Measuring the Solar System

8/6/2019 Measuring the Solar System

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Measuringthe

Sola r SystemApprenticeship


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Citizen Sc ho ols Pa ge 2 of 60Me a suring the Sola r Syste m Curriculum

Measuring the Solar System Ap prenticeshipThe Measuring the Solar System Apprenticeship is a hands-on curriculum that

engages students as young astronomers and challenges them to measure astronomicalsize and distances for themselves. Apprentices not only learn to appreciate the vastness

of the Solar System and the wonders of the Sun, Moon, and planets, but also practicetheir math, observation, and data analysis skills. The apprenticeship culminates in

building a scale model of the Solar System; the WOW! is a presentation of this model tocommunity members.

The Measuring the Solar System WOW! in the past has been presented to an audienceof physicists from local colleges and universities. The WOW! could also be a

presentation to amateur astronomy clubs, college students studying physics andastronomy, and other professors in the math and sciences. Colleges and universities

have generally shown enthusiasm in helping to put together an audience and supportsuch a WOW!

Basic knowledge of the solar system, geometry, and astronomy concepts are required forthe Citizen Teacher leading this apprenticeship. Ideal Citizen Teachers include

individuals with a background in math, science or engineering or anyone who isinterested in amateur astronomy.

A course outline is given on page 3. This is followed by 10 lesson plans. A table of SolarSystem data is given on page 62.


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10 Week Apprenticeship Plan

Week Lesson Top ic Learning Obje ctivesWhat will the students learn today?

21 st Century SkillsCovered &

FrameworksAddressed

Activities

1 Mo de ling theSola r Syste m

App rentices will build c om munity withintheir app rentice ship with their pee rs

App rentices will unde rsta nd w hat asca le mod el is

App rentices will gain a n a pp reciationof the relative sizes of and distancesbe twe en the Sun, Moon, Earth andot her o bje c ts in the Sola r System

App rentices will unde rstand how to useob servations to ma ke an ed uca tedguess

21 st Century Skills:Tea mw orkData AnalysisMA CurriculumFrameworks:Ma th- 8.N.3.Sc ienc e- Earth &Spa ce Scienc e

Grad es 6-8

Introduction Op ening Ritual Setting ap prenticeship

norms and expecta tions Lea rning a bo ut Sca le

Models Mo deling the Solar

Syste m- using a neduca ted g uess

2 Me asuring theSize of t he Sun

App rentices will co ntinue to buildco mm unity with their pe ers andde velop tea mw ork skills by wo rking onme asureme nts and ob servations incollaboration with one a nother

App rentices will unde rsta nd thema thema tical conce pt of a similartriangle

App rentices will be ab le to de scribethe size o f the sun relative to the size o fthe Earth and Jupiter

Ap p rentic es will mea sure the size o f thesun using the c onc ep t of ratios

21 st Century Skills:Tea mw orkData AnalysisMA CurriculumFrameworks:Math- 8.M.4Sc ienc e- Earth &Spa ce Scienc eGrad es 6-8

Reviewing norms andexpectations

Draw ing Simila r Tria ng les Me asuring th e size o f the

sun w/a pinhole viewer

3 Measuring theSize o f the M oo n

App rentices will apply math conc ep tsto d escribe the size o f the m oonrelative t o t he size o f the Ea rth

21 st Century Skills:Data AnalysisMA CurriculumFrameworks:Ma th: 8.G.1Sc ienc e: Ea rth &Spa ce Scienc eGrad es 6-8

Using a co mp ass Me asuring th e size o f the

moon

4Phases of the

Moon andDista nce to the

Moon

App rentices will learn abo ut prope rtiesof the moon

App rentices will apply math conc ep tsto m easure the d istanc e to the moo n

App rentices will unde rstand why themo on has pha ses

21 st Century Skills:Tea mw ork MA CurriculumFrameworks:Ma th: 8.M.4Sc ienc e: Ea rth &Spa ce Scienc e

Grad es 6-8

Phases of the moon Mea suring the distanc e

to the moon

5Tria ngu lation -Measuring theDistanc e to aDistant O bjec t

App rentices will de mo nstrate a nunde rstan ding o f triang ulation as anap plied ma th conce pt to mea suredistan ce s of distan t ob jects

21 st Century Skills:Tea mw orkData Analysis MA CurriculumFrameworks:Ma th: 8.M.1, 8.M.4

Math refresher Triang ulatio n in the

schoolyard

6 Chalk Mod el ofthe Solar System

App rentices will review ma th c once ptsof sca les and prop ortion

App rentices will unde rstand the spa tialdista nce s be twe en ob jects in the solarsystem

21 st Century Skills:Data Analysis MA CurriculumFrameworks:Ma th: 8.M.4 Scien c e:Earth & Spa c eSc ienc e G ra de s 6-8

Crea te a cha lk mod el ofthe sola r syste m

7 Why is Pluto NoLong er a Planet?

App rentices will und ersta ndcha racte ristics of p lanets and w hyPluto is no long er co nsidered a p lanet

App rentices will de termine the orbitalpe riod o f Plutos mo on Cha ron

21 st Century Skills:

Data Analysis

Comp are Pluto to other

ob jec ts beyond Neptuneand to the 8 realplane ts to und ersta ndwh y Pluto is no lon ge r aplanet

Determine the orbitalpe riod o f Plutos mo onCharon

8 Ma king a Sca leMod el of theSola r Syste m

App rentices will review the co ntentand skills, which they have learned inwee ks 1-7 and create a sca le mod el ofthe Sola r System with the Sun a ndplanets scaled to relative sizes

21 st Century Skills:Tea mw orkData AnalysisOral Communication

Creating the sca lemodel

Choo sing to pics for theWOW! p resenta tion

9 Final Prepa rationfor WOW!

App rentices will review the co ntentand skills, which they have learned inwe eks 1-7 and p ractice for the WOW!

21 st Century Skills:Tea mw orkOral Communication

Dress Rehe a rsa l forWOW!

10WOW! TIME

App rentices will app ly the co ntent andskills the y ha ve lea rned b y presen tingtheir mod el to an aud ience

WOW! WOW!


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WOW! Stam p of Ap prova l

REAL: With the 40 th anniversary of the Moon landing, there is increased interest among thepublic about space and space exploration again. This apprenticeship looks at taken-for-grantedphenomena such as the sun is far away and the moon has phases and challengesapprentices to actually make meaning out of those phenomena for themselves. For example,students learn about mathematical principles that allow astronomers to make measurements ofdistant objects, and they learn about the practical application of otherwise theoretical conceptssuch as similar triangles. While space exploration seems like its out of this world, evenamateurs and apprentices have a role in learning more about the solar system around them!

ADDS VALUE: NASA and other space science institutions are actively making efforts toengage the publics interest in space and space exploration. The field is in need of both ahuman capital pipeline and greater support from the American public for their efforts toexplore space. This apprenticeship gives students a chance to experience first-hand the kinds ofobservations and calculations space scientists make every day, and demonstrate students thatthey too can do it!

PUBLIC: By presenting their model to an audience of parents, professionals, and otherstudents, they demonstrate that they can be experts in a field of knowledge.

TEACH BACK: The knowledge gained through their time in the apprenticeship coupled with

the WOW! give students a chance to show the high quality caliber of their work and apprenticesauthentically learn that they are capable of using sophisticated calculations to apply to everydayphenomena.

WOW! Plan WOW! Description: Apprentices will build a scale model of the Solar System based on the size of ascaled Sun (data for a sun scaled to 82 inches is included, but the model can be scaled to any size).They will present this scale model to a potential audience of scientists (physicists, astronomers),and/or college/graduate students with background in math, sciences and engineering, and parents.In their presentation, they will introduce some of the characteristics of the objects in the scale model,and also discuss how the calculations for the scale model were completed. If there is sufficient time,students can also present demonstrations and explanations of everyday phenomena such as whythe moon has phases or why is it warmer in the summer than in the winter. The WOW! givesapprentices a chance to demonstrate their knowledge of the solar system, and their ability to makesophisticated calculations about size and distance.

In the past, physics and astronomy departments at local universities have hosted the WOW! to great success. If you have a college or university in your local area, do not hesitate to contact the secretaries of the relevant department and introduce the apprenticeship and your work with Citizen Schools.

