The Planets and Stars #41

Table of Contents for #41 The Planets and Stars:

Preparation and Support

A TOPS Teaching Model • Getting Ready • Gathering Materials • Sequencing Activities • Long Range Objectives • Review / Test Questions

Activities and Lesson Notes

1. 1. Landmarks
2. 2. Pointer Box
3. 3. Sun Declinations
4. 4. Follow that Star
5. 5. Earth in a Jar
6. 6. Ocean in a Jar
7. 7. Dipper Box
8. 8. Polar Graph
9. 9. Apparent Size
10. 10. Lots-o-Dots
11. 11. Light Lightning
12. 12. Star Travel
13. 13. Our Solar System
14. 14. Sky Sphere
15. 15. The Zodiac
16. 16. Star Search
17. 17. Proportional Planets
18. 18. Elbow Room
19. 19. The Wanderers
20. 20. Our Milky Way

Supplementary Pages

Landmarks maps • Earth circle • Shadow screen • Round map • Sun arrow • Concept list (2) • Concept list (5) • Sun protractor • Long maps • Short map • Compass circle • Concept table (6) • Concept list (14) • Big dipper • View point • Polar graph • Angle finder • Star ruler • Lots-o-dots • Kilometer bar • Solar system squares • Sun ruler • North stars • South stars * Zodiac ring • Sky tabs • Earth ruler • Planet finder • Concept list (16) • Concept list (19) • Star dictionary • Sky wheel • Milky way disk • Galaxy ruler

 

Complete Master List for #41 The Planets and Stars:

Key: (1st/2nd/3rd) denote needed quantities: (1st) enough for 1 student doing all activities; (2nd) enough for 30 students working in self-paced pairs; (3rd) enough for 30 students working in pairs on the same lesson. Starred* items may be purchased below.

1. 1/15/15: scissors
2. * 1/8/8: rolls masking tape
3. 1/2/8: meter sticks
4. 1/1/1: wall clock with second hand (or wristwatches)
5. * 1/1/1: package standard 1 inch straight pins
6. 1/1/1: package extra long pins, about 1.5 inches (optional)
7. 2/30/30: Post Grape Nuts cereal boxes, 32 ounce size, or equivalent
8. 1/5/15: pennies
9. * 1/5/5: rolls clear tape
10. * 2/30/30: straight plastic straws


11. * 1/1/1: box paper clips
12. 1/3/8: paper punch tools
13. * 1/1/1: spool of thread
14. * 1/5/15: metal washers
15. 1/5/15: pounds gravel, large rocks or bricks (optional)
16. * 1/15/15: medium baby food jars with tight-fitting lids
17. 1/5/15: graduated cylinders, 500 mL (optional)
18. 1/1/1: roll paper towels (optional)
19. 1/3/8: bottles white glue (optional)
20. * 0.1/1/1: cup oil-based modeling clay


21. * 1/1/1: bottle food coloring with dropper dispenser, blue is best
22. 1/1/1: roll plastic wrap
23. 1/30/30: flashlights filtered with red cellophane, or red LEDs for night vision
24. * 1/5/15: hand lenses
25. 1/1/1: stack of standard-sized newspaper, 3 feet high
26. 1/5/15: each, yellow and black crayons or markers
27. * 3/63/75: generic paper plates, 9-inch diameters with traditional rippled border
28. 1/5/15: drawing compasses
29. 1/1/1: shaker of black pepper
30. 1/1/1: container of coarse sand with pebbles


31. 1/15/15: tennis balls, new or used
32. 1/1/1: roll heavy string
33. * 1/2/2: package of clothespins (optional)
34. 1/1/1: copy of The World Almanac and Book of Facts, or equivalent on-line reference
35. 1/1/1: a current calendar with moon phases (optional)
36. 1/1/1: ball of cotton

Convenient Shopping:

Solar Eclipse Viewing Glasses

CE Certified for solar viewing - use with book #40 The Earth Moon and Sun and #45 Pi in the Sky

Special offer for the 2012 solar eclipse on May 20th. Those west of the Mississippi should be able to view at least a partial solar eclipse. A small strip of land from Lubbock, TX to Medford, OR will be able to see a ring of fire! While supplies last, get yours today!

#1599: Solar Eclipse Viewing Glasses @ $2.00 USD each

Baby Food Jars - assorted

without lids

Each set includes 4 small, 4 medium and 4 large glass jars.

