Below are some selected Curriculum Units developed at other instititions. This list is neither exhaustive nor authoritive, but is merely provided here to provide a sample of what has been developed. You are welcomed and encouraged to provide Earth and Space Science curriculum modules you may have developed for other teachers to use. Email us at planets@ssec.wisc.edu.
Astronomy Online - Spring 2003
Astronomy Online is a ½ credit course being offered through the Cluster A Consortium for Spring semester 2003 and is open to students in grades 10, 11, and 12 at Altoona, Augusta, Fall Creek and Osseo-Fairchild schools. The class will meet at Hobbs Observatory (four miles north of Fall Creek on County Road K) every other Monday evening from 7 to 9 pm for workshop sessions. Students will be working on assignments and projects online between meetings and will be completing two individual projects during the semester using out of doors observations. It should be a fun blend of activities on the computer and in the field! The PDF's below will tell you more information abou the class and the teaching materials that will be used in the class. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader for these files.
Jim Kotoski has also recently submitted this great packet on picking a research question and how to collect information regarding that topic. The packet is 10 pages long, and it is intended for grades 6 - 8. The three other worksheets are for additional help doing the packet, if students still have questions on Deep Sky Objects. These are all PDF files, and you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print the pages, which you can download for free from their website.
- Deep Sky Astronomy Inquiry Unit
- Special Topic Help Worksheet 1 - Do You Know Your Constellations?
- Special Topic Help Worksheet 2 - Identifying Deep Sky Objects
- Special Topic Help Worksheet 3 - How Do We Find Objects in the Night Sky?
The purpose of this lesson is to allow students to experience the processes actual scientists go through to organize and synthesize new information. They will have the opportunity to ask and answer questions of their own about a previously unknown region of space and then to compare their analysis to that of real astronomers currently working on the same tasks. goal is that students will come to appreciate the importance of collaboration among scientists as well as the possibility of more than one acceptable answer to any scientific inquiry. This Earth Science project is designed for 5th through 8th grade students, and addresses these standards:
This activity is available online through the Amazing Space Website and will require your students (grades 5 -8) to print off some pages, available with Acrobat Reader. Go to the Galaxies Galore Website and begin with the 'Get Oriented' link. If you would like to view more activities like this one, go to the Amazing Space link below.
Exploring the Inner Planets: A Mathmatical Journey
Designed to teach and reinforce mathematics through lessons about Earth and the bodies that most resemble it in the solar system: Mars, Venus, and the Moon. The lessons are intended for a 7th grade math class, but they could easily be adapted for a science class or different grade levels. Covers California math standards and some Earth science standards.
Solar System Power Point Presentation for K - 2 students
A basic presentation for K - 2 students on the solar system, with pictures of all the planets, galaxies, comets, stars, and the space shuttle.
