Unit 5: Exploring the Nature of Astronomical Phenomena in the Context of the Sun (43/32) -- Exploring Physical Phenomena

Unit 5: Exploring the Nature of Astronomical Phenomena in the Context of the Sun/Earth/Moon System II. Identifying Student Resources You already know a lot about the Sun, Moon, and the stars from everyday experiences being outside and going to school. You also likely have absorbed information informally from songs, newspapers, books, and the Internet. These are resources on which to build a deeper understanding through systematic explorations in this class. A. Documenting initial knowledge about the Sun, Moon, and stars Question 5.1 What do you already know about the Sun, Moon, and stars? Document your initial knowledge about the Sun, Moon, and stars by responding to the following diagnostic questions. Your responses will not be graded. You will answer the same questions again near the end of the unit, compare initial and current responses, and write a reflection about changes in your understandings and about the ways these occurred. Name_____________________________ Date___________ Diagnostic Questions about the Sun, Moon, and Stars Why does it get dark at night? Why is it cold in the winter and hot in the summer? Why does the moon seem to have different shapes at different times? What do you already know about the Sun? What questions do you have about the Sun? What do you already know about the Moon? What questions do you have about the Moon? What do you already know about the stars? What questions do you have about the stars? Diagnostic Questions: Science & Science Learning How would you define a “scientific explanation”? How would you define “inquiry approaches to learning and teaching”? To what extent are you interested in learning science? Not interested in 1 2 3 4 5 Interested in learning science learning science Comment: To what extent are you interested in teaching science? Not interested in 1 2 3 4 5 Interested in teaching science teaching science Comment: B. Noticing the sky The key to learning about the sky is to look up whenever outside! Frequently! You can draw on resources from your own experiences, from those interpreted in cultural stories, art, and poetry, and from observations you and companions make, even young children, when noticing and talking about the Moon. Question 5.2 What do you remember about experiences when you have seen the Sun, Moon, and/or stars? - Talk with your group members about some of your experiences in watching a sunrise or sunset, seeing the Moon, and/or noticing the stars. - What did you learn from these experiences? - How might you increase how often you notice the sky during this course? Question 5.3 How have people noticed and represented the Sun, Moon, and stars in cultural stories, art, and poetry? Story-tellers from many cultures as well as artists and poets have offered intriguing interpretations of what they were seeing. 1. The Sun, Moon, and stars as represented in cultural stories People from many cultures around the world have told stories about the Sun, Moon, and stars (see: http://solar-cen