IF KIDS RULED SPACE, WHICH TELESCOPE WOULD THEY CHOOSE?

Adapted from Telescope Tally Resource ID#: 51035 CPALMS - www.cpalms.org

Primary Type: Lesson Plan

Students will read a passage about Asteroids, Comets and Meteors and discuss the material within their groups. Students will then read an article about telescopes and features of telescopes. As a group, students will rate a list of telescopes by deciding which features they feel are most important. Students will be assessed on their writing skills as well as the science material they learned during the supplemental reading.

Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science, Math

Grade Level: 5

Intended Audience: Educators

Keywords: Science, Asteroids, Comets, Meteors

Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan, Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) STEM Lesson

Resource Collection: STEM Lessons - Model Eliciting Activity

LESSON CONTENT

Lesson Plan Template: Model Eliciting Activity (MEA)

Formative AssessmentAs a pre-assessment the teacher will ask the following questions:

1. How many students have ever used a telescope?

2. Who can tell me what a telescope is and what it is used for?

3. What are some objects a person may wish to view with a telescope?

The comprehension questions/readiness questions and reflection questions can be used as formative assessment (for questions, see the Readiness questions section).

Feedback to StudentsAfter the students read the supplemental reading passage and answer the questions that go along with it, the teacher can address any misconceptions that may arise or any confusion students may have about comets, meteors and asteroids.

As the students are working within their groups the teacher will be circulating and assisting any students or groups who need assistance. As the teacher is circulating she can provide guidance using the reflective questions.

Students will receive feedback on their use of grade level grammar and conventions of English after they have written their first letter to the client. The teacher will correct any errors found on

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the first letter so that the student can use the first letter as a model when constructing the second letter.

Summative AssessmentThe student's letter will be graded based on the following writing rubric.

Students will also be given the following exit slip:

1. What is a meteor?

2. What is a comet?

3. What is an asteroid?

4. When collaborating with your group what did you find most difficult?

5. What strategies did your group use in coming to a consensus when there were disagreements?

Answer Key:

1. A streak of light that is seen in the sky when a meteoroid burns up after entering Earth's atmosphere.

2. Chunks of ice and dust whose orbits are usually long and narrow eclipses.3. Objects that are too small and too numerous to be considered planets. They usually

revolve around the sun between Mars and Jupiter4. Answers will vary5. Answers will vary

Learning Objectives

o Students will be able to look at the data table provided on telescopes and collaborate with their team members to determine the ranking of the telescopes.

o Students will be able to write a letter using grade level appropriate grammar and conventions of Standard English.

o Students will also be able to distinguish among asteroids, comets and meteors after they have read the provided reading passage and discussed it within their team.

Prior Knowledge

o Students must know how to read a data table.

o Students must have some knowledge of space and the objects in space.

o Students must know what a telescope is and how it is used.

o Students must know the proper use of grammar and the conventions of English when writing a letter.

o Students must know the format for letter writing.

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Instructional SuggestionsPart 1

1. Ask students the formative assessment questions (see Formative Assessment section) and provide a review if needed.

2. Provide a copy of the informational text (see Supplemental Reading on pages 5-6) to each student and have the students read with a partner. Once the students have finished reading have them discuss within their groups the questions on the side of the handout. After you have given the groups a few minutes to discuss call on a few of the groups to share with the class.

3. The students receive the client letter 1 (Reading Passage 1 on page 11), data set 1 on page 13 and the accompanying article page 12.

4. The teacher can ask the readiness/comprehension questions (see Readiness questions) to the class or have students complete them individually on paper. After students understand the task, they can begin to work in teams of approximately 3-4 with 4 being the ideal number.

1. In teams, students work on the problem and respond to the client with a letter.

As students are working, the teacher circulates to each team to ask the first set of guiding/reflective questions and address any issues that may arise. Teachers can provide guidance using the reflective questions to help students to determine the important factors and start thinking about how they can present their solution.

2. Assign a number 1 through 4 to each person in the group. Students will then group up with other students with the same number. Each new group will then have at least 1 person from each working group. Students will share their ranking as well as their procedure for determining their ranking within their new group. They should share in a timed Round Robin style. (Each student has a certain amount of time, such as 1 minute, to share with the group. This continues in a circle until each member has had a turn to share.)

3. Students will then return to their original seat. Using the same timed round robin style students will each be given 30 seconds to share something they felt was interesting that they learned from another group member.

4. The students will turn in their letters. The teacher will edit the letter looking for correct grammar and conventions of English.

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Day 2 Part 2

5. Students receive the client letter 2 (Reading Passage 2 on page 14) and data set 2 on page 15, along with their work from Part 1. Students will be expected to review the edits made by the teacher and to apply revisions when composing their second letter to the client.

