Patricia L. Clark, Hoover Elementary, Medford, OR
GLOWING GLIMPSES OF OUR UNIVERSE
Appropriate for grades 4-6.
OVERVIEW: Space exploration and advances are all around us. From
the science fiction of "Star Trek" to the reality of the NASA
Challenger explosion, our world must be broadened beyond our life
here on Earth. Future education must address and be involved in
developing programs that aid space awareness. Too often our young
people limit their world to their own backyard. Students need
supplemental activities that will make the study of our universe
more concrete. The activities described here were done
concurrently with our science lessons on our "Universe".
PURPOSE: The purpose of these activities is to bring space "home"
to young people. The abstractness of our universe is so
incomprehensible to young people that they often give up before
even trying to understand. A need exists to introduce students
to hands-on activities that will provide enjoyment, and in so
doing, will promote growth and encourage interest and awareness in
our universe. These activities are reinforcement activities of
curriculum covered in class.
OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to:
1. Describe the solar system and some of the characteristics of
the inner planets.
2. Describe the out planets.
3. Explain the ways in which stars differ from one another.
ACTIVITIES: The following activities are hands-on activities to
supplement our adopted 5th grade curriculum. While the text
introduces information to cover the stated goals, as mentioned in
the purpose of this packet, the intent of these activities is to
reduce the abstractness of covering reading information, by
providing hands-on activities to reinforce material covered.
1. After covering information on our solar system, students will
enjoy this reinforcement activity. Each student will make a
"glow-in-the-dark" planet chart. Each planet is cut from
thin sheets of pliable styrofoam, then painted with
luminescent paint (available in craft stores). While paint
is still wet, sprinkle on a different colored glitter for
each planet. Put planets onto a large rectangular piece of
black poster board, in order from the Sun (depicted by a
partial circle that takes up the whole left edge) to Pluto.
Small rectangular labels are placed beneath each planet that
says the name, diameter, distance from the sun and rotation
rates.
Students love it when the class is done and the lights are
turned out and the planets glow in the dark!
2. After covering information on different stares and basic
constellations, students will do the following activities to
reinforce information:
A. Students will visit local planetarium. (Luckily, our
city has a planetarium at the high school and Starwalk
lessons are taught in the classroom to supplement basic
text).
At the planetarium, students will chart the placement of
the sun as seen in our sky as the earth rotates and
revolves. Additionally, students will actually see and
identify basic constellations introduced in class.
B. Students will use constellation dot pictures of 5 basic
constellations (Orion, Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Little and
Big Dipper) and try to create their own pictures! For
example: Cassiopeia could be a cornucopia!
C. Students will paint constellation dots in black poster
board using luminescent (glow-in-the-dark) paint again.
Students enjoy seeing the dots glow and trying to
identify the constellations.
D. Students will graph star colors by temperature on a bar
graph (red, yellow, white and blue stars).
RESOURCES/MATERIALS NEEDED: All available.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: During a child's elementary education,
there are projects that stand out and are remembered throughout
that child's life. Those projects are usually hands-on activities
that bring life to a lesson taught. The glow-in-the-dark projects
shared here are a reinforcement that they'll see at night long
after the lights are out! By making our universe a part of your
student's everyday life, it is hoped it will spark the wonder that
.will encourage future space awareness.
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org