Teachers--please register:(1) Your name (2) Address (3) E-mail (4) School (5) Grade-s for which this material is to be used (6) Parts to be used (or "all").Any comments would be most welcome! Send them to the author David P. Stern, address stargaze("at" symbol)phy6.org |
Lesson Plans
Questions from Users: *** A teacher asks about compiling lesson plans Astronomy of the Earth's motion in space:1. Stargazers and Skywatchers1a. The Celestial Sphere 1b. Finding the Pole Star 2. The Path of the Sun, the Ecliptic 2a. Building a Sundial 3. Seasons of the Year 4. The Angle of the Sun's Rays 5. Latitude and Longitude 5a. Navigation 5b. Coordinates 6. The Calendar 7. Precession 8. The Round Earth and Christopher Columbus Includes 8a. Distance to the Horizon 8b. Parallax 8c. How Distant is the Moon?--1 8d. How Distant is the Moon?--2 The central role of the Sun 9a. Aristarchus: Is Earth Revolving around the Sun? Includes 9a-1. The Earth's Shadow 9b. The Planets (the following lesson covers part of this, but not the planets) 9c. Copernicus, Galileo, and the Discovery of the Solar System
"Kepler's 3 Laws of Planetary Motion," a one-hour overview lecture presented to teachers 23 March 2005. Guide to the sections on Kepler's Laws, discussed below.
10. Kepler and his Laws Newtonian mechanics13. The Way Things Fall14. Vectors 15. Energy 16. Newton and his Laws 17. Mass Includes: 17a. Mass Measurements aboard Space Station Skylab 17b. Comparing Masses without the Use of Gravity 18. Newton's Second Law 18a. Newton's 3rd Law 18b. Momentum 19. Motion in a Circle 20. "Newton's theory of "Universal Gravitation" 21. Kepler's Third Law Includes: 21a. Applying Kepler's Third Law 22. Frames of Reference: The Basics 22a Airplane Flight 23. Frames of Reference: The Centrifugal Force 24. Rotating Frames of Reference in Space and on Earth The Sun
S-1. Sunlight and the Earth Helpful MaterialQuestions and Answers by users of "Stargazers".Hints to users. A Glossary of Terms (Cross-linked, keyed to the text) Annotated Timeline (Chronology with added dates from history). . Of special interest to teachers:
A list of problems related to the material. "Using Space to Teach Physics" (draft of article in The Physics Teacher, Feb.'99) "From Stargazers to Starships" follows an earlier site "The Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere". "Stargazers" deals with the world of gravity--of massive planets and stars, and the way spaceflight is achieved despite their strong pull. "Exploration" on the other hand looks at the hot (but usually rarefied) gases which fill most of space, which are ruled by magnetic and electric forces rather than by gravity. The polar aurora, the radiation belts, the solar wind, magnetic storms, "space weather", cosmic radiation--this is the site which tells you all about them. |
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Author and Curator: Dr. David P. Stern |