thomasblack holes 5-9-08-Project Summary Write-up

Cathi Thomas WeExcel-UD/WSU Black Holes- Black Holes: The Ultimate Abyss Discovery Channel School(Unitedstreaming: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/ ) This lesson was modified for use in a CD resource room located in a high school with a high poverty rate Students in the class read at a k-4 grade level Standards hit upon were: Grade 9-Ohio Explain how stars and other celestial objects provide information about the processes that cause changes in composition and scale of the universe We began the lesson with a pretest to see what the students knew about black holes (Without the answers of course!) To detect black holes, astronomers look for _ (Choose only one answer) ultraviolet radiation they emit objects falling out of space-time nuclear reactions at their centers stars circling massive compact objects Astronomers theorize that when our sun runs out of nuclear fuel, it will become a _ (Choose only one answer) black hole neutron star white dwarf frozen planet According to Einstein's theory of gravity, why does the earth revolve around the sun? (Choose only one answer) The earth travels along a curvature of space-time The earth is pulled by the sun's enormous mass The earth is pulled through space by a magnetic field The earth is moved by the heat of the sun's nuclear reactions The place deep within a black hole, where everything is destroyed, is called the _ (Choose only one answer) space trap singularity event horizon gravitational ghost When a star emits X-rays while circling an invisible compact object, astronomers can calculate the mass of the compact object by measuring the _ (Choose only one answer) speed of the star density of the star intensity of X-rays emitted frequency of X-rays emitted Theory suggests that if you could get close to the center of a stellar-mass black hole, you may be converted into something like a _ (Choose only one answer) cube of ice ball of wax doughnut ring string of spaghetti To zoom from one galaxy to another faster than the speed of light, some astrophysicists have proposed that we need to _ (Choose only one answer) squeeze the time dimension of space-time make worm holes that connect black holes build a spaceship that can travel faster than light find the entry and exit points of parallel universes Astronomers suspect that the strongest radio signals from the hearts of distant galaxies are coming from _ black holes releasing jets of energized particles (Choose only one answer) micro mini stellar-mass supermassive We then watched a video downloaded from United Streaming : (http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/ ) called, “Black Holes, the Ultimate Abyss” It was a total of 51 minutes long After the 1st and 2nd part, we had a class discussion asking the following: 1 Describe how a black hole is formed from the time a massive star begins its collapse We discussed, as we saw in the movie, that first there was a huge explosion, followed by huge implosion and then an incredible concentration of mass What was previously the size of 10 of our suns is now the size of Washington D C We discussed prior lab with the sun and showing how many earths we could line across it Then we drew the pinpoint on just one of those earths representing something the size of Washington DC Describe the steps involved in determining the mass of a black hole What you have to measure or observe in order to estimate the mass? We discussed that when scientists see a star orbiting an invisible object, we determine this objects mass by how fast the start is orbiting it This was reiterated at the white board with a drawing If you were observing a probe entering the event horizon of a black hole, you would see it “hovering for an eternity and destroyed in an instant.” Discuss the meaning of this phrase as it applies to conditions near a black hole We discussed how the “Event Horizon” is the point of no return The concept of hovering for an eternity and being destroyed in an instant was one that we had a very hard time grasping Discussed here was also singularity with is the destruction of everything, deep in the center of a black hole Discuss Einstein’s theory of gravity and the curvature of space time We discussed what we saw in the video and compared it to stretching out a sheet and putting a basketball, representing the sun, in the middle, while at the same time adding the other smaller planets, for example, tennis balls, marbles, etc What happened? They all fall toward the larger massed item, that being the sun Project: Divide class into groups of 4, giving each a different kind of black hole to research Group one did Stellar Mass black holes Group did Super Mass black holes and group did mini black holes They were assessed on the research project using the following rubrics: Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson • points: report well-researched, information clearly and logically organized, presentation interesting and lively • points: report adequately researched, information sufficiently organized, presentation dull • point: report insufficiently researched, information inadequately organized, presentation poorly prepared After project was completed, we had our final exam This was basically the same test the students were given at the beginning, however, there were modifications made in the vocabulary of the test Substitutions were made For example, “emitting gases” was changed to “spitting out gases” and “scientists theorized” to “scientists think” and “when our sun runs out of nuclear fuel to” “when our sun burns out” Here is how it looked retyped: Discovery Education Streaming Name: _ Circle the best answer To find black holes, astronomers look for _ Ultraviolet radiation they spit out Objects falling out of space and time Nuclear reactions at their centers Stars circling huge invisible objects Astronomers think that when our sun burns out, if will become a _ Black hole Neutron star White dwarf Frozen planet According to Einstein’s theory of gravity, why does