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Project ASTRO - Tucson Coalition Organizations
Flandrau Science CenterKitt Peak National ObservatoryLunar &
Planetary LaboratoryMt. Graham Discovery Park
NOAOPima College
Pompea & AssociatesSteward ObservatoryWhipple
Observatory
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association
Tucson Unifi ed School DistrictUS Gemini Program
ASTROGRAMProject ASTRO - Tucson Issue 18, May 2003
SERVING UP FUN FAMILY STYLE WITH FAMILY ASTRO
Astronomers and Teachers as Partners for Learning
Inside This Issue
Family ASTRO................1Family
ASTRO................2Project ASTRO News ....3ASTRO Activity
..............4Fall Workshop Flyer ......5Teacher
Application.......6Astronomer Application7ASTRO Chile
Update.....8Project ASTRO News ....8
Yvonne Flores, Mission Manor Elementary School
During the Fall of 2002, I received a memo from Chris Donavan,
the Sunnyside Science Adoption Committee Chairperson, about a
training for teachers in the area of astronomy. This was an area of
personal interest, but had never found the time or the opportunity
to pursue this interest.The training was scheduled from 3:30 to
8:00 p.m., after a very long day of teaching elementary students.
Needless to say, I was wondering why I had extended my energies to
sit in a classroom, when I had a pile of papers to grade at the end
of the day.
I was fortunate to receive my training with Dr. Connie Walker
and Robert Wilson. What an awesome experience! I was thrilled as I
began a new learning experience in a non-threatening environment,
supported by academic professionals, and working with other
colleagues within the fi eld of education. The materials and
activities were fun, exciting and carefully planned to motivate the
participants. I left the presentation equipped with an armload of
student kits, a teacher manual, and motivated.
I had been trained with Ms Rosemarie Mendoza, another teacher at
my school. Together we would embark on this new adventure. I can
only compare this experience to swimming. (I once almost drowned in
a pool) I had learned how to fl oat under the watchful supervision
of an instructor and I “thought” I could swim. The emotions ran
from excited, to anxiety, to self-doubt, to optimism as I prepared
for my fi rst Family ASTRO Night, “Night Sky Adventure”
I am grateful for the support I received from my trainers. We
had a few questions, and the normal snags you will get in any
presentation. The answers and support were only a phone call or
e-mail away. The designers of this program need to be commended.
The program was easy to follow, well organized, and professionally
presented. (I did not drown!)
We invited sixteen families to our fi rst event. We had also
scheduled a “Star Gazing Party” with Mr. Steve Marten from the
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association.
Our fi rst event was a great success and a good motivator for
the following Family ASTRO Nights that were planned. We had about
63 persons in attendance. Our Star Gazing Party was cancelled due
to heavy clouds that evening and rescheduled for a later date. A
teacher always has a back-up plan. I had reduced the size of the
Star Map and had punched holes through the index paper. The holes
were made the appropriate size of the stars so when it was used on
an overhead projector we had our own constellation of stars
indoors. It provided an opportunity for families to use their Star
Maps, reinforcement of new skills, and guided practice. Each family
was given a constellation to locate. We started with Ursa Major to
establish some orientation and worked out from there to ensure the
success of each family.
Our second Family ASTRO Night activity was the wonderful visit
with Dr. David Levy and his wife, Wendee. This was a memorable
night with a kind, gracious and insightful couple that taught us
about mutual respect, the value of families that work as a team,
and how the seeds of interest and learning are planted as children.
Dr. Levy brought his fi rst telescope that was a gift from his
father and grandfather as a child. Continued on page 1
Students and parents enjoying a Family ASTRO presentation.
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For three consecutive Fridays in November of 2002, a total of
twenty-five volunteers from five organizations assembled in a
school library to learn how to host events for Family ASTRO, a
variation of Project ASTRO designed to introduce astronomy to the
families of elementary and middle school students. As the inaugural
year draws to a close, event evaluations are being reviewed and the
responses are heartening.
Teachers from Sunnyside Unified School District and Indian-Oasis
Baboquivari District Schools along with two astronomers from
Steward Observatory and NOAO have hosted eight events to date,
reaching approximately fifty-nine families. The evaluations from
those events indicate that the students and parents alike enjoyed
themselves and would gladly return for subsequent events. On a
scale of one to six with six being best, students gave the events
an average rating of 5.7 and expressed their willingness to return
with an average rating of 5.8. Parents responded with equally high
ratings. The efforts of these teachers and astronomers in hosting
the Family ASTRO events have opened new avenues to the wonders of
astronomy for families of traditionally underserved students.
