DreamcatchersThe Los ALAmos NATioNAL BANk PoPejoy hALL schooLTime series Teaching guiDe

Schooltime SerieSAlways new worlds to explore.

PreSented by: JAnet ivey

mondAy, JAnuAry 11th, 2016 • GrAdeS 1 - 5

dreamcatchers teaching Guides align with the common core State Standards and new mexico State learning Standards.

A Tour Through the Solar System

the los Alamos national bank

Janet’s Planet: A Tour Through the Solar System Teaching guide Dreamcatchers 2

Have you ever gazed upon a starry night and wondered what is happening up there? Sparkling, twinkling lights, moons, planets, comets, meteor show-ers… there is an amazing, ever expanding universe above us! Traveling at the speed of thought with Janet’s Planet, young viewers get to tour the Solar System and learn about our fascinating planet through a variety of exciting adventures and activities. The show’s science curriculum mission is to pro-vide an important foundation for the development of critical thinking skills – a key component to a child’s success in life! The expert team of educators, writers, scientists, and media specialists work to ensure that Janet’s Planet delivers a dynamic, focused, and fun learning experience for children to grasp the world around them.

introduction

Standards addressed By attending the Performance

nMccSSSpeaking and listening (ccSS.elA-literacy.Sl):- Comprehension and Collaboration

new Mexico content Standards: Strand i (Scientific Thinking and Practice)Strand ii (Content of Science); Standard 3 (Earth and Space Science)Fine Arts/theatre & music: Content Standards 3 & 5

equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science.”

- Edwin HubblE, The NaTure of ScieNce (1954)

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Janet’s Planet: A Tour Through the Solar System Teaching guide Dreamcatchers 3

SynopsisOn this tour, the JP ship’s supercom-puter Galileo has been communicat-ing with its friend Voyager 1, which is currently in deep space. Apparently, Voyager 1 saw a star go supernova, so the crew is headed to the edge of the solar system for a Supernova Pizza Pic-nic. Supporting characters Professor Cosmos, dr. Comet, and Cody the Ro-bot appear digitally on screen in mis-sion control. Cody the Robot also ap-pears on stage with Janet down in the theatre bay. Just as the JP Space Crew is ready to blast off and take a tour of each of the planets in the solar system, Galileo malfunctions at the hands of dr. Comet. Galileo is crucial to the mission because from his vast hard drives, he transmits intergalactic knowledge that helps the ship maneuver in space. A temporary residence is found for his brilliant mind, TOASTbOT: the toaster the crew made in college. Cody brings Galileo down from Mission Control to the theatre bay so the audience and Janet can monitor him. now it’s up to the JP Space Crew, and the audience,

to gather all the elements necessary to repair Galileo with materials from our abundant solar system before the tour is over!

VocabularyAstro: a prefix that means “star” in the Greek language

Astronomy: the study of everything that is or was in space (beyond the Earth’s atmosphere); the oldest form of science, dating back thousands of years to when people noticed objects in the sky overhead and observed how they moved

black hole: a super dense, invisible object in outer space that forms when a massive star collapses from its own gravity. black holes have such an enormous amount of gravity that nothing—not even light—can escape from them

dark matter: nonluminous (not emitting light or visible) material that cannot be seen in the sky and is considered by scientists to be one of the most mysterious things in the

universe

Galaxy: a huge collection of stars, nebulae, star clusters, dust, and gas that measures many light years across

meteor: space matter that enters the Earth’s atmosphere, heats up, and looks like a brief streak of fire in the sky

nebula: a cloud of dust and gas in space in which a star is born

orbit: the path followed by an object in space as it moves around another object

Planet: a spherical object that orbits a central star and reflects the sun’s light

revolution: the orbital motion of one object around another

rotate: to turn around a center point, or axis, like a wheel turns on the axle of a bicycle

Solar System: the sun, and all the planets and other objects that orbit around it

Supernova: a great explosion that gives off tremendous amounts of light at the end of a star’s life cycle

courtesy of nASA

lonely GAlAxy loSt in SPAce: This galaxy, known as NGc 6503, has found itself in a lonely position, at the edge of a strangely empty patch of space

called the Local Void.

Janet’s Planet: A Tour Through the Solar System Teaching guide Dreamcatchers 4

interesting Facts for StudentsSolar radiation is the most promising form of space-based power.

land-based solar power is limited by night, cloud cover, and the atmosphere.

An estimated 30 percent of solar radiation never reaches ground level.

in space, the sun never goes away.

the next frontier for space-based power could be providing energy for people who live and work on Mars. One idea is harvesting energy from dry ice.

