Astronomy 1 & 2 Core
Intended Learning Outcomes for Astronomy 1 & 2
The Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) describe the skills and attitudes students should learn as
a result of science instruction. They are an essential part of the Science Core Curriculum and
provide teachers with a standard for evaluation of student learning in science. Instruction should
include significant science experiences that lead to student understanding using the ILOs.
The main intent of science instruction in Utah is that students will value and use science as a
process of obtaining knowledge based upon observable evidence.
By the end of science instruction in high school, students will be able to:
1. Use Science Process and Thinking Skills
a. Observe objects, events and patterns and record both qualitative and quantitative
information.
b. Use comparisons to help understand observations and phenomena.
c. Evaluate, sort, and sequence data according to given criteria.
d. Select and use appropriate technological instruments to collect and analyze data.
e. Plan and conduct experiments in which students may:
 Identify a problem.
 Formulate research questions and hypotheses.
 Predict results of investigations based upon prior data.
 Identify variables and describe the relationships between them.
 Plan procedures to control independent variables.
 Collect data on the dependent variable(s).
 Select the appropriate format (e.g., graph, chart, diagram) and use it to summarize the data
obtained.
 Analyze data, check it for accuracy and construct reasonable conclusions.
 Prepare written and oral reports of investigations.
f. Distinguish between factual statements and inferences.
g. Develop and use classification systems.
h. Construct models, simulations and metaphors to describe and explain natural phenomena.
i. Use mathematics as a precise method for showing relationships.
j. Form alternative hypotheses to explain a problem.
2. Manifest Scientific Attitudes and Interests
a. Voluntarily read and study books and other materials about science.
b. Raise questions about objects, events and processes that can be answered through scientific
investigation.
c. Maintain an open and questioning mind toward ideas and alternative points of view.
d. Accept responsibility for actively helping to resolve social, ethical and ecological problems
related to science and technology.
e. Evaluate scientifically related claims against available evidence.
f. Reject pseudoscience as a source of scientific knowledge.
3. Demonstrate Understanding of Science Concepts, Principles and Systems
a. Know and explain science information specified for the subject being studied.
b. Distinguish between examples and non-examples of concepts that have been taught.
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Astronomy 1 & 2 Core
c. Apply principles and concepts of science to explain various phenomena.
d. Solve problems by applying science principles and procedures.
4.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Communicate Effectively Using Science Language and Reasoning
Provide relevant data to support their inferences and conclusions.
Use precise scientific language in oral and written communication.
Use proper English in oral and written reports.
Use reference sources to obtain information and cite the sources.
Use mathematical language and reasoning to communicate information.
5. Demonstrate Awareness of Social and Historical Aspects of Science
a. Cite examples of how science affects human life.
b. Give instances of how technological advances have influenced the progress of science and
how science has influenced advances in technology.
c. Understand the cumulative nature of scientific knowledge.
d. Recognize contributions to science knowledge that have been made by both women and
men.
6. Demonstrate Understanding of the Nature of Science
a. Science is a way of knowing that is used by many people, not just scientists.
b. Understand that science investigations use a variety of methods and do not always use the
same set of procedures; understand that there is not just one "scientific method."
c. Science findings are based upon evidence.
d. Understand that science conclusions are tentative and therefore never final. Understandings
based upon these conclusions are subject to revision in light of new evidence.
e. Understand that scientific conclusions are based on the assumption that natural laws operate
today as they did in the past and that they will continue to do so in the future.
f. Understand the use of the term "theory" in science, and that the scientific community
validates each theory before it is accepted. If new evidence is discovered that the theory does
not accommodate, the theory is generally modified in light of this new evidence.
g. Understand that various disciplines of science are interrelated and share common rules of
evidence to explain phenomena in the natural world.
h. Understand that scientific inquiry is characterized by a common set of values that include
logical thinking, precision, open-mindedness, objectivity, skepticism, replicability of results and
honest and ethical reporting of findings. These values function as criteria in distinguishing
between science and non-science.
i. Understand that science and technology may raise ethical issues for which science, by itself,
does not provide solutions.