As an added bonus, NOAO brought in David and Wendee Levy to give
guest lectures and join in the fun at Family ASTRO events hosted by
the Sunnyside and the Indian-Oasis Baboquivari Unified School
Districts this Spring. David’s talk shone bright with enthusiasm
and his inspiration struck a chord in hearts of all ages. On August
31, they will be traveling to Whispering Pines in the Catalina
Mountains to talk at a Family ASTRO event hosted but the Saguaro
Girl Scout Council.
Still to come are three events hosted by the Girl Scouts this
summer and a few events at schools that reluctantly had to
reschedule their initial events. Additionally, the materials for
Family ASTRO are being produced in Spanish. A test event for the
Spanish version of the Night Sky Adventures kit was held
successfully on May 1 at Mission Manor in the Sunnyside district.
In the not too distant future we hope to offer all the kits in
Spanish to attract greater numbers of families in areas where
supplementary science education would be most valuable.
Perhaps the best response to Family ASTRO, though, has come from
the teachers who, through their dedication to ideals so common in
that profession and a willingness to give so freely of their own
time and energy, have made this first year of the program so
rewarding for so many people. As one teacher remarked, “I am having
so much fun....this is what teaching and learning is all
about...when you do it right! Thanks.” NOAO is planning the next
series of event-leader training workshops tentatively for
October/November 2003. We hope there are more teachers out there
who would like to be a part of this rewarding new program.
Family ASTRO Updates
Serving Up Fun Family Style With Family ASTRO Continued from
page 1
2
“Have you ever seen the wonder of a child? That is only a
fraction of the wonder and excitement I saw in the faces of the
parents as they saw for the first time in their life a
“planet”.
Our third Family ASTRO Night was “Race to the Planets”. The Star
Gazing Party was rescheduled for this evening. Have you ever seen
the wonder of a child? That is only a fraction of the wonder and
excitement I saw in the faces of the parents as they saw for the
first time in their life a “planet”. Saturn was in breath taking
splendor! The comments I heard were “ I really saw a planet; I saw
the rings of Saturn.” With successful exploratory activities, open
dialogue and using a telescope for the first time, we ended another
Family ASTRO Night.
The spark of knowledge has been ignited and now our sixteen
families are asking what activities are planned for the future. In
May, we will go the Planetarium, which will be a first time event
for 90% of the families. We hope to find science related field
trips and activities for the coming academic school year.
I am so delighted that I can be a small part of “Family ASTRO”.
I am appreciative of the opportunity to learn and share my
knowledge. I believe that Family ASTRO supports the values of
multi-level education, mutual respect for all participants,
learning as a life process, learning in a family environment, and
promotion of family unity. I highly recommend this program at the
elementary level. We wait with great interest and anticipation the
future development of this program in Spanish so that all children
may have an opportunity to work in a family setting and not be
ostracized because of language.
N e w s F l a s h . . . Family ASTRO Night Sky Adventure Kits
Have Arrived
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/family/materials/nightsky.html
David Levy inspring future astronomers.
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The Adaptability of a Program like Project ASTRO — Robert
Crawford, Project ASTRO astronomer, Wakefield Middle School
Project ASTRO at Wakefield has turned out differently tha the
typical Project ASTRO plan. Project ASTRO teacher, Alta Gracia
Carillo, is the reading and art teachers. She decided to use her
eighth grade class, which meets 2 hours every Wednesday, to help
the students work on science projects. This is the first year that
the school has required science projects and will have a science
fair.
Project ASTRO activities have become the basis for science
projects for most of this 8th grade class. One young woman is doing
sunspots. She has researched the science behind susnspots and is
doing telescope observing of sunspot numbers and motion as part of
her project. Several young men in Project ASTRO astronomer, Ed
Finney’s group are doing projects based on the “crater impact”
activity. One is determining crater size as a function of size of
rock (speed of impact constant) and another is investigating the
effect of varying speed of impact for a fixed size rock. One of my
students made a solar oven and we measured that it reached 163
depgrees Fahrenheit recently, whil another took his data on
measuring the size of the Moon.
