THE SKY IN YOUR HANDS: TAKING ASTRONOMY TO VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS

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Angelina Watts
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THE SKY IN YOUR HANDS: TAKING ASTRONOMY TO VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS The sky in your hands is a project created in 2009, during the International Year of Astronomy, with the goal to create an image

Includes a planetarium show with an audio component and tactile semi-spheres where the public can touch constellations and other objects of the Universe.

Teachers can implement this project to teach astronomy to all students in particular to those who are visually impaired or blind.

2 THE SKY IN YOUR HANDS: TAKING ASTRONOMY TO VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS The sky in your hands is a project created in 2009, during the International Year of Astronomy, with the goal to create an image of the Universe for the visually impaired audiences. Includes a planetarium show with an audio component and tactile semi-spheres where the public can touch constellations and other objects of the Universe. Now this open source project goes inside the classroom using simple and inexpensive materials to teach astronomy and inspire teachers. Teachers can implement this project to teach astronomy to all students in particular to those who are visually impaired or blind. FROM THE PLANETARIUM The Spanish IYA2009 created the workgroup Astronomical Activities for People with Special Needs, coordinated by Amelia Ortiz-Gil from the Astronomical Observatory - University of Valencia (Spain). Their goal was to make Astronomy available to all including those with special needs. The first production of this project was the planetarium show The Sky in Your Hands for blind people. Using sounds and tactile elements this show is easily adapted to different types of planetariums. During 30 minutes a visual projection, a special soundtrack and a tactile support enables the audience not only to follow the story in a personal in a effective way, but also to reinforce their perception of the astronomical concepts involved. The audience makes a journey through different constellations, their legends and special sky objects projected on the dome. Following the spirit of the IYA2009, the authors of this project wish to make all products free and available to everyone that wishes to use them in outreach activities and science education. TO THE CLASSROOM From observation and analyses of several group of students that visited The sky in your hands in Lisbon Planetarium and after talking to some of their teachers we noticed that much could be done in classroom with students to make their process of learning easier and more motivating. Besides that we noticed that for some schools it was difficult to travel with students to visit the planetarium. Based on this experience different resources and materials were adapted to be used in classroom. Collaboration between informal science learning in science centers, museums or planetariums and formal learning in school can improve science learning, inspires students and facilitates their understanding of the nature of the science. All students including those visually impaired, can touch the tactile resources produced and listen to the audio record to understand astronomical concepts. Then they can build a simple tactile image of a constellation or any object of the solar system or the Universe. Working in small groups they use cheap, recycled materials to build these tactile models (paper, card, wool, cotton, tissue, cloth, plastic, modeling clay, ). They can use the audio tracks available (portuguese and spanish) or can record a new audio file explaining the astronomical concepts of the model they have built or including them in a story telling. The groups should include visually impaired and non-visually impaired students, as different skills from different students complete each other to accomplish the task in a more successful way. Afterwards each group presents the work to others. Another possibility is that all groups can put together their work and prepare a role-play telling a story.

THE WORKSHOP The sky in your hands workshop especially prepared for educators and teachers was planned to put hands on some of the available resources of this project and to understand how they can

This workshop enables tearchers to work with these material, getting information about the educational project, its methodology, other resources, learning goals and evaluation.

according to their age level, interest and curricula and to engage them in the discover of the wonders of astronomy.

plans to promote and provide inclusion activities for visually impaired children and their non-visually impaired peers through the use of planetary science hands-on low cost activities.

