A new resource for Students and teachers

ExoExplorations
Our new focus on exoplanets in 2020 - ExoExplorations - ties directly into school curricula on planets. We provide teachers, parents, and students with original lessons and activities material written by astronomers and educators told from a Canadian perspective.

ExoExplorations BC Grade 6 curriculum materials

• Overview for Teachers: a two page guide.

• Aperçu pour les enseignants

• Quiz materials for teachers (See Questions and Answers, below)

• Unit 1

  • Unit 1 - Stars and Distances

  • Unité 1: Étoiles et Distances

  • Video: Measure VAST distances using parallax

  • Video: Calculate VAST distances using parallax

• Unit 2

  • Unit 2 - Properties of the Stars

  • Unité 2: Propriétés des étoiles

• Unit 3

  • Unit 3 - Seeing Stars

  • Unité 3: Voir des étoiles

• Unit 4

  • Unit 4 - The Milky Way

  • Unité 4 - La Voie lactée

• Unit 5

  • Unit 5 - Galaxies and the Universe

  • Unité 5: Les galaxies et l’Univers

• Unit 6

  • Unit 6 - The Birth of Stars and Planets

  • Unité 6: La formation des étoiles, et des planètes

• Unit 7

  • Unit 7 - Comparing Planets

  • Unité 7: Comparer des planètes

• Unit 8

  • Unit 8 - Comparing Solar Systems

  • Unité 8: Comparer des systèmes solaires

• Unit 9 Activities

  • Unit 9 - Finding Exoplanets

  • Unité 9: Trouver des exoplanètes

  • Video: Detecting Exoplanets: The Transit Method

• Questions and Answers

  • Grade 6 Unit Assessment Quiz (BC-Yukon)

    • Some suggested questions and answers

• Additional Materials

  • Stellarium Introduction

  • Introduction à Stellarium

  • Video: A planetarium on your computer: Stellarium

  • Video: Removing the Atmosphere in Stellarium

  • All our videos: ExoExplorations Video Series

• Also under development:

  • Unit 10 - What else is in a solar system besides planets?

Our funding from Canada’s Natural Science and Engineering Research Council PromoScience programme was received in March of 2020 and material will be posted here as it is completed. We also gratefully acknowledge Canada’s National Research Council.

Background

Traditionally, when students learn about the planets they learn only about our own solar system with its 8 planets and dwarf planets like Pluto. One of the greatest discoveries of the last few decades is that planets are common around stars other than our Sun, and this material presents planets from that wider perspective. We include associated curriculum requirements such as learning about stars and the Milky Way for context, and incorporate grade-appropriate math. The material includes Canadian research and accomplishments where possible.

Our plan is to develop curriculum for British Columbia Grade 6 students first then adapt this information for other provinces and territories as well as higher grades.

Contact Calvin Schmidt at schools@centreoftheuniverse.org to learn more.

ExoExplorations Personnel:

• Don Moffatt, BSc, Project conception and manager, lead writer and editor

• Calvin Schmidt, BSc, co-writer and co-editor/illustrator

• Rami Zemouri (Summer 2020 & 2021 NRC student), co-writer, co-editor, and translator.

• Lauri Roche, BSc, M.Ed.Admin, co-editor

• Nic Annau, BSc, software developer

Banner art credit: Gemini Observatory/NSF/AURA/Artwork by Joy Pollard. Canada is a partner in the Gemini telescopes.

We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Cette recherche a été financée par le Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada (CRSNG).