R. Hechter: Chasing Aurora: Using authentic context for STEM

Preview:

Citation preview

DATE CLIENTOCTOBER 24, 2014 RICHARD P. HECHTER

CHASING AURORA: USING AUTHENTIC

CONTEXT FOR STEM

THE AURORA.

Curriculum BackgroundGrade 9 General Science:

Biology (reproduction)

Chemistry (atoms and elements)

Physics (electricity)

Other (exploring the universe)

Grade 9 ‘Astronomy’ Cluster = the forgotten cluster

Grade 4 - Cluster 2: “Light”

Grade 6 - Cluster 4: “Exploring the Solar System”

My background: Chasing ICE

Extreme Ice Survey. Art Meets

Science.

Founded in 2007 by James Balog, the

Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) is an

innovative, long-term photography

project that merges art and science to

give a “visual voice” to the planet’s

changing ecosystems.

Our background:Manitoba: The heart of the auroral zone.

Where is Manitoba /Churchill?

Our background: Ernest W. Hawkes

…The sky is a great dome of hard

material arched over the Earth. There is a

hole in it through which the spirits pass to

the true heavens. Only the spirits of those

who have died a voluntary or violent

death, and the Raven, have been over this

pathway. The spirits who live there light

torches to guide the feet of new arrivals.

This is the light of the aurora.

….The whistling crackling noise which

sometimes accompanies the aurora is the

voices of these spirits trying to

communicate with the people of the Earth.

Our vision (our lens)STEM/STEAM.

Science (aurora)

Technology (the equipment needed to capture and

study the aurora)

Engineering (can we design the apparatus needed to

help our study)

Art (how can we show what we know?)

Mathematics (where to ‘find’ the aurora)

TRIAL RUN #1 - GIMLI

TRIAL RUN #2 - SANFORD

CNSC (WITH JERROLD WIEBE

AND ELLIOT MACDONALD)

Phase 1 - Early Years.

Part 1: In home classroom -

science fundamentals.

Part 2: Draw/Design/Create

interpretations and write a story

about it.

STUDENT RE-CREATION (ELEMENTARY)

PLASTICINE REPRESENTATION

ELEMENTARY AURORA WORD WALL

ART WALK

Secondary SchoolPart 1: Home classroom -

fundamentals.

Part 2: Make plans with schools

Phase 3: Two-way communication in

real-time

Phase 4: Personal and group

representation, expression, and

explanation

STAR TRAIL

THE MOON

AURORA

STUDENT RE-CREATION (SECONDARY)

PHOTO 4

What is that?

PHOTO 4

PHOTO 4

NAVIGATION 1: MOONWESTERN SCIENCE 1

NAVIGATION 1: ALCYONEWESTERN SCIENCE (2)

NAVIGATION 2: ALCYONEINUIT STARLORE

I N Q U I R Y N E E D S C O N T E X T .

I N Q U I R Y N E E D S C O N T E X T .

( S O W H Y N O T T H E

A U R O R A ? )

Coming up this year (1)1. Continue writing the revised companion curriculum

Science: Electromagnetism/Solar storms/general

magnetism

Technology: Photography/image capture

Engineering: Constructing the platform for the

camera’s, and find ways to keep them working in the

cold

Art: Creating your story

Mathematics: Earth tilt, angles, perspective

Coming up this year (2)

2. New partnerships with Manitoban,

US schools (and European schools?)

for the “overhead view” experiment

3. Visit Churchill in November,

December, March and April (with

different people each time) to continue

our work.

richard.hechter@umanitoba.ca@rphechter