Ed and I will end up doing 9 in-class visitis of 2 hours,
including 5 straight weeks for January through February. Science
projects will be judged the week of February 10, and Science Night
Is February 12 and 13 with a TAAA star party scheduled for the
night of February 13. We will have 2 more visits after the science
fair, with the intention of doing a Project ASTRO activity as a
demonstration for the whole class each time.This is something of an
unconventional approach to Project ASTRO, but Alta seems to think
it is working out well to motivate and help her students on their
science projects. Wakefield serves a student body that has a number
of educational challenges but was classified by TUSD and the state
as “improving” based on last year’s results. I’d like to think that
our work will help to move the school’s performance ahead this year
just a little bit. So, thank you folks at Project ASTRO for getting
us involved in this. It has been fun for Ed and me too.
eeffSnippets of a Successful ASTRO Event —Sandy Blitz, Project
ASTRO teacher, Lyons Elementary School
Family Science night at Nan Lyons Elementary School in Tucson
Unified School District on January 16 was a very exciting learning
experience for the school community. The Lyons School staff planned
seven different activities in which families could participate. The
Universe at Your Fingertips book
supplied by NOAO and the Project ASTRO program was instrumental
in the planning of indoor activities. Members of the Tucson Amateur
Astronomy Association donated their time and supplied telescopes
for an evening filled with wonder, discovery and fun.
eeffIf you, or your kids like looking at the Moon through
Binoculars or Telescopes — Courtesy of Paul Olson, Project ASTRO
astronomer
Just published in Sky & Telescope Magazine, here is a link
to a FREEWARE Software program that is an amazing tool for students
and parents as well as scientists.....It is a 2D and 3D Lunar map
and its functions are not to be believed! AND ITS FREE! Try:
http://www.astrosurf.com/avl/UK_index.html.
eeffProject ASTRO: Good STUFF Here! — Paul Olson, Project ASTRO
astronomer
I want to thank you and everyone at NOAO Educational Outreach
for getting all of us involved with the Project. Personally, the
experience over the last 2 years has been incredibly rewarding in
many different ways.
At the Star Parties, the unavoidable “OH WOW’s”, and “Amazings”
that we hear each night are payment in full for the time and effort
involved.....
Being able to help someone get beyond misconceptions about our
Universe, and being able to subtly bring a child to a point where
they reach inside and find a question that leads them to a greater
understanding of their place in the Universe is a gift of far
reaching magnitude that the project has given to each partner! It’s
so much fun to share the wonder of astronomy with everyone!
But the best part for me, as a partner astronomer, is to see,
over the course of a year, that certain child who is perhaps a
little quiet, perhaps a little nerdy, who opens up over the year,
and is given reinforcement and an understanding, through the
project, that Science is Cool!
I also really appreciate and can identify with, the kid who is
the really outgoing type, the “Cool Kid” if you will, who at first
is reticent about asking questions. Yet, by the end of the year,
has learned that to question is an expression of wisdom and a great
tool, rather than a sign of ignorance.
If only I had been able to have this experience as a child. I
think I can safely say that it would have changed my life. I had
always wanted to study the sky as a child, however the ability for
me to accomplish that desire did not present itself to me until I
was in my 40’s!
We do GOOD stuff here.....Thanks
News From Around Project ASTRO . . .
Questions??Contact the Staff of
Project ASTRO-Tuscon
Connie WalkerCo-Site Director,Site Coordinator 520 318-8535
Stephen Pompea Co-Site Director520 318-8285Kathie Coil
Administrative Coordinator
520 318-8230
www.noao.edu/outreach520 318-8451 fax
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A Family ASTRO activity by Dennis Schatz (Pacific Science
Center), Copyright 2001, Project ASTRO, Astronomical Society of the
Pacific, 390 Ashotn Ave., San Francisco, CD, 94112;
www.astrosociety.org/education.html
Recommended for Ages: 7 and upType of Activity: Station or
GroupSet-up Time: 10 minutes minimumTime to Do: 30 minutes
minimum
What ‘s This About?This activity allow students or families to
develop an understanding fo the relative sizes (volumes) of the
planets in our solar system. Students or families start with a big
ball of Play Dough and divide it up following the steps listed
below. When they are done they see how the planets vary in size. By
the time they get to tiny Pluto, they are typically quite
amazed.
Materials You’ll Need to Get Per station:• Play Dough, a minimum
of 3 pounds• Plastic dinner knife• Breadboard, butcher paper wax
paper or other appropriate surface for cutting Play Dough.•
Instruction sheets• A set of three 8 1⁄2 “ x 11”sheets, with three
boxes (3”x6.5”) drawn on each sheet. In each box is a different
planet name.
Setting up the ActivityThis activity works best if the
instructions sheet and sheets with the planet names are placed
side-bys0de on a table (planes placed in order from the Sun). In
front of these sheets, place the Play Dough and knife on the
breadboard. Be sure there is enough room in front of the table for
the students or family to work together. It is crucial to have
enough Play Dough for each group or table, or the Pluto piece will
be too small to see. We recommend three pounds each station and
urge you to try the activity yourself before leading it. If people
will be using previously used Play Dough of various colors, you can
reassure participants that mixed colors are fine. After all, many
planets are multicolored.
