Grade Level(s):
- 9-12
Source:
- Whitfield, Lisé
Resource type:
- lab activity
Discipline:
- Space science
Time: ~ one hour
Overview
Students explore how classification and graphing are used by astronomers to determine the age of star clusters. They will measure the color and brightness of stars, as proxies for temperature and luminosity.
- [What is science?: Grades 9-12] Science is both a body of knowledge and the process for building that knowledge. (NOS5)
- [What is science?: Grades 9-12] Science aims to build explanations of the natural world. (P3, P6)
- [What is science?: Grades 9-12] Science focuses on natural phenomena and processes.
- [What is science?: Grades 9-12] Scientific knowledge is open to question and revision as new ideas surface and new evidence is discovered. (P4, P6, NOS3)
- [What is science?: Grades 9-12] Scientific ideas cannot be absolutely proven.
- [How science works: Grades 9-12] The process of science involves observation, exploration, testing, communication, and application.
- [How science works: Grades 9-12] Scientific observations can be made directly with our own senses or may be made indirectly through the use of tools.
- [How science works: Grades 9-12] Scientists test their ideas using multiple lines of evidence. (P6, NOS2)
- [How science works: Grades 9-12] Scientists look for patterns in their observations and data. (P4, P5, NOS2)
- [How science works: Grades 9-12] Raw data must be analyzed and interpreted before we can tell whether a scientific idea is likely to be accurate or inaccurate. (P4, P5)
- [How science works: Grades 9-12] Analysis of data usually involves putting data into a more easily accessible format (visualization, tabulation, or quantification of qualitative data). (P4, P5)
- [The social side of science: Grades 9-12] Scientists usually work collaboratively. (NOS7)
- [The social side of science: Grades 9-12] Science relies on the accumulated knowledge of the scientific community to move forward. (NOS5)
- NOS Matrix understanding category 2. Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence.
- NOS Matrix understanding category 3. Scientific knowledge is open to revision in light of new evidence.
- NOS Matrix understanding category 5. Science is a way of knowing.
- NOS Matrix understanding category 7. Science is a human endeavor.
- Science and Engineering Practice 4. Analyzing and interpreting data
- Science and Engineering Practice 5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
- Science and Engineering Practice 6. Constructing explanations and designing solutions
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