Over the last 500 years humans have gone from seeing a man in the moon to seeing a man on the moon. This phenomenal advance in collective learning has taken place thanks in large part to a group of strategies which have come to be referred to as The Scientific Method. If humankind has made so much progress by using the Scientific Method, then why not teach all our children to use it at an early age rather than waiting until high school or college to teach a few who are fast-tracked into science and technology careers. If we have made this much progress with a few humans using these strategies, then what will our collective learning curve look like if we are all trained to make science discoveries and/or to appreciate the discoveries of others?

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

PEGASUS

OBJECTIVE: Students will read for information about the Constellation Pegasus for the purpose of writing a report of information about this constellation.

TIME NEEDED: one or two periods

MATERIALS:

Reading materials about the constellation Pegasus provided by the teacher
(365 Starry Nights)
Science Journal
Pen or pencil

PROCEDURE:

1. Read or tell students the mythological story of the winged horse Pegasus.
2. Show them the constellation Pegasus.
3. Tell them that the Greeks called this group Pegasus. They named many other groups of stars or constellations after mythological beings: Aries, Pisces, Leo, etc. Do any of these names ring a bell?
4. Instruct students to use the reading materials to take notes for a report of information on the constellation Pegasus.
5. Assign “Things to Do, Questions to Answer” to get their notetaking started.
6. Have them ask and answer questions of their own.

Things to Do, Questions to Answer:

1. Copy the constellation of Pegasus shown on October 6 or 7
2. Name the stars “Enif, Markab, Scheat, and Algenib. What do these names mean?
3. What is the most easily recognized feature of the constellation Pegasus?
4. What is globular cluster M15 made of? How far away is it?
5. Ask other questions about this constellation. Find the answers on the internet or in the library.

Homework: Stargazing Report:Write a report of information about the Constellation Pegasus. Include drawings and/or pictures.
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