Suggestions for Introducing the ActivityThis activity can be
done as a station you set up for participants to try on their own
or as a facilitated group activity. If you set this up as a
station, no introduction is needed other than the general
invitation for the families to try the different station activities
around the room.
If you facilitate this activity with a group, begin by asking
the families which planet they think is the lartgest? Which is the
smallest> Ask them how they know. Whatever planet they say is
the largest – it will most likely be Jupiter – ask them the
following question: If we could combine all of the planets together
into a big ball, what fraction of that ball would the largest
planet be? Might it be 1/9 or 1/5, for example?
Doing the ActivityIf done as a facilitated activity, ask the
groups of students or families to read the instruction sheet on
their table and begin working with the Play Dough. After the groups
divide up the Play Dough, be sure they finish by combining all of
the pieces for each planet and roll them around in their hands
until each Play Dough planet has a ball shape. If this is a
station, have a volunteer nearby to offer this reminder.
Right after a group completes the activity, you can use the
questions in the next paragraph to debrief what they learned, or
you can save the questions until all groups finish the activity. If
this is a station, once a group is done, ask them to combine the
Play Dough again so it is ready for the next group at a later date.
If you are going to debrief the activity with all of the groups
together, you will want to save the work of the last family to
finish, so you can use the balls during the debriefing.
Debrief the activity by asking them what were some fo the
discoveries they made regarding the sizes of the planets. Were
there any surprises? Ultimately direct the discussion so that they
realize the smaller planets (except Pluto) are the inner planets,
while the larger planets are the outer planets. You may also want
to note that more than 96% of the combined vlume of the planets is
in Jupiter and Saturn (approximately 60% in Jupiter and 36% in
Saturn). Those giant planets really ARE giants.
Bright Ideas (888-883-7422) has 3 pound tubs of Play Dough-like
material in all colors for $9.95. Information on this can be found
at http://www.brightideasweb.com/search.asp
Worlds In Comparison
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Project ASTRO-Tucson Fall Workshop
OCTOBER 3-4, 2003
The lead institution, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory
(NOAO) is connected to the community by a Coalition of
organi-zations that represents astronomy and education: Flaundrau
Science Center, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Lunar and
Planetary
Lab, Mt Graham Discovery Park, National Solar Observatory,
Pompea & Associates, Pima Community College, Smithsonian
Institute: Whipple Observatory, Steward Observatory, Tucson Amateur
Astronomy Association, Tucson Unified School District,
and the US Gemini Program.
Applications available at
http://www.noao.edu/education/astrotucson.html
or call - (520) 318-8535Return by –
September 26, 2003Send to -
Connie WalkerNOAO Educational Outreach
950 N. Cherry Ave.Tucson, AZ 85719
- (520) 318-8451 fax -
t Teachers & Community Educators partnered with Professional
& Amateur Astronomers
t Free instructional materials & support provided for
teaching astronomy through hands-on classroom activities throughout
the year
t Sessions conducted on Moon Journals, Kinesthetic Astronomy,
& other Solar System activities
t Trip to Ki Peak
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Administrator support leads to more successful partnerships.
Please have the appropriate administrator certify support for your
participation in Project ASTRO by completing and sign-ing.
I support the the participation of in Project ASTRO. (print
teacher name)
This support includes a day off for the workshop, planning time
and allowing visits to the school by the volunteer astronomer.
Name
Home Address
City State Zip
Home Phone ( )
School or Organization
District
Work Address
City State Zip
Work County
Work Phone ( ) Fax ( )
E-mail
Grade
Subject
Number of years teaching experience
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
TEACHER BACKGROUND
1. Describe your formal education.
2. Rate your knowledge of astronomy (1=low, 5 = high)
1 2 3 4 5
3. Describe professional activities, curriculum development,
inser-vice activities, collaborative projects, experience with
volunteers, etc.
4. Why do you want to participate in Project ASTRO?
5. How will you include astronomy in your program in this
year?
6. How many classes and students would the astronomer visit? (we
encourage focusing on no more than 2)
7. Do you have time to plan with your astronomer by phone, and
before or after class?
8. Describe how you will incorporate the visiting astronomer
into your program.
