Believe it or not, elementary school students are. To the Moon and Back. To the Moon and Back

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1 To the Moon and Back Using technology to teach young children space science concepts By Kathy Cabe Trundle and Sally Hobson Believe it or not, elementary school students are using Skype and Google, ing, and text messaging, just like middle and high school students. When recently asked about the types of technology they use, students in Dr. Hobson s classes (ages 7 9) listed some tools we had never heard of! Today s children have access to technology that influences almost every aspect of their lives. Having children who are so technologically savvy is fortunate when we consider the following: By the year 2025, when current elementary children graduate from college, there will be new kinds of jobs that will require technology that has yet to be developed (Goff 2005). Because these tools can be such great motivators, we tried to capitalize on the children s interest and incorporate technology into our teaching whenever possible, including the science curriculum. Technology and visual representations offer ways to engage students in active inquiry. In this article, we ll describe how students used planetarium software to gather data about the Moon. Reaching for the Moon Although traditional instruction of lunar concepts has relied heavily on textbook approaches, science educators and researchers have called for more child-centered instruction, which involves gathering daily Moon data and analyzing the data to look for patterns (Trundle and Sackes 2008; Trundle and Troland 2005). Unfortunately, most classroom teachers are unable to devote two months of time to gathering Moon data, and the process can be frustrating for young children. Children often become upset when cloud cover blocks their view of the sky or when they have to go to bed before they can find the Moon. Large obstacles like trees or buildings also can interfere with sky. To address these concerns and to speed up the data-gathering process, we use a planetarium software program, Starry Night, (version 5.0, Imaginova; see Internet Resources) to make the data-gathering relatively simple. Because the software allows the exploration of Moon phases at any time of day and the actual Moon need not be seen, we no longer December

2 Figure 1. Screen shot of Starry Night. worry about bedtime, busy schedules, bad weather, or other frustrations which can interfere with children s data collection. However, children still search for the Moon in the sky during recess, after school activities, and in the evenings. We encourage them to compare their in nature with those from the simulation. Depending on the time of year and weather conditions, the children can include natural on their Moon calendar, and they can label these with N.O. for natural observation. Planetarium software provides children with a usercontrolled view of the sky, allowing them to explore ly rendered views of the sky from any location on Earth. Students can use simulations to gather and record data and test their ideas in a virtual environment with immediate feedback. Computer simulations allow for the representation of complex relationships between concepts, such as 3-D phenomena and natural events that are not readily observable. Children can use the program to move forward or backward in time, allowing them to collect a full week s worth of data in just minutes. The magnify feature of the program allows them to zoom in on the Moon to see details more clearly and closely, making easier for young children and students with visual impairments. The program s information window provides additional data such as Moon rise and set times, percentage of disc illumination, as well as the altitude of the Moon at the time of observation (Figure 1). Data Gathering and Analysis During their data gathering, the children use the software program to make and they record their lunar on a Moon calendar. They draw the apparent shape (the lit portion) of each Moon phase and record the time of the observation, the direction they look in the sky to locate the Moon, and how high the Moon is located above the horizon. They also record written and in a journal (Figure 2). After the children gather their data, we share data as a class, look for patterns in the data, and use Styrofoam balls and an exposed lightbulb to model the cause of Moon phases. We also record the Moon rise and set times each day. Students compare the appearance or shape of the Moon, the time of day for the observation, and how high the Moon is above the horizon. During data analysis, we ask children productive questions to help them find patterns in the data. We ask them to select two dates and compare the Moon phases: How do these two Moon phases compare? What changed and what stayed the same from one day to the next? We ask them to select a week on their calendars. Then we ask, Was the Moon mostly visible during daytime hours or nighttime hours during this week? Were we able to see more or less of the Moon each day? We also ask them to look at the rise and set time for one day: How long was the Moon visible in the sky today? When it was visible, were you at school or at home? Were you mostly awake or asleep when the Moon was visible? The lunar concepts we focus on include: Time of day the Moon can be observed (day and/or night depending on the phase of the Moon) Apparent motion of the Moon throughout the day; directions of Moon rise and set, direction of the movement, and the shape of the Moon s path across the sky (the Moon appears to rise generally in the east, move higher in the sky in an arc-shaped path until it begins to move lower in the sky and set generally in the west, much like the Sun s path) Appearance of different Moon phases Second- and third-grade children using Starry Night software to gather Moon data. Photograph courtesy of the authors 52 Science and Children