6. Allow the teams time to read and process the new letter and data set by using the Readiness questions.

7. Teams test, evaluate, and revise their first procedure as necessary with the second dataset and write a letter back to the client.

If a team finishes early they can start working on their presentations.

8. After all of the teams have completed their second letters to the client, the teams will present their results to the rest of the class. As a class discuss the strengths or challenges of the different strategies.

9. Ask the students what they have learned about decision making as a team. You may wish to make a chart of important strategies that students note so these strategies can be applied to future MEAs.

10. Students will turn in their second letter to be graded for correct use of grammar and conventions of English.

11. Present the Summative Assessment.

Supplemental ReadingRead the following passage and with your group discuss the questions listed on the side of the worksheet and the Graphic Organizer for Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors passage.

Let the students know that they are to learn these terms and definitions: comet, meteor, asteroid.

Guiding/reflective QuestionsWhy do you think that?

How do you know if you have an answer to the problem?

Would your solution work in a different situation?

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Comets, Asteroids, and MeteorsThe sun, planets, and moons aren’t the only objects in the solar system. There are also

millions of smaller objects, most of which are classified as comets and asteroids.

You can think of a comet as a “dirty snowball” about the size of an Earth mountain. Comets are chunks of ice and dust whose orbits are usually very long, narrow ellipses. Because their orbits are so elliptical, few comets pass near Earth. When a comet gets close enough to the sun, the ice turns into gas, releasing dust. The gas and dust form an outer layer called the coma. The inner layer of the comet is called the nucleus. The coma and the nucleus make up the comet’s head,

which is the brightest part of the comet. Some of the gas from a comet is pushed away from the sun by the solar wind. This forms the comet’s tail. A comet’s tail is stretched very thinly and can be hundreds of millions of kilometers long.

In 1705, the English astronomer Edmond Halley calculated that several observed comets had the same orbit. Halley suggested they were actually the same comet. He calculated that this comet appeared about every 76 years and predicted that it would reappear in 1758. When his prediction came true, the comet was named Halley’s Comet.

Between 1801 and 1807, astronomers discovered four small objects between Mars and Jupiter. Over the next 80 years, they found 300 more. These objects, called asteroids, are too small and too numerous to be considered full-fledged planets. Most asteroids revolve around the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This region of the solar system is known as the asteroid belt.

Astronomers have discovered more than 10,000 asteroids. Some come near Earth’s orbit. An asteroid hit Earth 65 million years ago. It exploded, making a crater 200 kilometers in diameter in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The explosion probably started huge fires that destroyed much of Earth’s forests and grass. Scientists hypothesize that this caused the extinction of many types of animals, including dinosaurs.

A meteoroid is a chunk of rock or dust in space. Meteoroids usually come from comets or asteroids. When a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere, friction makes it burn up and produce a streak of light you see in the sky—a meteor. If a meteoroid is large enough, it may not burn up completely. Meteoroids that pass through the atmosphere and hit Earth’s surface are called meteorites. Meteorites fall all over Earth. Most of them look like stones. A few are made almost entirely of iron and nickel and are unusually heavy for their size. This makes them more likely to be identified as meteorites than as Earth rocks.

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Guide for Reading◆ What are the characteristics of comets and asteroids?

◆ Where do meteoroids come from?

Unit 6 Resources Science Explorer Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Draw and Label a comet. Describe a comet.

Draw and label an asteroid. Describe an asteroid.

Draw and label:Meteoroid

Meteor

Meteorite

Describe:Meteoroid

Meteor

Meteorite

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Reading Passage 1

Kids Rule Astronomy 555 Milky WayStarship, FL 33602

Good afternoon,

I have heard from your teacher that you are learning about comets, asteroids, and meteors. These are objects in space that are often very difficult to see without the help of a telescope. We know that if kids ruled, they would have telescopes to use. We have a plan to help kids see these objects in space more clearly.

Kids Rule Astronomy is planning to open up a center in your neighborhood in which students can come and use telescopes to view the night sky. We plan to furnish the center with the best telescopes available for the students to use. In our search for the best telescopes we have found that the opinions vary from scientist to scientist. We have compiled a table which outlines some of the categories we feel would be important as well as the ratings that were given by scientists. We have a budget of $2500 to purchase telescopes. We have enclosed an article which outlines the qualities to look for when decided on the best telescope. Please read the enclosed article to familiarize yourself with telescopes. Once you have read this article please collaborate with your group to rate the telescopes that were listed in the chart provided with this letter. Please rate each telescope and write down the procedure, or rules, you used to rate them. Please send a letter back to us informing us of how you rated the telescopes, which telescopes we should purchase, and how many we can buy with $2500.

