A Private Universe Project

URL: http://www.learner.org/teacherslab/pup/index.html

dlese.org|1007936

The Private Universe Teachers Lab enables teachers to practice techniques of identifying student misconceptions and moving toward conceptual change in basic astronomy. This teachers lab contains a survey to identify misconceptions and three in-class activities for grades 4 to 8 that help students gain an understanding of the phases of the Moon. There are teacher discussion forums on planning teaching sequences and learning how to adapt activities to different situations.

Summary

Subject keyword(s)	Astronomy, Earth and space science, Earth science, Education, Education (General), Educational theory and practice, Geoscience, Misconceptions, Phases of the moon, Physical sciences, Science, Seasons, Solar system changes, Space Science, Space science, Space sciences
Grade level	Elementary School, Middle School, High School, Higher Education, Informal Education
Intended audience	Learner
Resource type	Assessment Materials, Community, Instructional Material, Service
Resource format	text, text/html
Rights	Copyright The Annenberg/CPB Projects

Found in collection(s)

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Title	DLESE Community Collection
Link	http://www.dlese.org/
Description	The Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) mission is to improve the quality, quantity, and efficiency of teaching and learning about the Earth System, by developing, managing, and providing access to high-quality educational resources and supporting services through a community-based, distributed digital library. Intended users include students, educators and citizens of all ages, in both formal and informal learning environments. The collection favors resources that convey linkages and connections; the general with the specific, theory with evidence, global with local, and that demonstrate the application of science to solving real world problems. This includes providing access to Earth data sets and imagery, and the tools and interfaces that enable their effective use. DLESE resources are community-contributed, by individuals, organizations, and formal collection efforts.
	Full description and distribution of resources

Title	Middle School Portal: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2)
Link	http://msteacher2.org/
Description	The Middle School Portal 2: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2) supports middle grades educators with high-quality, standards-based resources and promotes collaboration and knowledge-sharing among its users. Educators use MSP2 to increase content knowledge in science, mathematics, and appropriate pedagogy for youth ages 10 to 15. MSP2 employs social networking and digital tools to foster dynamic experiences that promote creation, modification, and sharing of resources, facilitate professional development, and support the integration of technology into practice. MSP2 is a project of the Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology, National Middle School Association, and Education Development Center, Inc., and is funded by the National Science Foundation. The partners integrate resources, tools, and services across projects, and support multiple methods of resource discovery to meet the needs of this audience.
	Full description and distribution of resources

Content contained within the resource

  What causes the phases of the Moon? What are the reasons for the seasons? If you ask any number of people questions like these, almost every one of them will have some ideas that make sense to them. But how do people get their ideas? Are their ideas scientifically accurate? And if not, how could you help them understand a more scientific view? It turns out that many people share the same inaccurate ideas. This is understandable. Our casual observations of the sky lead us to believe what we think we see, and not what is scientifically accurate. The earliest of astronomers thought Earth stood still while the Sun, the Moon, and the stars orbited past. And today, in viewing the splendor of the full Moon, many of us may never realizethat the moon does not produce its own light, but merely reflects thelight shining on it from the sun. What do your students think? What are their ideas, and how do they come up with them? Take part in the Private Universe Teachers' Lab to practice techniques of identifying student misconceptions and moving toward conceptual change. Basic astronomy is one of the topics by which you can discover student misconceptions and explore strategies that foster scientific understanding. In this Lab you investigate questions and answers that will help you elicit student ideas about the distance between Earth, the Sun, and the Moon and about the phases of the Moon. You preview a selection of in-class activities that will help you displace misconceptions and demonstrate science knowledge. And, along with other teachers around the world, you participate in discussion forums that will help you better your teaching practice in science education. Visit the Lab "A PrivateUniverse" was created and produced by Matthew H. Schneps and Philip M.Sadler, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Partial funding for "APrivate Universe" was provided by the National Science Foundation.