TitleIII Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

Learning Unit

OVERVIEW

 "Astronomy: Welcome to our Universe!" is an 8-week science unit designed for the 5^th grade. The unit is divided into three chapters: 1) The Earth-Moon-Sun Relationship, 2) The Solar System, and 3) Stars. A test is given on vocabulary and important concepts at the end of each chapter.

The Meaningful Use Task (Culminating Experience) for this unit is completed in three phases: 1) Comparison, 2) Invention, and 3) Written Report. In the comparison phase, students work in teams to conduct internet research and compare an assigned planet to Earth in terms of conditions necessary to sustain human life. In the invention phase, students design and create a model of a system that enabled humans to live on their assigned planet. In the written report phase, each student will use Micrsoft Word to write a report explaining both their comparison and their invention. Students will then present their inventions to a first grade class in our school that is also studying astronomy.

This unit also address many disciplines other than science. These include reading, language arts, math, social studies, art, and technology.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

 Suppose that planet Earth became so polluted that humans could no longer live on it. Could any of the other planets sustain human life?

CONNECTIONS TO NYS LEARNING STANDARDS
List Standard # and Key Idea #: Write out related Performance Indicator(s) or Benchmark(s)

Mathematics, Science, and Technology Standard #1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design.

Engineering Design, Key Idea #1: Engineering design is an iterative process involving modeling and optimization which is used to develop technological solutions to problems within given constraints.

Performance Indicators: Students engage in the following steps in a design process:

• Identify needs and opportunities for technical solutions from an investigation of situations of general or social interest.
• Locate and utilize a range of printed, electronic, and human information resources to obtain ideas.
• Consider constraints and generate several ideas for alternative solutions, using group and individual ideation techniques (group discussion, brainstorming, forced connections, role play); defer judgement until a number of ideas have been generated; evaluation (critique) ideas; and explain why the chosen solution is optimal.
• Develop plans, including drawings with measurements and details of construction, and construct a model of the solution, exhibiting a degree of craftsmanship.
• In a group setting, test their solution against design specifications, present and evaluate results, describe how the solution might have been modified for different use or better results, and discuss tradeoffs that might have to be made.

INITIATING ACTIVITY

 KW of KWL for astronomy, done in three phases. Phase 1: Students will work individually to complete the K and W portions of a KWL graphic organizer. Phase 2: Students will work in collaborative pairs to discuss, clarify, and revise their graphic organizers. Phase 3: The class will discuss the graphic organizers whole group and will create a class KW chart.

LEARNING EXPERIENCES
In chronological order including acquisition experiences and extending/refining
experiences for all stated declarative and procedural knowledge.

