Star Types and Lifezones

 

Name:  Annessa Allan

 

Title of Lesson:   Star Types and Lifezones

 

Date of Lesson: 

 

Length of Lesson: 50 minutes

 

Description of the class:

                              Name of course:  Eighth Grade Science

                              Grade Level:  8th

                              Honors or Regular: 

 

Source of Lesson:  GEMS kit

 

TEKS addressed:

(8.1)     Scientific Processes.  The student conducts field and laboratory                investigations using safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical                practices.  The student is expected to: 

               (A) demonstrate safe practices during field and laboratory investigations.

(8.2)        Scientific Processes.  The student uses scientific inquiry methods during field and  laboratory investigations.  The student is expected to:

 (A) collect data by observing and measuring;

(C) organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from direct and indirect evidence;

(D) communicate valid conclusions

(8.3)     Scientific Processes.  The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions.  The student is expected to: 

                              (C) represent the natural world using models and identify their limitations

(8.4)     Scientific Processes.  The student knows how to use a variety of tools and methods to conduct a science inquiry.  The student is expected to:

(A) collect, record, and analyze information using tools including beakersÉ..computersÉ;and

(B)  extrapolate from collected information to make predictions

(8.13)  Science Concepts.  The student knows characteristics of the universe.  The student is expected to:

(A)  describe characteristics of the universe such as start and galaxies.

 

 

 

 

 

The Lesson:

 

               I.            Overview

Understanding how far a planet is from a star and how that distance affects the presence and formation of liquid water is important for students to know when studying our planet and for thinking about the possibility of life forms similar to ours elsewhere in the universe.  Also, understanding our position in the galaxy, the immense number of stars, and the different types stars and galaxies are important to having a greater understanding of the universe. 

 

II.                 Performance of Learner Outcomes

Students will be able to:

-Understand the concept of a lifezone, which is the area around a star where liquid water might be found;

-know 4 types of stars and be able to describe their differences and relate these differences to the concept of lifezone;

-describe the vastness of the universe in terms of the number of stars and galaxies, and estimate the possible number of planets within their stars lifezone.

 

               III.          Resources, materials and supplies needed

                             

                              -4 sockets

                              -extension cords as necessary

                              -8-16 meter sticks with centimeter markings

                              -4 lightbulbs (blue,red, yellow, white)

                              -overhead projector

-overhead transparency each of a Spiral Galaxy, Many Galaxies, Star Cluster the Message Came From, and Our Solar System

-butcher paper for the Star Types chart

-clock with a second hand

-hand broom (in case of accidents)

FOR EACH GROUP

-1 radiometer

-1 copy of the Star Types and Lifezones data sheet

 

               IV.         Supplementary material, handouts.

                             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five-E Organization

 

 

Teacher Does                   Probing Questions Student Does

Engage: 

-Give students pre-assessment.

-Show spiral galaxy overhead.

-Give Carl SaganÕs analogy of the stars of the universe.

 

-Show Star Cluster overhead.

>Point out the cluster and note that not all stars are the same.

-Ask a student or two to come forward and point out any stars that appear to have color.

 

 

 

-Discuss how different stars have different temperatures, but donÕt list which is hotter or colder.

 

-List their answers.

 

-Liquid water is very important to life as we know it.

 

-Define ÒlifezoneÓ and write it on the board. 

 

 

-How many galaxies are there outside our own?

 

-Why can we never see pictures of our galaxy?

 

-Has anyone ever seen the Milky Way?  From where?

 

-What shapes can you see?

 

-How many stars make up a galaxy?

 

-Does anyone notice any differences among the stars?

 

-Why would there be different colored stars?

 

-Why might we be interested in knowing what kind of star it is?

 

-What kinds of things would a planet have to have to support Earthlike life?

 

-What form of water do we have on our planet?

 

 

 

-Billions

 

 

-We are on the inside looking out.

 

-Camping?  Out in the country?

 

 

-Spirals, disks

 

 

-Billions.  400-500 billion in our galaxy.