Acknowledgements

This curriculum is an adaptation of the astronomy curriculum created and used by Tony Helies, a long-time Citizen Teacher in the Boston/Massachusetts Region. Tony welcomes current and prospectiveCitizen Teachers to use this curriculum, and is also available to serve as a mentor for CTs inimplementing the lessons and activities. To contact Tony, please e-mail:

[email protected]


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Lesson 1: Modeling the Solar System - Using anEduc ated Guess

Introduction:

This is the first module in a 10-part series, and is intended to introduce basicconcepts about the solar system and to familiarize students with using educatedguesses. This lesson also introduces the concept of showing size and distancethrough proportional representations.

21st Century Skills:

Teamwork Data Analysis

Snap shot Ag end a :

(Hang up as a visual)

5 minutes: Citizen Teacher Introduction5 minutes: Student introductions5 minutes- Teambuilder10 minutes: Astronomy - our goals for the apprenticeship15 minutes: Opening Ritual- where in the solar system are we?

30 minutes- An educated guess of the Solar Systems size10 minutes- Teachback5 minutes- clean-up and look forward to next session & WOW!

Ac tivity 1: Ge tting to Know Eac h Other:

(Teambuilder: What get-to-know-you activity will help foster positiverelationships and familiarize students with one another?)

Ideas for teambuilders connected to this first module include 2 truths and a liewith the Citizen Teacher describing some of his/her career experiences andinterests, and students taking turns in guessing the two truths and lie. Studentscan also introduce themselves and pick their favorite object in the solar systemand explain why it is their favorite object to the class.

Ac tivity 2: Setting Expec tations:


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Students and the Citizen Teacher together draw up ground rules for the class.This should be done on a big piece of flip-chart paper. The teacher should pick astudent volunteer to record. If students are not familiar with ground rules,explain that these are rules for everyone to agree to when they are in theapprenticeship. These rules help the class to function smoothly, and ensure thateveryone has a good time while learning new information. Ground rules canincluding be on time, listen to others, share your ideas, support eachother, take chances etc. Ground rules should be a foundation in building asafe, supportive, and challenging learning environment. Approach ground rulesetting as a brainstorming activity, and write out everything that students say.These ground rules should be posted up every class, and referred to at thebeginning of each apprenticeship.

The Citizen Teacher should then review expectations for the class. For this uniton Measuring the Solar System, the Citizen Teacher needs to reinforce that the

ultimate goal is to understand how to measure things that cannot be touched,and to learn how to represent them using ratios. This apprenticeship has realworld applicability because every day, scientists, geographers, and researchersare having to measure distances that they cannot physically reach.

Key Connec tions:

Check with Team Leader about what students are currently learning intheir school-day classes on space science

Materials:

Portfolio materials: Each student will be given a binder to track their progress inthe class. The binder will be used to hold worksheets, handouts, and visuals. Itwill also serve as a lab notebook to be used during experiments.

Standard supplies: 3-hole punch, extra pencils, rulers, lined paper

Required visuals for posting: 21st Century Skills list, agenda, ground rules andexpectations chart

Lea rning Ob jec tives:

1. By the end of this session, students will build community and begin todevelop relationships with their peers

2. By the end of this session, students will gain an appreciation of the relativesize and distances of the Sun, Earth and Moon


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MA Math Curriculum Frameworks 8.N.3 : Use ratios and proportions inthe solution of problems, in particular, problems involving unit rates,scale factors, and rate of change.

MA Science Curriculum Frameworks Earth and Space Science, Grades 6-8: Properties and conditions of objects in the solar system and those on

Earth.3. By the end of this lesson, students will know what a scale model is and will

understand ratios

Op ening Ritual:

The Where in the Solar System Are We opening ritual presents students withstriking pictures of the solar system and asks students to determine where theyare in the solar system based on their observations. The opening ritual allowsthe students to see different objects in the solar system from differentperspectives, and builds their understanding of the relative sizes of objects in thesolar system. The opening ritual also helps students practice observation skillsand develops their ability to form hypotheses. Next to each picture are questionsyou can ask the students and information on the object pictured.

To use these pictures, you can either copy and paste them and then enlargethem, or contact Citizen Schools Civic Engagement Team for picture files.Most of the images are public domain and available from NASA and affiliatewebsites.

The first set of pictures includes:

1. What d o you think this is a p icture o f? How d oyou know?2. Wha t do you think is ha pp ening in the lowerright hand c orner of the p ic ture?

This ima ge wa s ta ken throug h a sp ec ial filter. Itshows ama ssive fla re p rob ab ly 200,000 miles high, 25times bigg er than the d iame ter of Earth.


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Ac tivity 1: Introd uc ing Sc ale Mo de ls:

Activity materials:

2 toy cars, and 2 toy men, one in correct proportion, and one not(this is to help illustrate models to scale, and models not to scale)

Examples of other scale models (e.g. maps)

It is important to introduce the idea of scale models early. First, make sure theyknow what a model is. Using a small toy man, with two model cars, one to scaleand one too large, is a good way of introducing the idea of a scale model. Askstudents if they have any scale models at home - suggest toys; good examples aredollhouses, dolls, toy cars, etc. A photo of a scale model train set up can also beeffective.

These a re ima ge s of the sun and the m oo n ove rthe horizon.

Befo re show ing the p ictu re, ask:Which do you think is b igg er? The sun or themoon?

Follow ing their a nswe r (the y usua lly sa y sun )show them this p ictu re a nd then ask for the ira nswers. Why do they look the sa me size in thepicture?

This usua lly g enera tes a goo d d isc ussion.

1. What d o you think this is a p icture of?2.Wha t d o yo u think tha t b lac k do t is?3.What if I told you tha t the d ot is Venus, andtha t it is passing in front o f the sun? What c a nthat tell you a b out the sun, the e a rth, andVenus?

Venus tra nsit o f the Sun: this is Venus pa ssing infront of the Sun. It Hap p ens only ev ery 100 yea rsor so. This p hoto g ives d irec t evid enc e tha tVenus is smaller tha n the Sun a nd c loser to

Earth.


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Maps are scale models, and are a practical use for scale models. Maps allow youthe opportunity to remind kids that a scale model must have the relative sizescorrect (i.e. how big Massachusetts is compared to Texas) as well as the distancescorrect (i.e. how far apart they are). These concepts are important for thefoundation of getting students to understand the different ways they will modelthe Solar System during the apprenticeship.

Ask students if they have examples of scale models. Have they ever seen scalemodels in a museum? Using the toy man, explain that if a mans height is 6 feetor 72inches, and the model is 2 inch tall, then the scale of the model is 36 to 1.That is, every inch represents 36 inches in the real world (adjust these numbers tofit the scale model you are using). Note that the shape of the toy model is correctbut the size is smaller.

Point out that scale models are often smaller than the real thing, but not always.

For example, a scale model of an insect is probably going to be larger than thereal thing.

Then introduce the concept of ratios. The ratio of the size of a real man and thetoy model is the size of the real man divided by the size of the model, i.e. 72/2 =36. So the ratio of any two numbers is one number divided by the other. Otherexamples of ratios are batting averages (the number of hits divided by thenumber of times at bat), and test scores (the number of questions right dividedby the number of questions of the test).

This is also a good time to introduce the Astronomy WOW! -- building a scalemodel of the Solar System and discussing it in front of an audience.


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Ac tivity 2: Modeling the Sola r System - b est gue ss:

Project: Students will build a model of the Solar System with the Sun, Earth andMoon, based on their best guesses of the relative size and distances of these

objects.

Project materials:

Basketball Tennis balls (2) Golf balls (2) Large marbles (2) Small marbles (2) Pepper corn (2) Mustard seed (2) Salt grains Tape measure

The basketball will serve as the Sun in this scale model (it can be left naturalcolor or painted yellow). Ideally all the other objects should be available in blue(to represent the Earth) and white (to represent the Moon).

1. Discuss the idea of a scale model: doll houses, toy trucks, etc.2. Tell the students that you would like to build a scale model of the Sun, Earthand Moon, with the Sun the size of a basketball.3. Set out the blue balls.4. Ask the students for a show of hands as to which would be the correct size forEarth, starting with the tennis ball.5. Let t hem know it would be the mustard seed. Lead a discussion of howsmall the Earth is compared to the Sun.6. Put the basketball at the front of the room. Ask the kids to stand where theythink Earth would be relative to the Sun. Most will stand relatively near thebasketball. Tell them the Earth would be around 80 feet away (point to an object80 feet away down the hall).7. Now show them the white balls. Most will pick something small for the

Moon. Tell them the Moon would be slightly bigger than a grain of salt, andwould be about 1 inch away from Earth in this scale.8. Have a student hold the mustard seed 80 feet from the basketball and thegrain of salt 1 inch from the Earth. This is an impressive demonstration of howmuch empty space there is in the Solar System and what a large percentage of allmatter in the Solar System is made up by the Sun.


