Objectives - Students will read and write about the chemistry and
spectroscopy of stars and supernova remnants, as well as understand their
relevance and impact on human life. Students will also learn about
cutting edge technology that will help us to build better instruments with
which to study the Universe.
Each section has several pages of background material relevant to the
associated activities and the lesson plan as a whole. The background
sections include short exercises or thought questions developed to help
the student reach a better understanding of the material presented.
Each section also has activies developed by real teachers - designed to
bring important concepts in astronomy right into the classroom. Each
activity is correlated to national science and math standards for
grades 9 - 12. These
activities show how interelated chemistry, physics, and astronomy really are.
Outline of Unit
Part I: How and Where are Elements Created?
Part II: What is Electromagnetic (EM) Radiation?
How is it created in atoms?
What units are used to characterize EM radiation?
Part III: What tools are used to identify elements?
What importance do X-rays have to astronomy?
- Background: Introduction
to Spectroscopy - Everything you ever wanted to know about
spectroscopy but were afraid to ask!
- Activity: Graphing
Spectra - Practice drawing
graphs of spectra, and understanding the different ways spectra can
be represented, as well as what each representation can tell us.
- Activity: Flame Test - A chemistry
experiment that show how heated elements emit different colors of light.
- Activity: Design an Atom Poster Advertisement
- Students will discuss
what they have learned about atoms and elements in their own words, designing
a poster advertisement for their chosen atom. Students will use more
than just their right brain to think about science!!
Part IV: How does the newest technology help us to understand the
Universe?
- Activity: Identifying Elements in Supernova Remnants using Spectra
- Now the students get to take all they have learned
and really apply it. Students will identify the elements present
in a supernova remnant by analyzing its spectrum.
- Activity: Identifying the Abundance of these Elements - Coming
Soon! -
Students will figure how much of each element is in the supernova
remnant, just like an X-ray astronomer.
- Background: A Plethora of
X-ray Telescopes -
Learn about exisiting and future X-ray telescopes and what they hope
to accomplish.
- Activity: Writing Assignment -
As a closing
activity, students will demonstrate the ability to use text information
and data to persuade a reading audience of the benefits of using calorimeter
detectors to do X-ray astronomy.