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Lesson Plan


		Lesson Information


		Outcomes and Standards
		Objectives
		Assessment


		Resources
		Materials
		Vocabulary
		Procedures
		Day Plans
		Enrichment Options


		Teacher Reflection

Stage 1
Identify Desired Results

Catchy Title: Star Gazer
Theme/Topic of Lesson: Using The Hubble Telescope
Time Commitment: Three 45 minute periods
Subject Area(s):
Science - Astronomy
Grade Level(s): 8
Standards Alignment:
Class Challenge Question:

How is the Hubble Space Telescope used by NASA scientists?

Overview:

This lesson explores how scientists use technology to observe and count objects in space, calculate distance between stars, and classify objects in space. An online course is utilized to direct students through a hands-on learning experience. Their final product is either an informative poster or a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating what they learned.

Stage 2
Determine Acceptable Evidence

Technology productivity tools
(Gr. 6-8)

ISTE Technology Standards

3. Technology productivity tools

Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.

ISTE Technology Performance Indicators
Use content-specific tool

Use content-specific tools, software, and simulations (e.g., environmental probes, graphing calculators, exploratory environments, Web tools) to support learning and research.

Earth/Space Science
(6-8)

Maryland Content Standards
Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the chemical and physical interactions (i.e., natural forces and cycles, transfer of energy) of the environment, Earth, and the universe that occur over time.

Maryland State Indicators
2.8.7
explain that there are billions and billions of galaxies and each galaxy contains billions of stars that cannot be distinguished by the naked eye because of their great distance from earth.

Learning Objectives:

The Students will:

Assessment
Students will be assessed on their entries in their HAL logs. In addition, the final segment (number four of four) of the course will be used to evaluate an individual’s attainment of the Learning Objectives.

Students will also be assessed on their creation of a poster or PowerPoint slideshow that demonstrate what they have learned from this lesson.

Stage 3
Plan Learning Experiences

Resources

Other Technology	Minimum of 1 classroom computer with Internet access A computer lab set-up would be ideal for this lesson.
Other Technology	Projection device
Software	PowerPoint software
Video(s)	Telescopes "Telescopes" from the "Standard Deviants:Astronomy Adventure' DVD. (Ordering information can be found at www.standarddeviants.com or by calling 1-800-238-9669)
Video(s)	http://www.standarddeviants.com
Internet Sites	Hubble Deep Field Academy This is the URL that the students will be accessing to complete the online activities utilizing images and data from the Hubble Space Telescope. This site also features an All About Deep Field link for teachers to gain background knowledge.
Internet Sites	http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/hdf/

Materials

Per Student
Hubble Academy Log.pdf

This file can also be accessed directly from the Hubble Deep Field site. Click on the Get Oriented button and then click on HAL. This is a pdf file that requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to download.

  (View)
writing utensil

Poster board, glue, scissors and markers (for those students choosing to make a poster)
Poster Rubric  (View)
PowerPoint Rubric  (View)
Science journal
Hubble Homework  (View)

Vocabulary

star - A gaseous, self-luminous object held together by its own gravity, and so hot that its core releases energy by fusing lighter nuclei into heavier nuclei; the Sun is one such star.
galaxy - A massive system of stars held together by their mutual gravity.
deep field - An area of the sky, located near the Big Dipper, photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Hubble Space Telescope - An automated reflecting telescope which orbits the Earth, built by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It contains instruments capable of receiving many types of radiation.
light year - A unit of distance equal to the distance light travels in one year; roughly six trillion miles.
Milky Way Galaxy - The specific galaxy to which our Sun belongs, named because most of its visible stars appear overhead on a clear dark night as a milky way band of light extending across the sky.

Procedures

The students will be working on an online set of lessons to learn how the Hubble Space Telescope is used to gather information about our universe. The students will be asked questions that they will respond to online, and then they will see how NASA scientists answered the same questions. They will then reflect on their responses in writing in their Hubble Academy Log.

When the students have finished this part of the lesson, they will then prepare a PowerPoint presentation or poster that will demonstrate what they have learned at the Hubble Deep Field Academy.

Day 1: Welcome to the Academy
Daily Challenge Question: What is one way the Hubble Space Telescope is used by NASA scientists?
45 minutes

Set-up Directions:
The teacher will need to have the Hubble Academy Logs (HAL) duplicated. (The teacher needs to decide if the students will be writing directly into the HAL or another place, and be prepared to explain how he/she wants this done.) In addition, students should have their science journals for reflection writing.

The ideal setting for this activity is in a computer lab with two students per computer, but if a rotation schedule needs to be devised, do so before the lesson. All computers need Internet access. If the teacher plans to introduce the Web site to the whole class, be sure the projection device is connected and the Web site has been bookmarked.

Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
The teacher needs to explain that the students will be using actual images and data sent back to Earth by the Hubble Space Telescope for this lesson. Students will be interpreting this data and learning how real scientists have used the same data. Our country has spent billions of dollars on space exploration and study. The Hubble is one tool that they use. The students will learn why it is one of the most important tools we use to study space today.

Hand out the HAL. Students can write directly into the log, or you can print out a class set and have them answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper or in their science notebooks.

Warm-up: "What do you think the Hubble Space Telescope does? What can scientists do with the data that it sends back to Earth?" Review the answers with the students. Write down some of the responses on the board.

Activity 1 - Orientation
In this activity students should work through steps 1-5 on the online course and complete one of the missions in step 6.