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Discussion questions:

- Did you assume the Sun is bigger than the Earth? If so, why? The Suncertainly looks smaller.-Did you assume the Moon was smaller than the Sun? If so, why? TheMoon and Sun appear to be about the same size in the sky.-Did you assume that the Moon is closer to the Earth than the Sun? If so,why? A light bulb which is closer to you is brighter. The Sun is certainlybrighter than the Moon, so why don't you think it is closer?-What observations you have made yourself about the Sun, Earth and theMoon (and the stars) which support what you have been taught.-What "facts" about the Sun, Earth and Moon are you accepting on faith?

Wrap-up:

1. Connect the discussion questions with the overall goal of the astronomy unit,which is to learn about measuring the Solar System and how to measure thingsthat are too far to get to.2. Now that students have seen each others educated guesses and they knowthat if the sun was a size of a basketball (i.e. 9 inch diameter), the Earth would bearound the size of a mustard seed. The moon would be slightly larger than agrain of salt. The Earth would be 80.8 feet away from the Sun and the Moonwould be a little less than an inch from Earth (.9inch).3. Give the students a quick way to remember the proportional size of the Earthand the Sun. The sun is approximately 109 times bigger than the Earth, but the

students can use 100 as an easy to remember ratio.4. Explain to the students that the Solar System is largely empty, and that theSun is over 99% of everything in it!

Tea c hb ac k / Forec ast Next Lesson:

The teachback allows the Citizen Teacher to reinforce the daily learningobjectives, and assess that goals were met. Typically this includes guidedquestions you can ask apprentices to ensure that they have mastered the materialpresented.

1. Have each student go around the room and discuss one new thing theylearned in the class.2. The Citizen Teacher should also describe one new thing he/she learned, andthat may be some interesting facts about the students (students will like thisbecause it proves they were being listened to!)


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3. Foreshadow what will be done during the next module by explaining that theclass will be learning how to use mathematical concepts to measure distancesbetween objects you cant reach.4. What are some daily life examples of scale models and ratios?5. How big is the Sun compared to the Earth?


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Lesson 2: Measuring the Size o f the Sun

Introduction:

Todays lesson will focus on applying the mathematical concepts of similartriangles to measure the size of the sun. The lesson includes a hands-on activityusing a pinhole camera to project a miniature image of the sun. Note: Thisactivity requires a very sunny day; the sequence of modules may be switchedaround to accommodate for this so that it can be done on the first sunny daywith little haze. This is one of the more powerful modules. Its best not risksaving this exercise for another day.


Data Analysis Teamwork


15 minutes- Opening Ritual5 minutes- Agenda and objectives55 minutes- Measuring the Size of the Sun10 minutes- Teachback5 minutes- Clean up

Lea rning Ob jec tives:1. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to measure the size of the sun

by applying mathematical properties of similar triangles. MA Math Curriculum Frameworks 8.M.4: Use ratio and proportion

(including scale factors) in the solution of problems, including problemsinvolving similar plane figures and indirect measurement

2. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to describe the size of the sunrelative to the size of the Earth and the size of Jupiter.

MA Science Curriculum Frameworks Earth and Space Science, Grades 6-8:Properties and conditions of objects in the solar system and those on Earth

Materials:

Portfolio materials: (Team Leader should keep binders)



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Op ening Ritual:

The Where in the Solar System Are We opening ritual presents students withstriking pictures of the solar system and asks students to determine where theyare in the solar system based on their observations. The opening ritual allowsthe students to see different objects in the solar system from differentperspectives, and builds their understanding of objects in the solar system. Theopening ritual also helps students practice observation skills and develops theirability to form hypotheses.

You most likely will have a few new students this week. Re-introduce and

reinforce the opening ritual by emphasizing that the goals of this apprenticeshipis to learn about measuring the solar system, and to do so it helps us each weekto look at pictures of the solar system from different perspectives so we canunderstand how vast it is.

What is the b ig c irc le you see on thesurfac e of the Mo on? (Stud ents ofte ngue ss volcano , whic h is inc orrec t, buta go od gue ss.)

How d o you think this happene d ? Ca n you na me a ll the flying o b jec ts in

the sola r system tha t might ha vec rea ted this c ra ter? (E.g. a steroids,comets)

Explana tion: This is a p ic ture o f the Mo on w iththe c ra ter Tyc ho, formed when a n asteroid o rc om et hit the Moon.

What is this a p ic ture of? Where wa s this p icture taken from ?

How d o you know ? Why isn t a ll of the Earth lit up by

the Sun s light?Explana tion: Earth a s see n from the Mo on.Note tha t the Earth ha s pha ses just like theMoon.


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Introduction:

Explain that todays lesson will be focused on measuring the size of the sun. Howcan such a large and far-away object be measured indirectly? To do this, studentswill be using a projection of the sun and mathematical concepts to measure the sizeof the sun. Reinforce that students should never look directly at the sun.

Ac tivity 1: Similar Triangles:

Materials:

8x11 paper and pencils Protractors Rulers Calculators

This exercise will give students a chance to work with ratios and scale models.The students will also learn to use a protractor and to draw similar triangles.Finally the students will use ratios to predict the length of a side of a trianglewithout measuring it.

1. Students draw any triangle (using rulers to make straight lines)

2. Students measure the angles with the protractor and mark angles on theirdrawings (the students will probably not know how to use a protractor, so theymust be shown)

What is this a p ictu re of? Where d o yo u think this p ic ture w a s

taken? Ca n you tell how b ig it is? What ca n

you sa y abou t the size?Expla na tion: This is the Barring to n Crate r,Arizona . Stud ents will guess tha t th is is ac ra ter but usua lly not rec og nize it is found onthe Earth. This op ens up a g oo d d isc ussion ofwhy there a re m any c ra ters on the M oon b utno t on Earth. (This is d ue to the Earth sa tmo sphere a nd the p roc ess of e rosion.)


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3. Students draw another triangle with the same angles but of different lengthsof the sides

4. Explain that triangles with the same angles but different sizes are calledsimilar triangles

5. Have students measure the length of the base of the triangles and the length ofone other side (same side for each triangle) marking the measurements on theirdrawings

6. Have students calculate the ratio of the length of the base and the other sidefor each triangle and note how the ratios compare7. Ask if you are given a triangle where you know the length of the base andthe angles, can you determine the height?

8. Hand out a sheet with similar triangles with different bases. Have themmeasure the bases and one side of one of the triangles. Ask the students topredict what the length of the other side of the second triangle would be(without measuring). Compare this to the actual measurement.

Note: Because students dont always draw triangles carefully, the measurementsmay be different than the predicted length. This is a good opportunity to ask thestudents why this might be so and to discuss precision and accuracy.

Ac tivity 2: Measuring the Size of the Sun:

Materials:

Shoeboxes (with cover off), and dowel with two pieces of cardstock/index cards/manila folder (the two pieces of cardboard shouldhave a hole at one end so they can hang on the dowel)

Pin Inexpensive calculators Worksheets Pencils

Sunny day

(It is important to save this activity for a good sunny day. If the day is sunny buthazy, it is difficult to get a good image of the Sun (i.e. a dot of light with crispedges).


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Students may not have the vocabulary for measuring a circle, and it is importantto help them distinguish the difference between circumference, radius, anddiameter. Introduce the concepts and then ask them to identify circumference,diameter and radius on a circle drawn on the chalk board. Tell the students thatany sphere also has volume and surface area. But make it clear that in this lessonthey will be measuring diameter .

Explain to students that the distance to the Sun was first determined bytriangulation of the planet Venus in 1769. Observers all over the world madecareful measurements during Venus' passage in front of the Sun (the time whentriangulation is easiest) and came up with a fairly accurate measurement.

We will not be making this measurement as we would need a network ofobservers all over the world and we would have to wait until 2012, the next timewhen Venus passes in front of the Sun!

Instead we will build on the work of these earlier scientists to determine thediameter of the Sun, using the known distance to the Sun, which is about 93million miles or 150 million kilometers.

