Introduction
I have been fascinated with space since the first manned space flights when the whole world seemed to come to a standstill as we waited to see if the launch would be successful. So much has been learned and so much remains to be learned. I have to admit to being a Star Trek fan even though so much of what is shown is inaccurate. During my reading for this seminar, I have learned so much but realize how little I really know. I have chosen to limit my unit to a few simple formulas related to the study of the stars. These formulas involve distance, luminosity and velocity.
Most students in high school have a limited background in Astronomy. I want to broaden their exposure beyond our Solar System. In one unit, I cannot cover everything so I am limiting my unit to a few aspects of the stars. I have designed this unit for use in my PreCalculus classes. Just like me, my students are fascinated with space. How could they not be? We live in Florida not that far from the Kennedy Space Center. If the weather conditions are right, we can see the first minutes of a launch from our own backyards. They have also grown up with Star Trek and Star Wars. This seems the perfect hook to relate what we will learn to their interests. Too many times I hear "why are we doing this?" or "when will we ever use this?" I want them to see that Mathematics has a real purpose in the real world. At the same time, I want them to learn accurate information about the stars. While they are increasing their academic knowledge, I want them to realize that there are opportunities for them to be a part of the frontier that is still the study of the Universe. With a strong Mathematics and Science background, they have the opportunity to be pioneers and to make the next breakthrough to expand our knowledge base about the Universe.
Our seminar is covering a broad range of topics of interest to the fellows. This has given me an opportunity to build a broad base of general knowledge. As we ask questions and discuss topics in these areas of interest, I find useful information to help with my own unit. These are not questions that I would have thought to ask or would have thought would be helpful to my unit. I have also been able to ask questions that directly relate to the topics I will cover in my unit. The text recommended by Dr. Sofia has been particularly helpful as a starting point for my reading. While I am limiting my unit to the stars, I hope that my students will ask questions that go beyond the lessons I have prepared. With what I am learning in the seminar, I will be able to guide them to resources that can excite and challenge them.
This unit is designed for PreCalculus students. Most of these are juniors or seniors in high school. This unit could be used for Algebra 1 or Algebra 2 with some modifications. In elementary and middle school, their study has been limited to our Solar System and perhaps the Milky Way Galaxy. Even this will probably have been very limited in scope. In high school, most of these students will not have had courses that have units on Astronomy. They have taken Biology and Chemistry. Because we are on a 4 x 4 block schedule, they will be taking Physics before, during or after completion of my class. These students will have completed Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2. My school is an ESOL Center. ESOL students are students whose second language is English. In my classes, I will have white and black students as well as students from several different countries. These ESOL students may be new to the country or have been here from a few months to a few years. Some of these students will have excellent Mathematics and Science backgrounds. This unit will be covering both Science curriculum and Mathematics curriculum. The writing component would also connect to the English/Language Arts curriculum.
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