ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: The size of the universe is ongoing. Study of the universe has required the efforts of astronomers, geologists, meteorologist, physicists, and chemists, as well as scientists from many other disciplines. Voyager I and II, September 5, 1977, and August 20, 1977 respectively, carried the most sophisticated measurement and observation equipment ever sent into space. Voyager I traveled for 2 years to reach Jupiter, traveled then on a four year flight to Uranus, and then traveled on a subsequent three year trip to Neptune. Voyager II, after flying past Saturn, is now flying to the edge of the solar system, where the sun is just another star in the firmament. Twenty-six years ago, Voyager I and II were accurately controlled from more than a billion miles away, that is on earth. Voyager I and II were essential for the success of the current space program. Learning Goal(s): Students will comprehend some of America’s basic achievements in space. Students will comprehend the benefits space exploration has brought to earth.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: Why is it important to study space? What are some of the outcomes of space exploration? What are some of the factors in space that effect us on earth? How did scientists use measurement, observation, and inference to acquire knowledge of the rest of the universe beyond earth? Learning Objectives: Students will gain knowledge of the conditions which encouraged space exploration. Students will identify four discoveries of Voyager I and II. Students will use project-based learning to present one significant accomplishment of Voyager I and II. Students will investigate the relative size of objects in the sky and consider different ways this can be illustrated. Students will use documents from history to understand man’s achievements in space. Students will identify the categories of disciplines required to study space. Students will make an association between a given discovery and a possible benefit to mankind. Students will identify a set of outcomes of space exploration.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding? Students will write a simple who, what, when, where, and why news article to demonstrate undertstanding of a given objective. What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? Students will access, process, and present a project-based assignment to demonstrate understanding of some of America’s basic achievements in space. What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding? Students wil demonstrate understanding of the relative size of objects in space by presenting a visual presentation of this knowledge. What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? Student will complete a rubric which addresses class objectives.

Instructional Strategies

Students will access, process, and present a project-based approach to demonstrate understanding of some of America’s basic achievements in space. Student groups will research a set of US achievements in space. Students will brainstorm in a group setting the generated achievements. Students will then form small groups to process and to present selected accomplishments for a project based presentation of student choice.