Show the students the following diagram (you should make a larger image onposter Board):

Explain that some light from the Sun passes through the pinhole. Show howmost of the light does not pass through (demonstrate photons of light going inother directions and photons hitting the cardboard, which do not contribute tothe image.) Point out that photons of light from the top of the Sun pass throughthe pinhole and that they form the bottom of the image (i.e. the dot of light) onthe cardboard. And light from the bottom forms the top of the image on thecardboard. Pin-hole cameras invert images. Ask where the image of a Sunspot


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would be on the image if the sunspot were on the top of the Sun (if they answeron the bottom of the dot, they have gotten the idea.) Show that light from themiddle of the Sun lights up the middle of the dot.

Show the two triangles formed by the beams of light. They are Similartriangles which are triangles which have the same shape but different sizes. Forsimilar triangles the ratio of the height of the triangle to the base will be thesame. Do not assume that they understand the concept of ratios. Give somesimple examples, e.g. if you are six feet tall and your nephew is 2 feet tall, howmany times taller than your nephew are you?

Explain that we know L, the distance to the Sun, is 93,000,000 miles. What wewant to find out is the diameter of the Sun. To do this we will measure thediameter of the image of the Sun (i.e. the dot) and the distance between thepieces of cardboard (or the ends of the shoe box).

1. Break the group into teams, with about 4 in each team.

2. Pass out shoeboxes or dowel and two pieces of cardboard, rulers, andworksheet with the diagram above on it and pencil to each team.

3. The team leader or Citizen Teacher should go around to each team with thepin and have students make a pinhole in one end of the shoebox or on one pieceof cardboard. The pinhole must be very small for good results. A larger pinholemakes the dot easier to see but hurts accuracy.

4. Have students hold the shoebox (or the dowel with cardboard pieces) with thepinhole toward the Sun. Important, remind students to never look at the Sundirectly!

5. The Sun will make a small circle of light inside of the shoebox; measure thediameter of the circle in centimeters using a ruler in centimeters or millimeters(do not use inches). The small circle will move around as the box jiggles thismakes measurement more difficult. Have another person hold the box steady. Itmay be easier to make the measurement by having one student hold the box andanother student mark with a pencil the circumference of the small circle of light,and then put the box down and measure the diameter of the circle.

6. Students should then measure the length of the shoebox in centimeters, or thedistance between the pieces of cardboard on the dowel.


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7. On their worksheet, have students mark on thediagram the diameter of the circle of light and thelength of the shoebox. On the same diagram, theyshould mark the known distance of the Sun from theearth.

8. Each group should make multiple measurements,switching shoeboxes (of different lengths) and thedowel with cardboard with other teams. Have themmake measurements with the cardboard pieces on thedowel at different distances.

9. The ratio of the diameter of the circle of light to thelength of the shoebox will be the same as the ratio ofthe diameter of the Sun to the distance to the Sun.)

10. The formula for calculating the Diameter of theSun, D, is of course, D=Lxd/l. However unless thekids are strong in algebra, which is unlikely for mostmiddle school students, a better approach is to askthem to calculate how many times bigger the distancebetween the cardboard pieces (or ends of theshoebox) is compared to the size of the dot (they canuse a calculator). Their answers will be around 100(the actual correct answer is 107). Tell them that if the

ratio of the distance to dot diameter is around 100,then the ratio for the distance to the Sun, L, is alsoaround 100 times bigger than the diameter of the Sun.Ask the students Since the distance is 93,000,000miles, roughly how big is the diameter of the Sun?Students should be able to divide 93,000,000 by 100 intheir heads (but some may not be able to). This willyield a crude approximation for the Suns diameter of930,000 miles.

11. Now tell the kids that you want to use the exactmeasurements to get a more precise answer. Averagetheir results (eliminating any outliers, with thestudents agreement). You will probably get a numberhigher than 100 (e.g. 103, 105, 107 etc). Have themnow divide 93 million by that number using thecalculators. Generally you will get an answer quiteclose to the actual of 865,000 miles diameter.

Citizen Tea c her Tip s:

ON ACCURACY OFMEASUREMENT:

With a shoe b ox of length ofap proxima tely 30 c m, a nd ara tio of d ista nc e t o t he Sun(93,000,000 miles) to diameterof the Sun (865,000 miles) of107.5, the size o f the d ot w illb e .28c m. Since it is ha rd torea d to g rea ter than .1c mp rec ision o n a ruler, mo ststud ents will co me up with

.3cm (or sometimes .2cm). Ifthe shoe b ox is 29c m, the n thea c c ura te mea surem ent is .27.Enc ourage stud ents to d ec ideif the size is on the .1cm ma rksor betw ee n two , i.e. .25 c m.This elimina te s oneme a suremen t b ias. This isa nothe r rea son tha t using tw okind s of p inhole view ers (e.g.dow el and two p iece s ofc ardbo ard a nd shoeb oxes) isa g oo d w ay to run this ac tivityso that there are multipleme asureme nt op tions.


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12. Tell the students that the Earth is around 8,000 miles in diameter. Ask themroughly how much bigger the Suns diameter is than Earths? The answer is alittle more than 100 times bigger. Make them memorize this. Tell them that Jupiter is the largest planet and its diameter is around 88,000 miles. Roughlyhow much bigger is the Suns diameter than Jupiters? The rough answer is 10times bigger. They should memorize this too. This is a useful handle for studentsto have to understand the relative sizes of objects in the Solar System. The sunsdiameter is about 100 times Earths, and 10 times that of Jupiters. This is easy toremember and powerfully demonstrates how most of the matter in the SolarSystem is made up by the Sun (well over 99%).


1. Ask the students for Teachbacks (e.g. what they learned)

2. Hopefully they will tell you that the Suns diameter is around 100 times biggerthan Earth (make sure they dont say the Sun is 100 times bigger than Earth, sincethat doesnt mean anything is it volume, diameter, surface area?)

3. Some should also be able to explain why the experiment works, using thediagram. If not, review the diagram of the pinhole viewer and sun projection.Note that the light forms two similar triangles . Given what we know aboutsimilar triangles, how did this help us to figure out the diameter of the sun?


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Name: ______________________________________

Measuring the Size of the Sun

Mark the distances you measured on the image below. (Remember: the distanceof the Sun to the Earth is already known!)

Mark down your measurements in the table:

Distancebetw ee n Sunand Earth (L)

Distancebe tween pinholeand ima ge of the

sun (l)

Diamete r of thed ot of light (d )

Dia mete r of theSun (D)

Approximately how many times is the Sun bigger than theEarth?______________________

Approximately how many times is the Sun bigger than Jupiter? ________________________


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Lesson 3: Measuring the Size of the Moon

Introduction:

This lesson focuses on measuring the size of the moon using a photo of a lunareclipse and calculating measurements from the photo. In this lesson, studentsalso get hands-on practice using a compass.




15 minutes- Opening Ritual5 minutes- Agenda and objectives15 minutes- Using a compass45 minutes- Measuring the size of the moon10 minutes- Teachback


1. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to describe the size of themoon relative to the size of the earth

MA Science Curriculum Frameworks, Earth & Space Science Grades 6-8:Properties and conditions of objects in the solar system and those on Earth

2. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to use a compass correctly todraw circles

MA Math Curriculum Frameworks 8.G.1 : Use a straightedge, compass,or other tools to formulate and test conjectures, and to draw geometric figures

Materials:





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Op ening Ritual:

The Where in the Solar System Are We opening ritual presents students withstriking pictures of the solar system and asks students to determine where theyare in the solar system based on their observations. The opening ritual allowsthe students to see different objects in the solar system from differentperspectives, and builds their understanding of the objects in the solar system.The opening ritual also helps students practice observation skills and developstheir ability to form hypotheses.

What d oe s this photo show ?Is it a c om posite p hoto ?Wha t are the d ifferenc esbe twee n this pho to a nd the last?

This is a p icture o f a lunar ec lipse.Disc ussion o f these p ic tures c aninc lude how ec lipses wo rk.

What doe s this photo show ?Is it a single p hoto or is it a c om posite?

These a re the p ha ses of the Moo n. This c a nbe used as a c om pleme nt to the hand s-onactivity in this module.


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Is this a p hoto of a p ha se of the Mo on or is it a Luna r Ec lipse?What is c ausing the shad ow on the surfac e o f the Moo n?

(This p ic ture will be used for the a c tivity b elow .)


