Subject: Middle School Science Olympiad - Reach for the Stars Dear Middle School Science Olympiad Coaches: As you prepare students for the Virginia State Science Olympiad (Division B) "Reach for the Stars" event, I thought it would be helpful if I were to provide a little guidance to focus your efforts. First, a few gentle reminders regarding the "Event Parameters": 1) Participants should provide their own red-filtered flashlight, No. 2 pencil, and clipboard; 2) Resources are not permitted; 3) Team members are encouraged to use non-verbal communication to collaborate with teammates; 4) No food or drink is permitted in the Sandburg Planetarium. Among many fundamental topics in astronomy, students should be especially familiar with some of the more important concepts covered in the Grade 8 Science Investigating the Earth-Moon-Sun System Student Lab Guide (blue), including rotation & revolution, daily & annual solar cycles (e.g., daily & annual cycles of the Sun's apparent path across the sky), lunar cycles (including Moon phases, ocean tides, etc.), eclipses (solar & lunar), change of seasons, and size-distance relationships (scale) among objects in the Solar System and beyond. During the "Planetarium Practicum," participants will be provided with a "Word Bank" (see attached document); students should be familiar with all terminology included in the Word Bank. All of the stars & constellations students will be asked to indentify are featured on the "FCPS Starfinder." For a copy, contact your friendly neighborhood planetarian: FCPS Planetarium Website http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/DIS/OHSICS/planet/index.htm The Nine Planetaria - Planetarium Contacts http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/DIS/OHSICS/planet/contacts/contacts.htm Alternatively, download & print online versions of the FCPS Starfinder for FEB, APR, AUG, and SEP [hyperlinked from the Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness (SCSA) "Constellation of the Month" (CoM) Web pages]: Constellation of the Month (CoM) http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo/com.html Note: Be sure to download & print the graphics for BOTH the "Southern Sky. and "Northern Sky" each month. It is highly recommended students use the "Sky & Telescope Interactive Sky Chart" to become familiar with BOTH the pre-dawn (6:00 a.m. EDT) and early evening (9:00 p.m. EDT) skies for 09 April 2005, the day of the competition: ***NEW for 2005*** Sky & Telescope's Interactive Sky Chart http://skyandtelescope.com/ Note: The 2005 Reach for the Stars "Event Parameters" specifies slightly more emphasis upon star identification than constellation identification; this will be reflected in item selection for the practicum test administered in the planetarium. Students should know the Messier Object number for every one of the "Deep Sky Objects" (except the Hyades) listed in the "Event Parameters," e.g., M1 is the Crab Nebula located in the constellation Taurus, the Bull. The following Web site should be VERY helpful: SEDS Messier Objects Messier Object Index http://www.seds.org/messier/data2.html Looking for an interesting way to teach &/or learn about the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram? During a quick Google search, I recently discovered a related activity from ExploreLearning.com. I haven't had time to work through the entire activity, so I'm reluctant to give it the "Sanford Seal of Approval." That said, all of the ExploreLearning activities I have tested work well. http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView& ResourceID=429&CFID=740920&CFTOKEN=85997242 Be sure to enter the preceding URL entirely on one line. "Click the Exploration Guide link to launch a step-by-step activity for this Gizmo." [To print, press Ctrl-P.] Many other helpful resources are available from the SCSA Web site, including (but not limited to) the following items: Grade Level 8 - Astronomy (suggested activities to enrich "Investigating the Earth-Moon-Sun System," the blue student lab guide) Earth and Space Systems http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo/site_visits.html#grade8 See also a few SCSA Web pages that relate to daily & annual solar cycles... ***NEW for 2005*** Annual Diurnal Paths of Sun for 40dN Latitude [Note: NoVA lat = ~39dN.] http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/gr8ps/blue/Sun_Path.gif [2004 pointers...] Equatorial Sundials and the Sun's Apparent Path Across the Sky http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo/sundials/annual_sun_path.html Composite Xearth/ED-7 24-hour Time Lapse Animation http://www.wsanford.com/webcam/earthdial/composite.html ...and lunar cycles: Moon Phases - Rising & Setting Times http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo/moonrise-set.html One last thought. Please let me know if you would like a list of the order in which teams placed for the 2004 Reach for the Stars event. To the extent this information is helpful, I'm willing to provide the list; otherwise, I cannot think of a compelling reason to publish this information. Hmmm, what am I forgetting? Doubtless something important, but hey, at least you have a li'l more guidance regarding what I think is important to know and be able to do. Hopefully this information will help you to better prepare students for the competition, thereby raising their level of performance while lowering your level of anxiety! Good luck to all teams of competitors! See you soon.... Sunny Days & Starry Nights! Walter Sanford, Science/Planetarium Teacher Sandburg Middle School -- [ Part 2, "2005_Word_Bank.doc" Application/MSWORD 26KB. ] [ Unable to print this part. ]