Updates 10/29

Hello everyone,

We have been doing some great things in Astronomy! We are just finishing up a unit on space exploration. Students have learned about the Hubble Space Telescope and future telescopes to be built, the Apollo Missions, the Space Shuttle Program, the International Space Station, and what it's like to live, eat, play, and work in space. The students were given the opportunity to analyze the Challenger and Columbia Space Shuttle disasters and compare them to each other. Most exciting was our guest speaker, Mr. Gregory Cecil, former senior aerocomposite technician for the space shuttle fleet at Kennedy Space Center

This picture shows Ms. Sosnoski, Mr. Cecil, and 6th period astronomy class. The students asked some excellent questions! Our class had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Cecil before his presentation, and we learned some very valuable information. In the presentation, Mr. Cecil talked about the details of working on the space shuttle, why students should focus on their education, and how he got to be where he is today.

What's going on in Astronomy so far?

Well, it's almost the third week of school, and we're just getting into the good stuff!

In astronomy class, we started talking about the nature of science and how we are often fooled by claims we see on TV or in magazines. Students need to be aware that everything they hear regarding science is not true, and that theories about astronomy could be totally different years from now. After that, we talked about the IMMENSE size of the universe. We compared the size of our planet to other objects in space, and everyone was blown away that we are so tiny! We did a "cosmic survey," where students put pictures of space objects in order by age, size, and distance from earth, based on their previous knowledge. We then watched a video called Greatest Astronomy discoveries, which discussed the 13 greatest discoveries in astronomy. With this and a webquest, we delved into the history of astronomy. Students were assigned two projects based on this:

Create a "facebook" profile for a famous astronomer (due
Write a news article about one of the 13 greatest discoveries as if the discovery was made today

Note: Both these assignments are due by wednesday, 9/29

On friday, students were challenged to create a model of the universe using a variety of supplies, in less than 30 minutes! This will lead into a discussion about how their models are accurate, what misconceptions they may have about the universe, and will lead into our next unit about space exploration. At the end of the semester, students will be challenged to do this again with the knowledge they've gained throughout the semester.

Assignments students should have turned in so far:

Parent letter and other introductory material
Cosmic Survey
M& M lab
History of Astronomy packet