Ideas For Use
Science Objects are two hour learning experiences teachers can use to enhance their understanding of a particular scientific concept. Teachers can access any topic “on demand” from the Internet. Topics are based on the science literacy goals in the national standards (NSES, Science for All Americans, Benchmarks, and the Atlas of Scientific Literacy) and tied to state standards.
Each Science Object provides an understanding of the science content by providing a structured set of learning experiences through simulations and practice assessments. Science Objects challenge teachers to explore and explain real world phenomena and are founded on the principle that learners must be challenged with a problem, observation, data, etc., in order to develop scientific understanding. Science Objects utilize the five phases of inquiry-based learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.
Learning Outcomes:
Universe: The Sun as a Star
- Reject common misconceptions, such as stars are bits of the Sun.
- List characteristics of the Sun that match the definition of a star.
- Accurately compare and contrast the characteristics of the Sun with other stars (e.g., mass, distance, size, color).
- Recognize the rough ratio of the distance to the Sun and the distance to the next nearest stars on a human scale (i.e., if the sun is 10 feet away, roughly how far is the next nearest star?).
- Select the rough estimate of the travel time (at speed of light) to next nearest star from a list.
- Describe how astronomers determined that the stars were just like the Sun.