Lesson Objective: Scientists study the universe to grow our body of knowledge and benefit human interests. Scholars can explain why scientists study space and articulate some of the challenges they face.
Materials Needed
Prep
What are scholars doing in this lesson?
Do Now
Launch
Activity
[Engagement Tip: If you would like to show the entire video but cannot finish it during the allotted time, you can hold a follow-up screening and discussion on another day. It does not need to be shown as a prerequisite for Lesson 2.]
Discourse Debrief activity:
Make connections to the Essential Question:
Make broader connections:
Accountability (Lab Notebook)
Scientists study outer space to grow our body of scientific knowledge and to benefit human interests. We want to understand the universe beyond our planet for many reasons. For example, we are very interested in finding out whether there is life on another planet that we could study or contact. Also, we are very interested in exploring the idea of humans’ living on Mars someday. Scientific research gives us the information we need to pursue these projects and many others.
Scoring
Lesson Objective: Evidence suggests that the universe is expanding, and by considering the available evidence, we can determine that it used to be very small. Hypotheses or theories are only as strong as our best evidence for them.
Materials Needed
Prep
What are scholars doing in this lesson?
Do Now
Launch
[Tip: This can be a sensitive subject because of scholars’ own faith-based beliefs. Explain that in this unit, we will study this from a scientist’s perspective. Our focus as scientists will be looking at the available evidence and seeing what we can infer.]
Activity Adapted from “Modeling the Expanding Universe,” pages 39–46 in Cosmic Questions, Our Place and Space in Time: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
[Tip: Provide scholars with a structured outline for note-taking. This is a difficult skill for scholars.]
Discourse Debrief activity:
Make broader connections:
Make connections to the Essential Question:
[Tip: If your school has a BrainPOP account, showing the Big Bang Theory video (4 minutes and 16 seconds) is also a great option during this Discourse.]
Accountability (Exit Ticket) Directions: Read “The Dark Side of the Universe” and answer the questions that follow.
1. Describe one way in which the text supports our understanding of the formation of the universe. [2]
Scientists have found evidence that the universe seems to have been expanding outward in every direction since its creation. This article discusses how dark energy acts as the opposite of gravity and sends things flying apart, which might be the reason why our universe is expanding.
2. In relation to us, most galaxies are _______. [1]
Scoring
Lesson Objective: Scholars have a more robust appreciation for the truly astonishing scale of the universe. They are familiar with the common units used to describe distances in space. Applying their understanding of the scale of the universe, they are able to articulate the usefulness of these units. Scholars will recognize the interactives they used in class as scale models, which will support their understanding as they design their own scale models in the next lesson.
Materials Needed
Prep
What are scholars doing in this lesson?
Do Now
Launch
Activity
Discourse Debrief activity:
Make connections to the Essential Question:
Make broader connections:
[Tip: Ensure astronomical units and light-years are introduced during this Discourse, as scholars will need familiarity with them for the next lesson.]
Accountability (Exit Ticket) Directions: Lucy created a model of part of the universe as part of a homework assignment for science class. Her model is shown below.
1. Is Lucy’s model a scale model? Include evidence and reasoning to support your response. [3]
Lucy’s model is not a scale model. Scale models use consistent proportions for relative mass or relative distance of different objects, and Lucy’s does not. For example, her model shows that Jupiter is larger than the Sun.
2.If Lucy wants to represent a model of the universe 5,000 years ago, what would change in her model, above? [1]
Scoring
Lesson Objective: Scale models serve a specific purpose for scientists, allowing them to conduct research on objects or bodies that are too large or too small to experiment on directly. Scale models differ from other models and will understand that models inherently have limitations.
Materials Needed
Prep
What are scholars doing in this lesson?
Do Now
Launch
Activity
[Parent Investment Tip: Once scholars are finished with their models, allow them to take them home to show their families.]
Discourse Debrief activity:
Make connections to the Essential Question:
Make broader connections:
Accountability (Exit Ticket)
A team of researchers are studying a planet called Lallan. They collect the following data about Lallan’s moons:
1. In the space below, construct a scale model to show the distances between Lallan and its moons. Label the planet and each moon. [5]
2. Which of the models below would not be considered an accurate scale model of the moons orbiting Lallan according to their masses? [1]
Scoring
Lesson Objective: There are many types of celestial bodies in outer space and patterns in the organization of our solar system. Our solar system consists of a central star and a collection of other bodies held in orbit by gravity. Scholars understand that because we have not yet traveled outside our solar system, scientists have gathered evidence about the rest of the universe by studying available data some of which comes in the form of images from strong telescopes such as the Hubble. However, this dependence on satellite imagery means we can only see as far as our tools allow us to.