Focus for Media Interaction
Focus for Media Interaction: The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
The focus for media interaction is to complete the online Hubble Academy course in order to learn about a few of the uses of the Hubble Space Telescope and how some NASA scientists use data it sends back to Earth.

Explain to students that the site itself will take them through a tutorial on how to use the site and fill in the Log. They should not write down any answers until the lesson specifically instructs them to do so.Many students try to start answering the Log's questions as they move through the lesson, but the questions are designed to be answered at a specific point(s) in each lesson.

Viewing Activities
What will your students be responsible for while viewing this piece of multi-media or video?
Have the students log onto the Hubble Deep Field Academy site. They should then click on the 'Get Oriented' link and follow directions.To help them get a more thorough understanding of the Hubble, they can click on any of the hyperlinks within the orientation text. When they get to the end and complete their writing they should proceed to one of the four missions (Stellar Statisticuan, Cosmic Classifier, Galactic Guide, or Universal Graduate).

They should now go through each of the missions in order.

Post Viewing Activities
How will students utilize the information they gathered while viewing the multi-media or video?
The fourth mission (final one) pulls together all of what they have learned in the first three. This will be used as an assessment tool by the online course and you may want to have them complete this on a separate day.

Wrap Up:
Have students answer the Daily Challenge Question in their science journals before they leave class.

Day 2: Continuing Training
Daily Challenge Question: What are two additional ways that the Hubble Space Telescope is used, other than the way you described yesterday?
45 minutes

Set-up Directions:
Today's setup is the same as yesterday's, except that the students should already know how to answer the questions from their HAL and the online course. The students should continue with the remainder of the missions today. The teacher will need to decide whether he/she wants the students to complete the last session at this time or use it in the future as an assessment.

Duplicate copies of the PowerPoint Rubric and Poster Rubric.

Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
Explain that the students will be finishing up their missions today. Also explain the final product (poster or PowerPoint presentation demonstrating learned knowledge) using the rubrics as guides. Students may choose which project they would like to complete. The students who finish early can get started on the final product.

Activity 1 - Final Missions
The students should now go through each of the missions in order. The fourth mission (final one) pulls together all of what they have learned in the first three. This will be used as an assessment tool and you may want to have them complete this on a separate day.

As the students proceed through all of the missions the teacher can walk around assisting those who are having difficulties.

The teacher should collect each of the HAL logs when the students finish and assess for well written responses.

Wrap Up:
Have the students answer the Daily Challenge Question in their science journals.

Day 3: Now Presenting
Daily Challenge Question: How do scientists use the information they receive from the Hubble Space Telescope to learn about our universe?
30-45 minutes

Set-up Directions:
Student will need access to either computers with PowerPoint (or other presentation) software or poster making materials (poster board, markers, scissors, glue). They will also need copies of the rubric of their choice. In addition, copies will need to be duplicated of the Hubble Homework assignment.

Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
Tell students that this is the part of the lesson where they get to show off what they have learned. Students will either be preparing a poster or PowerPoint presentation of learned material. Students can work in pairs for this activity. The teacher can use the rubrics as grading tools for the presentations.

Activity 1 - Bring it All Together
Students create a poster or PowerPoint slideshow to explain how the Hubble Space Telescope is used in each of the areas covered in the missions.

The poster can be broken up into 4 parts - one for each of the 4 missions, with at least 10 facts total; or, the PowerPoint slideshow should contain 4 slides, one for each of the 4 missions, with at least 10 facts total. See rubrics for more detailed requirements.

In either medium, students should include at least one of their responses to the HAL and how it compared to the NASA scientists' points of view.

Activity 2 - Culminating Video
The students will view the video clip, "Telescopes" from the "Standard Deviants:Astronomy Adventure' DVD (see Resources).

As they watch this clip they will gather information about two types of telescopes that astronomers use (other than the Hubble) to study the universe. They will compare these telescopes to the Hubble.

Focus for Media Interaction
Focus for Media Interaction: The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
The focus for media interaction is to learn about two different types of telescopes that astronomers use (other than the Hubble) and be able to compare these to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Viewing Activities
What will your students be responsible for while viewing this piece of multi-media or video?
As they watch this short video, students should take notes either in their science journal or on a piece of paper.

They should be writing notes about two types of telescopes and how they work. They will do this in order to compare these telescopes to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Post Viewing Activities
How will students utilize the information they gathered while viewing the multi-media or video?
The students will use the information they gathered to complete Hubble Homework. The homework asks students to complete a Venn diagram comparing the Hubble Space Telescope to the two telescopes they learned about in the video.

Wrap Up:
Have students answer the Daily Challenge Question in their journals.

Enrichment Options

Community Connection
Have students create a brochure that explains why it is important for our government to continue to spend tax dollars on space exploration.

Parent-Home Connection
Students can do further investigation at home, at a similar site to the Hubble Deep Field Academy at http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/index.shtml .

Cross-Curricular Extensions
Math: Students can do calculations of the distances from Earth of various objects that the Hubble Space Telesope observes.

Stage 4
Teacher Reflection

As a reflective practitioner, note how this lesson could be adjusted after its initial implementation. How successful were the students? What did the assessment demonstrate about the students’ learning? What skills do the students need to revisit? What instructional strategies worked and what made them successful? What will you change the next time you use this lesson? Why?

Author: John Leck
Modified by: Amy Whitney
Author's School System: Montgomery County Public Schools