Almost all of the movements in The Planets have sparked other composers to do take-offs from them. we hear

several movements or variations everyday in the form of theme songs, on TV, movies, or the radio.

mars (nintendo game Super Mario bros. 3, dark land, and Star wars’ “imperial March”)

Jupiter (national Geographic’s TV theme song)

uranus (unmistakable in disney’s fantasia, where Mickey is the humble apprentice)

about Janet iveyJanet ivey is committed to enriching the lives of children through education and programming. with over 17 years in the media, ivey has captivated her native city of nashville and beyond with her talent and received 12 Region-

al Emmy® Awards and 5 Gracie Allen Awards for her work. Most notably, ivey has been recognized for her work on nashville Public Television children’s series Janet’s Planet, an interstitial series she helped to create. in addition to Janet’s Planet, ivey is celebrating her ninth year as the co-host of PbS’s “Tennessee’s wildside” with bill Cody. She has also authored three children’s books: Tell Me about heaven, i Think i’m forgetting, and Something’s Differ-ent in Samesville. Janet holds multiple awards, including STEMflorida, inc., and has been featured in parenting journals, Nashville Lifestyles magazine, and Nashville Business Journal. She has also been featured in national televi-sion and radio commercials. warm and exuberant, Janet ivey is dedicated to producing quality kid’s entertainment that entertains, enlightens, and inspires.

courtesy of nASA

FreSh crAter neAr Sirenum FoSSAe reGion oF mArS: The hirise camera aboard NAsA’s mars reconnaissance orbiter acquired this closeup

image of a “fresh” (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the sirenum Fossae region of mars on march 30, 2015. This

impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta.

Janet’s Planet: A Tour Through the Solar System Teaching guide Dreamcatchers 5

objectives

materials (Objects of equivalent size may be substituted)

• the Sun: A ball, approx. 8 inches in diameter (about the size of a bowling ball)

• venus and earth: 2 peppercorns, approx .08 inch in diameter

• mercury, mars, & Pluto: 3 pins with round tops, approx .03 inch in diameter (These will be difficult to see. Stick the pins in index cards w/ labels to make them more visible)

• Jupiter: A chestnut or pecan, approx .90 inch in diameter

• Saturn: A hazelnut or acorn, approx .70 inch in diameter

• uranus and neptune: 2 peanuts or coffee beans, approx .30 inch in diameter

• A very large outdoor area to work in (approximately 1,000 yards: that’s more than 10 football fields in length!)

• A yardstick

Procedure 1. Place the materials listed above on a table in the classroom. Tell students that they will be mak-ing a scale model of the solar system using these materials to represent the different planets and the sun. identify each item as the planet it represents and ask students how much room they think will be needed to construct the model to scale. Make note of student guesses.

2. Pick up the ball represent-ing the Sun. Say “The Sun is eight hundred thousand miles wide. This ball representing it is 8 inches wide. So, 1 inch in the model represents one hundred thousand miles in reality.”

3. Show students the yardstick. There are 36 inches in a yard, so the yardstick represents 3,600,000 miles. demonstrate how you can take 1 “pace” that measures approximately 1 yard. This will make the measuring you need to do for this lesson much easier!

4. note that the distance be-tween the Earth and the Sun is 93 million miles. Help students to calculate how many yards there will need to be between the model of the sun and the model of the earth (26 yards).

note: you can demonstrate yards in paces, which will make the constructing of the model easier once you are outside. Make sure you keep your paces approxi-mately 1 yard long.

5. Ask students to measure 26 yards in the classroom. when they cannot, point out that the class will have to go outside in order to make this model.

6. Select 10 students to bring the Sun and the planets to a pre-designated area outside. Your area should allow for you to be able to measure approximately 1,000 yards in a straight line. (This is not easy. The straightness of the course is not critical to the model. The demonstration of size will still come across.)

7. Put the Sun ball down and walk 10 paces (10 yds) in a straight line. Call for the student hold-ing mercury to come to your spot. The student will place the “planet” and rejoin the group. The group will follow you as you take your paces.

8. walk another 9 paces (9 yds) and call for the student holding venus.

9. walk another 7 paces (7 yds) and call for the student holding earth.

10. walk another 14 paces and call for the student holding mars.

11. walk 95 paces and call for the student holding Jupiter. note how Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and yet is so far from its nearest neighbor that it isn’t even visible.

12. walk another 112 paces and place Saturn.

13. walk another 249 paces and place uranus.

Students will:

• learn how to calculate distances in order to make a scale model of the solar system.

• Participate in the measuring and construction of a scale model of the solar system.

• Gain an understanding of the immense size of our solar system.

Let’s Take a Planet Walk Lesson 1 From Let’s Take a Planet Walk

grades: 1-5

using specific items to represent the planets, you and your students will make a scale model of the solar system. You will start in your classroom, but it will quickly become apparent that you’ll need a lOT more room! Students will walk away from this lesson with a greater understanding of the vastness of our solar system.

nMccSS:english Language arts: Speaking and Listening: comprehension and collaboration(CCSS.ElA-literacy.Sl)

Mathematics: Measurement and Data (CCSS.MATH.COnTEnT.Md)

new Mexico content Standards:Science: Strand i (Scientific Thinking and Practice)

Strand ii (Content of Science); Standard 3 (Earth and Space Science)

Janet’s Planet: A Tour Through the Solar System Teaching guide Dreamcatchers 6

Let’s Take a Planet Walk continued14. walk another 281 paces and place neptune.

