Secondary+Science+Group

//**Curriculum Development Project:**// //**To Infinity and Beyond**//  //**By: Jennifer Arreola, Sandi Flores, Jennifer Francis and Tyler Smurr**// Space has always been an interesting concept to mankind. So, it is not surprising that it is especially interesting to children. They want to know about their world and what is beyond what they can see. It is important to teach children about space because these are the future leaders, thinkers, and innovators of society. Space is the next frontier. Throughout time, it has and will be an important topic to understand because it is constantly changing and evolving. We need to build the interest within the students about space and what lies beyond our Earth.

**AIM** To understand and appreciate Space

**GOALS** //**To learn about the basics about the:**// planets, stars, moon and history of manned space flight

**OBJECTIVES** 2. Compare and compute the distances of planets from the sun using atomic units, light years and Bode's Law. 3. Be able to describe our solar system consisting of planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and the regions of our solar system. 4. Students will create an individual piece of art about Earth's magnetic field; The Art of Paleomagic || 1. Describe the life cycle of a star using a flow chart 2. Understand how scientist classify stars by their color by using a temperature chart to color their own stars in the universe 3. Classify stars using the HR diagram by creating their own graph and plotting their stars from #2 on the HR Diagram (math discipline) 4. Recognize why our Sun is the brightest to Earth and its location in the Milky Way by drawing and labeling the Sun and others stars in the Milky Way || 2. Draw and name the phases of the moon in chronological order. 3. Using technology, the student will read, research and present information about how the moon and earth interact. 4. Calculate the diameter of the moon relative to other objects. || 1. Understand the history of the first manned space flights and be able to compare and contrast the pros and cons of the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab missions using graphic organizers. 2. Using technology, research how the space race caused change in our NASA programs and predict what might influence our space programs in the future. 3. Analyze the purposes of the International Space Station and debate about the continuance of space studies. 4. Create models of parts of the Spacesuit or Rovers using everyday items to critically examine how they work. ||
 * = **Planets** ||= **Stars** ||
 * 1. Understand the planets as why they are classified as planets and dwarf planets
 * = **Moons** ||= **History** ||
 * 1. Use models of the Sun, Earth, and Moon to define rotation, orbit and revolution.
 * 1. Use models of the Sun, Earth, and Moon to define rotation, orbit and revolution.

**BACKGROUND & FACTS**

**//Background for Planets://**
1. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) created a new definition of a planet; //(1) It must have enough mass and gravity to gather itself into a ball.// //(2) It must orbit the sun.// //(3) It must reign supreme in its own orbit having gravitationally “cleared the neighborhood” of other competing bodies.// 2. Pluto intersects the orbit of Neptune and has many objects in its own orbit. 3. Distances in space are too large to measure using miles or kilometers. Because of this units, of measurement called atomic units (93 million millions = one atomic unit) ,and light years (the distance light travels in one years, 9.5 trillion kilometers). Bode's law (also known at Titius-Bode Law) is a mathematical formula that was created in 1766 to predict distance of planets from the sun. Bode's Law is very accurate for predicting the distances of many the planets in our solar system and opens discussion about why some of the predicted distances are not accurate. Bode's Law leaves the possibility that Pluto may have been part of a larger planet that was pulled into our solar system by the sun's gravity and collided Neptune and pushed Neptune and Saturn forward. 4. Our solar system consists of many other objects other than planets. Students need to understand this able to describe what else in our solar system besides planets. Students also need to understand that our solar system has a beginning, and end, and many regions that planets and, other objects, occupy. 5. Earth has a magnetic field that is generated from earth's iron and nickel core and the rotation of the planet. This magnetic field protects earth from dangerous incoming solar radiation from the sun and is what makes earth different from other planets in our solar system. Using magnets, iron fillings, and spray glaze, students will learn how earth's magnetic field works, why it is important for life on earth. The student will create a model of earth's magnetic field and then be able to keep it as a piece of art that they created.