#1260: Baby Food Jars - assorted @ $4.00 USD per dozen set

Clay - modeling

oil-based, non-drying

Sold by the 100 gram stick, about 1/4 cup, in assorted colors (our choice). One stick serves a whole classroom for TOPS applications.

#1150: Clay - modeling @ $1.50 USD per 100-g stick

Clothespins

wooden, spring-action

These are handy lab items to keep in stock. We use them as bulb holders, tongs, clips, and more.

#1100: Clothespins @ $1.00 USD per 10

Food Coloring - blue

liquid, dispensed in 1 fl. oz. squeeze bottle

A handy science supply used to make water more visible. Used in #39 Corn and Beans, #41 Planets and Stars, and several other TOPS modules.

#1500: Food Coloring - blue @ $4.30 USD each

Magnifier - hand lens

3X clear plastic hand lens

You'll find many uses for this basic tool of scientific inquiry. Very nice quality for the price. Supports #17 Light, #23 Rocks and Minerals, and #42 Focus Pocus. (One 3X hand lens is also included in each #100 Triple Magnifier Kit.)

#1040: Magnifier - hand lens @ $1.35 USD each

Paper Clips

size #1, steel, box of 100

Paper clips have 1001 uses in TOPS experiments, and science in general. Feel free to use paper clips you already have, but be aware that different brands come in different sizes and weights. In experiments where uniformity is important, don't mix brands.

#1020: Paper Clips @ $1.40 USD per box

Paper Plates

9-inch diameter, generic white

A classic ripple edge-design, with wide application in TOPS experiments. Buy these here for convenience, or for less at your local grocery store.

#1200: Paper Plates @ $2.00 USD per pkg of 50

Straight Pins

steel, one and 1/16 inch long

Used in many TOPS experiments. Sometimes required for their magnetic properties. Don't purchase aluminum straight pins by mistake.

#1030: Straight Pins @ $3.00 USD per pkg of 150

Straws - straight

plastic, 7/32 x 8 inches

Any length straw, between 0.20 and 0.25 inches in diameter is suitable. Grocery stores generally carry straws with flexible "elbows." You can use those if you cut off the bendable section before using.

#1070: Straws - straight @ $1.40 USD per pkg of 50

Tape - clear

3/4 inch x 1000 inch roll

Your standard desk tape with matte write-on surface.

#1011: Tape - clear @ $1.90 USD each

Tape - masking

3/4 inch x 60 yd roll

A handy science supply used in most TOPS modules.

#1010: Tape - masking @ $1.20 USD roll

Thread

light duty, 25 yd spool

Just plain old thread. Used in many TOPS titles, especially in Pendulums #34.

#1130: Thread @ $0.25 USD per spool

Washers - small

7/8 inch flat washer with 3/8 inch hole

Used in many TOPS labs. Item #1290 (medium tubing) used in #16 Pressure fits through these smaller washers.

#1310: Washers - small @ $0.12 USD each

Teaching Tips for #41 The Planets and Stars:

Watch for new developments on the re-, re-, re-classification of Pluto. Formerly a planet, it has been redefined several times in the past few years. Various groups in the the science community have called it a minor planet, a plutoid, and finally (perhaps), a dwarf planet. A large segment of the general public would prefer that it keep its status as a small planet. As of early 2009, the debate may still be in orbit.

Keep a few constructed instruments available in a corner workstation for students who finish tests early, or for constructive activity on rainy days. For example, students might use the mini-planetarium in a jar to predict the rising and setting of constellations that evening, or on a specific date, like a birthday.

We encourage improvisation - it's one of the main goals of our hands-on approach! You and your students might invent a simpler, sturdier or more accurate system; might ask a better question; might design a better extension. Hooray for ingenuity! When this occurs, we'd love to hear about it and share it with other educators. Please send ideas and photos to tops@canby.com.

