HARNETT COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS
Course: Earth/Environmental Science
Title of Unit: Astronomy
Timeframe: 5-7 days
Content Area Standard(s): 1.1 Explain the Earth’s role as a body in space.
Clarifying Objectives:
EEn 1.1.1 Explain the Earth’s motion through space, including precession, nutation, the
barycenter, and its path about the galaxy.
EEn. 1.1.2 Explain how the Earth’s rotation and revolution about the Sun affect its shape and is
related to seasons and tides.
EEn. 1.1.3 Explain how the sun produces energy which is transferred to the Earth by radiation.
EEn. 1.1.4 Explain how incoming solar energy makes life possible on Earth.
Reading Standard(s):
2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or
depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of
the text.
4. Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and
phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 910 texts and topics.
7. Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual
form (eg, a table of chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (eg,
in an equation) into words.
Writing Standard(s):
1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. a. Introduce precise claim(s),
distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization
that establishes clear relationships among the claim(s),
e. Provide a concluding statement of section that follows from or supports the argument
presented.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events,
scientific procedures, experiments, or technical processes.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and
conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
Math Practice(s):
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
3. Model with mathematics.
Technology Standard(s):
HS.TT.1 Use technology and other resources for assigned tasks.
HS.TT.1.1 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to access information (multidatabase search engines, online primary resources, virtual interviews with content experts).
Learning Experiences:
Interpreting and generating graphs, Generating and testing hypotheses, Working
collaboratively/Communication Skills, peer evaluation, analysis and classification of specimens,
creating models, field trips, hands-on laboratory investigations, virtual laboratory investigations,
creative writing
Project Goals and Description of Unit:
By the end of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Compare the relative motions of the sun, Earth, and moon by using the terms nutation,
barycenter, precession, rotation, and revolution.
2. Explain how energy is created in the core of the sun and transferred through space to
Earth.
3. Explain through drawings the stellar evolution cycle.
Description of the Unit:
In this unit students will learn how the sun, Earth, and moon interact to create multiple motions
in space. Students will explain how fusion occurs in the sun’s core and how that energy is
transferred from the sun to our planet via radiation. Students will also describe the stellar
evolution of stars, and be able to predict the final stage for stars based on their mass. In addition,
students will compare the habitability zones of stars and evaluate their potential to sustain the
human race. Students will take all of the knowledge learned in this unit to create an Astronomy
Newspaper using Microsoft Publisher.
Essential Questions:
1. Why do you suppose it is important to include astronomy as part of Earth Science?
2. How do the Earth, Sun, and Moon interact?
3. How does energy flow throughout our galaxy?
Vocabulary:
Reflecting telescope, refracting telescope, crest, trough, wavelength, frequency, winter solstice,
summer solstice, vernal equinox, autumnal equinox, prominence, sunspots, solar flare, solar
wind, precession, nutation, barycenter, rotation, revolution, spring tides, neap tides, Kepler’s
Laws, fission, fusion, electromagnetic spectrum, penumbra, umbra, solar eclipse, lunar eclipse,
black hole, nebula, red giant, white dwarf, supernova, planetary nebula, neutron star,
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
Instructional Resources (print materials, technology):
Powerpoints on material, Hertzsprung-Russell diagram lab, whiteboards, markers, Smartboard,
document camera, spectroscope, online animations, journal notebooks (see also activities and
websites at bottom of page).
Facilitator’s Role:
Direct instruction for factual information, group work for students during class activities/labs,
video/animation of difficult abstract concepts/terms.
Assessment:
Formative assessment – done daily based on learning targets and criteria for success. Includes
whiteboard activities, think-pair-share, ticket out the door, picture vocabulary note cards of
terms, and a writing summary of learned concepts.