**//Background//** **//for Stars://**
1.Stars are born in a nebulae. Huge clouds of dust and gas collapse under gravitational forces, forming proto-stars. These young stars undergo further collapse, forming main sequence stars. Stars expand as they grow old. As the core runs out of hydrogen and then helium, the core contacts and the outer layers expand, cool, and become less bright. This is a red giant or a red super giant (depending on the initial mass of the star). It will eventually collapse and explode. Its fate is determined by the original mass of the star; it will become either a black dwarf, neutron star, or black hole. 2. The color that we see is usually an additive combination of the emissions from each wavelength. Hot stars appear blue because most energy is emitted in the bluer parts of the spectrum. There is little emission in the blue part of the spectrum for cool stars - they appear red. The table below shows the approximate color and temperature range for stars. 3. In a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, each star is represented by a dot. One uses data from lots of stars, so there are lots of dots. The position of each dot on the diagram corresponds to the star's luminosity and its temperature. The vertical position represents the star's luminosity and the horizontal position represents the star's surface temperature.

4. The Sun is the brightest to Earth because it is the closest star to Earth. The Earth and Sun are located in one of the spiraling arms of the Milky Way and not the center of the galaxy.

**//Background//** **//for Moons://**
1. //Rotation// – the moon turns all the way around or spins on its rotational axis one time. //Revolution// – the moon travels once around an object. //Orbit// – the path by which the moon travels around another specific object (Earth, Sun). 2. Phases of the Moon – There are 8 moon phases that occur in sequence roughly every 29.5 days. //New Moon// //Waxing Crescent// //First Quarter// //Waxing Gibbous// //Full Moon// //Waning Gibbous// //Third Quarter// //Waning Crescent//

3. The moon is the largest mass nearest to Earth, that has participated in the evolution of Earth and influenced the development of life on Earth. The ways in which the Moon and Earth have interacted: //Ocean Tides// – The gravitational pull of the Moon produces ocean tides. The gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon combine to give the greatest effect (spring tides). //Stable Axial Tilt// – It is considered that the current tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation is the result of a collision that produced the Moon. It is argued that the presence of the orbiting Moon has stabilized the axial tilt. This has major implications for life on Earth considering frequent shifts would have led to significant and rapid changes in the Earth’s climate. //Metals// – Relatively high abundance of siderophile and chalcophile metals in the Earth compared with the Moon led to the idea that a collision between the Earth and a Mars-sized impactor shows that parts of each object’s mantle were ejected into Earth orbit and coalesced to form the Moon. //Maths, Art and Eclipses// – Earliest astronomers observed and calculated calendars based on astronomical observations. The moon’s influence among the arts (mythology, literature) can be seen throughout involving star-crossed lovers and turning men into werewolves.

4. The diameter of Earth is 7926.3 miles and the diameter of the Moon is 2159.1 miles. Thus, the ratio of the moon to the Earth is 1:3.67. The relative size of the moon can be calculated upon measuring the diameter of any circular object. For example, the diameter of a quarter is 2.4 cm. Using the quarter to represent the diameter size of the earth, the diameter size of the moon can be calculated simply by: 2.4 cm/3.67 = 0.65 cm.

**//Background//** **//for History of Manned Space Flight://**
1. Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab missions – Mercury was in 1958 and was the first man-in-space program. Gemini was the second and had 12 flights. Apollo-Soyuz missions started in 1975. Skylab was designed for long duration missions to prove that humans could live and work in space for extended periods and to expand our knowledge of the solar system more. 2. Space Race – The space race started in 1957 when Russian launched Sputnik, the first satellite. Space was considered to be a new frontier and Russia had a head start in being able to conquer it. President Kennedy encouraged a push for math and science so we, too, could start exploring space. 3. Space Shuttle and the International Space Station – The space shuttle is the large rocket that takes humans and parts of the International Space Station into space. The International Space Station has 16 countries contributing parts to it. The Shuttle would bring up the different parts and it would be put together over 10+ years, like a puzzle. It is bigger than a football field and travels once around the earth every hour and a half. 4. Space Suits – The astronauts wear comfortable clothes inside the shuttle but wear spacesuits when outside. The spacesuit is also known as the extravehicular mobility unit (EMU). The suit has a liquid cooling garment, headphones, microphones, drink bag, oxygen, and a urine collection device.