Science
Generalize, conclude, hypothesis, theory, variable, measure, evidence, data,
language
inference, infer, compare, predict, interpret, analyze, relate, calculate, observe,
students should describe, classify, technology, experiment, investigation, tentative, assumption,
use:
ethical, replicability, precision, skeptical, methods of science
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Astronomy 1 & 2 Core
Astronomy I Core Curriculum
Science Benchmark
Sky objects have properties, locations, and movements that can be observed and described. Most
objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. Those motions explain such
phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the Moon, and eclipses. The Sun, for example, appears
to move across the sky in the same way every day, but its path changes slowly over the seasons.
The Moon moves across the sky on a daily basis much like the Sun. The observable shape of the
moon changes from day to day in a cycle that lasts about a month, as a result of the relative
positions of Earth, the moon, and the sun. Earth turns on an axis that is tilted relative to the
plane of Earth’s yearly orbit. The tilt causes sunlight to fall more intensely on different parts of
the Earth during various parts of the year. The differences in heating of Earth’s surface and
length of daylight hours produce the seasons.
The solar system consists of planets, moons, and other smaller objects including asteroids and
comets that orbit the sun. Planets in the solar system differ in terms of their distance from the
sun, number of moons, size, composition, and ability to sustain life. The sun’s gravitational pull
holds Earth and other planets in orbit. Earth’s gravitational force holds the moon in orbit.
Historically, cultures have observed objects in the sky and understood and used them in various
ways. The Sun, the Earth, and the rest of the solar system formed from a nebular cloud of dust
and gas 4.6 billion years ago. The early Earth was very different from the planet we live on
today.
Gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around the Sun, holds us to the Earth’s surface,
creates tides, and governs motion in the solar system. Any two objects in the universe with mass
exert equal and opposite gravitational forces on one another. Planetary motions around the sun
can be predicted using Kepler’s three empirical laws, which can be explained based on Newton’s
theory of gravity. These orbits may also change somewhat due to the gravitational effects from,
or collisions with, other bodies. Objects in the universe interact with one another by way of
forces. An object’s state of motion will remain constant unless unbalanced forces act upon the
object. Changes in the motion of an object are proportional to the sum of the forces, and
inversely proportional to the mass. Whenever a force is applied to an object there is an equal and
opposite reaction force.
STANDARD I: Students will understand the formation and organization of the solar
system and history of astronomy.
Objective 1: Investigate and describe the causes of days, seasons, lunar phases, Venetian phases,
and eclipses.
a. Analyze Earth’s seasons and temperatures based on the tilt of the axis, length of day, and
angle to the light source and apply this information to other planets in the solar system.
b. Design an investigation and collect data depicting the phases of the moon and apply this
model to Venus.
c. Describe and model the causes of Solar and Lunar Eclipses.
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Astronomy 1 & 2 Core
Objective 2: Describe the formation and structure of the solar system.
a. Research, investigate, compare, and report the physical properties of the planets and their
moons (e.g., size, solid or gaseous, magnetosphere, atmosphere, composition, temperature,
geographic features, moons, rings, solar day, solar year), describing the differences between the
terrestrial and the Jovian planets
b. Model the scale of the solar system.
c. Investigate and summarize the formation of the solar system and left over debris such as:
asteroids, meteors, comets, Oort Cloud, asteroid belt, and Kuiper belt.
Objective 3: Describe the history of astronomy and the effect of this knowledge on society.
a. Describe and summarize the geocentric model of the solar system including retrograde
motion, epicycles, and deferents.
b. Research and report the contributions of Galileo, Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, and Keplar to the
understanding of a heliocentric model of the solar system.
c. Research and report how spacecraft missions have contributed to knowledge of the solar
system and understanding of Earth and the impact of this knowledge on society (e.g., Venusgreenhouse effect, Mars- historical progression of Earth, Moon- asteroid impacts, remote
imaging of Earth and Mars, etc…).
Science
language
students
should use:
Asteroids, comets, planets, satellites, solar system, solar day, solar year, Kuiper
Belt, Oort Cloud, Asteroid Belt, meteor, nebula, accretion, planetesimals,
protoplanets, protosun, terrestrial planet, Jovian planet, geocentric, heliocentric,
retrograde motion, epicycle, deferent, magnetosphere, atmosphere, Solar
Eclipses, Lunar Eclipses, and phases
Science Benchmark
The sun is one of billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Most stars are binaries or variable
stars. Stars are ranked on an absolute magnitude scale to describe their brightness. Depending on
their distance from the Earth, their relative brightness changes. Astronomers find the distances to
stars by parallax, relative brightness, spectroscopy, or standard candles (variable stars).