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Ac tivity 2: Measuring the Size of theMoon:

1. Pass out a picture of a lunar eclipse to eachstudent. (To increase options for accuracy,you can pass out different pictures to differentstudents, or to keep things simple use thesame picture for all students.)

2. Have students use their compass to try anddraw a circle which fits exactly over thepartially covered Moon. This will involvetrial and error and several tries. Studentsshould do their best- this task may be difficult

as the partially covered moon is not a fullcircle.

3. Repeat step 2 for the shadow of the Earthon the Moon.

4. Students should measure the diameter ofboth circles and mark it down on a piece ofpaper.

5. Have students write their answers on the board for comparison.

6. Average the answers to see what the class estimate is.

7. Explain that the ratio of the diameters are approximately the ratio of the sizeof the Earth to the size of the Moon.

8. Compare the class estimate of the ratio to the actual ratio. (Diameter of theEarth is approximately 3.67 times that of the Moon).

Discussion:

Note that a shadow tends to get smaller as it gets further from the object. So theshadow of Earth on the Moon is smaller than the Earths true size.

Citizen Tea c her Tips:

The p inhole view er (used tome a sure the size o f the Sun)c ould in the ory also b e used

for mea suring the d ista nc e t othe Moo n, but since the Moo nis no t a s b right a s the Sun it isimp ossible t o g et a c rispimag e (i.e. dot). The m etho dused in this lesson , involvesdirec tly ob serving t he M oo nwith th e eye . This is no t aproblem for the Moon b utob viously wo uld not b e safefor the Sun.

If you ha ve resp onsiblestude nts, you c a n g ive the mthe eq uipment to takehome so they c an look at theMo on a t night. This g ivesstude nts mo re c hanc es to find


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1. Which is bigger, the Earth or the Moon? How do we know this fromexperiments that we did?

2. What is a lunar eclipse? How does it prove what we know about the relativesize of the Earth to the Moon?

3. What are some phases of the Moon?


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Lesson 4: Phases of the Moon and Distanc e to theMoon

Introduction:

This lesson focuses on measuring the distance to the moon using ratios. Notethat in this lesson, we start out knowing the diameter of the Moon since wedetermined it in lesson 4 (give the students the actual diameter since themeasurements from lesson 4 likely has errors). This exercise requires a daywhen the moon is visible.

In Autumn, the Moon is low in the sky. In Spring, the Moon is higher, and maybe more easily visible. For urban areas, this exercise may be more difficult to dobecause buildings tend to get in the way. The Citizen Teacher should work withthe Team Leader to see when this activity can be scheduled in and to find anoptimal vantage point.

The second activity is Phases of the Moon, which is an excellent way to teachstudents why the Moon has phases. This demonstration requires a sunny day.




15 minutes- Opening Ritual5 minutes- Agenda and objectives30 minutes- Phases of the Moon30 minutes- Measuring the Distance to the Moon10 minutes- Teachback


1. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to use a ratio to calculate thedistance to the moon MA Math Curriculum Frameworks 8.M.4: Use ratio and proportion


2. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to describe why the moon has


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phases MA Science Curriculum Frameworks, Earth & Space Science Grades 6-8:

Lunar and solar eclipses, moon phases, and tides are related to relative positions of the earth, moon, and sun

Materials:Portfolio materials: (Team Leader should keep binders)



Op ening Ritual:

The Where in the Solar System Are We opening ritual presents students withstriking pictures of the solar system and asks students to determine where theyare in the solar system based on their observations. The opening ritual allowsthe students to see different objects in the solar system from differentperspectives, and builds their understanding of the objects in the solar system.The opening ritual also helps students practice observation skills and developstheir ability to form hypotheses.

Wha t ob servations c an you m a ke a bo ut thispicture?

Ca n you te ll where w e a re in the Sola r Systemfrom your ob serva tions?

What c auses the w hite o n top of M ars? Wha t other planet ha s po lar ic e c ap s? Why is knowing a bout the existenc e o f po la r

ic e c ap s imp ortant?

Explana tion: This is a p ic ture of Ma rs and the pola ric e c ap s.


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Introduction:

Explain to students that they will be learning about some aspects of the Moontoday, including talking about its craters, which are a distinctive characteristic.They will also be measuring the distance to the moon, this time with a moredirect mode of observation than using a pinhole viewer. This is possible becausethe moon is not as bright, and looking at it directly will not damage the eye.

Ac tivity 1: Phases of the Mo on:

Materials:

Ping pong balls Picture showing the phases of the Moon (from lesson 4)

1. Give every student a ping pong ball.2. Tell each student they are the Earth, and the ping pong ball is the Moon.3. Have them hold up the ping pong ball and move the ping pong ball aroundthemselves (i.e. the Earth) slowly. Start off with the Sun off to the side a little bitfor the best effect. This simulates the Moon orbiting the Earth.

This is a quick demonstration activity that requires goingoutside and requires a sunny day. This activity can beswitched to another lesson to take advantage of a sunny day.This activity is particularly effective if the Moon is in the sky,and the students can compare the phase of the Moon with thephase of their ping pong ball, but this is not necessary.

Wha t is this? Where is it? What s a c ra ter? What d o you think c aused this c ra ter?

Expla na tion: This is a p ic ture o f Vic to riaCra ter on M ars. It is one half mile a c ross inwid th and a round 230 fee t dee p . The sma llspec on the upper left is the Op p ortunityRove r whic h w as exploring for a w ay intothe c ra ter a t the time .


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4. They will see the phases of the Moon clearly. Make sure the shadow of theirhand does not block the Sun. Caution them NOT to look at the Sun.

Note: This experiment may work even better if you can prop the ping pong ballonto a pencil or skewer so that when holding the ball, the shadow of the handdoes not get in the way.

Ac tivity 2: Mea suring the distanc e of the Moo n :

Materials:

Washers Fishing line or string (optional)

Note: The measurements are easier if the washer is connected to fishing line.

This experiment also relies on similar triangles. See the following graphic:

The triangles are the small triangle from the eye to the washer and the bigtriangle from the eye to the Moon. Make a larger version of this graphic andexplain how the ratios of base to length of the two triangles are the same.

1. Go outside to pre-planned area where the Moon is visible.

2. Have students pair up.

3. Each pair of students should get a ruler and a washer and some fishing line.


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4. One student observes the Moon through the small hole and moves the hole just to where the Moon fills the hole. In other words, the perimeter of the Moonshould just touch the perimeter of the hole in the washer. If the Moon is onlyshowing a half or a quarter, move the washer to where the perimeter of the moontouches the perimeter of the hole in the washer.

5. Have the student hold the washer steady, while their partner measures thedistance from the eye to the washer. Mark down the measurement.

6. Partners trade places and repeat the procedure.

7. Students measure the diameter of the hole.

8. The students determine how many times bigger the distance from eye towasher is compared to the diameter of the washer using a calculator.

9. The distance to the Moon will be the same ratio bigger than the diameter of theMoon. (Give the students the actual diameter of the Moon: 2160 miles.

10. Take an average of the class answers for the distance to the Moon, and seehow close the average is to the actual answer (238,857 miles).Notes:

1. Students can also hang the washer in a piece of fishing line, and move thewasher to the appropriate spot, and mark the point on the fishing line with their

finger. Their partner then measures the distance by measuring the fishing line.This can also be done with a small electrical connector hung on a piece of fishingline.

2. Students will also tend to hold the fishing line behind, or in front of, their eyewhich causes an error. Caution them against this. When measuring the distancebetween the washer and the eye, get as close to the eye as possible, but cautionstudents to be careful.

Teac hbac k:

1. Now that you know how much bigger the Sun is than the Earth, and howmuch bigger the Earth is than the Moon, how come the Sun and Moon appearequal in size in the sky?


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Lesson 5: Triangulation- Measuring the Distanc e to aDistant Objec t

Introduction:

In this lesson, students will use ratios and triangles to determine the distance to adistant object without going to it, and then measure how accurate they are bymeasuring the distance with a tape measure. This is a basic technique used tomeasure distances to nearby objects in the solar system.




15 minutes- Opening Ritual5 minutes- Review agenda for the day10 minutes- Review similar triangles concept and using a protractor (Optional)45 minutes- Triangulation activity10 minutes- Teachback5 minutes- Clean up


1. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to use a scale model tosolve a distance problem

MA Math Curriculum Frameworks 8.M.1: Select, convert (within thesame system of measurement), and use appropriate units of measurementor scale


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2. By the end of this lesson students will be able to determine the distance toa far away object by using the concepts of triangulation, ratio, andproportion

MA Math Curriculum Frameworks 8.M.4: Use ratio and proportion


Key Connec tions:

Explain that astronomers and scientists studying space are always dealingwith far away objects to which they cannot measure distance directly.Thus, triangulation solves a big problem for some astronomicalmeasurements.