Declarative Knowledge

1. Lauch activity: "KW" of "KWL" with collaborative pairs using Graphic Organizer "KWL" to record information.
2. Constructing Meaning: New information is frequently provided in lecture format using the strategy "lecture with three-minute-pause." All notes are given in cloze form to help students organize information, with the teacher also completing a hard copy of the notes on an overhead projector. Notes also employ graphic representations such as pictures, diagrams, and charts. Lectures end with a variation of "ticket to leave" to summarize and provide closure. Topics introduced in this way in Chapter 1 include: "Gravity and Weight", "Night, Day, Seasons, and Years", "The Moon", and "Solar and Lunar Eclipses." Topics introduced this way in Chapter 2 include: "Mercury and Venus", "Earth and Mars", "The Asteroid Belt and Jupiter", "Saturn and Uranus", "Neptune and Pluto", and "Comets and Meteors." Topics introduced this way in Chapter 3 include: "The Sun", "Star Magnitude and Color", "The Life Cycle of a Star", "Constellations: Pictures in the Sky", and "Zodiac: A Circle of Animals."
3. Constructing Meaning: "Ancient Models of the World" activity with collaborative pairs. The class will read and discuss four stories written by ancient cultures to explain their observations of the world and the movement of celestial bodies. Students will then be divided into collaborative pairs. They will be asked to imagine that they are living in an ancient time, long before the age of scientific discovery and technological invention, where the only things they know are what they actually see. Each pair will work together to invent and draw their own model of the world, as people may have seen it long ago. Their model must explain at least three things: 1) the daily movement of the sun from east to west across the sky. 2) What happens to the sun at night, and how it gets from the west (where it goes down at night) to the east (where it comes up the next day). 3) Other things they see in the sky, such as the stars, planets, and the moon. Each pair will also write a paragraph that explains their model, and will present their model to the class.
4. Constructing Meaning: "The Earth’s Shape and Gravity" activity using the strategy "think-pair-share" with cooperative groups. Students will use critical thinking skills to investigate open-ended questions related to the Earth’s shape and gravity, such as: "How can the Earth be round when it looks flat? What direction does the Earth’s gravity pull objects in? Why don’t people fall off the bottom of the Earth? If you dropped a rock down an imaginary tunnel going all the way through the Earth, where would it stop?" Each student will be given a worksheet titled "The Earth’s Shape and Gravity" and will be given time to complete the worksheet independently. Students will then be organized into cooperative groups. Each group will be given time to discuss their individual answers to the worksheet and agree on "group answers." Each group will then share their answers with the whole class.
5. Organizing Knowledge: Note-taking strategies as described above that are given in cloze form and employ pictographic representations. Students keep all lecture notes in a 3-ring binder and are often required to use them for future activities.
6. Organizing Knowledge: Sequencing activities that require taking information from lecture notes and organizing it in graphic organizers. Examples: 1) Students will arrange the steps in the formation of a meteorite in proper order using the graphic organizer "Trains." 2) Students will arrange the stages in the life-cycle of a star in proper order using the graphic organizer "Story Board."
7. Organizing Knowedge: Comparison activities that require taking information from lecture notes and organizing it in graphic organizers. Examples: 1) Students will compare and contrast the characteristics of the inner and the outer planets using the graphic organizer "Venn Diagram." 2) Students will compare and contrast the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors using the graphic organizer "Venn Diagram."
8. Organizing Knowledge: The stragegy "physical representations" is frequently used in this unit. This strategy involves having students create a physical enactment of information, for example the rotation and revolution of moons and planets, and the relationship between the Earth, sun, and moon.
9. Storing Knowledge: "Create an experience" by having students physically participate in activies and demonstrations that can be remembered at a later time. These experiences can also help students "create a mental picture" of important concepts that can be remembered later.

Example 1: "Moon Observation" activity. During the 10-day to 2-week period each cycle that the moon is visible during the day (starting 3-4 days after a full moon), the class will go outside for a brief period each day to observe the moon. Each day students will record their observations on a separate page of their "Moon Observation Logs," which they made simply by stapling several sheets of blank white paper together. There are three pieces of information to be recorded each day. 1) An accurate drawing of the location of the sun and moon in relation to each other, 2) an accurate drawing of the exact shape (phase) of the moon, and 3) the distance between the sun and the moon (measured by each student in numbers of fists). After anywhere from 5-10 such daily observations have been completed, the class will make one large chart to post in the room showing the information that was recorded each day. The class will then discuss the results: that each day the moon moved closer to the sun and the shape of the moon got smaller, and that the lighted part of the moon always faces toward the sun.