3 Sequences of Moon phases (we see more of the lit part of the Moon each day from new Moon to full Moon as it waxes, and then we see less of the lit part of the Moon each day as it wanes from full Moon back to new Moon) Developing Process Skills The software program also helps support the development of process skills. For example, the children routinely make and test predictions about what they think will happen next with Moon phases. One student said, It took about two weeks for the full Moon to reach new [Moon]. I wonder if this will happen again next month. She was able to use the software to gather additional data, immediately testing her prediction. Children challenged other students ideas, and then they used the software to make decisions based on data. One group discussed when they thought the full Moon and new Moon would recur the next month. Here is an excerpt from their conversations: Figure 2. Sample student journal entry. I think that all the new Moons are going to be on the 5th [of the month] like David said. But I think that the full Moons are going to go back a day [from when it was observed the previous month]. Because we had the 19th of April and the 18th of May [for the full Moons in the data]. (Tom) I think there s a kink in that prediction I am not saying that it is a bad prediction but if the full Moon keeps on moving back [dates] and the new Moon stays the same, pretty soon the full Moon will be right next to the new Moon. And that won t work for the pattern. So if that s going to work, then the new Moon has to move back a day, too. (Rox) The children then used the software to immediately gather data to test their ideas. The opportunities for process skills development like these examples are numerous, and the specific ones we help children develop during the investigation include: Additional Technology Options The software we used is not the only option available to teachers who wish to use technology for sky : Stellarium, a free, open-source planetarium software: P-Moontool v.1.7, freeware program for data gathering with personal digital assistants like a Palm device: www. freeware-palm.com/download-p-moontool-v1-7.html iphone Moon Phase, an app available for the iphone, ipod Touch, and ipad, which provides realistic Moon images: (Figure 4, p. 55) Explore Learning has gizmos or applets designed to teach specific concepts like Moon phases. The Moon phase gizmo allows children to view the Sun/Earth/Moon system from a point in space while they are shown the Moon phase as it also would appear from an Earth-viewer perspective. When the children click the play button, the Moon begins to orbit the Earth. As the Moon changes its position relative to the Earth and Sun, the appearance of the Moon as viewed from Earth also changes on the screen (Figure 5, p. 55), allowing the children to see how the positions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth affect the Moon phase we see: Sally s children used a website (and whiteboards) to share and compare their Moon data via the internet with children across the globe through the More Observations of Nature (MOON) Project (Trundle, Willmore, and Smith 2006; Smith 2003). This allows children to compare northern hemisphere to other geographic locations in the same hemisphere and to those from the southern hemisphere. Children also make cultural connections by sharing their communities Moon stories through project blogs: December

4 Making and recording Looking for patterns in data Sharing data and making results public Making predictions based on data Formulating conclusions Asking questions and gathering additional data As the children gather and analyze their Moon data, the patterns they see stimulate curiosity, and new questions emerge that the children want to answer. For example, one group was curious about what the Earth looked like when viewed from the Moon. Because the software program allows the children to virtually travel through space to any celestial object, the children were able to travel to the Moon and look back at Earth and gather observational data to answer their questions. They were amazed to learn that the Earth also appears to have phases just like the Moon! And when the Moon looks full from Earth, the Earth is in a New Earth position where none of the lit portion of Earth is visible from the Moon, much like a New Moon. This discovery led the children to wonder about other planets, and they were able to use the magnify feature of the software to see that each planet, when viewed from Earth, appears to have phases! Assessment To assess the students work in their Moon journals, we used a rubric (Figure 3). The children occasionally checked the data they gathered with the software against in nature, and they were so excited to see that the data were consistent. To encourage children to apply what they learned and to provide an opportunity for formalized summative assessment, we ask them to pose their own inquiry question Figure 3. Rubric to assess students Moon journals. Criteria Below Approaching At Above Comments Context Date Time Direction incomplete or missing context Includes most of the required context the required context with some details Addresses all of the context clearly and completely with details Written Qualitative Visual Quantitative Measure Estimate incomplete or missing written observation Somewhat clear and descriptions that include some of the required parts of the observation Clear and that include all of the parts of the observation Rich, clear written that include all of the parts Drawing(s) Illuminations ly represented incomplete, in or missing details of the Moon Drawings may be unclear but include some parts that are Drawings are and include all the required parts Drawings are, include all the required parts, and are detailed Reflections Connections Predictions New questions Surprises Wonderings incomplete, or missing Somewhat clear and Includes some but not all of the required parts of the reflection Clear and the parts in the Well-developed and clear the parts in the 54 Science and Children

5 Figure 4. Screen shot of iphone Moon Phase. Figure 5. Gizmo for Moon Phases from Explore Learning. and then use Starry Night to gather data to answer the question. For example, one child wondered how Moon phases in Ohio compared with where her grandmother lived in Texas. Children often decide to compare the appearance of Moon phases in the northern hemisphere to those in the southern hemisphere. Conclusion Introducing science inquiry early in young children s education is imperative, and providing opportunities for conducting investigations that develop process skills can lay a foundation for later learning. Combining inquiry-based instruction with appropriate technology allows our students to explore, reason, test, and revise their ideas about science concepts, including lunar phases. If one goal of science education is to help students become comfortable using science and scientific process skills in their daily lives, technology-related opportunities prove invaluable. n Kathy Cabe Trundle (trundle.1@osu.edu) is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Science Education at The Ohio State University School of Teaching and Learning in Columbus. Sally Hobson is a classroom teacher at Norwich Elementary School in Hilliard, Ohio. References Goff, J In the year CFO Magazine. Retrieved June 28, 2011 from c_ ?f=magazine_alsoinside Hobson, S.M., K.C. Trundle, and M. Sackes Using a planetarium software program to promote conceptual change with young children. Journal of Science Education and Technology 19 (2): Smith, W.S Meeting the Moon from a global perspective. Science Scope 26 (8): Trundle, K.C., and M. Sackes Sky by the book: Lessons for teaching young children astronomy concepts with picture books. Science and Children 46 (1): Trundle, K.C., and T.H. Troland The Moon in children s literature. Science and Children 43 (2): Trundle, K.C., S. Willmore, and W.S. Smith The MOON Project. Science and Children 43 (6): Resources Lunar Observation Chart robservationchart.pdf Starry Night Connecting to the s This article relates to the following National Science Education s (NRC 1996): Content s Grades K 4 A: Science as Inquiry Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry D: Earth and Space Science Objects in the sky Changes in Earth and sky E: Science and Technology Understanding about science and technology National Research Council (NRC) National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. December