Thank you,Mrs. CelesteAssistant Manager

Readiness QuestionsWhat is the problem?Who is the client?

What is the client asking your team to do?

What ideas do you need to include in your solution?

How are you going to organize your work?

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Do you think there is more than one correct answer to what the client is asking? Why or why not?

See Data Set 1

Reading Passage 2

Kids Rule Astronomy 555 Milky WayStarship, FL 33602

Dear Students,

Thank you so much for the information that you provided to us. Since we received your letter we have received information from two additional telescope companies as well as discovering that we will be receiving an additional $500 to buy more telescopes for your neighborhood astronomy center. Each of the telescope company gives a discounts if we purchase four or more telescopes from them. Using this new information will you please determine if the procedure you used for rating the telescopes still works. If you must change your rating procedures please let us know what changes were made. I will look forward to receiving your letter indicating the telescopes we should purchase, the new rating for the telescopes, as well as any changes to the rating procedure that needed to be made.

Sincerely,Mrs. CelesteAssistant Manager

See Data Set 2

Reflection question 2How does this new information change your thinking?

What is the client’s budget now?

What would best help your client?

What ideas do you need to include in your solution?

How are you going to organize your work?

Do you think there is more than one correct answer to what the client is asking? Why or why not?

Mathematics connectionStudents need to find the discount to recalculate the price. This part can be used as a math lesson or a review by teaching students that to find the discount amount they have to calculate

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the percentage. This can be done by moving the decimal over two places and multiplying. Calculators can be used if you wish. (Grade 5 standard MAFS.5.NBT.2.7)

Resource: Math is Fun http://www.mathsisfun.com/percentage.html

ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Accommodations:

o Work one on one with any students who need help in comprehending the reading passages.

o Provide highlighters to help students identify key points in the reading.

o Create a template for step-by-step recording of solution strategies for students who might need help in organizing their work.

Extensions:

o Encourage students to research the Hubble telescope or other significant telescopes.

o Encourage students to research the history of telescopes.

o Encourage students to find photographs of comets, asteroids or meteors on the internet.

o These students could present these findings to the class.

Related Standards

SC.5.E.5.3

Distinguish among the following objects of the Solar System -- Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets -- and identify Earth's position in it.

LAFS.5.SL.1.1:

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.

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c. Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.

d. Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.

LAFS.5.L.1.1:

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

a. Demonstrate fluent and legible cursive writing skills.

b. Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their function in particular sentences.

c. Form and use the perfect (e.g., I had walked; I have walked; I will have walked) verb tenses.

d. Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions.

e. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.

f. Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor).

LAFS.5.L.1.2:

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

a. Use punctuation to separate items in a series.

b. Use a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence.

c. Use a comma to set off the words yes and no (e.g., Yes, thank you), to set off a tag question from the rest of the sentence (e.g., It’s true, isn’t it?), and to indicate direct address (e.g., Is that you, Steve?).

d. Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works.

e. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

MAFS.5.NBT.2.7

Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.

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Kids Rule Astronomy 555 Milky WayStarship, FL 33602

Good afternoon,

I have heard from your teacher that you are learning about comets, asteroids, and meteors. These are objects in space that are often very difficult to see without the help of a telescope. We know that if kids ruled, they would have telescopes to use. We have a plan to help kids see these objects in space more clearly.

Kids Rule Astronomy is planning to open up a center in your neighborhood in which students can come and use telescopes to view the night sky. We plan to furnish the center with the best telescopes available for the students to use. In our search for the best telescopes we have found that the opinions vary from scientist to scientist. We have compiled a table which outlines some of the categories we feel would be important as well as the ratings that were given by scientists. We have a budget of $2500 to purchase telescopes.

We have enclosed an article which outlines the qualities to look for when decided on the best telescope. Please read the enclosed article to familiarize yourself with telescopes. Once you have read this article please collaborate with your group to rate the telescopes that were listed in the chart provided with this letter.

Please rate each telescope and write down the procedure, or rules, you used to rate them.

Please send a letter back to us informing us of how you rated the telescopes, which telescopes we should purchase, and how many we can buy with $2500.

Thank you,

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Mrs. CelesteAssistant Manager

Reading Passage 1

Telescopes for Beginners: What to Look ForThis information was obtained from the following website: http://telescopes.toptenreviews.com/telescopes-for-beginners-review/

The best telescopes for beginners will provide astronomy experiences that will leave viewers in awe and eager for more experiences in the future. The wrong telescopes for beginners can lead to frustration and a very expensive coat rack. There is not necessarily a perfect first telescope for every type of user. We found the ones that we think will most likely work well for most beginning users.

