Big Bang Lesson with Technology

Lesson One- The Universe and The Big Bang

Learning Objective: I can describe the universe and theories on where it came from using my note-catcher.

Standard:

Standard: 3.  Earth Systems Science

1. Earth is part of the solar system, which includes the Sun, Moon, and other bodies that orbit the Sun in predictable patterns that lead to observable paths of objects in the sky as seen from Earth

a.     Gather, analyze, and interpret data about components of the solar system (DOK 1-2)  

Materials:

            Loose-leaf paper

            8 student iPads

            Astronomy notecatcher packets

            Wordle.net

            Biography of Copernicus

            Teacher iPad with Apple TV and projector

Solar Walk app

Davy Crockett in Outer Space

Vocabulary:

-Astronomy- the science of stars, space and the universe

-The Big Bang- the theory that the universe was created by a big explosion

-Universe- all the matter, energy and space that exists

-Nicolaus Copernicus- discovered that the sun is the center of the universe, not the Earth.

1. 60 Second Question: What is astronomy? 
2. 60 Second Question: What is the Universe? 
1. A 60 second question is where the students have to write all their ideas out about a prompt for 60 seconds and they have to be writing the whole time. I don’t just want them to write a definition. I want them to write every word they associate with the prompt. A turn and talk to share follows each 60 second question.
3. Collect the pieces of paper with the 60 second questions on them. As I start to discuss the topic, I will be typing their answers into Wordle.net. This will create a word cloud of what they think the universe is before they have learned anything. (Like the K in a KWL.)  I will share the word cloud with them and explain that we will create another word cloud at the end of the unit to see if their definitions changed.
4. Put students into groups, give them 10 minutes, and have them research on the iPads: What is the universe?
5. Pass out Astronomy note-catcher- Brainstorm a list of things about astronomy. (for example: stars, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, galaxies, universe)
6. Introduce the definition- Universe: The universe is all the matter, energy and space that exists.

 The universe is constantly changing. We know it is expanding and distant galaxies are moving away from us faster than they were in the past.

7. Introduce the definition- Astronomy:  the science of stars, space and the universe.
8. Discuss Origins of the Universe

There are many different ideas (or theories- an idea or opinion based on some facts or evidence but not proved) about the beginning of the Universe.  Different religions and cultures have their own ideas.  Some religions believe that the universe was created by God. Others, such as Native Americans, have stories, or creation myths, about how the Universe was created. One scientific theory of the creation of the Universe is called The Big Bang.

The Big Bang theory is that billions of years ago, the entire Universe was inside a bubble that was thousands of times smaller than a pinhead. It was hotter and denser than anything we can imagine.

Then it suddenly exploded. The Universe that we know was born. Time, space and matter all began with the Big Bang. In a fraction of a second, the Universe grew from smaller than a single atom to bigger than a galaxy. And it kept on growing at a fantastic rate. It is still expanding today.

9. Read aloud the biography of Copernicus. While you are reading, have students fill in their note-catcher #8-12

Copernicus thought what he could see was the whole universe and the sun was at the center of the universe. Now we know that the universe is much bigger than Copernicus thought. We haven’t even realized where the ends of the universe are yet. The sun is the center of our solar system.

10. Put the app Solar Walk up on the screen using the Apple TV, the teacher iPad, and the projector. Peruse the universe to let the kids get an idea about what’s in it and how big it is.

11. Closure: Play the music video Davy Crockett in Outer Space by They Might Be Giants. Stop periodically and explain astronomy concepts the video touches on. Students do not need to know all the content in the video. They just need to get some ideas about astronomy.                      

                        

12. Formative Assessment: Exit ticket: Have students write down 3 things they learned about astronomy that day.

13. Summative Assessment: At the end of the unit I will collect the students’ notecatcher packets for a grade.

Student Notecatcher pages for this lesson:

What is Astronomy?

1. Astronomy includes study about things like: 

2. Astronomy is: ______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

3. The Universe is: ____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

4. Scientists know that the universe is ________________________.

5. Distant galaxies are moving away from us ___________________.

6. One theory of how the universe was created is The ______________.   

7. This happened around ________ billion years ago. 

8. Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Poland in the year _____________.

9. Copernicus studied in school to be a ______________________ and a ____________________.

10. For fun, Copernicus studied ______________________________ and ____________________.

11. Before Copernicus, people believed that the ____________________ was the center of the universe.

12. Copernicus discovered the__________ is the center of the universe.

13. Now we know the sun is the center of our ____________________, not the center of the whole _____________________.