Unit 5: Exploring the Nature of Astronomical Phenomena in the Context of the Sun/Earth/Moon System

XIII. Exploring Physical Phenomena: Summary of Equipment and Supplies for Unit 5

 

Exploring Physical Phenomena: Summary of Equipment and Supplies for Unit 5
When used For instructor and demonstrations For each group of 3 For each student
Week 1

Unit 5.IIA

Question 5.1 What do you already know about the Sun, Moon, and stars?

U5H2 Diagnostic Questions about Sun, Moon, and Stars:
Unit 5 IIB

Question 5.5 How do people talk together about the Moon?

 Reading: Deborah Roberts. The sky’s the limit: Parents and first grade students observe the sky. Science and Children, 31(1), 33-37. (September, 1999).
Unit 5.III.A,B

Question 5.6 Where is the Sun in the sky right now?

Question 5.7 Where is the Moon in the sky right now?

 Sky Journal

(If moon is visible during class hours, take sky journal and class outside to model how to make an observation of the Sun and Moon. Warn students to not look directly at the Sun!)

 Sky journal

(To make sky journals ahead of class: cut 4 pieces of paper (8.5”x11”) in half to make 8 sheets (8.5”x5.5”), fold in half to make pages (4.5”x5.5”) and staple folded pages along the edge.)
When sunny during Week 1, 2, or 3

Unit 5.III.A,B

Question 5.8 How does the Sun seem to move across the sky?

 Sky Journal

Sunny day

 Documenting a student gnomon’s shadow during field trip on sunny day: Chalk, meter stick, protractor, digital camera or cell phone.

Documenting a pole gnomon’s shadow on a sunny day: chalk, pole; pencil; or bent paper clip, paper, manila folder or cardboard; or pencil, paper, nail in shadow board

 Documenting sunrise/sunset at home: piece of paper, clipboard or cardboard, pencil.

Reading: Marletta Iwasyk, “Kids questioning kids: “Experts” sharing. Science and Children, 35(1), 42-47. (September 1997).

U5H3 Shadow Plot Sketches
Week 2

Unit 5.III.B

Unit 1.VI.A

Question 5.9 How big is the Sun?

 Sunny day Pinhole in sheet of aluminum foil taped in cardboard holder, paper screen taped on cardboard, meter stick, pencil;

If not sunny, use observations made by students in prior courses

 (Part of Unit 1 :

U1H12 Diameter of the Sun

U1H13 Solving Pinhole Math Problem

U1H11 Sun Pinhole problem stated if rainy day)
Unit 5.III.C

Question 5.10 What questions about the Moon do you want to explore? How will you do that?

 Large white board,

3 white board markers,

3 white board erasers

 U5H4 Questions about the Moon
Week 3

Unit 5.III.C

Question 5.12 What new question do you and your group members have about the Moon?

 Large white board,

3 white board markers,

3 white board erasers
Unit 5.III.D

Question 5.14 What have you learned about the Moon from your observations so far?
What do you think will happen next?

 U5H5 Sun and Moon Calendar Template
Last session Week 4

Unit 5.III E, F

Question 5.19 How can you predict when a phase of the Moon will rise, transit, and set?

 U5H6 Predicting 1st Quarter Moon

U5H7 Table.V.1 Moon Findings

U5H8 TableV.2 Central Ideas about the Moon;
Week 5

Unit 5.III E, F

Question 5.20 What is the duration of each phase of the Moon?

 Access to Internet to discuss website about connection between the phases of the Moon and days of the week:

https://www.timeanddate.com/

calendar/days/7-days-week.html

 (U5H7 and U5H8 may extend into this week)
Week 6 Day 11: review

Day 12: midterm
Week 7

Unit 5.IV, A, B

Question 5.22 Why does it get dark at night?

 Lamp without a shade to represent the Sun,

Dark room,

Globe to represent the Earth;

Access to the Internet for photo of Foucault pendulum,

Wind currents showing Coriolis effect, https:www.myradar.com ,

Copernicus quote,

Galileo

 Access to cell phone with free app www.myradar.com,

Scroll through “layers” until see “wind” for worldwide map of wind currents showing the Coriolis effect

 U5H10 Table.V.3 Day and Night
Unit 5.V A, B, C

Question 5.23 Why does the Moon seem to have different shapes at different times?

 Sunny day or lamp inside without shade to represent the Sun;
dark room		 Small ball (ping pong, golf, or Styrofoam) on stick

U5H11 Table.V.4 Moon Phases
Week 8

Unit 5.V D

Question 5.24 Why does the Moon seem to move east to west over several hours but west to east over several days?

Question 5.25 Does the Moon rotate while it revolves around the Earth?

 Lamp without a shade to represent the Sun;

Dark room

 For pairs of students;

Basketball to represent the Moon

U5H12 Table.V.5 Moon Paradox
Unit 5.V.E

Question 5.26 What do the phases of the Moon look like from other places on the Earth?

