Astronomy

Taking half credit astronomy this semester will help you obtain proficiency in your "Earth Science: Universe" measurement topic.  The learning targets addressed in this class include:  1) Understand the sun's gravity holds the Earth and other planets in their orbits, just as each planet's gravity keeps its moons in orbit; 2) Understand how mass relates to gravity; 3) Understand our location within the galaxy and that other galaxies exist with their own components; 4) Understand how and why light years describe distances in the universe; 5) Understand the role of gravity in forming and maintaining galaxies, stars, and the solar system. Understand the life cycle of a star; and 6) Relate the activity of our sun to various events on Earth and how it affects living things on Earth.  The culminating project in this course will be a digital multi-genre project that has an introduction, multiple projects, and a reflection. You should be thinking about projects (called genres) from day one.  Class time will be set aside after each topic to work on your genre so by the end of the semester each of you will have a wonderful Space-folio!