Heather Burns
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Scope on the Skies: And then there were eight

Fri, Apr 22, 2011 12:01 PM
Difficult read for Earth/space novice

I was looking to this resource for more information on the IAU’s new definitions for solar system objects, which resulted in the “demotion” of Pluto to a dwarf planet. Pre-service teachers in my science methods class were intrigued by this recent development, so I assume it’s a hot topic in science classrooms as well. I was hoping to understand what sets Pluto apart from the other eight planets, but the author uses so much technical vocabulary and includes so many figures that I came away more confused instead. He does include a chart comparing data about planets, dwarf planets and solar system bodies, which did aid my understanding. But overall I felt the reader would need to be relatively knowledgeable about the solar system already to full understand the text. In my case, I would need to consult additional resources in more layman’s terms to feel comfortable explaining this development to elementary school students.

Fri, Apr 22, 2011 11:59 AM
Great pre-instruction assessment tool

This is a brief discussion of a “probe” or question that can be used to assess students’ preconceptions about stars and their location relative to the Earth and Moon. It describes a simple yet effective assessment tactic that can be used at all grade levels, elementary through high school. Students have a wide variety of misconceptions about Earth/space science based on their own observations, fictional books, television and movies, and discussions at home. This resource gives teachers an overview of what their students can be expected to comprehend at different grade levels about Earth, the Moon, the Sun and other stars, and the vast distances between these objects in the sky. I appreciated this resource for its simple, concise, easy to implement method for Earth/space science pre-assessment.

Fri, Apr 22, 2011 11:58 AM
Great pre-instruction assessment tool

This is a brief discussion of a “probe” or question that can be used to assess students’ preconceptions about stars and their location relative to the Earth and Moon. It describes a simple yet effective assessment tactic that can be used at all grade levels, elementary through high school. Students have a wide variety of misconceptions about Earth/space science based on their own observations, fictional books, television and movies, and discussions at home. This resource gives teachers an overview of what their students can be expected to comprehend at different grade levels about Earth, the Moon, the Sun and other stars, and the vast distances between these objects in the sky. I appreciated this resource for its simple, concise, easy to implement method for Earth/space science pre-assessment.