Summative Assessment – test, quizzes, Astronomy Newspaper project
Notes and Additional Information:
Relevant videos and clips:
A2 Videos/short clips to provide students with a good overview of space and what is found in it:
National Geographic Journey to the Edge of the Universe
A2 A movie of what the Sun looks like in different types of radiation:
http://www.nasa.gov/mov/174598main_AllColorFull.mov
A2 A short video clip of how the Hubble telescope “sees” invisible radiation:
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/hubble-how-hubble-sees.html
A2 A short video clip of how radio telescopes work:
http://science.discovery.com/videos/space-telescopes/
A2 A link to discovery (play all three videos in a row of how astronauts go to the bathroom in
space, how food for astronauts is made, and lastly how astronauts are trained):
http://science.discovery.com/videos/how-do-they-do-it-space/
A2 A short video clip of the Sun and how energy travels from fusion in the core to the corona:
http://science.discovery.com/videos/sun/
A2 A movie of the Sun rotating in space:
http://www.windows2universe.org/sun/Solar_interior/Sun_layers/differential_rotation.html
A2 Two short video clips of solar wind and solar flares:
http://egotvonline.com/2011/06/08/a-gallery-of-incredible-solar-flares/
B2 A good animation showing how objects in space appear to rise in the East and set in the
West:
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion2/starpaths.html
B2 Animation clip demonstrating precession:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Milankovitch/Images/milankovitch_precess_high.mov
B2 Interactive animation of what the angle of the Sun is as the Earth revolves around the Sun, as
well as how the Earth’s tilt changes as it moves around the Sun:
http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/007299181x/student_view0/chapter2/seasons_interactive.html
B2 Interactive animation of how the Earth’s position and tilt changes throughout its revolution
around the Sun. Good for explaining the concepts of solstice and equinox!
http://esminfo.prenhall.com/science/geoanimations/animations/01_EarthSun_E2.html
A1 A2 Vocabulary activity: Have students draw the definition of astronomy vocabulary terms.
B4 Graphing Sunspots Activity:
http://eo.ucar.edu/educators/ClimateDiscovery/LIA_lesson7_9.28.05.pdf
A2 Short video clip of the theory of how the moon was “born”:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/science/space-sci/exploration/moon-101sci.html
B2 Animation of comparison of the terms nutation and precession:
http://phys23p.sl.psu.edu/phys_anim/mech/embederQ2.40400.html
B2 Movie clip of a lunar eclipse occurring:
http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2003/10/29/04nov_lunareclipse2_resources/reddy1_
big.gif
B4 B5 Survivor on the Moon Activity: Students apply basic concepts of the Moon by ranking
the usefulness of 15 items in order from 1 (most important) to 15 (least important):
http://mrquast.wikispaces.com/file/view/survivormoon.pdf
B2 Animation of retrograde motion occurring with the planet Mars:
http://www.lasalle.edu/~smithsc/Astronomy/retrograd.html
B2 Animation of explanation of heliocentric retrograde motion and why it occurs:
http://www.lasalle.edu/~smithsc/Astronomy/retrograd.html
B2 Animation of explanation of barycenter:
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/barycenter/
B4 B5 C2 Graphing activity of Comparison of Weight on different planets: I have students
calculate their weight and then draw a bar graph of their weight on each planet:
http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/class_acts/Weight.html
B4 B5 C2 Graphing activity of Comparison of Age on different planets: I have students
calculate their age and then draw a bar graph of their age on each planet:
http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/class_acts/HowOld.html
A2 B2 Video clip of size comparisons of various objects in space:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEheh1BH34Q
A3 Interactive Journey to a Black Hole!:
http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/black_holes/modules.html
B2 Video clip on “spaghettification” – death by falling into a black hole:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNc-JLysk9Y
B4 B5 Link to Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram and Habitability of Stars Activitysustainability for the human race in the event that we need to leave our planet and colonize
another:
http://astrobio.terc.edu/samples/chpt2_act3.html
B6 C6 Astronomy Newspaper Project: Will be forthcoming shortly.