3 THE WORKSHOP The sky in your hands workshop especially prepared for educators and teachers was planned to put hands on some of the available resources of this project and to understand how they can be used to teach astronomy curricula in a classroom. This workshop enables tearchers to work with these material, getting information about the educational project, its methodology, other resources, learning goals and evaluation. The key idea of this workshop is to understand that one can choose from an open source project and use some inexpensive simple materials to plan inclusive activities with visually impaired students according to their age level, interest and curricula and to engage them in the discover of the wonders of astronomy. TEACH ASTRONOMY AND INSPIRE YOUR STUDENTS with MORE FREE RESOURCES FOR YOUR SCHOOL MEET OUR NEIGHBOURS! - An astronomy tactile experience Meet our Neighbours! plans to promote and provide inclusion activities for visually impaired children and their non-visually impaired peers through the use of planetary science hands-on low cost activities. This project produced a set of 13 tactile images of the main objects of the Solar System (such as: the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, a Dwarf-planet, a Comet and an Asteroid). Through dedicated hands-on low cost activities, this project activities and material can be used in schools, science centres and outreach associations, and is aimed for children from 6 to 12 years old. All necessary material to build the tactile images in different textures and step-by-step guidelines are available to educators to assure the quality of the materials produced.to assure the scientific content and to inspire students and educators this project has collaborated with scientists to give their scientific input on each tactile image, overviewing the main features of the celestial object in question and the tactile features addressed. During and after implementation and to assure the quality of the resources produced and sustainability of the project, all activities and materials are available for free. Official website: YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO BLIND CHILDREN! JOIN US AND SHARE THE WONDERS OF OUR CELESTIAL NEIGHBOURS!

IS SUPPORTED BY: Official Website: http://www.galileoteachers.org/ The GTTP goal is to create a worldwide network of Galileo Ambassadors and Galileo Teachers.

The Galileo Teachers are equipped to train other teachers in these methodologies, leveraging the work begun during IYA2009 in classrooms everywhere.

as computer-connected areas that can take advantage of access to robotic optical and radio telescopes, webcams, astronomy exercises, cross-disciplinary resources, image processing and digital

eu Open Discovery Space: A socially-powered and multilingual open learning infrastructure to boost the adoption of elearning resources and to address the various challenges that elearning environment

4 IS SUPPORTED BY: Official Website: The GTTP goal is to create a worldwide network of Galileo Ambassadors and Galileo Teachers. These Ambassadors train Teachers in the effective use and transfer of astronomy education tools and resources into classroom science curricula. The Galileo Teachers are equipped to train other teachers in these methodologies, leveraging the work begun during IYA2009 in classrooms everywhere. Through workshops, online training tools and basic education kits, the products and techniques developed by this programme can be adapted to reach locations with few resources of their own, as well as computer-connected areas that can take advantage of access to robotic optical and radio telescopes, webcams, astronomy exercises, cross-disciplinary resources, image processing and digital universes (web and desktop planetariums). Official Website: Open Discovery Space: A socially-powered and multilingual open learning infrastructure to boost the adoption of elearning resources and to address the various challenges that elearning environment face in the European context. The Go-Lab Project (Global Online Science Labs for Inquiry Learning at School) opens up remote science laboratories and their online models (online labs) for the large-scale use in education. Official Website: Inspiring Science Education will enhance science learning in 5,000 primary and secondary schools in 15 European Countries. This project is all about providing the tools to make science education more challenging, more playful and above all more imaginative and inspiring for today s students, the citizens of tomorrow s world. Official Website:

5 ACTIVITIES GUIDELINES KEY WORDS: Astronomy, constellations, solar system, tactile materials, visually impaired students, blind students, team work, inclusive learning. STUDENTS AGE: 6-12 years old ACTIVITIES DESCRIPTION: Students work in small groups (with visually impaired and non-visually impaired) Students explore what constellations and asterisms are (their historic and scientific importance) and the main objects present in that particular region of the sky This exploration can also focus any celestial object of our solar system, like planets, comets, nebula, asteroids, the Sun, Students write down a story about the object they are studying Using daily basis items and the suggested guidelines, students build a tactile image the object they have chosen. Explore what constellations and asterisms are, their historic and scientific importance and the main objects present in that particular region of the sky. PROCEDURES FOR EDUCATORS: Prior to the activity: - Gather the children in groups; - Present one image per group; - Distribute materials accordingly; - Promote exploration (what constellations and asterisms are, their historical and scientific importance, the main objects present in that particular region of the sky such as nebulae and open clusters, Pleiades). During the activity: - Close supervision - follow each group and guide their exploration, help them to clarify their doubts, explain each of the tactile materials and their correspondence to each celestial object; - Promote interaction between the children (visually impaired and non-visually impaired) during the building of the tactile image familiarize them with the different materials involved; - Promote final communication of the work between all groups. Evaluate students learning process: Teacher: observation grids, check lists; Students: short report per group, including the written story.