 

-Size, shape and color.

 

-Come to the board and point out colored stars.

-The temperature of the star determines the color.

 

-Life might exist in a system around a star like ours.

 

-Lots of things Ð But I am looking for WATER!!!

 

 

-Mostly liquid water.

 

Explore:

-Explain to students the purpose of experiment:  To use radiometers to  study the illumination of each of the stars where liquid water may exist because water is so important to life as we know it.

 

-Go over safety precautions.  Go over what to do with the equipment when they are done!

 

-Go over the procedure  and explain how the radiometer works, the timing method and where they are going to measure.

 

-Hang up the Star Types chart.

-Do you think your star is one of the hotter hot stars or cooler hot stars?  Why?

 

-Do you think this is an accurate way to measure a lifezone?

Students begin exploration in groups.

Explain:

-Ask one member from each group to come up and plot on the Star Types Chart where they determined it is too cold and too hot for liquid water is for their star.  If two groups have the same star have them average together their results.

 

-Have the student draw a line between the two points to indicate the lifezones for that type of star.

 

-Show Solar System Transparency

 

-Specify where the lifezone begins and ends.  Refer to Solar System overhead.

 

-Talk about how scientists predict that there is water on other planets in our solar system, but not in liquid form.  Mars and Venus were thought to have had liquid water at one time, but Earth is the only one that does now.

 

-Mention that it is Òtoo coldÓ and Òtoo hotÓ on either side of the lifezones kind of likeÉ

Explain that this is called ÒThe Goldilocks Effect.Ó

 

 

 

 

 

 

-What will the conditions be like on either side of the lifezone?

 

-Which star has the largest lifezone?

 

-Is the size of the lifezone important, or just that there is a lifezone?

 

 

 

-Where might there be liquid water within our solar system?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-What does Òtoo hotÓ and Òtoo coldÓ sound like?  A fairy taleÉ.

 

-One student from each group comes to the front to plot the distances and mark t the lifezone on the Star Types Chart.

 

-Too hot or too cold to have liquid water.

 

 

 

 

 

-The larger the lifezone, the greater the chance that it might have a stable planet within the lifezone that could support life.

 

-Just after Venus because the surface is too hot there, and just before Mars because the surface is too cold for anything but ice, but there is evidence of flooding in the past..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Goldilocks

 

 

Extend/Elaborate:

-Draw a few planets in and out of each starÕs lifezone and remind the students that planets within the zone may have liquid water and are more likely  to evolve life as we know it.   The larger the lifezone, the larger the chance for life to evolve.

 

-Write the actual life spans for each type of star on the Star Type Chart.

 

 

 

-Refer back to the number of stars and galaxies in the Universe.

 

 

-Just because there may be a planet within the lifezone, does that mean that there is life on the planet? 

 

-What other factors do we need to consider  when thinking about life in other solar systems?

 

 

 

 

-What effect might this have on a lifezone?

-How long, as far as we know, did it take life to come into existence in our solar systemÕs lifezone?

 

-In all of these solar systems in the galaxies in the universe, considering the different life spans of the stars and different lifezones they may have, is it reasonable to hypothesize that there may have been or may  be other life in the universe?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-No

 

 

 

 

-Heat put out by the star.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~4.5 billion years

Evaluate:

Post-Assessment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:___________________________

 

 

 

 

1)  Approximately how many stars are in our galaxy?  Hundreds, thousands,        millions, or possibly billions?

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)  Do any of the stars have planets around them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)  Are there different types of stars?  If your answer is yes, please list what you think makes them different?

 

 

 

 

 

4)  What things are necessary for life as we know it to exist on a planet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

5)  Do you think it is possible that life may exist on other planets in the universe?

     Why?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:________________________________

 

 

Summary Questions

 

 

 

1)  Define the word lifezone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)  Draw a solar system for a yellow sun and illustrate where you would expect   the lifezone to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3  Would you expect to find life in the lifezone around all stars?

Why or why not?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)  List the four types of stars in order from least hot to the hottest.