julietsierra
Posts: 1841
Joined: 9/26/2004
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Ok, LadyEllen nailed it way back on page 3. It's a standard KWL process.
K: You begin with what the students know. They know familiar distances. By high school, they generally know the order of the planets and some other things. You lead them, through questions to the point where they want to know how big the solar system is. (Yes, I know the question was about the universe) W
So, you teach them how to calculate scale and have them do their own calculations to arrive at scale models of the sun and the planets (mathematics). Then you have them draw those scale models (applying those mathematics to something more pictorial). Then you determine miles to the size of a representative person's foot (you can have everyone measure the length of each other's feet to determine how close to 12 inches someone's foot is - choose the one that's closest). (measurement) Once that's done, you take your classroom outside. This process moves from abstract (the mathmatics) to pictorial (the drawing of the models) to the concrete and therefore, understood by most of the students in your classroom. You begin outside the school. You put the sun on the wall of the school and challenge the students to come up with how many steps the representative student will have to take (more mathematics) to equal the number of miles between the sun and the first planet of our solar system. Have the entire class walk that distance, counting the steps the representative person has taken. Let the most challenged in the class be the "recorder" of the number of steps - they practice counting in that manner. Everyone should have calculators so that they can compute the number of steps needed to be taken. Again, the most challenged are working on calculator skills as they do this. Other more advanced students may be able to do the calculations in their heads and those in the middle can find the answers using technology
When the class reaches the place where Mercury would be, they tape or otherwise secure the drawn model of Mercury. Then they calculate the distance in steps to where Venus would be. Then to Earth and Mars and all the rest - as far as is possible according to school rules and time available. Each time, they look back to see how far from the sun they've come. Generally, they need only go as far as Mars (the equivalent of much more than a football field) before they are in awe of the distances. Jupiter tend to equate to miles in terms of the steps they have to take so this would not be feasible.
Now, come back in the classroom. Discuss the changes in their views of just their solar system, and what they've learned.
Somewhere in the discussion, even if it's not the most scientifically enthusiastic class, someone's going to bring up the fact that all you've done is their solar system. They'll arrive at what they consider to be the astounding realization that the universe is everything else - as far as they can imagine. One bright kid will generally exclaim that it's just like the game they play with numbers - when they say INFINITY and someone else answers INFINITY PLUS ONE!
And then you pause while that sinks in. L
It takes approximately 4class periods to get this done. One to explain the process. One to do the calculations and draw the models, one to review, walk things out and recap with the discussion. And finally, one to test what they've learned.
You test on the mathematics of drawing to scale and distances from the sun as well as other information regarding the expansion of the universe, etc.
That's what I'd do.
juliet
< Message edited by julietsierra -- 12/31/2007 8:38:16 AM >
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RE: If you were a Science Teacher.... - 
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