SS08

Enduring Understandings
Our home, planet Earth, is the only planet we know which can sustain life. The universe, however, contains billions of stars, and we are only now able to discover planets which orbit them. The number of stars is enormous, and the distance between them immense. We now can predict the life cycle of a star, from its birth onward, and understand much about the life of the universe as a whole, from birth onward.

Prior Learning (from S8 Anchors):
S8.D.3.1 Explain the relationships between and among the objects of our solar system.
 * S8.D.3.1.1 Describe patterns of Earth’s movements (i.e., rotation and revolution) and the Moon’s movements (i.e., phases, eclipses, and tides) in relation to the Sun.
 * S8.D.3.1.2 Describe the role of gravity as the force that governs the movement of the solar system and universe.
 * S8.D.3.1.3 Compare and contrast characteristics of celestial bodies found in the solar system (e.g., moons, asteroids, comets, meteors, inner and outer planets).

Learning Objectives: Students will be able to...

 * Describe planetary motion and the physical laws that explain planetary motion and solar system formation.
 * Describe a variety of satellite orbits with particular advantages for technological purposes (e.g. geosynchronous, sun-synchronous, elliptical, polar).
 * Describe the structure, formation, and life cycle of stars.
 * Explain the current scientific theories of the origin of the solar system and universe (e.g., big bang theory, solar nebular theory, stellar evolution).
 * Apply scale as a way of relating concepts of space and distance.
 * Compare and contrast various telescope imaging systems.

Working Draft of Essential Learning Activities/Strategies/Technologies

 * Solar System Patterns ([|Nine Planets Data Table])
 * Circular & Elliptical Orbits (PhET Simulation: Orbital Simulator)
 * [|Asteroid Impact Scenarios]
 * Modeling of Universe Scale ([|Kinesthetic], [|NASA Online], [|Powers of 10 Online] , [|FSU Online] )
 * Redshift with elastics
 * Life Cycles of Stars[[file:LifeCycleStars.ppt]] [[file:LifeCycleofStars.notebook]]
 * Star density with aluminum foil

Supplementary Resources:
[|Spectroscopic Analysis of Stars (][|PBS Online], [|Physics 2000 Online], [|Planck's Law Online], [|Blackbody Radiation Online]) [|Power of 10 video] [|Life Cycle of Stars]- pdf at the bottom of page Big Bang Expanding Universe Activity- http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/Universe/uni1.html -using balloons Measuring Distances- Solar System Scale Models - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_system_model Build a Telescope:( http://www.life.uiuc.edu/boast1/sciencelessons/telescopes.htm or Light Box Reflector and Refractor) Solar System Orbits/ Graphing Circular and Elliptical Orbit Drawing [|Online HR Diagram Simulations] Gravitational Fields on Different Planets http://science.howstuffworks.com/telescope.htm http://science.howstuffworks.com/apophis.htm http://science.howstuffworks.com/satellite.htm http://www.howstuffworks.com/gps.htm http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/satellite-tv.htm http://science.howstuffworks.com/hubble.htm http://science.howstuffworks.com/planet-hunting.htm http://science.howstuffworks.com/star.htm http://www.noao.edu/outreach/press/pr01/0106images.html http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/tnl.html http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov/ http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/about/index.html http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/teachers/teachers_corner.html http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_uni.html http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/tnl.html http://hypnagogic.net/sim/ for some good sims http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html http://education.nasa.gov/home/index.html http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/index.cfm http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/neo Online Solar System Simulations Excel-based Analysis of Elliptical Orbits
 * Big-Bang Investigation (Elastic Band Investigation)
 * Star Density Investigation ([|Aluminum Foil Density Investigation])
 * Text- Science Spectrum** Ch. 18.2 Life Cycle; Ch. 18.1 Scale of universe & Big Bang Theory; p 15 types of telescopes- how they work must be supplemented; Ch. 6.2 Fusion; p 404 Geo-synch Satellites; p 598 Nebula Model;

Instructional Objectives: Students will be able to
//Optics of Telescopes (focusing waves)// //Planetary Gravity// //Solar System Orbits & Solar Nebular Theory// //Elliptical Orbits & Asteroid Impact// //Synchronous Orbits (Sun-synch, Geo-synch)// //Birth & Formation of Stars (gravity and fusion)// //Life Cycle of Stars (HR Diagram)// //Scale of Universe (orders of magnitude)// //Evidence for Big Bang Theory (Doppler effect, microwave radiation)//
 * locate the focal point of parabolic mirrors and convex lenses.
 * discuss how images in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum enhance our understanding of stars.
 * Build a Telescope
 * compare the fields of gravity on different planets.
 * explain how gravity can be universal, but create different fields on different planets.
 * plot the orbital speed vs distance for objects in our solar system.
 * explain how solar nebular theory explains solar system formation.
 * describe changes in speed as an object follows an elliptical orbit.
 * discuss the possibility of collision between obiting bodies.
 * explain the use of various synchronous orbits.
 * describe the role of gravity in the formation of stars.
 * describe the process of fusion in the ignition of stars.
 * compare the inward forces of gravity and the outward forces from nuclear explosion at different stages of the life of a star.
 * trace the possible stages of stellar evolution for low-mass and high-mass stars.
 * compare the scales of our planet, our solar system, our galaxy, and the entire universe.
 * use orders of magnitude to represent a broad range of numerical data.
 * describe the frequency changes for objects moving relative to an observer.
 * explain how the data from Hubble's Law led to the Big-Bang theory.
 * explain how the discovery of background microwave radiation supported the Big-Bang theory.