**PHILOSOPHY**

The curriculum design centralizes at how a student learns. Its lessons include art, math, visuals, reading, and hands-on activities. The curriculum closely resembles to the philosophy of experimentalism since the students will be learning by their own experiences from the activities within the lesson. We have the lessons set up for the students to grow through the learning process. The lessons have been scaffolded so that each objective follows a logic order and that the students can develop the skills as the lesson flows. The curriculum is aimed at inquiry based-learning where the students are focused on answering their own questions about space. Our curriculum is not just focused on the learner but also on what is important for society. The students need to develop the basic necessities of inquiry so that they may become future scientists who can go out into the world and make contributions in any prospective. Our curriculum is designed to ignite an interest within the student for knowledge about the world around them.

**EXPERIENCE**

The students, while studying the history of space, will be able to use distance learning events with Space Center Houston. The first event will be about the history of the Space Race. Students will connect via the Internet to Space Center Houston where a live and interactive presentation will be given to them. Later in the unit, the students will be able to create questions about space missions and will be able to again connect via Space Center Houston to talk with a real astronaut. They will be able to ask them questions and reflect upon the answers they receive.

//http://terrehautechildrensmuseum.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/img_1948.jpg//

**REFERENCES**
 * Carey, Bjorn. (2005). Scientists figure out our place in the Milky Way. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.com.
 * Col, Jeananda. (2010). Retrieved from www.enchantedlearnng.com/astronomy/stars/lifecycles.
 * CSIRO Australia. (2004). Measuring color. Retrieved from http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education.
 * Garber, S. (2004). Human spaceflight programs. Retrieved from http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/humansp.html.
 * Henney, P.J. (2012). How earth and the moon interact. //Astronomy Today.// Retrieved from http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/earthmoon.html.
 * Hlebowitsh, P.S. (2005). //Designing the school curriculum.// United States of America: Pearson Education, Inc.
 * Kauderer, A. (2009). Human spaceflight: History. Retrieved from http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history.
 * Moon Connection. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases.phtml.
 * Pearson Education, Inc. (2007). Space suits. Retrieved from http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0875382.html.
 * Soper, Davison. (2000). HR Diagram. Retrieved from http://zebu.oregon.edu.
 * Texas Education Association. (2010). 19 TAC chapter 112, subchapter B. Retrieved from //http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter112/ch112b.html.//
 * Westbroek, G. (2006). Revolution rotation. Retrieved from http://utahscience.oremjr.alpine.k12.ut.us/Sciber06/6th/moon/html/rotate.htm.

**LINKS TO CONTENT AREAS** //(taken from TEA website)// (A) in all fields of science, analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scientific explanations, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student; (B) use models to represent aspects of the natural world such as an atom, a molecule, space, or a geologic feature; (C) identify advantages and limitations of models such as size, scale, properties, and materials; and (D) relate the impact of research on scientific thought and society, including the history of science and contributions of scientists as related to the content.
 * (3) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem solving to make informed decisions and knows the contributions of relevant scientists. The student is expected to:**

(A) describe components of the universe, including stars, nebulae, and galaxies, and use models such as the Herztsprung-Russell diagram for classification; (B) recognize that the Sun is a medium-sized star near the edge of a disc-shaped galaxy of stars and that the Sun is many thousands of times closer to Earth than any other star; (C) explore how different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum such as light and radio waves are used to gain information about distances and properties of components in the universe; (D) model and describe how light years are used to measure distances and sizes in the universe; and (E) research how scientific data are used as evidence to develop scientific theories to describe the origin of the universe
 * (8) Earth and space. The student knows characteristics of the universe. The student is expected to:**

(A) select and use an appropriate representation for presenting and displaying different graphical representations of the same data including line plot, line graph, bar graph, and stem and leaf plot; (D) solve problems by collecting, organizing, displaying, and interpreting data.
 * (10) Probability and statistics. The student uses statistical representations to analyze data. The student is expected to:**

(A) identify and apply mathematics to everyday experiences, to activities in and outside of school, with other disciplines, and with other mathematical topics;
 * (14) Underlying processes and mathematical tools. The student applies Grade 8 mathematics to solve problems connected to everyday experiences, investigations in other disciplines, and activities in and outside of school. The student is expected to:**