the earth revolve around the sun? The earth travels along a curvature of space time The earth is pulled by the suns gravity The earth is pulled through space by a magnetic field The earth is moved by the heat of the sun The place deep within a black hole, where everything is destroyed, is called the _ Space trap Singularity Even Horizon Gravitational Ghost When a star is circling an invisible object, astronomers can find the mass of the invisible object by measuring the _ Speed of the star Density of the star Intensity of x-rays Frequency of X-rays If you get close to the center of a stellar-mass black hole, you may be changed into something like a _ Cube of ice Ball of wax Doughnut ring String of spaghetti To zoom from one galaxy to another, faster than the speed of light, some scientists have said we need to _ Squeezed the time dimension Make worm holes that connect black holes Build a spaceship that can travel faster than the speed of light find where you enter and leave a universe Astronomers suspect that the strongest radio signals from distant galaxies are coming from _black holes releasing jets of gas Micro Mini Stellar-Mass Supermassive The point near the black hole where you cannot turn back is the Act of accretion Gas Event Horizon Space Trap Modifications made: Simplified questions for example: Astronomers theorize that when our sun runs out of nuclear fuel, it will become a To Astronomers think that when our sun burns out, if will become a _ Data: (Names were changed) Ms Smith Student Pretest Grade Andy Shone Shayla 50 38 Science-2nd Block Final Test Grade Increase 63 88 100 63 38 62 Sue Curtis Sekka Brandy Mattie Al Josie Danni 38 50 25 25 25 25 *50 *25 * Not included in totals Total Average 276 31 75 63 88 88 100 88 Absent Suspended 753 84 37 13 63 63 75 63 Students’ grades improved vastly This also is reiterated in discussions As for the research, all of the sites were way above their reading level They ended up just basically copying down whatever site they had, not being able to scan the site for exactly what was needed So, what we have now are charts of summaries that the students have made, but these charts have words that they cannot read, let alone, words that they can understand A venn diagram was to be made of the similiarities and differences of different types of black holes They were able to get a few of these and the Venn diagram will be made this week Thus, more time is needed for this project and not the class periods the lesson plan from United Streaming said we would need I did think the research task would be easier on the students if more charts or graphs were found in the research but this didn’t happen, so they were left on their own to seek out information that was needed I also tried to find sites that were high interest/low readability, but didn’t find enough (However, A to Z reading is in the process of setting up sites for science for hi/lo reading.) I had them print out their sites and then I had them highlight the main facts that pertained to we needed, i.e., facts from each black hole that we could easily put into a Venn diagram There are learning moments in copying information There is a chance to put hand/eye coordination to work And hopefully when they were writing the words down they recognized parts of words The pretest, the movie, the discussion, the research and the poster making all together took blocks which was more than my Excel assignment was supposed to take It will take another partial block period to have students present their posters and create a Venn diagram as a class Problems, for example, were: if the student was looking up mini black holes, he would find the site okay, but was not able to scan the site to find the info on mini black holes alone He or she would just start writing anything they see on the site I did get some great pictures from the students Some that were reluctant to draw where more confident when I told them that every picture we see of a black hole is just an artist’s rendering To make this go better next time, I will work one-on-one with each student during roc (studyhall) to show them how to scan websites for what they need The below is a copy of the actual lesson plan: This is a lesson plan from “United Streaming” (Discovery Education, 2004) with some activities modified or deleted for use in a high school resource for students with a cognitive delay For full lesson plan as given by Discovery Education, please go to: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/videos/21399/D9D DB615-9B20-5CA7-C60629FE323A428E.pdf Onscreen Activities Segment 2, Black Holes, The Ultimate Abyss: Part • Pre-viewing: With your classmates, speculate on what might happen if you fell into a black hole What about a wormhole? As you watch the documentary, keep track of the black hole and wormhole theories that are proposed and the evidence used to support them How different are they from your ideas? • Post-viewing: According to the documentary, a wormhole is a theoretical tunnel connecting two black holes This would provide a means of traveling to different locations in short periods of time If this is possible, you think scientists should attempt to create a wormhole? Why or why not? • Activity: Find out more about the life cycles of stellar mass, supermassive, and mini black holes Then prepare a presentation for your class that includes their individual characteristics, such as original composition and life span Curriculum Focus: Astronomy/Space Lesson Duration: Two class periods Black Holes: The Ultimate Abyss: Teacher’s Guide Black Holes: The Ultimate Abyss: Teacher’s Guide Lesson Plan Student Objectives Students will understand the following: • Even though black holes all have characteristics in common, they come in three different sizes • Each size black hole has characteristics different from the others Materials • Black Holes: The Ultimate Abyss video and VCR, or DVD and DVD player • Library and Internet reference materials on black holes • A computer with Internet access Procedures 1 Review with