Example 2: "Moon Phases" Activity. After students have completed the "Moon Observation" activity described above, they are ready for a more advanced look at moon phases as given in this activity. The objective of this activity is for students to understand that: 1) the moon does not actually change shape, it just looks as if it does; and 2) that the half of the moon facing the sun is always lit, but that we often can see only part of it depending on the positioning of the earth, sun, and moon. This activity requires space, so student desks must be moved to the outer edges of the room. Even so, only half of the class will be able to participate in the activity at one time. A lamp without a shade is set up on a desk in the center of the room; this represents the sun. Each student is given a 2-inch, white syrofoam ball, which they push onto the sharpened end of a pencil so it can be held more easily. The balls will represent the moon, and the student’s heads will represent the Earth. The room lights must be turned off and all shades pulled down so that the room is as dark as possible. The only light should come from the lamp. Students will be asked to hold up their moon so that is directly in between their head and the lamp. The ball will look completely dark. This is what happens during a new moon, when the moon is between the Earth and the sun. Students should notice that half of the moon is lighted, but that the lighted side is not visible because it is facing away from the Earth. Students will then be directed to move their moons slightly to the left, until a small crescent is visible. This represents the postion of the Earth, moon, and sun during a crescent moon. They should notice that half of the moon is still lighted, but that only a crescent of it is visible. Students will continue moving their moons around their heads to the left, and should see the quarter, gibbous, and then the full moon appear. They should be able to explain that a full moon is when the Earth is between the sun and the moon, so that the entire lighted side of the moon is facing the Earth. Students will continue to move their moons around their heads until they complete the circle, noticing the gibbous, quarter, crescent, and once again the new moon. Students will also use their moons to demonstrate a lunar eclipse (which can only happen during a full moon), and a solar eclipse (which can only happen during a new moon). Students will then be given time to experiment further until they each fully understand the results.

Example 3: "Constellations of the Zodiac" activity. The objective of this activity is for students to understand 1) why the sun appears to travel through the same 12 constellations every year, and 2) why we cannot see the constellation that the sun appears to be located in. This activity requires space, so student desks must be moved to the outer edges of the room. A lamp without a shade is set up on a desk in the center of the room; this represents the sun. It is helpful if the room lights are off and shades pulled down so that the room is dark, except for the light from the lamp. Twelve students will be selected to represent the constellations of the zodiac. They will stand in a circle around the sun, each holding up a picture of a zodiac constellation (which have been drawn ahead of time by the teacher) so that they are in proper order. Another student will be selected to represent the Earth. This student will walk in circles between the sun and the constellations, to show how the Earth revolves around the sun. As the student slowly moves around the sun, the teacher will ask him/her to look at the sun (the lamp) and name the constellation the sun appears to be in. The student should be able to explain why the sun appears to move through these constellations – neither the sun nor the constellations are actually moving, it just looks that way because the Earth is moving around the sun. As the Earth moves around the sun we see the sun from different angles, so different constellations appear to be located behind it at different times. The teacher will then ask the student to stop walking, turn toward the sun (the lamp), and tell what constellation the sun appears to be located in. The teacher will ask if that constellation is visible in the night sky. The student should explain that when the sun is located in a certain constellation, that constellation is only in our sky when the sun is -- during the day. We cannot see stars and constellations during the day because the sun’s light is too bright. The teacher will then ask the student to look at the constellations located directly behind him/her. These are the contellations that would be visible in the night sky at that time. This activity will be repeated several times so that all students have an opportunity to participate and to resolve any questions that they might have.

• Storing Knowledge: Mnemonic strategy "acrostics" to remember the order of the nine planets in the solar system. Each student will make up a sentence using the first letter of each planet in order. For example, "My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pies." The class will vote and select a winner to be used.

Procedural Knowledge

1. Students will be given a "Written Set of Steps" for locating the six circumpolar constellations (Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Draco, Cassiopeia, Cephaus) and four major stars (Polaris, Betelgeuse, Sirius, Arcturus) in the night sky. The teacher will then do a "Think Aloud" activity for locating each constellation/star, which involves verbalizing his/her thoughts while demonstrating the process. The teacher will demonstrate and explain the process several times, and will also use the strategy "Pointing out Pitfalls and Common Errors." This strategy involves making both obvious and subtle errors while demonstrating the procedure and asking students to suggest corrections. Students will then be given an opportunity to practice the procedure on simple star maps provided by the teacher. After students have tried the procedure, they will work in collaborative pairs to "Create Flow Charts" that show how to complete the procedure and what to do if something is not working. The teacher will provide a variety of situations in which students can practice locating the constellations/stars, and will also "Create Variations on the Process" by giving students star maps on which to locate the constellations/stars that increase in complexity and difficulty over time. Students will internalize these procedures through massed practice.
2. Students will be given a "Written Set of Steps" for conducting internet research using a teacher-designed WebQest. The class will then go to the computer lab, where teams of four students will share a computer. The teacher will do a "Think Aloud" activity that will include verbalizing his/her thoughts while modelling the process. Teams will then have an opportunity to walk through the process on their own computer with the teacher providing necessary guidance and support. The teacher will check for student understanding of the process using a strategy called "Pointing Out Pitfalls and Common Errors," which involves making intentional errors in his/her directions and then asking students to recognize and correct them. Students will do massed practice of this skill in multiple days in the computer lab, with teams sharing responsibilities so that all students are participating. The process will be internalized through the meaningful use task at the end of the unit.
3. The same procedure and strategies as described in #2 above will also be used to teach students the process of creating a word-processing document using Microsoft Word. The only difference is that students will not be required to work in teams in the computer lab, each student will have their own individual computer to use. This procedure will also be internalized through the meaningful use task at the end of the unit.