Materials Needed
Prep
[Tip: Consider giving extra reading material on different celestial bodies such as asteroids, comets, dwarf planets, and other small bodies for scholars to read for homework!]
What are scholars doing in this lesson?
Do Now
Note: During the Do Now, scholars are introduced to several new vocabulary terms: star, planet, moon, asteroid, comet, dwarf planet, meteor/meteorite.
Launch
Activity
Note: During the lesson, scholars are introduced to several new vocabulary terms: galaxy, elliptical galaxy, spiral galaxy, irregular galaxy.
Discourse Debrief activity:
Make connections to the Essential Question:
Make broader connections:
Accountability (Exit Ticket)
1. What do all the planets in our solar system have in common? Explain why. [2]
All planets orbit the Sun. The Sun is a massive star, and it holds the planets in orbit by its gravitational pull.
2. Choose five terms from the list below and place them in order from smallest to largest. [2]
List of terms: galaxy, comet, planet, Moon, the Sun, our solar system, the universe, dwarf planet
planet → the Sun → solar system → galaxy → universe
3. Which statements below are false? [1]
Scoring
Lesson Objective: An observer’s proximity to a star can affect the star’s apparent size and brightness, with those farther away often appearing smaller and dimmer. However, stars themselves also vary in their size and brightness, which can create differences in their appearance. Our Sun is not the largest or brightest star in fact, it’s not even close!
Materials Needed
Prep
What are scholars doing in this lesson?
Do Now
Launch
Activity Adapted from NASA’s Sun as a Star Science Learning Activities for Afterschool Educator Resource Guide
Discourse Debrief activity:
Make connections to the Essential Question:
Make broader connections:
Accountability (Exit Ticket) Directions: Ijahni is playing flashlight tag with two friends in his backyard at night. He sees the beams of his friends’ flashlights, as shown in the diagram below.
1. Based on what Ijahni sees, which friend is likely closer to him? Include evidence and reasoning to support your response. [3]
Sara is closer to Ijahni. In the picture of the backyard, Sara’s flashlight beam looks larger than Pedro’s. Similar to the celestial bodies in our universe, when a light source is closer, it looks larger, and when it is farther away, it looks smaller.
2. Which of the following could be evidence that both Pedro and Sara are standing at the same distance from Ijahni? [1]
Scoring
1. Award points as follows:
Note: Scholars may argue that it is impossible to say, as the perspective of the observer makes it difficult to say for sure which star is closest. In this scenario, Sara’s flashlight may in fact be farther away than Pedro’s, but Pedro has a smaller/less powerful flashlight. Responses of this nature may receive credit as long as they reflect a clear understanding of how the apparent size/brightness of a light can change.
2. Award one point for selecting answer B.
Lesson Objective: Like the Sun, other stars in space only appear to move relative to the Earth in fact, Earth’s own movement creates that illusion. Scholars know the significant role that the night sky played for early navigators and will have had a refresher on their elementary school knowledge of Earth’s rotation and revolution.
Materials Needed
Prep
What are scholars doing in this lesson?
Do Now
Launch
Activity
Discourse Debrief activity:
Make broader connections:
[Engagement Tip: If time allows, read the Zodiac section from the American Federation of Astrologers website, which provides a simple explanation of the origin of the “zodiac signs” they see in horoscopes!]
Make connections to the Essential Question:
Accountability (Lab Notebook) Have scholars revise their conclusions from the Activity after Discourse.
The stars are not moving relative to the Earth. Earth’s movement its rotation on its axis and its revolution around the Sun changes our position in space. This in turn changes the angle from which we view the stars, making it look as if the stars are in different places throughout the year.
Scoring
Lesson Objective: Eclipses happen when the Moon, Earth, and Sun are in complete alignment. Because of the Earth’s tilt on its axis and the Moon’s tilted orbit, all three celestial bodies only come into complete alignment about once every 18 months.
Materials Needed
Prep
What are scholars doing in this lesson?
Do Now
Launch
Activity Adapted from “Exploring Lunar and Solar Eclipses via 3D Modeling Design Task” by Rommel J. Miranda, Brian R. Kruse, and Ronald S. Hermann published in Science Scope (October 2016)
[Tip: Close all classroom blinds and turn off the lights during part of the activity so scholars can experiment with their models.]
Discourse Debrief activity:
Make connections to the Essential Question:
Make broader connections:
[Engagement Tip: Find the date of the next eclipse that will be visible in your location and post it in your classroom. After it occurs, allow scholars to share their observations during the next science class!]