your students what they have learned about black holes 2 Make sure they understand that, while black holes have characteristics in common, they differ with regard to size Explain that black holes come in three sizes: stellar mass black holes, supermassive black holes, and mini-black holes Explain further that particular characteristics are associated with each size 3 Divide the class into three teams, and assign each team to research one of the black-hole types discussed above 4 Tell students that each team will prepare a presentation based on its research, which should include the following: • characteristics of the type of black hole • lifetime of the type of black hole hole • locations (or suspected locations) of the type of black • evidence for existence of the type of black hole 5 Tell students to keep track of the sources for their facts so that they or other interested classmates can go back to those sources for further information Encourage students to include visuals in their reports 6 After each team has presented its report, invite students to participate in creating on the chalkboard a compare-and-contrast chart showing the similarities and differences among the three types of black holes Discussion Questions Discuss how Newton’s view of gravity differs from Einstein’s view of gravity Describe how a black hole is formed from the time a massive star begins its collapse Describe the steps involved in determining the mass of a black hole What you have to measure or observe in order to estimate the mass? If you were observing a probe entering the event horizon of a black hole, you would see it “hovering for an eternity and destroyed in an instant.” Discuss the meaning of this phrase as it applies to conditions near a black hole Discuss the objective of the Gravity Probe B satellite and its relevance to the study of gravity Assessment Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson • points: report well-researched, information clearly and logically organized, presentation interesting and lively • points: report adequately researched, information sufficiently organized, presentation dull • point: report insufficiently researched, information inadequately organized, presentation poorly prepared Vocabulary black hole Definition: An object with a gravitational field so strong that light cannot escape from it It is believed to be created in the collapse of a very massive star Context: Everybody has heard of black holes; no one has really seen them galaxy Definition: A galaxy that is a powerful source of radio waves Context: Mighty jets of energized particles are blasted into space from invisible engines at the hearts of these so-called radio galaxies–further evidence that a black hole is driving the process gravity Definition: A fundamental physical force that is responsible for interactions that occur because of mass The force of gravity from an object is inversely proportional to the square of the distance away from the object Context: Newton reasoned that all matter in the universe has gravity mass Definition: A measure of the amount of material an object contains, which causes it to have weight in a gravitational field Context: The more mass a body has, the more gravity Definition: A point or region of infinite mass density at which space and time are infinitely distorted by gravitational forces and which is thought to be the final state of matter in a black hole Context: The most terrifying concept of astrophysics lurks at the bottom of a black hole—the singularity—where nothing, not even light, can escape space-time Definition: A system of one temporal (time) and three spatial coordinates by which any physical object or event can be located Also called the space-time continuum Context: Space and time seem to be woven together to form the flexible four-dimensional fabric of the universe: so-called space-time supernova Definition: The explosion of a very large star in which the star may reach a maximum intrinsic luminosity one billion times that of the sun Context: When a giant star switches off, it goes out with a bang While we see the outward explosion as a supernova, this masks the implosion going on inside Academic Standards National Academy of Sciences The National Science Education Standards provide guidelines for teaching science as well as a coherent vision of what it means to be scientifically literate for students in grades K-12 To view the standards, visit http://books.nap.edu This lesson plan addresses the following science standards: • Earth and Space Science: Origin and evolution of the universe Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education addresses 14 content areas To view the standards and benchmarks, visit http://www.mcrel.org/ This lesson plan addresses the following national standards: • Science—Space Science: Understands essential ideas about the composition and structure of the universe and the Earth’s place in it • Science—Physical Science: Understands energy types, sources, and conversions, and their relationship to heat and temperature • Science—Physical Science: Understands basic concepts about the structure and properties of matter • Science—Physical Science: Understands motion and the principles that explain it Citations: Citation (APA) Black Holes: The Ultimate Abyss Discovery Channel School (1998) Retrieved May 9, 2008, from unitedstreaming: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/ Discovery Education Streaming ... black holes 2 Make sure they understand that, while black holes have characteristics in common, they differ with regard to size Explain that black holes come in three sizes: stellar mass black holes, ... Black Holes: The Ultimate Abyss: Teacher’s Guide Black Holes: The Ultimate Abyss: Teacher’s Guide Lesson Plan Student Objectives Students will understand the following: • Even though black holes. .. kind of black hole to research Group one did Stellar Mass black holes Group did Super Mass black holes and group did mini black holes They were assessed on the research project using the following