4. Extending and Refining Tasks

   0. Reasoning process: Inductive Reasoning – the process of making general conclusions from specific information or observations. Knowledge to be extended and refined: 1) Declarative knowledge – students will be extending and refining their knowledge of the life cycle of stars. 2) Procedural knowledge – students will be extending and refining their understanding of the process used to locate the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and Polaris in the night sky.

   The teacher will read the class a book titled Follow the Drinking Gourd, which is the story of how runaway slaves travelling the Underground Railroad in the dark of night used the stars of a well-known constellation to find their way north to freedom. Students will then work individually, using the graphic organizer "Learning Record," to answer the following questions. 1) What was the drinking gourd, and what did the people in this story use it for? 2) What do you already know about finding the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and Polaris in the night sky? 3) Based on what you already know about finding the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and Polaris in the night sky, why do you think these people used the drinking gourd to find their way north instead of the true North Star? 4) What do you already know about the life cycle of stars? 5) Based on what you already know about the life cycle of stars, do you think that the drinking gourd will always look the way it does today? Explain. Students will then use the information in their graphic organizer to write an essay explaining their answers to the above questions.

5. Reasoning process: Classifying – the process of grouping things that are alike into categories. Knowledge to be extended and refined: Declarative knowledge - students will be extending and refining their understanding of terms and concepts related to astronomy.

The class will be divided into teams with 3-4 students in each team. Each team will be given a set of index cards, with each card containing a concept, term, example, or idea that has been a part of this unit. Students work together with their team to sort the cards into groups of related ideas. After the cards are sorted, students must determine the "rules of membership" for each group of cards, create a label or title for each group, and prepare to explain and defend their decisions. Each student will write a paragraph explaining their "rules of membership" and what cards were grouped with what title. Each team will them present their final groupings to the class, and will answer questions from other teams regarding the decisions they made.

CULMINATING PERFORMANCE
Include rubric(s)

This culminating experience is classified as "Invention: The process of developing original products or processes that meet specific needs." Students will be given the following scenario: "Suppose that planet Earth became so polluted that humans could no longer live on it. Your job is to design a system that would enable humans to live on another planet."

Students will be divided into 8 groups, and each group will be assigned a planet other than Earth. Each group will then complete the activity in three phases. Phase 1 is comparison, phase 2 is invention, and phase 3 is written report. When all phases of the project have been completed, students will present their inventions to a first grade class in our school that is also studying astronomy.

The steps of the comparison phase are as follows:

1. Each group will determine what they want to compare. (They will be comparing their assigned planet and Earth in terms of their ability to sustain human life).
2. Each group will determine the characteristics on which they want to base their comparison. (The characteristics will be conditions that are necessary to sustain human life, such as temperature, atmosphere, composition of the planet, gravity, and availability of water).
3. Each group will conduct an internet investigation to find information using a WebQuest designed by the teacher.
4. Each individual student will write an essay that explains how their assigned planet and Earth are similar and different with respect to the characteristics they have selected.