6 LEARNING GOALS Scientific Concepts and their relation: Depending on school curricula and students learning level after the activity the learner should be able to: know/understand for instance: what are constellations?; what is the difference between asterism and constellation?; sky map; differences between stars (observational astronomy); the importance of Polaris; star life cycle, different types of objects like nebulae, open clusters, binary star system, etc. Attitude and Skills: After the activity the learner should be able to: perform a self-evaluation; communicate what they have learnt to others; develop an interest in astronomy and science in general. ACTIVITY ONE: THE SKY IN YOUR HANDS: LEO AND GEMINI ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: Using daily basis items and the suggested guidelines, build a tactile image of Leo and Gemini. Explore what constellations and asterisms are, their historic and scientific importance and the main objects present in that particular region of the sky. REQUIRED MATERIALS: - One regular print of Leo and Gemini (size A4); - Thread of wool, stripes of leader, glue, scissor, small golden dots, green wool balls, big orange dots; ACTIVITY GUIDELINES: Step 1: Print Image A4, in a regular printer; Step 2: Using a thin thread of wool outline the solid lines that connect the main stars in each constellation; Step 3: Using a stripe of leader outline the dashed lines that connect Leo to Gemini; Step 4: Using the big orange dots glue them on top of the biggest stars (black dots) in the image; Step 5: Using the small golden dots glue them on top of the white circles representing secondary stars; Step 6: Using the wool green balls glue them on top of the smaller black dots (special reference stars). ACTIVITY TWO: THE SKY IN YOUR HANDS: ORION AND TAURUS ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: Using daily basis items and the suggested guidelines, build a tactile image of Orion and Taurus. Explore what constellations and asterisms are, their historic and scientific importance and the main objects present in that particular region of the sky.

7 REQUIRED MATERIALS: - One regular print of Orion and Taurus (size A4); - Thread of wool, stripes of leader, glue, scissor, cotton, fabric, big orange dots, green wool balls and small golden dots; ACTIVITY GUIDELINES: Step 1: Print Image A4, in a regular printer; Step 2: Using a thin thread of wool outline the solid lines that connect the main stars in each constellation; Step 3: Using a stripe of leader outline the dashed lines that connect Orion, Taurus and the Pleiades; Step 4: Using the big orange dots glue them on top of the biggest stars (bigger black dots) in the image; Step 5: Using the small golden dots glue them on top of the white circles representing secondary stars; Step 6: Using the green wool balls glue them on the smaller black dots (special reference stars). Step 7: Cut the cotton and glue it on the region denoted for Orion Nebula; Step 8: Cut the fabric and glue it on the region denoted for Crab Nebula (supernova remnant M1); ACTIVITY THREE: THE SKY IN YOUR HANDS: BIG AND SMALL DIPPER ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: Using daily basis items and the suggested guidelines, build a tactile image of Big and Small Dipper. Explore what constellations and asterism are, their historic and scientific importance, and the main objects present in that particular region of the sky. REQUIRED MATERIALS: - One regular print of Big and Small Dipper file (size A4); - Thread of wool, stripes of leader, glue, scissor, small golden dots and green wool balls, small springs; ACTIVITY GUIDELINES: Step 1: Print Image A4, in a regular printer; Step 2: Using a thin thread of wool outline the solid lines that connect the main stars in each constellation; Step 3: Using a stripe of leader outline the dashed lines that connect Big Dipper to Small Dipper; Step 4: Using the small springs glue them on top of the smallest black dots in the image; Step 5: Using the small golden dots glue them on top of the white circles representing secondary stars; Step 6: Using the green wool balls glue them on top of the black dots (special reference stars).

Across the Universe. By Gabrielle Sierra

Across the Universe. By Gabrielle Sierra Across the Universe By Gabrielle Sierra Our universe is an amazing place. Since prehistoric days, inquisitive minds have been wondering about the celestial objects that surround our planet, and today scientists