Stars have a regular life cycle, only part of which is a normal stable star on the main sequence.
Stars form from contracting nebulae of gas that compress until there is sufficient pressure and
heat to start nuclear fusion. Stars produce energy from nuclear reactions, primarily the fusion of
hydrogen to form helium. These and other processes in stars have led to the formation of all the
other elements. New stars form from remnants of old stars, creating metal rich stars.
Stars die in several different ways (i.e. brown dwarf, supernova, black-hole...) depending on their
mass. The larger the star, the faster it burns, and the shorter the life cycle. Supernovas create the
heaviest of elements after iron.
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Astronomy 1 & 2 Core
STANDARD II: Students will understand the location, composition, type, and life cycle of
stars.
Objective 1: Describe how astronomers use constellations and describe distances.
a. Observe, locate, compare, and explain how the major constellations and asterisms in the
night sky are used for navigation (e.g. Ursa Major- Big Dipper, Ursa Minor- Little Dipper,
Summer Triangle, Orion, etc…).
b. Recognize that stars in a constellation are not all the same distance from Earth using
astronomical units, light years, and parsecs.
Objective 2: Describe the layers of the sun, solar activity, and energy creation in the Sun.
a. Describe the properties and layers of the sun (i.e. core, radiation zone, convection zone,
photosphere, chromosphere, transition zone, corona, and solar wind).
b. Diagram the Sun’s magnetic field and solar cycle and relate the changes in the magnetic field
to various types of solar activity (i.e. solar prominences, solar flares, coronal mass ejections,
and solar winds) affecting earth.
c. Explain the creation of energy in the Sun by nuclear fusion and the transfer of energy from
the Sun’s core to the photosphere by radiation, convection, and conduction.
Objective 3: Describe the mass, size, luminosity, and life cycles of Stars.
a. Investigate the relationship between star distance, luminosity, mass, and brightness.
b. Classify stars by color, surface temperature, and spectral characteristics (e.g. OBAFGKM).
c. Investigate and identify stars on the HR Diagram (e.g. main sequence, instability strip,
supergiants, etc…).
d. Describe and diagram the life cycles of stars through stages including formation in nebulae
(stellar nurseries), protostar, main sequence, supergiant, and death.
e. Summarize and contrast the stages of death of low and high mass stars (i.e. black holes,
pulsars, neutron stars, and white dwarfs).
Science
language
students
should use:
Constellations, asterisms, coordinate systems, astronomical unit, light year,
parsec, spectral type, luminosity, apparent magnitude, absolute magnitude,
conduction, convection, radiation, core, radiation zone, convection zone,
photosphere, chromosphere, transition zone, corona, solar wind, prominence,
solar flare, sunspot, nuclear fusion, HR Diagram, spectrum, main sequence,
protostar, novae, supernovae, black-hole, pulsar, neutron star, planetary nebula,
white dwarf, brown dwarf, black dwarf, dwarf, giant, and supergiant
Science Benchmark
Galaxies are composed of stars, star clusters, interstellar medium of gas and dust, and dark
matter. Galaxies are categorized by shape: ellipse, spiral, barbed spiral, and irregular. The sun is
located in the spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy with a supermassive blackhole in the bulge.
Galaxies are found in the universe in groups.
Light transfers energy and information about galaxies as waves. Characteristics of waves include
wavelength, amplitude, and frequency. Waves can combine with one another, bend around
corners, reflect off surfaces, be absorbed by materials they enter, and change direction when
entering a new material. All these effects vary with wavelength. Observable waves include
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Astronomy 1 & 2 Core
mechanical and electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic radiation, light, is differentiated by
wavelength or frequency, and includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light,
ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, and gamma rays. These wavelengths vary from radio waves (the
longest) to gamma rays (the shortest). In empty space all electromagnetic waves move at the
same speed, the “speed of light.”
The origin of the Universe remains one of the greatest questions in science. The “big bang”
theory places the origin between 10 and 20 billion years ago, when the Universe began in a hot
dense state; according to this theory, the Universe has been expanding ever since.
