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How do Stars Influence Civilizations?

 

Kim Tsai, 2nd Grade

High Tech Elementary, Chula Vista

 

Sequence

Week 1:

  • Study various constellations

  • Recreate constellations using coordinate grid graphing (x,y)

  • What do you see in the stars?

    • Creative writing about constellations seen in stars, constellation art project, coordinate grid graphing (x,y)

 

Week 2

  • Reading about Greek mythology

  • Finalizing myth stories

  • Studying coordinate grids

  • Fieldwork: Reuben H. Fleet Center

 

Week 3

  • Reading about stars in history & mini products

    • Egyptian pyramids

    • Spanish Explorers

    • Mayans

    • History of telescopes & NASA

  • Begin writing digital magazine

  • Geometry of Constellations

    • Geometrical shapes

    • Coordinate grid graphing

  • Astronomy tools

    • What kinds of tools did people use to analyze the stars?

    • What kinds of tools can we build to become astronomists?

    • Building tools

 

Week 5-8

  • Building our telescopes

    • Studying Diameter/radius

    • Studying concave/convex lenses

    • Studying & Calculating focal point and focal distance

    • Blueprint of telescopes (Google sketchup)

    • Constructing telescopes

      • Engineer design process

  • Jello Science Experiment

  • ​Critique and finalizating articles for digital magazine

  • Star gazing party at High Tech Elementary

 

Week 9:

  • Camping Trip & Becoming astronomists

    • Fieldwork: Palomar Observatory

    • Palomar Campgrounds

    • Testing our materials

    • Celebrating our work!

 

 

In groups of 3-4 students built Galilean or Keleprian telescopes. They took these telescopes to the Palomar Campgrounds where the students camped out and tested their telescopes under the stars.

SIDEBAR

Teacher Reflection

 

To launch the project, students learned about vairous constellations and used coordinate grids to recreate those constellations in their classroom. Afterwards, students plotted thsoe constellations on a large blue canvas which was then displayed on the ceiling. When completed, the students laid on the floor to gaze at the "stars."

 

This led to the question, "What do you see in the stars?" We connected what we saw to Greek mythology stories and in turn, created our own constellation stories. From there, we learned about other civilizations that were influenced by the stars. Eventually, this led to our creation of telescopes to practice astronomy and learn about how stars influence us. We utilized these telescopes during our culminating camping trip.

 

The students were very enthusiastic to learn about the various cultures. This project, based on student interest, was driven by the wonderings toward Greek Mythology, Egyptian pyramids, and space. Additionally, students were thrilled to learn about and build their own refractor telescopes. This challenge elicited Google Sketch up blueprints, algebra formulas and an authentic product to understanding the influence of stars.

 

The kids had difficulty with the algebra required to complete the telescopes. Understanding the science and math of the telescopes was challenging. We worked through the science using various science experiments, observations and through trial and error. The algebra we practiced using authentic scenarios to construct the telescopes. In order to find the appropriate focus distance for the lenses, students needed to measure and create the exact algebraic formulas that could produce a focused and clear image.

 

It was very rewarding for me to bring the students camping which allowed them to utilize the telescopes in an authentic way. 

 

If I were to do this project again, I would place more focus on the construction of the telescope and the history of astronomical tools, rather than on the various civilizations. It was quite a challenge to learn about astronomy in multiple civilizations in addition to constructing the refractor telescopes.

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