Materials:


Standard supplies: 3 hole punch, extra pencils, rulers, lined paper


Op ening Ritual: What is this a p icture of? Why d o you

think this? What is a moo n in the g enera l sense? Is Earth the only ob jec t in spa c e w ith a

moon? What d oe s this p ic ture tell us a bout the

rela tive size o f the m oo n to theasteroid?

Explana tion: This is the Asteroid Ida and itsmoo n Dac tyl. Id a is 36 miles long a nd 14 miles

ac ross.


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QuickTime and adecompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Introduction:

Explain that todays lesson will be focusing on how to measure far away objectsthat cannot be easily reached. The method used to measure these distances iscalled triangulation, and is a basic technique used to measure distances tonearby objects in the solar system.

Ac tivity: Triang ulation- m ea suring the d istanc e to a distant ob jec t:

Activity Materials:

Where in the sola r system a re w e? How do youknow?

Wha t do you think might be hap p ening in thelowe r righ t c orner with the b ig c irc le?

Ca n you tell how b ig the p lane t is? Why or whynot?

Explana tion: This is a view of Jup iter, the Ga s Planet .The red ova l on the lower right is a Jup iter version of ahurric ane. You c an t tell how b ig Jup iter is bec ause youhave nothing to c om pa re it to.

What d o you think you re see ing? What is the b lac k d ot? Ca n you see som ething to the left of the

blac k d ot? Could it be the c ause of theblac k dot?

What c an you te ll about the relative size o fthe sma ll objec t to the large p lane t?

What is one w a y of d etermining relative sizeof the m oon to Jupiter?

Explana tion: This is a p ic ture o f Jup iter and itsmo on Io (the shad ow of Io c an b e seen o n the

surfac e o f Jup iter). By now , stud ents should knowthat m a ny planets have mo ons, and that theseob jec ts c ast sha d ow s on the surfac e o f thep lane ts. By measuring the d iam ete r of Jupiter inthe p hoto (diffic ult with only pa rt of Jup itershow ing) a nd the d iam eter of Io in the p hoto theirratio will ive the ir rela tive sizes.


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Meter sticks Tape measures Protractors Flip chart paper

Note: The Citizen Teacher should work with the Team Leader before this lessonto determine in the schoolyard, or in the hall, a distant object that can be sighted,but which is also in the bounds of the school so that a direct measurement canalso be made.

Triangulation is also very inexact unless angles are measured to extremeprecision. For instance for a target 100 feet away, and a baseline of 100 feet, theangle is naturally 45 degrees. However a 1 degree error in angle measurement(i.e. 2.2% error) results in a distance error of 3.5%. This becomes more extreme forangles greater or less than 45%. For instance with a baseline of 50 feet, a more

reasonable distance, the angle is 63.435 degrees. A 1 degree error (1.5%) results ina 4.5% distance error. With a baseline of 25 feet, the correct angle is 75.96 degrees,In this case, a 1 degree error (1.3%) causes a distance error of 8%. These errors donot take into account the errors introduced by errors in measuring the baseline.They do not take into account the errors introduced by inaccuracies is drawingthe triangle and measuring its size.

As a result the measurements may have errors or =/- 20 - 30 %. By averaging allthe measurements of the different groups the error is greatly improved.

Choose a target such that a reasonable baseline will give angles closer to 45degrees than 90 degrees!

Explain the students that they will be using similar triangles to measure thedistance to a distant object by triangulation. Draw a model of the problem on theboard, showing the distant object and the two points which define the baseline.

1. The Citizen Teacher and Team Leader prepares for this apprenticeship bymarking two widely separated spots (A and B) from which you can see the objectto be measured.

2. Break the group into teams of 4.

3. Each group is given a protractor, meter stick, and tape measure.

4. Each group should measure the distance from A to B (this is the baseline).


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5. Using the yardstick and protractor, each group should measure the anglebetween a line from point A to the object and from A to B. To do this, studentscan crouch on the ground and point their meter stick as directly to the distantobject as possible. Explain to the students that the precision in this measurementis not very good, so they might want to do it several times and then average theresults of their angle measurement.

6. Repeat step 4 with point B.

7. Each student should record these angles on a sheet of paper (while themeasurements can be done in groups, each student should do his/her own scaledrawing).

8. On a piece of flip chart paper, have each student draw a line scaled torepresent the measured baseline (an easy way to do this is to draw a line with the

same number of centimeters as the baseline has feet. Since the flip chart paper isonly 80 cm across, make sure the baseline you set up is less than 80 feet.)

9. Have students mark one end of the line A, and the other end B.

10. Using AB as the base, students should use the protractors to draw a trianglewith the angles equal to those measured above. Reiterate to students that bydoing this, they are drawing similar triangles.

11. Have students note where the line of angle A and the line of angle B meet.

This is the top of the triangle.12. Have students measure the number of centimeters from A to the top of thetriangle - this is the number of feet from point A to the object.

13. Repeat 12 with point B.

14. Average the class results of the distance of point A to the object to get finalanswer for A.

15. Repeat step 14 with point B.

16. Have two student volunteers use a tape measure to measure the actualdistance to the object from points A and B.

17. Compare the results

Discussion:


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Lesson 6: Chalk Model of the Solar System

Introduction:The previous lessons focused on working with students to understand the size ofobjects in the solar system relative to each other, as well as give a sense of scaleas to how far away the Sun, Moon, and Earth are from each other. This lessongives a complete sense of the distance scale of the Solar System by havingstudents draw a chalk model of the Solar System on the schoolyard (the relativesize of objects will not be shown other than the Sun which will be 1 inch indiameter; on this scale, all the planets would be too small to see). This exercisecan be done by 2 teams, and can be done as a competition.




20 minutes: Opening Ritual5 minutes: Agenda50 minutes: Chalk model of the Solar System

10 minutes: Teachback5 minutes: Clean up


1. By the end of this lesson, students will understand the relative scale of thedistances between objects in the Solar System.

MA Science Curriculum Frameworks Earth and Space Science, Grades 6-8:Properties and conditions of objects in the solar system and those on Earth.

MA Math Curriculum Frameworks 8.M.4: Use ratio and proportion(including scale factors) in the solution of problems, including problems

involving similar plane figures and indirect measurement

3. By the end of this lesson, students will understand why Pluto is no longera planet, based on typical definitions of characteristics of a planet.

4. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to determine the period ofCharon, Plutos largest moon.


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Key Connec tions:

Ask students if they have noticed how ratios are used in daily life. Sincethey have started this apprenticeship, have they been more attuned to howratios and scales are used? Can they think of important scales they mightuse in their own life (for example, average rainfall, it rains 1/21 days canhelp them plan a trip. When people warn about a disease that 1/10 peoplecould get, it helps them get a sense of the risk). How might be ratios usedin different professions?

Materials:




Op ening Ritual:

QuickTime and adecompressorare needed to see this picture.

Wha t is this is a p ic ture o f? How were these ring s forme d ? The rings

a re w hite. Wha t do you think they migh tbe ma de of?

Explana tion: This is a p ic ture o f Sa turn a nd itsring s. The ring s a re ma d e of ic y snowba lls,

anywhere from the size o f ma rbles torefrigerators.

What is the b lac k area on the rings ofSa turn?

What is the b lac k ba nd on the Sa turn? Where is the Sun? Ca n this pho to ha ve b een taken from

Earth?

Expla na tion: This is Sa turn as seen from a bove(the picture w as taken from a spa c e p rob e) it co uld not ha ve b ee n ta ken from Earth. Thep icture show s the sha d ow of Sa turn on therings and a lso the sha d ow of the rings on


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QuickTime and adecompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Introduction:

Explain to students that today they will be drawing achalk model of the Sun and the planets, with thedistances between the planets and the Sun to scale.Students will be provided with a key of the scaleddistances between the planets and the Sun. The studentstask is to make measurements and draw the chalk modelon the schoolyard. The class will be broken into 2 teams,and the first team to get to Pluto will win. Emphasizethat their measurements will be checked.

