web-based astronomy curriculum development project travis whyte university of alberta imperial oil...

Web-Based Astronomy Web-Based Astronomy Curriculum Development ProjectCurriculum Development Project

Travis WhyteUniversity of Alberta

Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education

University of AlbertaEdmonton, Albertawww.ioncmaste.ca

Imperial Oil National Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education

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Web-Based Astronomy Curriculum Web-Based Astronomy Curriculum Development ProjectDevelopment Project


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Astronomy EducationAstronomy Education Problem

– Challenging subject for many elementary school teachers…

Subject complexity Shortage of quality resources

Outcome– Students left with…

Misleading information A feeling that astronomy as a

science is unimportant A missed opportunity to learn of

the wonders of the Universe

Spiro graph Nebula

Reflection Nebula


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Goals of the ProjectGoals of the Project Develop easily accessible

(web-based) astronomy curricular resources

Target Pan-Canadian curriculum expectations

Present astronomy in a highly visible and interactive manner

Seamlessly integrate instructional technologies within the content modules

Planet Mars

Cat’s Eye Nebula


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Curriculum Resources IncludeCurriculum Resources Include

Pan-Canadian Curriculum MatrixModular ContentAstronomy GlossaryInteractive AppletsLesson PlansExtension ActivitiesEvaluation Rubrics


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Curriculum Resources ExplainedCurriculum Resources ExplainedPan-Canadian Curriculum Matrix

Detailed matrix displaying how the content, applets and lesson plans relate to the Pan-Canadian Curriculum expectation

Modular Content All of the astronomy content covered is divided into 7 content modules

Astronomy Glossary An extensive astronomy glossary is accessible via hotlink from all content modules

Interactive Applets Mini web-based computer programs act as interactive learning tools to augment content

Lesson Plans All content modules include lesson plans designed to assist teachers in reinforcing the content material

Extension Activities Included to provide students with experiential or hands-on learning opportunities relevant to astronomy

Evaluation Rubrics Accompanying all lessons plans are sample evaluation rubric that may or may not be used to evaluate students


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Content ModulesContent Modules

1. Introduction to the Day and Night Sky2. The Sun and Stars3. The Earth and the Moon4. The Planets5. Comets, Meteors and Asteroids6. The Milky Way and Beyond7. Astronomers and Their Tools


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What are Interactive Applets?What are Interactive Applets?

An applet is an interactive learning tool that acts like a mini-program running within a web browser.

Users will interact with the applet through different means, including movie controller buttons and other labeled buttons and input windows.

The applets used in this website have been designed as teaching and learning tools to be used by both teachers and students in an attempt to augment the curriculum


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Some of the Applets TitlesSome of the Applets Titles

Tracking Sun SpotsPhases of the MoonReasons for the SeasonsSolar and Lunar EclipsesYour Weight on Other PlanetsThe Solar SystemOur Home in the Milky Way


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Applet: Tracking SunspotsApplet: Tracking Sunspots

Using actual solar images students will track and measure sunspot displacements in an attempt to determine solar rotation rates and identifying differential rotation.

Students also have the option of determining the size of the sunspot after which a comparison to Earth is made.

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Applet: Phases of the MoonApplet: Phases of the Moon

This applet demonstrates the interactions between the Sun, Moon and Earth which help to produce the phases of the Moon.

The animation clearly shows the orbital position of the Moon and the corresponding phase as observed from Earth.

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Applet: Reasons for the SeasonsApplet: Reasons for the Seasons

This applet demonstrates the interactions between the Sun, Moon and Earth which help to produce the seasonal effects on Earth.

The animation clearly shows the orbital position of the Earth and the Earth’s axial tilt which together affect how the Sun’s rays impact the Earth.

– Direct rays = summer

– Indirect rays = winter

Northern Hemisphere

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Applet: Solar and Lunar EclipsesApplet: Solar and Lunar Eclipses This applet demonstrates

the interactions between the Sun, Moon and Earth which help to produce solar and lunar eclipses.

Beginning with an analysis of the orientation of the Sun, Moon and Earth, the applet allows users to further investigate the alignments necessary to produce the different kinds of eclipses.Show applet


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Applet: Your Weight on Other Applet: Your Weight on Other PlanetsPlanets

Students will use this applet to investigate their weight on the different planets.

Students begin by exploring the planet’s mass and size after which they can make an educated guess as to their weight on the planets.

Students then enter their weight and press the calculate button to display the actual weight on the planets.

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Applet: The Solar SystemApplet: The Solar System

This applet is designed to help students visualize the structure of the solar system while gaining an appreciation for the orbital speeds (ie. The length of a year).

Students will learn that the planets closest to the Sun rotate significantly faster than the outer planets. Show applet


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Applet: Our Home in the Milky Applet: Our Home in the Milky WayWay

This applet is designed to give students an appreciation for the vast size of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Beginning with a view of the entire galaxy, the perspective zooms in to a view of the solar system, then to the Earth and Moon and ultimately to a view of only the Earth.

An approximate field size is shown

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About the Lesson PlansAbout the Lesson Plans

The lesson plans included in this website have been designed to be used sequentially or as part of a complete unit.

Teachers are encouraged to use as much or as little of the content as they require for their particular classroom needs.

Many of the lessons include cross-curricular elements including (Art, Language Arts, and Mathematics)

Evaluation rubrics are included with all lessons


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Some of the Lesson Plan TitlesSome of the Lesson Plan Titles

Building and using a sundialIllustrating the constellationsTracking and tracing sunspotsObserving and sketching the lunar surfaceAn explorative journey of the solar systemYour weight on other planetsPlan a mission to a recently discovered planetTimeline of astronomy events and discoveries


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Student Access SiteStudent Access Site

The website has been designed to be accessible by both teachers and students.

The student version of the website contains – content material– astronomy glossary– interactive applets & questions

The interactive applets are followed by multiple choice javascript questions derived directly from the applet.


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Summing it upSumming it up The elements and format used for organizing the

content modules will serve both the teachers and students well.– Teaching the teachers the content– Offer suggestions for presenting and teaching the materials– Provide a wide variety of lesson plans– Offer hands-on and technology-assisted learning

experiences– Reinforce the content with appropriate evaluation rubrics

and strategies


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What are Teachers Saying?What are Teachers Saying?

I find the curriculum resources extremely informative and user friendly.

The information and applets are wonderful. I will definitely use them when teaching my Grade 6 Sky Science unit.

The student section of the Web-Based Astronomy Curriculum is helpful and will be enjoyed by the students.

This is an excellent reinforcement tool that makes the students think about what they have learned.


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The Next StepThe Next Step

Currently the content materials are limited to the sixth grade curriculum.

Follow up projects are currently being developed for both the ninth and twelfth grade curricula.

French language translations are also in the development stages for the sixth, ninth, and twelfth grade .


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Where is the Website?Where is the Website?

The website is temporarily being hosted by the University of Alberta– http://www.ioncmaste.ca

The webiste will soon be moved onto the Canadian Space Agency’s website– http:www.space.gc.ca

web-based astronomy curriculum development project travis whyte university of alberta imperial oil...

Documents

astronomy content

content lesson

technology education

tools slide

astronomy evaluation

extensive astronomy

interactive learning

interactive manner