Early in the history of the Universe, matter, primarily the light atoms hydrogen and helium,
clumped together by gravitational attraction to form countless trillions of stars. Billions of
galaxies, each of which is a gravitationally bound cluster of billions of stars, now form most of
the visible mass in the universe.
STANDARD III: Students will understand the structure, makeup, expansion, and origin of
the Universe supported by scientific evidence.
Objective 1: Describe the properties of galaxies including the Milky Way Galaxy.
a. Describe the shape of the Galaxy as a spiral galaxy with the Sun being two-thirds of the
distance out on a spiral arm.
b. Describe the formation of the galaxy and compare with other galaxies and the distribution of
galaxies in the universe (e.g., local group, superclusters).
c. Describe the parts and location of different objects in galaxies (e.g. galactic center, bulge,
disk, spiral arms, nebulae, star formation, old stars, young stars, supermassive blackholes,
and star clusters: globular cluster and open cluster, etc…).
d. Describe the types of galaxies (e.g., elliptical, spiral, barbed spiral, irregular).
Objective 2: Describe the expanding Universe and “Big Bang Theory”.
a. Explain and describe the evidence supporting the “Big Bang Theory” (e.g. Hubble’s Law,
redshift, creation of heavier elements through nuclear fusion, cosmic microwave background,
galactic evolution, abundance of primordial elements, dark matter and energy, etc…).
b. Study and report the history of the expanding universe (e.g. contributions of Einstein,
Hubble, LeMaitre, Hoyle, etc...) and the importance of red shift to astronomy in determining
motion of galaxies relative to Earth.
c. Explain the large-scale structure of the universe with filaments of galaxies and voids (similar
to Swiss cheese).
Science
language
students should
use:
Galaxy, local group, local supercluster, spiral galaxy, barbed spiral galaxy,
elliptical galaxy, irregular galaxy, star cluster, globular cluster, open cluster,
primordial atom, universe, dark matter, cosmology, cosmic microwave
background, Big Bang, red shift, dark matter
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Astronomy 1 & 2 Core
Astronomy 2 Core Curriculum
Science Benchmark
The space program is integral part of modern society vastly improving the understanding of the
Earth, weather, astronomy, energy, medicine, and science. Spacecraft and objects in the universe
interact with one another by way of forces. Changes in the motion of an object are proportional
to the sum of the forces, and inversely proportional to the mass. If one object exerts a force on a
second object, the second object always exerts an equal and opposite force on the first object.
Whenever a force is applied to an object there is an equal and opposite reaction force. Any two
objects in the universe with mass exert equal and opposite gravitational forces on one another.
As the distance between objects increases, the gravitational force decreases.
Keplar’s Laws describe the orbit of planets and spacecraft in the Solar System as slightly
elliptical orbiting by gravitational force. Planets orbit faster as they approach the sun, and slower
as they move out. The time for an orbit is dependent on the distance from the two objects.
The space program uses the engineering design process to build spacecraft applying concepts of
physics such as center of gravity, center of pressure, aerodynamics, lift, and drag. Early
spacecraft designs were simple evolving into the most complicated machines ever built through
several different phases of space exploration such as Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Sky Lab, Shuttle,
International Space Station, and Russian Programs such as Soyuz.
STANDARD IV: Students will understand the basic scientific principles and history of
space exploration, and the contribution space exploration has made to society.
Objective 1: Use Newton’s Laws to explain the dynamics of space travel.
a. Use Newton's first law to explain the motion of objects in space. (e.g.: a spacecraft in space
continues moving; however, the planets and the sun orbit in circular paths due to gravity).
b. Design and conduct an experiment to investigate how mass and force affect the acceleration
of a spacecraft, demonstrating Newton’s second law.
c. Explain and investigate how forces act in pairs to propel a rocket as described by Newton’s
third law. Identify pairs of forces (e.g., action-reaction, equal and opposite) acting between
two objects.
d. Describe how distance between objects affects the gravitational force (e.g., effect of
gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun on objects on Earth)
e. Describe and investigate the effects of microgravity on objects in space.
Objective 2: Use Keplar’s Laws and Gravity to explain the motion of the planets.
a. Describe the path of the planets as slightly elliptical (Keplar’s 1st Law) orbiting around the
Sun by gravitational force.
b. Explain how an orbiting object sweeps out equal area in equal time in an orbit (Keplar’s 2nd
Law).
c. Describe and calculate how the period of a planet is affected by the size of its orbit (Keplar’s
3rd Law).
