Discover the Universe in the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009)

Are you an astronomy enthusiast? Do you have students who excitedly tell you about what they saw most recently through their own telescope? Then you are probably also aware that the Earth and Space Science content standard for grades 5-8 of the National Science Education Standards has students focusing almost exclusively on the earth to the exclusion of the heavens. Does that mean you cannot exploit your students’ affinity for astronomy in your teaching? Absolutely not! The Science and Technology standard, the Science in Personal and Social Perspectives standard, and the History and Nature of Science standard are all directly related to a study of astronomy.

A recent National Science Foundation (NSF) press release announced the kickoff of the International Year of Astronomy.

IYA 2009 is a global celebration of astronomy and its contribution to society and culture, with strong emphasis on education, public participation and the involvement of young people, and with events at national, regional and global levels. Representatives from more than 135 countries are already involved, forming the world’s largest ever astronomy network.

The article describes several initiatives, underwritten in part by the NSF, occurring in this country and abroad. Two projects in particular may interest you. The first is the Galileoscope project. In this project, several experts designed an easy-to-assemble telescope available to schoolchildren for $10. See the project web site for more details.

The second project, 400 Years of the Telescope, has at least three parts: a documentary, a planetarium program, and an interactive list of over 50 of the world’s largest telescopes. The documentary is the story of the history of astronomy and will air on PBS April 10 at 10:00 P.M. EST. The planetarium program says of its production, which will be available in several formats:

Produced to engage and appeal to audiences of all ages, Two Small Pieces of Glass traces the history of the telescope from Galileo’s modifications to a child’s spyglass—using two small pieces of glass—to the launch of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the future of astronomy. It explores the wonder and discovery made by astronomers through out the last 400 years.

The interactive list of telescopes is laid out in table form, giving the name, location and size of the telescope. The user can click on the name to get an image of the telescope and more details, including its longitude and latitude.

How to Turn This News Event into an Inquiry-Based, Standards-Related Science Lesson

Lessons in middle school astronomy can focus on history and society. There may be no other story in the history of science as dramatic as Galileo’s, all because of his “tricked-out” spyglass. Getting students to understand the culture and context of that story is no small feat, but could do wonders to complement a student’s understanding of the nature of science and its relationship with society.

Of course Galileo is not the only astronomer in history. In fact, the pages of the 400 Years of the Telescope web site each feature a color image of one of these astronomers with information regarding their story and contributions to astronomy. Students could work in pairs to research a particular astronomer. Make sure modern-day astronomers are included, rather than limiting the pool to the Renaissance era. The students could then put themselves in chronological order and make a brief oral presentation, complete with visual aids. As they listen, students can be completing a time line template prepared in advance and handed out with the first presentation. Finally, students should reflect on not only the contribution of their particular astronomer, but how that astronomer both affected and was affected by the others, as well as how society responded both then and later. What characteristics of the nature of science can students identify in this study of the history of astronomy?

A more lively approach might be to have students pose as a given astronomer and play some variation of Name that Astronomer or Who Am I?  Your assessment rubric could include attention to how that astronomer was perceived by society, how the astronomer impacted society and the future of science, and any relationships he or she had or has with other astronomers or historical figures.

Here are additional resources from the National Science Digital Library Middle School Portal: Galileo’s Biography; History and Philosophy of Western Astronomy; Telescopes: Our Eyes on the Universe; Light, Optics and Lenses; and Turning Points in Science: Copernican Revolution.

We Need Your Help

We want and need your ideas, suggestions, and observations. What would you like to know more about? What questions have your students asked? Do you have a favorite activity that you would like to share? We invite you to share with us and other readers by posting your comments. Please check back each week for our newest post or download the RSS feed for this blog. You can also request email notification when new content is posted (see right navigation bar).

Let us know what you think and tell us how we can serve you better. We want your feedback on all of the NSDL Middle School Portal science publications. Email us at msp@msteacher.org.