9. How did you hear about Project ASTRO?
10. If through a Project ASTRO partner, please give name.
Your Signature
Date
Principal or Administrator’s Signature:
Name
Title
Date Phone ( )
Address
City Zip
PERSONAL INFORMATION
TEACHER APPLICATION
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6. What grade levels do you prefer (circle all that apply)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (it doesn’t matter)
7. We will make every effor to place you in a school that is
con-venient to you. List possible areas where you would prefer to
volunteer.
8. How fare are you willing to travel to your partner
school?
9. How did you hear about Project ASTRO?
10. If through a Project ASTRO partner, please give name.
Your signature
Date
ASTRONOMER APPLICATION
Name
Home Address
City State Zip
Home Phone ( )
Employer
Position
1. Briefly describe your background and experiences in
astronomy.
2. Describe any experiences you have working with schools or
explaining astronomy to students or the public:
3. Describe any other experience working with children:
4. List astronomy organizations you are affiliated with:
5. In what ways do you see yourself contributing to student
learning and enjoyment of astronomy at a local school?
(please print)
Work Address
City State Zip
Number of years with this employer
Work Phone ( ) Fax ( )
E-mail
Teams of two astronomers from the same group or institution are
encouraged to apply. List the name of your partner.
ASTRONOMER BACKGROUND
PERSONAL INFORMATION
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NOAO is operated by the Association of Universities for Research
in Astronomy (AURA), Inc. under cooperative agreement with the
National Science Foundation.
NOAO has launched innovative efforts to realize light pollution
education on two continents. These efforts are aided by Internet
2-based videoconferencing between NOAO North and South. NOAO has
co-sponsored two “proof-of-concept” teacher professional
development videoconference workshops (in October 2002 and February
2003) linking teachers in Tucson, AZ, and La Serena, Chile. The
teachers exchanged methods and ideas about how to explain and
demonstrate the nature of light and color to students of various
ages. The workshops were conducted in Spanish with four bilingual
science teachers from the Tucson area discussing pedagogical
approaches with their teaching counterparts in Chile. The workshops
included demonstrations, project presentations, and the
construction and calibration of spectroscopes. The Chilean teachers
used these spectroscopes to examine a number of light sources in
their town and presented their fi ndings at the second
workshop.
These workshops have developed into cross-continent planning for
larger light-pollution education efforts to be led by teachers.
These efforts dovetail with previous light pollution efforts in
Austria and Greece. North and South-based programs are designed to
take advantage of successful efforts in the United States such as
Project ASTRO, and efforts in Chile, like RedLaSer, by merging the
strategies and techniques from each into a cross-cultural
exchange.
A
STR
O C
h ile
U
pdat
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More News From Around Project ASTRO
Out of the Mouth of Children….Dear Mr. Olson,
I liked the Lesson with the Moon balls. I saw the Moon with my
family. I told them that the Moon was waning when it was getting
smaller. They laughed and they clapped.
Sincerely,Elisand HernandezVan Buskirk1st grade
School Star Party Light Pollution — A Request from an Astronomer
Partner
At the last 4-5 School Star Parties that I have attended, there
has been a seeming breakdown in communication between some of the
Astronomer Partners and the School Teachers and school custodial
staff.
As Astronomer Partners, we strive to create a learning
environment and a fun experience, which will provide the maximum
benefi t to the Kids, as well as the Teachers and Parents that
attend. I think this is the goal of each and every Teacher and
Astronomer Partner.
It is VITAL that the Teacher consult with the Astronomer Partner
PRIOR to scheduling these events and that the SITE of the Star
Party be surveyed by the Astronomer and the Teacher, and even
better, with the Principal on hand as well.
Parking Lots, Basketball Courts, and locations which are easy to
drive too for the Astronomers are good locations for these events,
however MOST of these locations SUFFER FROM SERIOUS LIGHT POLLUTION
which SEVERELY LIMITS the night sky objects that we can show the
Kids!
PLEASE... PLEASE... PLEASE... Listen to your Astronomer when he
or she requests that the LIGHTS, SECURITY LIGHTS, whether white or
yellow, BE TURNED OFF on the night of the event! Tell the Principal
to have the Custodial Staff TURN OFF ALL POSSIBLE LIGHTING before
the event. It is even a good idea to have the entire side of the
school, all classroom lights and hall lights turned off and the
shades drawn on the side of the school where the event will take
place.
The Astronomers have ample red light with them to make the area
safe and the attendees eyes will quickly adapt to night vision mode
if these lights are turned off.
We will be able to almost DOUBLE the amount of objects that can
be seen if we are in a dark environment rather than fl ooded with
yellow or white security lighting!
It will help your school star party be a much nicer event if we
can keep it in the dark!
Thanks, in advance, from all your Astronomer Partners