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Astronomy 1 & 2 Core
Objective 3: Research and report on space exploration projects, missions, and programs
a. Describe and contrast different past and present space probes that have increased knowledge
of the solar system (e.g. Voyager, Mariner, Mars Explorer, Mars rovers, New Horizon,
Cassini, etc…)
b. Research and report the historical development and major milestones of the manned space
program (i.e. Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Sky Lab, Shuttle, International Space Station, and
Russian Programs such as Soyuz).
c. Compare and contrast different types of satellites (e.g. geocentric, polar orbiting, GPS,
communications, weather satellites, etc…)
Objective 4: Design spacecraft/rockets, create models, and test designs using the
engineering design process.
a. Design and perform an experiment to investigate the effects of center of gravity, center of
pressure, aerodynamics, lift, or drag on the flight of a rocket.
b. Investigate challenges of space travel (e.g. lunar growth chambers, microgravity experiments,
length of time for travel, radiation shielding, thermal protection systems, etc…)
c. Design, build, and test a rocket to accomplish a goal (e.g. 2-Liter Rocket with Egg-o-naut,
Model Rocket with Payload, TARC Rocketry Challenge, etc…)
Science language
students should use:
force, mass, weight, gravity, geocentric, polar orbiting, actionreaction, gravitational force, center of mass, center of pressure,
Science Benchmark
Astronomers learn about the universe using tools based on tradition such as star catalogs and
coordinate systems. Astronomers use variable stars to find distances and study star life cycle,
electromagnetic waves and telescopes to learn about the universe, and through observation of the
night sky.
STANDARD V: Students will understand tools astronomers’ use and areas of research.
Objective 1: Describe the systems astronomers use to find and catalog stars.
a. Describe and perform an experiment to study the motion of the stars across the night sky
(sidereal motion) and basic coordinates (e.g. the celestial equator, prime meridian, celestial
poles, celestial equator, right ascension, declination, and ecliptic).
b. Describe the basic catalogs used to locate objects in the night sky: Messier, NGC,
Hipparchus, Variable Star Catalog, and Bright Star catalogs.
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Astronomy 1 & 2 Core
Objective 2: Describe and investigate how astronomers use variable stars to find distance
and study star life cycle.
a. Describe and contrast the types of binary and variable stars (e.g., visual binary,
spectroscopic binary, eclipsing binary, Delta Scuti variable, T Tauri variable, RR Lyrae
variable, cataclysmic variable)
b. Describe and explain the two types of supernovae, which result in the creation of heavier
elements.
c. Investigate how astronomers use variable stars and other techniques in determining distance
measurements.
Objective 3: Investigate and research advanced concepts related to electromagnetic
spectrum and telescopes.
a. Describe the different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum and research how observations
are made in radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma-ray.
b. Describe and explain continuous, emission, and absorption spectra. Use spectra to determine
what elements are in an object.
c. Explain “blackbody radiation” and determine the temperature of an object by observing the
radiation coming from it.
d. Describe and explain how Earth’s atmosphere affects astronomical observations, requiring
space-based telescopes.
e. Describe the difference between a convex/concave mirror, reflector/refractor telescope, and
basic design of telescopes (e.g. primary mirror, secondary mirror, Cassegrain and Newtonian
telescope).
f. Explain why a telescope is referred to as a “light bucket” and the importance of large
telescopes. (e.g. light collection and resolution rather than magnifying power).
g. Compare and contrast how the eye, photographic plate, and ccd-camera collect light into
information.
h. Build, use, and demonstrate a simple telescope.
Science
language
students
should use:
binary, variable stars, ellipse, semi-major axis, focus, aphelion, perihelion,
eccentricity celestial equator, prime meridian, celestial poles, celestial equator,
right ascension, declination, ecliptic, primary mirror, speed, energy,
wavelength, frequency, blackbody radiation, reflection, refraction, convex
mirror, concave mirror, secondary mirror, Cassegrain telescope, Newtonian
telescope, ccd-camera (digital camera), and photographic plate. electromagnetic
wave, electromagnetic spectrum, reflection, refraction, radio wave, microwave,
infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma ray, continuous spectra,
emission spectra, absorption spectra
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