Summary: Scientific knowledge changes as new evidence becomes available. Some technological developments and scientific discoveries have significantly changed people’s understanding of the solar system.
Predictable Phenomena
“explain that predictable phenomena on the Earth, including day and night, seasons and eclipses are caused by the relative positions of the sun, the Earth and the moon”
Notes
| Activity/Resource | Notes |
|---|---|
| [Practical] Physical Modelling | Requires: spherical objects + physical space Give students (or have them make) model versions of the Earth, Moon and Sun and task them with ‘recreating’ their relative motion and positioning (the Sun can be represented using a light bulb – conduct the activity in a dark room to observe how light falls on the Earth and Moon) |
| [Practical] Eclipse Viewer | Can be for demonstrative purposes, or you could wait for an actual eclipse to occur during school time Side-Research Task: students search online for when the next solar/lunar eclipse (that is visible from Australia) is set to occur; additional research to learn how this is determined |
| [Discussion] Questions | Which way does the sun rise? Compare two cities – which travels faster as the Earth spins Which cities start the day first What conditions are needed for solar/lunar eclipses? How rare are total solar eclipses? What do solar/lunar eclipses look like from different positions on Earth? |
| [Digital] Tide Levels | Students compare two images of the same beach (at different tide levels), discuss possible reasons How can understanding high/low tides be useful? E.g. fishermen, constructing buildings near the coast |
| [Video] What Causes the Seasons? | Veritasium. (2010). What causes the seasons? [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3TRUDKpoAs Misconceptions (is it because of distance?) Orbit is elliptical (but distance doesn’t account for seasons – the northern hemisphere’s winter is when the Earth is closest to the Sun) Would be a good idea to use a physical model/lamp to demonstrate how the sun’s direct rays shine more on one hemisphere (due to tilt) as it orbits |
Solar System
“demonstrate, using examples, how ideas by people from different cultures have contributed to the current understanding of the solar system”
“compare historical and current models of the solar system to show how models are modified or rejected as a result of new scientific evidence”
“describe some examples of how technological advances have led to discoveries and increased scientific understanding of the solar system”
Notes
| Activity/Resource | Notes |
|---|---|
| [Discussion] Brainstorm | Simple Brainstorm/Quiz – what do students know about the Universe? |
| [Literacy] Mind Map | Students construct a mind/concept map (over the course of the unit) about features of the Universe |
| [Research] Solar System Understanding | Students research cultural understandings of the Solar System Presentation can be given orally and/or visually (mobile, model, PowerPoint, video, storyboard, chart, play, etc.) |
| [Literacy] Information Gap | (General Activity): Group describes a object to another group who create a replica using the same materials/description Compare/contrast and discussed reasons for differences (observation vs inference) Purpose – lead into discussion about how cultures explained their observations to others |
| [Literacy] Timeline | Timeline, mapping out past/present discoveries about the Universe (students make contributions to a classroom timeline) |
| [Practical] Model | Use physical materials to create different models of solar system |
| [Research] Media | Students find media reports about scientific advancements (articles, video segments, scientific journals) |
| [Video] Does Planet 9 Exist? | Veritasium. (2019). Does planet 9 exist? [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe83T9hISoY Case-study: current/future research to better our understanding of the solar system |
*Will continue adding/refining ideas here over time.
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