Materials:

Sidewalk chalk Rulers Tape measure and/or yard sticks List (one for each team), showing the relative

distances of the planets in a model with a 1 inchSun See the list attached to this lesson.

Citizen Tea c her Tips:Aside from p rac ticingmea surem ents andwo rking with sc a les,this a c tivity is a go odteam builde r forhelping stude ntsunde rsta nd thec ha lleng es of wo rkingtogether.

Have stud ents

consider:1. What w a s the mo stdiffic ult p a rt o f thisa c tivity wa s. Was itthe rush to g et to thefinish, w hilemaintainingp rec ision? Was itgetting c onfused withmeasurements? Wasit co mmunica tion?

2. Ask tea ms to thinkab out how theyworked toge ther.How didcommunicationbetween teammem b ers wo rk, andwe re ta sks d ivid ed toincrease efficiency (ifthey we re)?

What is this a p ictu re of? wha t is the w hite round ob jec t? What is the na rrow white line a t the b ot tom

of the p ic ture? What c an you te ll about the size o f the

object?

Expla na tion: This is the moo n Dione next toSa turn. This p ic ture con tinues to rem ind stud entstha t othe r p lanets (and ob jec ts in the solarsystem) have m oo ns. The w hite line is the ringsof Sa turn see n ed ge o n. This shows how na rrowthe rings are.


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Ac tivity: Cha lk Mod el of the Sola r System :

To prepare for the Chalk Model Activity, you should first make sure theschoolyard is large enough to fit Pluto into the model. If it is not, scale down thekey further.

1. Break the class into 2 groups. Students like to be competitive and boys vs.girls will often get the students excited.

2. Give each team a few pieces of sidewalk chalk, a tape measure, and the key tothe distances between objects in the Solar System and the Sun.

3. Explain to the teams that the objective of the game is for them to map out thescaled distances of the planets from the Sun. Their first task, however, is to drawa one-inch Sun, as that is what the scale is based on.

4. The first team to get to Pluto wins, but the teams must make sure to beaccurate in their measurements.

5. The Team Leader and Citizen Teacher will observe which team gets to Plutofirst, but the first team to get to Pluto should shout PLUTO! to get the CitizenTeacher and Team Leaders attention.

6. To mark the planets, they should draw a line and a letter marking the planet.(To differentiate Mercury and Mars, they can write out the full name of Mars).

Note that students need not, and in fact cannot, draw the planets to scale theyare too small in this model.


1. Ask students if they notice anything wrong with the scale model. Did theyline up all the planets in a straight line? If so, why? Is that how the planetsactually are? It is important that students understand that in the real SolarSystem, planets are extremely rarely all aligned; in fact, planet alignments arerare occurrences, but they do happen.

2. To give a further sense of scale, you can help the students visualize thedistances between the planets if the Sun were 5 inches, 10 inches etc. Forexample, if the sun were the size of a basketball, Pluto would be .6 miles away!

Forecast the WOW!


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Scale of Solar System Model with a 1 inch Sun

Planet Distance to the Sun

Mercury 3 feetVenus 6 feetEarth 9 feetMars 14 feet Jupiter 45 feetSaturn 90 feetUranus 180 feetNeptune 270 feetPluto 360 feet

Note: On this scale, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars would each be smaller thana grain of salt. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune would be smaller than apeppercorn. And Pluto would be an invisible speck.


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Lesson 7: Why is Pluto Not a Planet?

Introduction:In this lesson apprentices learn why Pluto is not a planet but comparing Pluto toother objects discovered beyond Neptune and by comparing Pluto to the 8 realplanets. They also determine the orbital period of Plutos moon Charon bycomparing two photos of Pluto and its moons taken by the Hubble SpaceTelescope three days apart.




20 minutes: Opening Ritual5 minutes: Agenda25 minutes: Why Pluto is no longer a planet?25 minutes: Charon orbital period10 minutes: Teachback5 minutes: Clean up


1. By the end of this lesson, students will understand why Pluto is no longer aplanet, based on typical definitions of characteristics of a planet.

2. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to determine the period ofCharon, Plutos largest moon.

Materials:





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Op ening Ritual:

This lessons opening ritual explores Pluto. It specifically deals with the questionof why Pluto is no longer a planet. It includes Hubble photos of Pluto and its

moons which allow the students the chance to compute the period of Plutosmoon Charon.

Ac tivity 1: Why is Pluto no t a Planet?:

Kids and many adults do not understand why Pluto was demoted. Show theapprentices the photo below of various objects which astronomers have foundbeyond the orbit of Neptune.

Is this a photo o r a d rawing? How c an you tell? Where is this? Where is it?

Expla na tion: This is a d raw ing o f Pluto and its

moo n Cha ron, as see n from one of the newlyd isc ove red moo ns Nix and Hydra.


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The following questions will help students develop thier own opinion of whetherPluto hould be a planet.

Of these Solar System objects, is Pluto the largest? Is Pluto the only object shown with moons? A portion of Earth is shown to give a sense of the size of these objects. Do

you think these objects are bigger or smaller than our Moon (not shown)based on our measurements?

What characteristics make a planet, a planet? Why do you think astronomers initially believed Pluto to be a planet? Why do you think astronomers now say that Pluto is not a planet?

These are Trans-Neptunian Objects. Pluto has recently been reclassified and isno longer a planet. The drawing can explain thisthere are many objects ofsimilar size to Pluto that are not planets. If Pluto is a planet, then the otherobjects are as well, and that would make too many planets. Moreover, Plutosorbit of the sun is not circular, which is characteristic of planets. Pluto is smallerthan our Moon and the moons of Jupiter Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa. It issmaller than Saturns moon Titan and Neptunes Triton.


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Ac tivity 2: Orbital Period o f Plutos moo n Charon:

Below is an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of Pluto and its moonsthree days apart. Charon is the blue dot (the image has been color enhanced).Ask the Students how far around Pluto Charon traveled in three days. Since it is180 degrees, they should be able to deduce that the period is around six days.Ask them are there any other answers which fit the data. For instance Charoncould have traveled around Pluto one and one half times in three days in whichcase the orbital period would be two days.

From these photos, can you figure out how long it takes Plutos moonCharon is to go around the Pluto?

What are some other hypotheses about the period of Charon? (E.g. Theperiod could be much shorter, as perhaps it is zipping around manytimes a day. )

What are some other observations we could use to verify the period?

Explanation: This is a Hubble photo of Pluto and its moons. From the picture, itlooks like it took 3 days to go halfway around Pluto, so a reasonable hypothesiswould be that the period is 6 days, which is in fact, close to the actual orbit time.

Teac hbac k:

1. Why is Pluto no longer a planet?2. What is the orbital period of Plutos moon Charon?


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Lesson 8: Ma king a Model of the Solar System

Introduction:

In this lesson, students will work on putting together their WOW! presentation.The apprentices will put together their scale model of the Solar System. Thescale will be based on the size of the Sun, and not the distance between the Sunand objects in the solar system.

Another option for a more advanced WOW! is also to split the class into twogroups. One team will create a scale model of the Solar System based on relativesizes of the planets, and Sun, while the other team will calculate the distancebetween the planets and the Sun based on the scale model of the Sun. They willmap these distances onto a map of a local neighborhood to give a real-life senseof relative distances.

There may be a WOW! fair at the school you are working in, but a better optionis to contact a local university and ask the secretary of the physics department (orastronomy department if they have one) whether they would host you and thestudents for a presentation. This has been done in the past with great success.Presenting to a small group of physicists or astronomers is a great experience forthe students.


5 minutes: Agenda5 minutes: Opening Ritual70 minutes: Preparing for the WOW!5 minutes: Teachback5 minutes: Clean up


1. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to create a scale model of theSolar System with the Sun and planets scaled to relative sizes.

2. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to explain to an audience howthe scale model was calculated.

Op ening Ritual:


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Present the following picture as an example of the relative sizes of the planets tothe sun. Explain to students that they will be creating a similar scale model.

Student Roles:

All students will put together the presentation All students should have a speaking role. All students will have picked a topic to present by the end of this session.

Materials:

Assuming that the students agree that making a scale model would be a greatWOW!, there are several choices for making the scale model. If you use an 82

inch Sun (see the relative sizes of the planets document attached to this lesson)the Sun must be 2-D. The planets can also be 2-D or 3-D versions can be madewith Styrofoam balls and clay.

Scale Model: Yellow poster board (enough to make the sun)

This is a n e xample o f a mod el of the sola r system .


