Ancient astronomy suggested topic list



Ancient Astronomy Research Project Name_______________________

Essential Questions: Why did ancient cultures study astronomy? How did ancient cultures study astronomy? How did experimental contributions advance the study of astronomy?

Some ancient cultures include…

Stonehenge and the Druids

Egyptian astronomy (pyramids/temples or calendar)

Babylonian astronomy (ziggurats, zodiac, etc.)

Jewish astronomy

Japanese astronomy

Chinese astronomy

Indian astronomy

Arabic astronomy

Mayan astronomy

Aztec astronomy

Inca astronomy

African astronomy (Dogon or other tribes)

Native American astronomy (select specific tribes)

Native American calendars (Big Horn medicine wheel, sun dagger, etc.)

Others?

Please note that you will have to narrow down your scope in the research process. You need to select only one specific aspect (myth, instrument, temple, calendar, stone carving, etc.) to describe and summarize within that culture. When you have selected a topic, let the teacher know.

Project Components

1. Paper (35 points)

a. Minimum of 2 typed pages not including any titles or headings, double-spaces, 12 point font

b. MLA format (internal citations and works cited)

c. Topics to write about include:

i. General information about the culture that relates to science and astronomy

ii. Contributions your culture made to astronomy

iii. Individuals who played a significant role in the astronomical studies of your culture

iv. Structures, events, dates, or symbols used by your culture related to astronomy

v. Description of your product and its significance to the astronomical contributions of your culture

vi. How you feel about the contributions of your culture to astronomy (significant impact? irrelevant?)

2. Product (10 points)

You will create a model, a map, a painting, or recreation of the astronomically significant object you chose or one that represents your culture. This will be presented in class. When discussing your product to the class, answer the following questions.

1. What is this? Was this an instrument, a myth, a temple, a calendar, stone carvings? Summarize.

2. What was it used for? Or, how was it used?

3. Why was this astronomically significant for this culture? How is this connected to astronomy and the study of the sky? How did this advance the study of astronomy?

3. Works Cited page in MLA format (5 points)

You need a minimum of two valid and credible resources. Wikipedia is not acceptable but may be used to identify other resources.

What resources should I use?

Hillgrove’s Library blog with links

Knight Cite (citation generator)

Archaeoastronomy list of links:

(this is hit-or-miss, lots of the links contained in this page are broken)



Google Book Search (go to Google and click “more” and select “Books”)

Echoes of the Ancient Skies: The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations By Edwin C. Krupp

Exploring Ancient Skies: An encyclopedic Survey of Archaeoastronomy By David H. Kelley and Eugene F. Milone

Google Scholar Search (go to Google and click “more” and select “scholar”).

Be very critical if you find another website. Who is the author? Is the author an authority on the subject? Is the website credible? Generally speaking , the author is an authority if he/she is a professor with a university.

Why do I need to cite?

Citations are used to give support to your research and your argument. Furthermore, citations give credit to the original author. In your paper, you will need to have at least one citation within your writing that follows MLA format. The source of the citation should match your source on the works cited page. Examples below are from these websites where you can also find additional information about citations.

(for MLA in-text citations)

(for MLA in-text citations)

Direct quotations obviously require citations. Please keep in mind that even if you are paraphrasing, you must cite the work.

MLA Example 1 Human beings have been described as "symbol-using animals" (Burke 3).

MLA Example 2 One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and

colonialism" (Garcia,"Herzog: a Life," par. 18).

MLA Example 3 Christine Haughney reports that shortly after Japan made it illegal to use a handheld phone while driving, "accidents caused by using the phones dropped by 75 percent" (92).

MLA Example 4 Most states do not keep adequate records on the number of times cell phones are a factor in accidents; as of

December 2000, only ten states were trying to keep such records (Sundeen 2).

What does an online book citation look like?

When a book or a book-length work such as a play or a long poem is posted on the Web as its own site, give as much publication information as is available, followed by your date of access and the URL.

Rawlins, Gregory J. E. Moths to the Flame. Cambridge: MIT P, 1996.

11 Nov. 2004 .

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. London: H. G. Clarke and Co., 1844. Google Book Search.

3. 22 Dec. 2006 . Paper (35 points)

Cultural Astronomy Project Rubric

Paper

Content: ________/35

a. Minimum of 2 typed pages not including any titles or headings, double-spaces, 12 point font

b. MLA format (internal citations and works cited)

c. Topics to write about include:

i. General information about the culture that relates to science and astronomy

ii. Contributions your culture made to astronomy

iii. Individuals who played a significant role in the astronomical studies of your culture

iv. Structures, events, dates, or symbols used by your culture related to astronomy

v. Description of your product and its significance to the astronomical contributions of your culture

vi. How you feel about the contributions of your culture to astronomy (significant impact? irrelevant?)

Teacher Comments:

Product : __________/10

a. What is this? Was this an instrument, a myth, a temple, a calendar, stone carvings? Summarize.

b. What was it used for? Or, how was it used?

c. Why was this astronomically significant for this culture? How is this connected to astronomy and the study of the sky? How did this advance the study of astronomy?

Teacher Comments:

Works Cited page in MLA format ____________/5

a. You need a minimum of two valid and credible resources. Wikipedia is not acceptable but may be used to identify other resources.

Teacher Comments:

TOTAL: ____________/50

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