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MUSE | Earth-Moon-Sun Dynamics
A
fundamental goal of scientists is to explain natural phenomena – to produce
explanatory models
that can account for patterns observed in the natural world. People have
been observing patterns in the cosmos for thousands of years, but only
in the past few centuries have scientists formulated a model that can
account for such diverse patterns as moon phases, the frequency and duration
of lunar and solar eclipses, and seasonal fluctuations in day length or
the sun’s apparent path in the sky. In the first nine-week module of our
integrated science course, students learn how the Earth, Moon, and Sun
move relative to one another and use their knowledge of these bodies and
their motions to account for a variety of celestial phenomena.
There is considerable power in using the familiar as a starting point to explore the unfamiliar. In our integrated science course for ninth grade students, we begin with a nine-week module during which students explore the causes of familiar phenomena (sunrise and sunset direction, moon face, phases of the moon, eclipses, and seasonal changes) and construct, communicate, and defend their explanations to their peers.
Throughout this module, students encounter data (some of which they collect themselves) from which they must recognize patterns and pose tractable questions. Next, they work in small teams to create an Earth-Moon-Sun Dynamics (EMS) model that can account for their data. Finally, they defend their model to their peers, frequently making use of three-dimensional objects and light sources to re-create the phenomenon in question.
The
students carry out their work in a classroom environment that closely
resembles a "real" scientific community: students are required
to offer evidence in support of claims and be critical of claims made
by classmates. Our research
suggests that these students come to a rich understanding of the underlying
causes of familiar phenomena and the ways in which scientists build and
use models. Many of the learning
outcomes within this curriculum are non-traditional: that is, they
focus on students’ developing skills related to doing scientific
inquiry and understandings about such inquiry rather than only on students'
aquisition of "scientific facts." Such learning goals require
teachers to create classrooms in which students regularly interact with
one another to share and critique ideas -- and to define a set of expected
behaviors ("norms") that will lead to constructive student discussions.
Assessment
of student achievement of such learning outcomes necessarily involves
non-traditional approaches as well. It is important in the day-to-day
functioning of the classroom that teachers employ assessment strategies
to monitor students’ use of norms as well as their achievement of
learning outcomes related to modeling, argumentation, and understanding
about the nature of scientific practice.