Week 7‘s Blog

     This week we talk about the info from Pressbook and talked about the homework video which talked about some students not really understand about the sun, moon and earth problem after the class. And saw the Designed system table on the Atlas Science Literacy book in the lab . Also showed the standards from 1st-7th grade from NGSS.

    We ask to physically build a scale model of the sun, moon and the 4 inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) in our table group. We search the size and distance of each planets, and do the units change

1. The Big Question in Lab: The big question we tackled in the lab was understanding and representing the spatial relationships and sizes of the Sun, Moon, and inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) on a model scale. This involved calculating and translating the actual distances and sizes into manageable, scaled-down versions that could fit within our table group setup.

Activities in Lab: In lab, we worked in groups to build a scale model of the Sun, Moon, and inner planets. This required extensive research on the actual sizes and distances of each celestial body, followed by calculations to determine a scale that accurately represented these distances on a smaller scale. We also explored unit conversions to ensure consistency in our measurements.

2. Thursday’s Lecture: Thursday’s discussion centered on the concepts of "Luna Moon" and "lines on Earth." We explored how the Moon's orbit affects phenomena on Earth.

3. Weekly Textbook Reading Reflection:

• What I Learned:
  I learned about various astronomical phenomena, such as the interactions between the Sun, Moon, and Earth and how these create observable effects, like tides. Additionally, the Designed System Table in the Atlas Science Literacy book which offered on lab class is a clear framework for visualizing and understanding complex systems in science, which is especially useful for educational planning.

• Most Helpful Aspects:
  The standards from the NGSS for grades 1-7 provided a helpful foundation for creating lessons and understanding what students at different developmental stages are expected to know..

• Areas for Further Information:
  I’d like more insight into specific methods for teaching the spatial scale of planets and distances in a way that students can relate to. Visualizing astronomical distances accurately is a challenge, and I’m curious about practical tools or models that can make this more tangible.It is not easy to measure it at the begin of the distance.

• Questions/Concerns/Comments:
  One question I have is how to address misconceptions that students may have about the Sun, Moon, and Earth interactions.Sometime it was still struggled with these concepts. How can I adjust or reinforce my lessons to target these misunderstandings?