Accountability (Exit Ticket)
1. In the box below, draw the positioning of the Earth, Sun, and Moon during a total lunar eclipse. Label each body. Your drawing does not need to be to scale. [2]
2. Which of the following affects the timing of a lunar eclipse? [1]
3. The diagram below represents Earth as viewed from above the North Pole. The nighttime side of Earth and the Moon have been shaded. The Moon is represented in eight positions in its orbit around Earth. Identify the Moon’s position where a solar eclipse might be observed from Earth by circling the number on the diagram. [1]
Adapted from the New York State Education Department. Science Regents Examinations: Physical Setting/Earth Science, June 2017. Available from https://www.nysedregents.org/earthscience.
Scoring
Lesson Objective: Gravitational forces are responsible for the organization of celestial bodies and other objects in space. There is a direct relationship between mass and gravitational pull and an inverse relationship between distance and gravitational pull.
Materials Needed
Prep
[Materials Tip: Billiards balls, golf balls, and marbles must be handled with care. Model how to send objects “into orbit” and carefully supervise all objects placed “into orbit.”]
What are scholars doing in this lesson?
Do Now
Launch
Activity Adapted from NASA’s Create Your Own Gravity Well Activity and “Gravity and Orbits” from PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder
Discourse Debrief activity:
[Tip: When scholars are answering the first two questions, it’s a good idea to have a set of materials under the document camera and a copy of the simulation on a viewable screen to allow demonstration and dispel any lingering misconceptions.]
Make connections to the Essential Question:
Accountability (Exit Ticket) In the diagram below, the letters A, B, and C represent three identical satellites and their relative distances from Earth as seen from space. Use this diagram to answer the questions that follow.
1. Which satellite would experience the strongest pull from Earth’s gravity? Include evidence and reasoning to support your response. [3]
Satellite A would experience the greatest pull from Earth’s gravity. Even though all three satellites have the same mass,
Satellite A is the closest to Earth. As distance between two objects decreases, the force of gravity increases.
2. If a fourth satellite, Satellite D, was found at the same distance from the Earth as Satellite A but had twice the amount of mass, which of the following would be true? [1]
Scoring
Lesson Objective: Certain conditions must be present for a planet to be habitable for life as we know it, including the ability to meet the basic needs of living things (nutrients, water, air, gravity, and a range of temperatures that is not too extreme for our survival).
Materials Needed
Prep
What are scholars doing in this lesson?
Do Now
Launch
[Engagement Tip: Set a countdown timer as scholars are working and quietly play space-themed or suspenseful music (such as this) in the background.]
Activity
Discourse Debrief activity:
Make connections to the Essential Question:
Make broader connections:
Accountability (Exit Ticket) A scientist looking for life in outer space is researching four planets from another solar system. He has gathered data about each planet and organized it in the table below. Of the four planets, he only has the time and money to research one, and he wants to choose the planet with the greatest chance of supporting life.
Planet | Atmosphere Present? | Mountain Ranges Visible | Liquid Water Present? | Volcanoes Present? |
---|---|---|---|---|
A |
Yes (helium, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen) |
Yes |
No |
No |
B |
No |
No |
No |
No |
C |
Yes (nitrogen only) |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
D |
Yes (helium, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
1. Given the data available, which planet would be most likely habitable for life? Include evidence and reasoning to support your response. [3]
Planet D would be most likely to support life. Planet D has both liquid water present and an atmosphere with oxygen and carbon dioxide. Living things on Earth need water and air to survive, so I think Planet D provides the right environment for sustaining organisms.
2. What additional data would be helpful in determining the habitability of a planet? [1]
Scoring
Note: Scholars may receive partial credit if they have an incorrect claim but accurate evidence and/or justification.
Lesson Objective: Scholars have a much better understanding of the composition of our universe and the laws that govern the behavior of the celestial bodies that surround us. Scholars also have improved their ability to evaluate materials and create and use models.
Materials Needed
What are scholars doing in this lesson?
Do Now
Launch
Activity
Discourse Debrief activity:
Make connections to the Essential Question:
Accountability (Classwork) In place of a formal Exit Ticket, score scholars’ posters from class to assess mastery of the Unit Goals. Minimize coaching as scholars complete their posters during this lesson, as those will allow you to evaluate scholars’ mastery of major unit concepts. Take informal notes on lingering misconceptions or areas of confusion, and provide scholars with extra practice with relevant material before their Trimester 3 Final.
Scoring
[Tip: Allow scholars who do not finish in class to complete their work on another day or for homework before scoring. This particular assignment is primarily meant to assess the depth of their understanding, not their ability to adhere to the pacing necessary to succeed on an assessment.]
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