 Reading: Akiko Kurose,(2000). Eyes on Science: Asking questions about the Moon on the playground, in class, and at home.(pp. 139-147). In J. Minstrell and E.van Zee (eds.) Inquiring into inquiry learning and teaching in science. Washington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Science.

https://www.aaas.org/

sites/default/files/s3fs-public/InquiryPart2.pdf
Unit 5.V.F

Question 5.27 How are the Sun, Earth, and Moon arranged in space?

 Lamp without a shade to represent the Sun;

Dark room;

Basketball to represent the Moon
Unit 5.V.F

Question 5.28 What are the relative sizes of the Sun and the Moon?

 Wall clock or other object to compareto thumb from far away
Unit 5.V. F

Question 5.29 How does the view of the phases of the Moon from Earth compare with the view from above the solar system?

 Need access to the internet to show and discuss various ways of showing diagrams of view from Earth and from above the solar system as shown in Fig. 5.44, 5.45, 5.46 One piece of 8.5”x11” paper or
U5H13 Table.V.6. Compare ViewsU5H14 Tables V.7 and V8 Eclipses
Unit 5.V.F

Question 5.30 Does the Moon revolve around the Earth in the clockwise or counter-clockwise direction?

 Need access to the internet to show and discuss various ways of representing the Moon revolving around the Earth as shown in Fig.5.29, 5.30, 5.32, 5.42-5.45, 5.44, 5.45, 5.46 Ball on stick to represent the Moon
Unit 5.V, G

Question 5.31 What causes solar and lunar eclipses?

 Lamp without a shade to represent the Sun;

Dark room

 Ball on stick to represent the Moon
Unit 5.VI Review of explanatory models for day and night, phases of the Moon

Lamp without a shade to represent the Sun;
Dark room

 Ball on stick to represent the Moon
Week 9

Unit 5.VI.A

Question 5.33 What seasonal patterns are evident in the constellations visible at night?

 4 pieces of chart paper, each with a sketch of a constellation (spring, summer, fall, winter),

Masking tape to post on four walls of classroom

 U5H15 V.9 SeasonalStars
Unit 5.VI.B

Question 5.34 What seasonal patterns are evident in how the Sun seems to move across the sky?

 Sunny day, area outside in Sun throughout classAccess to Internet

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/

Chalk,

Meter stick

 U5H16 Table.V.10 Seasonal Shadows

U5H17a Table V.11 blank for use elsewhere;

Example of solar data for Corvallis,Oregon, during March 2019 equinoxes and solstices
Unit 5.VI.C

Question 5.35 What is the connection between seasonal differences in the Sun’s apparent daily motion and regional climates

 

 Access to the Internet U5H17b V.12 Seasonal Sun Apparent Motions
Unit 5.VII.A

Question 5.36 Why are there seasonal patterns in the constellations visible at night?

Question 5.37 Why is it hot in the summer and cold in the winter?

 Lamp without a shade,

Dark room;

Masking tape,

4 seasonal constellations on chart paper;

Globe of the Earth with tilted axis

 Circular lid U5H18 Table.V.13 Earth’s Seasons
Following depend upon the time available, especially if have a semester rather than a quarter term
Unit 5.VIII

Question 5.38 How can one estimate the tilt of the Earth’s axis of rotation?

 Globe of the Earth with tilted axis Gnomon,
meter stick,Chalk,Trig table or calculator with trig functions or  protractor
Unit 5.X A, B

Question 5.44 How are the motions of the Moon revolving around the Earth related to the motions of the Earth revolving around the Sun?

 U5H19 Where Heading Next?
Unit 5.XI.B, C, D, E

Question 5.47 What keeps the Moon and the Earth revolving in their orbits?

 2 magnets,
Small ball on string2 spring scalesTide handoutMoon handout		 U5H20 Tides in Newport, OR

U5.H21 Effect of Moon on Tides
Unit 5.XI.F

Question 5.52 What happens when heavy and light objects are dropped from the same height at the same time?

 Light and heavy objects of similar shape such as a spool of thread and a rock of similar size and shape

Board to on which to place objects, then flip them

Pad to protect the floor

Cell phone with video camera

 U5H22 Diagnostic Question

U5H23 Galileo excerpt

U5H24 Tabl V.16 Gravity
Unit 5.XI. F

Question 5.53 Why do light and heavy objects fall the way they do?

 Heavy brick,

 ‘Brick’ of same size and shape such as an empty plastic or cardboard box,

duct tape to wrap both ‘bricks’ so that they look the same

 Reading: Mekeska, J. in Seeing the science in children’s thinking,edited by D. Hammer and E. H. van Zee (Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH, 2006) ,pp. 71-83.
Week 10

Unit 5.XII

Question 5.56 What are the current standards in your area for teaching about the Sun/Earth/Moon system at various grade levels?

 U5H25 V.7 NGSS in this context

U5H26 NGSS dimensions in this course
End of Course U5H27 End of course questionnaire

U5H28 Review for Final

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Exploring Physical Phenomena Copyright © 2020 by Emily Van Zee & Elizabeth Gire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.