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Construction paper of various colors or Styrofoam balls (for largerplanets) and clay (for the smaller planets)

Scissors String/skein of yarn Assorted paints (to paint the Styrofoam balls) Paintbrushes Old t-shirts for students to wear while painting

Ac tivity 1: Crea ting the Model and Prepa ring for WOW!:

Data is included below for the size of the planets proportional to an 82 inchsun, but the model you choose can be scaled to any size. For thisapprenticeship, 82 inches was chosen to represent the Sun because Styrofoamballs used to represent the planets could easily be found in sizes proportionalto 82 inches. It is up to your team to decide what makes the most sense foryour model!

(This set of directions assumes that 3-D planets will be created. You may chooseanother approach.)

1. Buy Styrofoam balls of the correct size according to the attached sheet. Notethat they will not be exact, but generally close enough. The smaller planets willbe very small so teams can make them from clay.

2. Have a team of students paint the planets.Have some resource books/computer handy sothe students can look at the planets to determinecolor.

3. Have a team of students create the 82 inch 2-DSun. This will involve taping together severalpieces of paper to make the Sun large enough. Tomake a circle, model to students that the easiestthing to do is to first measure the diameter andmark that out. For the sun, tape multiple piecesof poster board together. Mark the diameter

horizontally and vertically so you create a cross.Students will have to together for this. Then,taking the string, students can mark and trace theperimeter of the circle. Make sure you havethought the process through before the lesson.

Citizen Tea c he r Tips:

Creating this mo de l takes a lotof time! Sp end little time ona ny other ac tivity d uring thislesson.

If the g roup is mo read vanced , you may wa nt toa c tually have stude nts as abig group do out thec a lcula tions for the sizes of thep lanets relative to the 82 inchsun. A wo rkshe et is inc luded


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4. Emphasize to students they should remember that this model is scaledaccording to size, and not to the distance between the planets and the Sun.


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Ac tivity 2: Sele c ting Top ic s for WOW! Presentation:

Ask the apprentices what topics they want to cover during the WOW! Have a listof topics to augment the students list. Many topics rely on using photos from

the opening ritual and the lessons. Topics can include:

1. Introduction to their scale model model shows size NOT distance2. Describe some characteristic of each planet3. Proof that the Sun is bigger than the Moon: even though they look the samesize in the sky, the Moon is nearer as evidenced by the fact that the Moon coversthe Sun during a solar eclipse.4. Proof that the Earth is larger than the Moon: Earths shadow completely coversthe Moon during a lunar eclipse but the Moon only has a small shadow on theEarth during a solar eclipse

5. Measuring the diameter of the Sun6. Measuring the diameter of the Moon7. Discussion of relative distances from the Sun at different scales8. Why Pluto is no longer a planet9. Charons orbital period10. Meteors and craters on Earth, Moon and other planets11. Asteroid belt and comets12. Galaxies

Having students create their own presentation pitches is very time and laborintensive. A Team Leader can work with them on their pitch, but the CitizenTeacher may also prefer to write up short scripts that are based on jointdiscussions of topics that students would like to present. These scripts can eitherbe given to students at the end of this lesson, or during the apprenticeship onWeek 9.

Make sure on the day of the WOW! that you have extra copies of allpresentations in case students forget theirs.

Tea c hbac k / Forec ast next lesson:

Check with students if they all understand their roles Emphasize that next week will be very important because they will practicetheir presentation and practice their public speaking skills

Get them excited for WOW! by giving them information about where theWOW! will be, and who will be in the audience


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SOLAR SYSTEM MODEL

Ob jec t Ac tua l Size (d iam eter) Sc aled SizeSun 865,000 miles 208 c m (82 inc hes)Merc ury 3032 miles .7c m (.28 inches)

Venus 7,520 miles 1.8 c m (.7 inc hes)Ea rth 7,927 miles 1.8 c m (.7 inc hes)(Earth s) Moon 2, 160 miles .5 c m

Mars 4,222 miles 1 c m (.4 inc hes)Jupite r 88,865 miles 21 c m (8.4 inches)Sa turn 74,898 miles 17.8 c m (7 inc hes)Uranus 31,763 miles 7.6 c m (3 inc hes)Nep tune 30,775 miles 7.2 c m (2.8 inches)Pluto 1,466 miles .33 c m (.13 inc hes)

In this scale, the Sun is 208 cm (82 inches). How big are therest of the planets in proportion?


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SOLAR SYSTEM MODEL WORKSHEET

Ob jec t Ac tua l Size (d iam eter) Sc aled SizeSun 865,000 miles 208 c m (82 inc hes)Me rc ury .7c m (.28 inches)

Venus 1.8 c m (.7 inches)Ea rth 7,927 miles 1.8 c m (.7 inc hes)(Earths) Mo on .5 c m

MarsJupiter 88,865 milesSa turn 17.8 c m (7 inches)UranusNep tune 7.2 c m (2.8 inches)Pluto .33 c m (.13 inches)

In this scale, the Sun is 208 cm (82 inches). How big are therest of the lanets in ro ortion?


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Lesson 9: WOW! Prep

Introduction:This is the last lesson before the WOW! and activities will focus on prepping thestudents for their public presentation. In particular, students will review thematerial they have learned in the apprenticeship, as well as learn and practicestrategies for effective public speaking. You will need several adults so that eachstudent can get the maximum individual attention.


5 minutes- Agenda75 minutes- Practicing for the Presentation10 minutes- Final thoughts and Celebrate!


1. By the end of this lesson, students will have learned several strategies foreffective public speaking.2. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to give a clear and coherentpresentation to an audience.

Materials:

Presentation notes or scripts

Ac tivity: Prac ticing the WOW!:

At this point, all the notes and scripts for the presentation should be complete.Hang up the big sun and the planets on a wall or chalkboard. Have students lineup in the order of their presentations, and practice one by one. Give feedback toeach student. Prior to practicing the scripts, you may want to run through tipsfor effective public speaking.

Practice this several times.

The most difficult problem for the students seems to be speaking loud enough sothat they can be heard. You must encourage them to almost yell!


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Teac hbac k:

Next week is the WOW! Congratulate the students on a job well-done! Ask students if they have any questions about their presentation, or if

there are any nervous jitters. If so, calm fears the best that you can. Tellstudents that they should all have a clean copy of their presentationscript for the WOW!

Ask each student to say one word about how they are feeling about theapprenticeship and the WOW! as a final closing.

Thank students for a great apprenticeship semester! Make sure all students know the time and place to meet for the WOW!


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Tips for Pub lic Speaking

1. Project your voice! It will sound like you are almost yelling, but you mustspeak loudly to be heard.

2. Stand up straight with good posture. Standing up straight helps make yousound more energetic, and good posture indicates confidence.

3. Read slowly and clearly. You might think that you sound really slow, but fora speech, you will want to make sure that each word is heard.

4. Use eye contact. Even though you are reading from a script, try to look upfrom time to time and make eye contact with your audience. This helps you toconnect with your audience.

5. Dont fidget! You may be nervous, but moving around too much isdistracting for the audience.

6. Try to avoid filler words such as um, uh, you know, and like.These words draw attention away from your speech.

7. Speak with confidence and emotion! This is your time to shine; dont afraid tobe proud!

8. Remember, the audience is on your side! When an audience sits in front of apresenter, they are interested in what you have to say and want to see yousucceed!


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Solar System Data

Approximate Diameters, Distance from the Sun and Orbital Periodfor Sun, Planets and selected moons

moons diameter distance from Sun (AUs) orbital period(miles) or planet (miles)

Sun 865,000Mercury 0 3,032 .38 AU 88 daysVenus 0 7,523 .72 AU 224 daysEarth 1 7,928 1 AU 365.25 days

(1 AU = 93 million miles)Moon 2,160 240,000 27.32 days

Mars 2 4,219 1.5 AU 686 daysPhobos 18 5,827 7.7 hoursDeimos 10 14,580 30.4 hours

Jupiter approx 63 88,865 5.2 AU 11.8 yearsIo 2,262 262,000 1.8 daysEuropa 1,945 417,000 3.6 daysGanymede 3,275 665,000 7.2 daysCallisto 2,983 1,168,000 16.7 days

Saturn approx 60 74,914 9.5 AU 29.4 yearsTethys 659 183,000 1.9 daysDione 696 243,000 2.7 daysTitan 3,200 758,000 16 daysIa

Documents

Measuring the Solar System