Web-Based Astronomy Curriculum in the Elementary Classroom Travis Whyte University of Alberta/Educational Media Technologies Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta1 www.ioncmaste.ca IONCMASTE (Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education) http://www.ioncmaste.ca Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education A centre for the promotion of teaching, research and curriculum excellence in school science, mathematics, and technology education Provide leadership in disseminating current research Working closely with teachers locally and in developing countries None profit organization supported by generous donations from Imperial Oil 2 Web-Based Astronomy Curriculum Development Project Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Approached by the CSA in fall 2001 Develop astronomy curriculum resources for sixth grade Pan-Canadian curriculum expectations Web-based & Text based Teacher/student friendly Use highly visual technology elements (images, flash, QuickTime and JavaScript ) to teach astronomy 3 Astronomy Education Assessment Problem – Challenging subject for many elementary school teachers… Subject complexity Shortage of quality resources Spiro graph Nebula Outcome – Students left with… Misleading information A feeling that astronomy as a science is unimportant A missed opportunity to learn of the wonders of the Universe Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Reflection Nebula 4 Goals of the Project Develop a curriculum resource tool for teachers and students including: – appropriate astronomy information to first teach the teachers – information relating key concepts to curriculum – extensive visuals to demonstrate difficult concepts and to spark further interest and intrigue – wide range of appropriate lesson plans and activities – evaluation strategies Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Planet Mars Cat’s Eye Nebula 5 Curriculum Resources Included matrix displaying how the content, applets and lesson plans relate to the Pan-Canadian Curriculum expectation All of the astronomy content covered is divided into 7 Modular Content content modules Astronomy Glossary An extensive astronomy glossary is accessible via hotlink from all content modules Interactive Applets Mini web-based computer programs act as interactive learning tools to augment content All content modules include lesson plans designed to Lesson Plans assist teachers in reinforcing the content material Extension Activities Included to provide students with experiential or hands-on learning opportunities relevant to astronomy Evaluation Rubrics Accompanying all lessons plans are sample evaluation rubric that may or may not be used to evaluate students Pan-Canadian Curriculum Matrix Detailed Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 6 Content Modules 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Introduction to the Day and Night Sky The Sun and Stars The Earth and the Moon The Planets Comets, Meteors and Asteroids The Milky Way and Beyond Astronomers and Their Tools Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 7 What are Interactive Applets? An applet is an interactive learning tool that acts like a mini-program running within a web browser (Flash, QuickTime, JavaScript). Users will interact with the applet through different means, including movie controller buttons and other labeled buttons and input windows. The applets used in this website have been designed as teaching and learning tools to be used by both teachers and students in an attempt to augment the curriculum Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 8 Some of the Applets Titles Tracking Sun Spots Phases of the Moon Reasons for the Seasons Solar and Lunar Eclipses The Solar System Our Home in the Milky Way Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 9 Applet: Tracking Sunspots Click image to load Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Using actual solar images students will track and measure sunspot displacements in an attempt to determine solar rotation rates and identifying differential rotation. Students also have the option of determining the size of the sunspot after which a comparison to Earth is made. 10 Applet: Phases of the Moon Click image to load Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education This applet demonstrates the interactions between the Sun, Moon and Earth which help to produce the phases of the Moon. The animation clearly shows the orbital position of the Moon and the corresponding phase as observed from Earth. 11 Applet: Reasons for the Seasons Click image to load Northern Hemisphere Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education This applet demonstrates the interactions between the Sun, Moon and Earth which help to produce the seasonal effects on Earth. The animation clearly shows the orbital position of the Earth and the Earth’s axial tilt which together affect how the Sun’s rays impact the Earth. – Direct rays = summer – Indirect rays = winter 12 Applet: Solar and Lunar Eclipses Click image to load Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education This applet demonstrates the interactions between the Sun, Moon and Earth which help to produce solar and lunar eclipses. Beginning with an analysis of the orientation of the Sun, Moon and Earth, the applet allows users to further investigate the alignments necessary to produce the different kinds of eclipses. 13 Applet: The Solar System Click image to load Show applet Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education This applet is designed to help students visualize the structure of the solar system while gaining an appreciation for the orbital speeds (ie. The length of a year). Students will learn that the planets closest to the Sun rotate significantly faster than the outer planets. 14 Applet: Our Home in the Milky Way Click image to load Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education This applet is designed to give students an appreciation for the vast size of the Milky Way Galaxy. Beginning with a view of the entire galaxy, the perspective zooms in to a view of the solar system, then to the Earth and Moon and ultimately to a view of only the Earth. An approximate field size is shown 15 About the Lesson Plans The lesson plans included in this website have been designed to be used sequentially or as part of a complete unit. Teachers are encouraged to use as much or as little of the content as they require for their particular classroom needs. Many of the lessons include cross-curricular elements including (Art, Language Arts, and Mathematics) Evaluation rubrics are included with all lessons Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 16 Some of the Lesson Plan Titles Building and using a sundial Illustrating the constellations Tracking and tracing sunspots Observing and sketching the lunar surface An explorative journey of the solar system Your weight on other planets Plan a mission to a recently discovered planet Timeline of astronomy events and discoveries Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 17 Student Access Site The website has been designed to be accessible by both teachers and students. The student version of the website contains – content material – astronomy glossary – interactive applets & questions The interactive applets are followed by multiple choice javascript questions derived directly from the applet. Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 18 Summing it up The elements and format used for organizing the content modules will serve both the teachers and students well. – – – – Teaching the teachers the content Offer suggestions for presenting and teaching the materials Provide a wide variety of lesson plans Offer hands-on and technology-assisted learning experiences – Reinforce the content with appropriate evaluation rubrics and strategies Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 19 What are Teachers Saying? I find the curriculum resources extremely informative and user friendly. The information and applets are wonderful. I will definitely use them when teaching my Grade 6 Sky Science unit. The student section of the Web-Based Astronomy Curriculum is helpful and will be enjoyed by the students. This is an excellent reinforcement tool that makes the students think about what they have learned. Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 20 The Next Step Currently the content materials are limited to the sixth grade curriculum. Follow up projects are currently being developed for both the ninth and twelfth grade curricula. French language translations are also in the development stages for the sixth, ninth, and twelfth grade . Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 21 Where is the Website? The website is temporarily being hosted by the University of Alberta – http://www.ioncmaste.ca/astronomy The webiste will soon be moved onto the Canadian Space Agency’s website – http://www.space.gc.ca/ Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 22 Thanks If you would like more information or require assistance using the website, please contact me: Travis Whyte tgwhyte@telusplanet.net Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 23