Teaching Earth and Space Science
ASTR 402, FALL 2009
Offered by the Physics and Astronomy Department of Rice University with help from the Houston Museum of Natural Science and NASA.
| GOAL: This course develops solar system concepts and skills in a manner consistent with National Science Standards, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills proficienciesand HISD's Project Clear. It uses solar system examples to teach mathematical skills. It covers all the solar system material in the Texas High School Astronomy course, and the "Earth in Space" concepts from the new TX "Earth and Space Science" course, but presented at a level accessible by upper elementary and middle school teachers. (The remaining stellar and galactic astronomy concepts are covered in ASTR 403). The course uses materials from the "Space Update" program, involves student inquiry using software and web-based materials, and has some hands-on solar system observing labs. | Dates: August 24 - Dec 4, 2009, Mondays, 6:15 - 9 pm (with some Thursdays observing) | Location: Herman Brown Hall 233, Rice campus (except one day TBD at HMNS), plus campus observatory and George Observatory TBD | |
| SCIENCE TEKS STRANDS and GRADE LEVELS:
Grade Levels: 6-8 (general science) and 9-12 (IPC, Astronomy) Components of the Solar System
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MATH TEKS STRANDS and GRADE LEVELS:
Grade Levels: 6-8 and 9-12 Numbers, Operations, and Quantitative Reasoning
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HIGH SCHOOL ASTRONOMY Course (TX course 112.48) Knowledge and Skills: Scientific Processes, scientific methods, field and laboratory investigations, use of data to make inferences, communicate conclusions; Science Concepts: Observe and record data about lunar phases and use that information to model the earth, moon and sun system Science Concepts: Units of measurement such as Light Year and Astronomical Unit; History of astronomy; planetary motion; Equation of gravitation Science Concepts: The Sun: its energy sources; the Sun's effect on earth; the effect of rotation, revolution and tilt on the environment; the effect of the Moon on tides; the solar system (the remaining stellar and galactic astronomy concepts are covered in ASTR 403). |
HIGH SCHOOL new TX EARTH and SPACE SCIENCE course (draft)
Knowledge and Skills: Scientific Processes, scientific methods, field and laboratory investigations, use of data to make inferences, communicate conclusions Science Concepts: The student knows that Earth's place in the solar system is explained by the star, planets, and minor bodies of a stellar system that accrete from a stellar nebula as explained by the nebular-planetesimal-protoplanet model. Science Concepts: contrast the characteristics of solar system planetesimals such as comets, asteroids, meteoroids, and their positions within the Oort Cloud, the Kuiper Belt, and the asteroid belt Science Concepts: compare the terrestrial planets to the gas giant planets, including internal structure, atmosphere, size, density, solar orbit, presence of water, surface features, tectonic activity, temperature, and suitability for life; explore the historical and current hypotheses for the origin of the moon, including the collision of Earth with a Mars-sized planetesimal; compare recently-discovered extra-solar planets with planets in our solar system, and describe how such planets are detected. |
Class Details
| Instructor | Prof. Patricia Reiff (reiff@rice.edu); Assisted by Adjunct Prof. Carolyn Sumners of the Houston Museum of Natural Science |
| Texts | "Stars and Planets", Pasachoff and Menzel, ISBN 9780395-910993 "Space Update", Rice University, ISBN 9781931-523530 |
| University Credit Hours | 3 (sorry, no stipend)
To register for credit, contact Patricia Reiff (reiff@rice.edu) at 713-348-4634. You must be registered as a Visiting, undergrad, or Master of Science Teaching student. Teachers wishing to participate as a Visiting Student, please bring ID and social security number to first class. Note: up to 9 credit hours taken as a Visiting Student can be applied towards your Master of Science Teaching degree. |
| Tuition/fees | Thanks to a generous support from Rice University, the tuition is only $750 for three hours of graduate credit, plus other University fees (roughly $200).
Certain inservice teachers may qualify for tuition scholarships (nominally $750). Contact Dr. Reiff. |