The highs and lows of that experience
By Ruth Kennedy, Ian Dooley, Mary Flynn, Marie Ryan &
Grace Garvey
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They form a hypothesis
and test to see if their
theory is true.
Go on fieldtrips to help test
their hypothesis.
They read up existing
literature on a certain
scientific topic.
They perform tests or
experiments.
Main skills a scientist requires
 Co-ordination of tasks
 Research ability
 Creativity
 Logical thinking
 Interpersonal skills
 Curiosity
 Reasoning
We looked at a Scientific topic over a series
of lessons.
 The research topic chosen was related to
meteorites and the likelihood of them
colliding with the earth.
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The class was split into groups.
We used the jigsaw method of learning.
Each member researched a different area,
brought back what they learned and all this
information was displayed on a poster.
The chance of an asteroid hitting earth is bigger
than previously thought (3 to 10 times more likely).
 Nasa however indicate that there is less than a 1%
chance of asteroid 2013 TV135 hitting earth in 2032.
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From an article we
read on day 1, we
learned that 1400
asteroids are known
to creep too close to
earth for comfort.
 None of the asteroids
mapped pose a threat
to Earth within the
next 100 years.
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We then formulated some questions to
investigate the following day.
What is the
force of collision
when an
asteroid hits?
How destructive
can they
potentially be
for human
society?
Preparation
Are asteroids
more
destructive on
land or sea?
Day
What
percentage of
asteroids are
broken down in
the
atmosphere?
Does speed
affect size of
crater?
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We had to devise a suitable experiment for
the question we formulated the previous day.
We carried out the experiment and created a
poster based on our findings.
The results show that the
bigger the diameter of
the marble, the shallower
the dent in the flour.
 As height is increased,
the depth of the dent in
the flour also increases.
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From our investigation we concluded that
there is a relationship between the diameter
and mass of the asteroid in relation to the
depth of the crater.
We also found that as the drop height of the
asteroid is changed, the depth and speed of
the asteroid also changed.
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Each group presented their observations to
the class and explained what they did in their
experiment and what they had learned.
The students gave feedback on their overall
experience of the process.
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As our chosen topic was on meteorites, the
University of Limerick organised for an Astrophysicist to speak to our class.
He told us about his research work and
answered any queries we had.
This added to our learning.
We have concluded that ‘yes’ an asteroid
collision is likely however there are also many
ways to deflect them. Such as:
 Nuclear blast
 Using mirrors
 Gravity tractor
In the future, if we were to carry out further
investigation, we would look at the following:
What is an asteroid made up of?
The effect the speed of an asteroid has on a
collision.
 Why do some asteroids break up when they hit the
earths atmosphere
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Highs:
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Everyone got involved.
Makes you a more independent learner.
You were able to work like a real scientist.
Information was retained better.
We were able to see everyone else's point of view.
Lows:
Not everyone in group obtained relevant
information.
 You were unsure if you were doing the experiment
right.
 We would have benefited more if we as students
had increased participation during the role model
presentation.
 We would have liked more time to discuss results
and accuracy.
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To make the experience more productive, the
following could be considered:
More teacher interaction
Further discussion on findings and investigative
results
 More time required to get information from the
initial research articles.
 A class to summarise the highlights of the topic and
facilitate student note-taking.
 More time for personal research of topic
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http://www.education.com/sciencefair/article/space-rocks/
http://www.education.com/sciencefair/article/factors-that-affect-craterformation
http://www.astronomy.ie/nasatv.php
http://www.bco.ie/
http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/downloadview.cfm?Doc_ID=460