Teaching Astronomy to Kids

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Teaching Astronomy to Kids

• They actually allow me into the schools!

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Outline

• The basics of teaching to children.
• My Astronomy Minicourse Curriculum in Three Acts
• Demonstration of the materials and projects.
• A mini minicourse.

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Background

• Teaching astronomy minicourse for several years.
• Various course lengths
• 3-day course
• 1-day course
• special visits to classes.
• Various grade levels
• 1st grade through 5th grade

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Remember History Class?

• Kids get bored.
• MTV generation.
• Standing in front of a class and rambling on for
  hours about obscure or even tangible astronomical
  concepts will not work.
• Keep the subject matter varied.
• Hop between slides and activities.
• Use a question/answer approach during the slides.
• Keeps the kids involved even when they arent
  gluing stuff together.
• Dont try to explain cosmology.
• Keep it simple.
• The goal (for me at least) is to expose kids to
  observational astronomy since this is something
  they can DO and not have to study.

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My Minicourse Curriculum

• Title Hands-on Amateur Astronomy
• Description
• Students will learn about amateur astronomy in
  three hands-on sessions. In one session, students
  will build their own planisphere and learn how to
  use it to find constellations. In another
  session, students will build their own refracting
  telescope and learn how to use it to observe the
  moon and planets. And, weather permitting,
  students will learn how to safely observe
  sunspots and how to record their observations.
  Students should bring glue and scissors and coats
  and hats to class so we can go outside if sunny.

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Notes about Sessions

• Each session takes about 45 minutes.
• Sessions may not go in the order given since the
  solar session will take precedence due to
  weather.
• But, I like to do the planisphere project before
  the telescope project.

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My 3-Day Minicourse Curriculum

• Day 1 Constellations
• Stellarium (www.stellarium.org)
• Ask what constellation it is.
• Point out interesting aspects.
• Pointer to North Star
• Mizar and Alcor
• Build Planisphere
• Explain why its useful.
• Step-by-step build.
• Teach how to use.
• See what constellations are visible that night.
• What constellations are visible on their
  birthdays.

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3-Day Minicourse Curriculum

• Day 2 Solar Session
• Will move this session around depending on
  weather.
• Start out in class explaining solar viewing
  safety.
• Never point a telescope or binoculars at sun.
• Explain that we are using special filter
  equipment to make it safe and that they dont
  have this special equipment.
• Hand out Solar Observing Log
• A sheet of paper with a circle on it and spaces
  to put date, time, place type of information.
• Head outside and set up telescope.
• Ill ask the teacher to get the kids ready while
  I set up the scope.
• I use a projection system since it allows more
  than one student to look at once.

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3-Day Minicourse Curriculum

• Day 3 Build a telescope
• Powerpoint of different types of telescopes.
• Use the skinny glass vs bowl analogy.
• Radio telescopes are neat since they dont look
  like telescopes.
• Build the scopes according to the instructions.
• But along the way show how the objective lense
  doesnt magnify much but the eyepiece does.
• Things are upside down/backwards
• Teach them how to focus the telescopes.
• Powerpoint of pretty space objects time
  permitting.
• Hand out list of objects to look at with their
  telescope.
• I have a rudimentary handout I made and give to
  the kids.

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1-Day Version

• Constellation tour
• Build planisphere
• Telescope slides
• Build telescopes
• Pretty picture slides (if time permits)
• TOTAL TIME about 1.5 hours.

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Mini-minicourse

• Constellation slides
• Build planisphere
• Telescope slides
• Build telescope
• Pretty picture slides

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More Information

• http//www.jesslex.com/astrominicourse.html
• Description of course materials.
• Downloadable zip file with all the materials.