OpticsOne of the most important features of any telescope is the quality of the optics. Even if a telescope is easy to assemble and use, you will not want to use it if it cannot provide you with great views of the universe. At the beginner level, we expect telescopes to offer lovely views of the moon, planets, sun and some deep-sky objects. We looked for high-quality optics that will provide the best detail of those targets. We also like scopes that have some versatility, offer terrestrial views in addition to celestial and providing some potential for astrophotography.

Tracking & StabilityWe prefer electronic tracking in most cases for beginner telescopes, but some telescopes with manual tracking can work well too. We paid attention to each instrument's construction. We looked for sturdy scopes that will be best able to compensate for the earth's movement and help you keep your target in view.

Ease of UseThe best telescopes for beginners will go from the box to a backyard viewing frenzy within a small window of time. They assemble with few or no tools and are small enough to transport with relative ease. They reliably point you toward the things you want to see in the sky.

Help/SupportYour first telescope should come with great back up from a reputable manufacturer, not a toy store. If there are problems as you try to assemble or use your instrument, you will want easy access to those who know how to resolve any issues. Budding astronomers should be able to find expert help online or over the phone with ease.

Choose wisely and you will enjoy your first telescope for years to come. The best telescopes for beginners are the ones that get used, not those that end up forgotten in a closet.

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Data Set 1

A panel of scientist used each of the telescopes and rated them in each of the following categories: Optics, Stability and tracking, Ease of Use and Help and support. The chart below summarizes the ratings the scientists gave the telescopes in each of the categories with 1 being the lowest rating and 10 the highest.

Optics Stability and Tracking

Ease of Use

Help and Support Price

Vixen OpticsTelescope

10 Manual tracking

8.5 Automated support service available between 9-5. Very difficult to talk to a live person

$485.00

Solar MaxxTelescope

6.5 Electronic tracking

7 24 - hour live support. Very low customer service ratings. Lots of complaints about bad service and rude representatives

$379.95

CelestronTelescope

6.5 Electronic Tracking

10 Live support services between 9-5

$599.00

CoronadoTelescope

9.5 Manual Tracking

7.5 24 hour automated support assistance. Live support service between 9-3

$479.00

StarGazerTelescope

8 Manual Tracking

6 24-hour live support service. Customer service is very friendly

$449.99

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Kids Rule Astronomy 555 Milky WayStarship, FL 33602

Dear Students,

Thank you so much for the information that you provided to us. Since we received your letter we have received information from two additional telescope companies as well as discovering that we will be receiving an additional $500 to buy more telescopes for your neighborhood astronomy center. Each of the telescope company gives a discounts if we purchase four or more telescopes from them. Using this new information will you please determine if the procedure you used for rating the telescopes still works. If you must change your rating procedures please let us know what changes were made. I will look forward to receiving your letter indicating the telescopes we should purchase, the new rating for the telescopes, as well as any changes to the rating procedure that needed to be made.

Sincerely,Mrs. CelesteAssistant Manager

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Reading Passage 2

Data Set 2

A panel of scientist used each of the telescopes and rated them in each of the following categories: Optics, Stability and tracking, Ease of Use and Help and support. The chart below summarizes the ratings the scientists gave the telescopes in each of the categories with 1 being the lowest rating and 10 the highest.

Company Optics Stability and Tracking

Ease of Use

Help and Support Price Discount

Vixen OpticsTelescope

10 Manual tracking

8.5 Automated support service available between 9-5. Very difficult to talk to a live person

$485.00 5%

Solar MaxxTelescope

6.5 Electronic tracking

7 24 - hour live support. Very low customer service ratings. Lots of complaints about bad service and rude representatives

$379.95 5%

CelestronTelescope

6.5 Electronic Tracking

10 Live support services between 9-5

$599.00 7%

CoronadoTelescope

9.5 Manual Tracking

7.5 24 hour automated support assistance. Live support service between 9-3

$479.00 5%

StarGazerTelescope

8 Manual Tracking

6 24-hour live support service. Customer service is very friendly

$449.99 10%

Great SkyTelescope

7.5 Manual Tracking

8.5 24 hour live support service. Very friendly staff and very easy to get through to someone

$449.99 10%

OrionTelescope

10 Electronic Tracking

6 24 hour live support service. Hold time averages 15 minutes

$375.00 7%

Percentages can be written as decimals by moving the decimal point two places to the left:

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6% = 6/100 = .06

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6% of $549=

$549 x .06 = $32.94

$549 - $32.94 = $516.06

So the discounted price is $516.06

Four of this telescope would cost $516.06 x 4 = 2964.24