Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy Blog Page

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Thank you so much for donating to my classroom so I could get a model of the solar system. We just finished up our astronomy unit. Having a model worked so much better than my ad hoc models last year, which consisted of light bulbs and basketballs and students confusedly moving around the room. I often found myself, in response to a student question, going over and picking up the model and saying "let's see if we can figure this out." The model allowed the students to easily engage and think about the situations and questions, rather than me just explaining the answers.

150 physics students benefited from your generosity this year; 225 students will benefit next year; each year new students will have access to the model and being able to learn a little bit more because of it. Your gift will impact a lot of students, and it is very much appreciated. ”

With gratitude,

Mr. Fitz

Thank you so much for the generous gift of telescope kits for my Earth Science classroom. We are in the process of studying astronomy. I have created curriculum related activities for a 3 week period that will conclude with our building of the telescopes. The photos I uploaded are of the students making Starfinders.

The anticipation and curiosity of my students is exciting to witness as they become increasingly anxious to get to the telescope construction. We are also planning to have an astronomy evening to view the moon and planets.

I appreciate you making this experience possible for my students.

”

With gratitude,

Ms. Arthur

My students thoroughly enjoyed the many guest speakers we have had to teach us about astronomy and specifically about constellations, our solar system, phases of the moon, names of the constellations, and the use of our telescope. After postponing several weeks due to inclement weather, we finally had a star party one evening and were able to catch a glimpse of the moon and stars despite our Seattle overcast skies. The children have since taken the telescope home to view the stars with their families and then pass the telescope on to another family to enjoy. The children have written their own creative stories of how their favorite constellation came to be. Thank you all so much for your generosity. You have truly made a difference in the lives of my students. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Swain

I am very excited that my students now have a hands on tool to help make the things we discuss and look at in pictures more real to them. My students were asked to make sky observations at home by signing out binoculars or in small groups after school with me. You will be happy to know that most of them came back to me excited about the added details they were able to see and they expressed that they were surprised at the difference the binoculars made.

I look forward to utilizing the binoculars for more activities next year as we will have access all year to this new learning tool. Thank you so much for giving my students this opportunity to see what is out there, and for giving me the opportunity to plan experiences for my students that will bring more meaning to their learning.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Grimaldo

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude for your generous donation to the "Model to Understand the Sun, Earth and Moon Relationships" project. Your commitment to helping students deepen their understanding of the science content is greatly appreciated.

As a result of your donation, my students have been able to witness the motions of the sun, Earth and moon and recognize the relationships between those movements. This year, I have seen an improvement in the number of students who have demonstrated mastery of the content after we used the model. My students have been able to expand their understanding of the motions of the Earth because of their experience with the Illuminated Planetarium Model.

Thanks again for your generous support of our effort to improve my students' learning experiences. Without donors like you, my students would still be wondering if their visualization of the planets motion is actually the correct interpretation. You have given them the chance to be confident in their interpretation and increase their success in science class.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Smit

Thank you very much for the "Meteor Voyage" supplies. My class is always excited to do hands-on science investigations. They particularly enjoy space science.Students hypothesized as to the depth and shape of the crater left by various models of meteorites. Some students varied the impact angle, some varied the shape of the meteorite and some varied the composition. All had a great deal of fun combined with fully engaged learning. Students also analyzed real pictures of the moon and determined the timeline for geological events based on the pictures. Thank you very much for making this possible.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Borders

Your generous donation has added a new realm of wonder at our school. The binoculars and star charts have increased the student's direct interaction with the sky. We have observed the moon in the morning, the afternoon and at night over the past few months. The planets have put on a great evening show for us too. When the binoculars and telescope are out the crowds start gathering. Students regularly stop me on campus to find out the next time we will be sky watching. We were able to run a 6 week astronomy enrichment class in our afterschool program. We are planning a Family Astronomy Night this spring.

With the budget cuts anything extra is out of the question. Without your help our students would not have experienced something that will enrich their lives forever. Thank you for being part of something great, our future generations. We will be stargazing for years to come. I wish you clear skies.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Goings

Thank You for your donation to our class room. We did some preliminary experiments with the spectrum lamp and my students were engaged and asking many questions about what they were seeing. They are eager to learn why the different element tubes have different spectra and (once we get there) I am sure they will have a better understanding of how we know about stars and what their made of.

After we did our initial experiments I had my students write about why they are thankful for your donation. Here's what they had to say.

"This makes us excited to learn more about science each day"

"It feels great to have fun nice supplies because as a school we usually don't get cool stuff."

"You showed us more than colors"

"I am a very hands on learner and this helps me very much"

"Woot! for the spectrum lamp."

As you can tell these supplies made my students feel valued as science learners and has them very excited for our further studies. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Simkins

Thank you so much for your generous donations, we really appreciate them. With this project, we will able to space in a hands-on manner, helping to bring the subject matter to life.

We will explore the universe with the aide of computers and space bingo.Solar beads will help us determine what sunscreen is the most effective. We will measure space with the Lab-aides kit for measuring, and watch the Weather gone Wild to experience weather conditions outside of California.

Science can be the most exciting, relevant subject in Middle school with the right equipment. Your generous donations have provided these for our classroom. Thank you very much.”

With gratitude,

Teacher

Last week my students were moving around the room in different astronomy centers. They were fascinated when they made moon craters, spun balls to better understand the orbits of the planets and were amazed when they created their own solar and lunar eclipses.

They also begin independent research projects on the planets, the sun and the solar system. Several came in to proudly announce that they amazed their families by correctly ordering the stages of the moon. None of this would be possible without your generous donation.

I can not begin to thank you enough for your help and support in making sure that science is an integral part of our classroom. Thanks to your donation, my students are excited and feel as through they can reach for the stars.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Heinrich