My earth science class is a little more than halfway through our astronomy unit, which takes up the majority of the first semester. We begin by learning about space exploration and history (the "Space Race," Apollo missions, rockets, satellites, the ISS, etc.) then do a small chapter on the Sun-Moon-Earth system. In this section we learn about the phases of the Moon as well as the relationship between the Sun and Earth that causes seasons, days, etc. We begin piecing together the preciseness of outer space and discuss evidence for a Creator, God. Check out these drawings that a student did on his quiz for this section!
For the first time ever, he got a 95% on his test and was so excited to tell all his friends! I was pretty excited too; I think I did a happy dance after grading his test.
The third leg of our astronomical adventure allows us to study our solar system in depth. Students will work in small groups to research a planet and then teach the class through a creative oral presentation, complete with visual aids and handouts to aid in note-taking. This week I allowed students to list their first and second choices for the planets they'd most like to present on, and I was rather amused by the results. Survey says:
13 out of 24 students requested Neptune (Did I miss something? Why is Neptune so popular??)
8 out of 24 students requested Venus
Only 3 students requested Jupiter (but it was their second choice!)
The rest of the planets received equal favor, with 4-5 students requesting each
I'm excited to let their creative juices flow on this project. I have pretty strict expectations and guidelines, but they also have quite a bit of freedom in how they choose to present the required information. I encouraged them to think outside the box, telling them that if I have to sit through 8 identical power point presentations, no one will be earning any creativity points!
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