The steps of the invention phase are as follows:

1. Each group will determine what they want to make, which is a system that would enable humans to live on their assigned planet.
2. Each group will determine what standards their invention must meet, for example their invention must provide the proper temperature, atmosphere, structure, gravity, and water for humans to survive.
3. Each group will make a draft of their invention, on paper.
4. Each group will improve their draft.
5. Each group will check to see that their invention meets the standards that they have set.
6. Each group will build a model of their invention.
7. Each group will present their model.

In the written report phase, each student will write a final report on the project, describing both their comparison and their invention in detail. The report will be written in Microsoft Word.

One rubric with four separate categories is used to evaluate individual student performance during the MUT. The first two categories of the rubric are "Comparison" and "Invention." Although these phases of the project were done as a group, the grade given will be individual because the assessment on the rubric will be based on information presented in each student’s written report. The third category on the rubric is "Written Report," and will assess the student’s written report based on the mechanics of writing. The fourth category of the rubric is "Participation," which assesses the level to which each individual student participated in the comparison and invention phases of the MUT. Each student will use the participation section of a rubric to assign a participation score to all members in their group, including themselves. The teacher averages these grades together to get a participation grade for each student. The points earned in all four categories are then added together to get a final score, out of a possible 100 points. Each student will thus receive one final grade for the MUT.

RUBRIC FOR ASTRONOMY MUT

Part 1: Comparison (30 points)

10. Points): I correctly identified the two planets to be compared.

10. Points): I identified six criteria for the comparison that are necessary for sustaining life.

(10 Points): I correctly identified how the two planets are alike and different for each criteria.

Possible Points for Comparison = 30

Points Earned_______

Part 2: Invention (30 points)

(5 Points): I identified the need that my invention must meet.

(5 Points): I identified a standard that my invention must meet for all six criteria.

(5 Points): I revised my first invention so that it better met the need and standards that I set.

(5 Points): My final invention meets the need and the standards that I set.

(10 Points): The model/drawing of my invention is quality work, and shows effort and creativity.

Possible Points for Invention = 30

Points Earned_______

Part 3: Written Report (30 points)

(10 Points): Paragraph Structure – Divided into paragraphs correctly, has intro and conclusion.

(5 Points): Sentence Structure – Complete sentences, no run-on sentences.

(5 Points): Spelling, Punctuation, Capitalization.

(5 Points): Title and Author.

(5 Points): Correct Length (at least 150 words).

Points Possible for Written Report = 30

Points Earned_______ 

Part 4: Participation (10 points)

(+10 Points): Participates and cooperates fully, does not disrupt, does his/her share or more.

(+5 Points): Participates and cooperates fully, does not disrupt, does not do his/her share.

(+0 Points): Is occasionally disruptive or non-cooperative.

(-10 Points): Does not participate, is often disruptive, does not cooperate

Points Possible for Participation =10

Points Earned_______

Total Score:

(Points earned for Comparison + Invention + Written Report + Participation)

Points Possible = 100

Points Earned_______

PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS

Pre-requisite skills for this unit include: 1) An understanding of the concepts of day, night, years, and seasons; but not the underlying reasons that they exist. 2) A basic understanding of the solar system, including the fact that there is one sun and many planets, and that we live on the planet Earth. 3) An awareness that the points of light that we observe in the night sky are called stars.

MODIFICATIONS

 This unit was taught to a class of 21 students, which did include 4 special education inclusion students. Modifications made include having a special education assistant present during class time to provide assistance in reading and note taking, giving vocabulary and lecture notes in cloze form, use of visual representations of vocabulary words, use of graphic organizers to organize information, use of word processer with spell check for all writing tasks, grouping with regular ed peers during activites. A variety of testing modifications were also used, including alternative test setting to minimize distractions, extended time, explanation of directions, and reading of test questions.

UNIT SCHEDULE/TIME PLAN

 This unit was taught using one 45-minute period per day for approximately 8 weeks. During the culminating activity, students also worked on creating models of their inventions in art class.

TECHNOLOGY USE

 The culminating experience of this unit makes use of our school computer lab in two ways. 1) students will conduct an internet investigation using WebQuest. 2) Students will create, edit, and print their final report in Microsoft Word. Our computer lab contains IBM compatible computers with internet access.