Telescope Minidocumentary

Introduction:

In this project astronomy students wrap up their study of telescopes by researching a major telescope and presenting the information in a short video consisting of a slideshow with narration.

What Happens:

Students are assigned a major telescope to research using the internet. Students need to collect information about the telescope and gather images taken by the telescope and of the telescope itself. An outline of the script provides students with an idea of what pieces of information and types of images they need to acquire.

What it Looks Like:

Here's one sample of a mini documentary made on the Herschel Telescope:

What You Need:

• MacBook or other Mac computers with iMovie and internet access (one per student or per pair if working in pairs)

• Relatively quiet spaces for students to go when recording voiceovers

• Student handout with instructions & script outline (download below)

• List of telescopes to assign (download below)

Time Required:

For this project I budget for a total of four 45-minute blocks--2 blocks for research, image collection, 1 block to import images and begin recording the voiceover, and 1 block to finish the voiceover and do final editing.