every galaxy appears to be moving away from the observer. This observation supports the Big Bang Theory because it indicates that

A. our galaxy is not moving

B. the universe is expanding

C. most galaxies have the same mass.

D. Earth is at the center of the universe.

4.What is the estimated relative age of the universe?

A.3-5 billion years

B.6-9 billion years

C.12-16 billion years

D.20-22 billion years

5.Use the space provided to show your work in converting 26 years, 3 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, and 2 hours into seconds:

6._______ Which factor is responsible for slowing down the rate at which the universe is expanding?

a. gravity b. strong nuclear force

c. friction d. pressure

7._______ Which statement is part of the Big Bang theory?

A.the universe is expanding

B.the universe is collapsing

C.the universe will eventually explode

D.the universe is not changing

8._______ Astronomers can determine the distance of a faraway star if they know which of the two quantities?

A.temperature and mass

B.apparent brightness and absolute brightness

C.absolute brightness and temperature

D.temperature and diameter

9.Since one astronomical unit (a.u.) equals 150 million kilometers and the distance from the sun to Jupiter is 5.2 a.u., convert that distance to kilometers:

Extended Response:

10. What does the geologic timeline tell us about the development / evolution of the organic beings on the earth?

11.What is some of the evidence in support of the Big Bang Theory?

12.How does scientific inquiry describe the process of science?

|Solar System Worksheet | | | | |

| | | | | | |

|Planets |Diameter |Object |Radius |Paces |Location |

| | | | | | |

|Mercury |3.5 mm | |138 ft. | | |

| | | | | | |

|Venus |8.8 mm | |259 ft. | | |

| | | | | | |

|Earth |9.3 mm | |358 ft. | | |

| | | | | | |

|Mars |4.9 mm | |545 ft. | | |

| | | | | | |

|Jupiter |101.8 mm | |1863 ft. | | |

| | | | | | |

|Saturn |84.9 mm | |3417 ft. | | |

| | | | | | |

|Uranus |34.2 mm | |6874 ft. | | |

| | | | | | |

|Neptune |33.1 mm | |10,776 ft. | | |

| | | | | | |

|Pluto |1.6 mm | |14,160 ft. | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

|Conversions | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

|1 pace = |______ paces | | | | |

|_____ ft. |______ ft. | | | | |

|Pre Test Rubric | | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | | |

| | |

| |(present). Many of the multicelled eukaryotes did not arise until very recently in the |

| |geologic record. | | | | | | |

|11 |Cosmic micorwave radiation--indicates that the universe has cooled from an extremely |

| |hot, dense initial state | | | | | | |

| |Red shift--spectrum of light is shifted toward longer wavelengths, indicating the objects |

| |are moving away from us | | | | | |

| |Uniform distribution of light elements--closely matches the calculations / predictions |

| |of the proportions of H and He from nuclear processes | | | |

|12 |Science is a dynamic body of knowledge that continually changes with new observations |

| |that are supported with data | | | | | |

Summary / reflection

Being on block scheduling allows me the opportunity to teach lessons two times throughout the year. I feel that this is a great benefit (to me) to modify my lessons quickly to make sure that they remain or continue to become effective learning tools. After teaching this lesson, there have been some things that I like and things that I will definitely change for next year. Let’s start with the changes. The biggest change that needs to be addressed is the pre / post test. When I wrote this test earlier in the year, it was difficult to specify certain topics that would be addressed in the lesson. Therefore, the questions seem to be a little too vague or general for my liking. I would like to modify the tests to include more detailed information that would specifically target certain areas of the lesson. I believe that in doing that, I’ll get a better feedback on the actual gain measured from the lesson. Now, for the positives. The students really were engaged during the solar system modeling activity. I think it’s because that many of the kids have such a misunderstanding (thanks to textbook illustrations, and such) of the vast amount of space just within our own solar system. The website we used is so user friendly, and when we went uptown to find exactly where the planets were and how big they are, the kids were really blown away! You could really see some misconceptions being torn down right there. I would like to see if there is a way that we could do even more with this topic without running it in to the ground.

In conclusion, the topics and teaching tools that I learned through this year’s WeEXCEL program was great. I have taken many of these ideas and principles and used them in my own classroom. Again, with minor adjustments to some of the assessments, and with further discussions and discoveries on our solar system, I’m sure this will continue to develop into a useful experience.

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