Lesson by Lesson Objectives for #41 The Planets and Stars:

1. Lesson 1: To fix reference points that line up with true north in your classroom, on the school grounds and at home.
2. Lesson 2: To construct a Pointer Box to determine the locations of Polaris and the celestial equator at your latitude.
3. Lesson 3: To trace the path of the sun across the sky at its solstice and equinox positions. To observe where the sun rises and sets during different times of the year.
4. Lesson 4: To verify that the Sun Straw on the Pointer Box really tracks the apparent path of the sun across the sky.
5. Lesson 5: To construct a mini-planetarium in a baby food jar. To model the apparent motion of the sun and stars around our rotating earth.
6. Lesson 6: To model how the sun and stars move relative to a flat horizon. To compare this motion at different latitudes.
7. Lesson 7: To distinguish between the actual positions of stars in space and their apparent position on the celestial sphere.
8. Lesson 8: To plot star position on a polar graph in terms of sidereal time and declination. To use the resulting star map to predict star positions in the daytime sky.
9. Lesson 9: To estimate the apparent separation between stars in the Big Dipper. To observe polar constellations in the night sky.
10. Lesson 10: To develop a concrete understand of the quantity 'one million.' To appreciate the dramatic increases the result from an exponential expansion.
11. Lesson 11: To develop an understanding of astronomical distances within our solar system. To define the speed of light.
12. Lesson 12: To distinguish between actual star distances, measured in Light Years, and apparent star separations measured in degrees. To appreciate the vast magnitude of interstellar space.
13. Lesson 13: To draw the paths of the orbiting planets in our solar system to scale.
14. Lesson 14: To assemble a paper globe that maps the constellations. To compare this model of the celestial sphere of previous models.
15. Lesson 15: To cap the Sky Sphere with a Zodiac Ring that fixes the sun's ecliptic position among the constellations in terms of calendar date and sidereal time.
16. Lesson 16: To search out constellations in the night sky over the next few weeks and record them on a Sky Wheel.
17. Lesson 17: To draw the sizes of the sun and the planets to scale on notebook paper.
18. Lesson 18: To model the sizes of the planets and their distances from the sun in the same scale model. To appreciate that our solar system is a very empty place.
19. Lesson 19: To track the planets and the moon on the ecliptic circle. To visually identify at least one planet and document its shifting position among the background stars.
20. Lesson 20: To model the Milky Way Galaxy and understand its orientation in our night sky. To appreciate the vastness of intergalactic space.

National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) for #41 The Planets and Stars:

TEACHING Standards

These 20 activity sheets promote excellence in science teaching by these NSES criteria:
Teachers of science...
A: ...plan an inquiry-based science program. (p. 30)
B: ...guide and facilitate learning. (p. 32)
C: ...engage in ongoing assessment of their teaching and of student learning. (p. 37)
D: ...design and manage learning environments that provide students with the time, space, and resources needed for learning science. (p. 43)

CONTENT Standards

These 20 activity sheets contain fundamental content as defined by these NSES guidelines (p. 109).
• Represent a central event or phenomenon in the natural world.
• Represent a central scientific idea and organizing principle.
• Have rich explanatory power.
• Guide fruitful investigations.
• Apply to situations and contexts common to everyday experiences.
• Can be linked to meaningful learning experiences.
• Are developmentally appropriate for students at the grade level specified.

Unifying Concepts and Processes

1. NSES Framework: Systems, order, and organization • Evidence, models and explanation • Constancy, change, and measurement • Evolution and equilibrium • Form and function
2. Core Concepts/Processes: Pace off a model scale solar system in astronomical units (0.1 AU, 0.2 AU, 0.3 AU...), from a tennis-ball Sun to the specks and pebbles representing our planets. • Model constellations and galaxies. • Build a universal star locator in a baby food jar.

Science as Inquiry (content standard A)

1. NSES Framework: Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations. • Design and conduct a scientific investigation. • Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data. • Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence. • Think critically and logically to connect evidence and explanations. • Communicate scientific procedures and explanations. • Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry.
2. Core Inquiries: Locate Polaris and the celestial equator at your latitude. • Track the apparent motion of the Sun and stars across day and night time skies. • Construct a sky sphere between paper plates. • Visualize a million dots.

Earth and Space Science (content standard D)

1. NSES Framework: Objects in the sky • Changes in earth and sky • Structure of the earth system • Earth in the solar system • Origin and evolution of the universe
2. Core Content: True north • Polaris • Celestial equator • Latitude • Solstice • Equinox • Apparent position and motion • Real position and motion • Star constellations • Sidereal time • Solar Time • Declination • Exponential expansion • Astronomical distance • Speed of light • Actual distance in light years • Apparent distance in degrees • Model solar system scaled in distance and size • Celestial sphere • Zodiac • Wandering planets among fixed background stars • Milky Way Galaxy • Orders of magnitude