15. walk another 242 paces and place Pluto.

16. note to students that in total you

have walked more than half a mile. (The distance in the model adds up to 1,019 paces. A mile is 1,760 yards.)

17. look back to the spot where you placed the Sun. it is no longer vis-ible—even with binoculars! Remind

students of their original guesses about how much space would be needed. How have their percep-tions of the size of the solar system changed?

extensions/modifications

Assessment

resources

• Pluto may be excluded from this exercise since it is no longer considered to be a regular planet in our solar system.

• Turn around and retrace your steps. Recounting the numbers gives students a review, and looking for the tiny ob-jects re-emphasizes how lost they are in space.

• use a smaller scale of measurement for a smaller area. You will likely have to use metric measurement and find much smaller objects to represent the different planets.

• Students remain engaged and participate fully in the construction of the solar system model.

northern Stars Planetarium

Janet’s Planet: A Tour Through the Solar System Teaching guide Dreamcatchers 7

objectives

Students will listen to movements from The Planets by Gustov Holst. They will think about the feelings and images that each movement evokes and compare that to their knowledge of the dif-ferent planets. They will also examine how Holst’s music has influenced modern music.

Procedure 1. in the show Janet’s Planet, you will hear music by composer Gustav Holst. From 1914 to 1916, Holst composed a seven-movement orchestral suite titled The Planets. Each movement is named after a planet in the solar system. (note: Pluto is not included because it wasn’t discovered until 1930.)

2. Play each movement of The Planets for your students. (You may select 2 or 3 to listen to if time is short. You may also divide students into small groups and assign each group one of the movements.)

3. As they listen, ask them to draw a picture or write some words or phrases that the music brings to mind. This can be feelings, a story

or character, TV show, movie, something from their own life, etc.

4. After playing each movement, allow some students to share some of their impressions of the music.

5. On the Promethean board or a classroom computer, share this website with students. This site gives a good, simple analysis of the different movements and cites some of the modern music inspired by the movements.

6. Ask students to compare their impressions with the ones from the site. were any of the students close to imagining the same emotions and feelings as the composer?

7. Some additional discussion points can include:

a. why isn’t there a movement for Earth?

b. what do the full titles of each movement refer to? does that shift your thinking when you listen to the music?

c. what is your favorite movement? why?

d. How do you think Holst was able to create music that matched the physical characteristics of the planets so well, given the limited ability to see the planets at the time of composition?

extensions/modifications

Assessment

Students will:

• listen to music and describe the feelings and imagery that it evokes.

• Record their observations in the form of drawings and writing.

• Compare their impressions with those of the composer and people who have studied his work in depth.

• look at the full titles of each movement. who are the mythological figures these titles refer to? As a class, re-search the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses that the planets are named after. does Holst’s music accurately reflect the temperaments of these figures?

• use the drawings and words you recorded while listening to the music to write a poem about a planet. Share the poems with the class in a planetary poetry reading.

• Quality of participation

• Student drawings/writings demonstrate thoughtful reflection of each movement.

holst’s The Planets: a Musical Journey Through SpaceLesson 1 From clay center

nMccSS:english Language arts: Speaking and Listening (ccss.eLA-Literacy.sL): comprehension and collaboration - Presentation of knowledge and ideas

new Mexico content Standards: Fine arts/Music: content standards 2, 3, 4, & 5

Science: trand ii (content of science); standard 3 (earth and space science)

grades: 1-5

materials • Promethean board or classroom computer

• Pencil, paper, colored pencils, crayons, etc.

• Each movement of music in The Planets: Mars (7:26), Venus (8:13), Mercury (4:07), Jupiter (7:46), Saturn (9:39), uranus (6:19)

Janet’s Planet: A Tour Through the Solar System Teaching guide Dreamcatchers 8

Lessons & activitiesCreate and choreograph a dance focus-ing on the birth, life, and death of a star that shows all the stages of a star’s life cycle, including going supernova, through movement. Plan movements for each stage. use a graphic organizer to organize ideas.

See our References section for addi-tional lesson options.

outreAch ActivitieS

Planetarium

The Planetarium at the new Mexico Museum of natural History & Science is an amazing theater that blends art, science, and fun! The largest and most technologically advanced planetarium in new Mexico, their 55’ Sky-Skan definiti, full-dome theater features edu-cational and entertaining multimedia presentations on astronomy and space science. whether it’s learning about the constellations in our night sky tonight or watching mind-bending fractal zooms, the Planetarium will be an experience that you will not soon forget!

Resources bookS

Rey, H.A. find the constellations, Sec-ond Edition. learn to identify the con-stellations. This book includes quizzes that are progressively more challenging. (Ages 8+)

WebSiteS

Come and explore the cosmos on Janet’s Planet homepage! Games,

Videos, Photos, & Music

Janet and eyeZak are on a mission to learn all they can about Pluto!

Janet’s Guide to the universe. More lessons and activities.

listen to the the Planets Suite

View astounding images of space from the hubble telescope .

A list of webquests for various ages and grades

the official nASA Website for kids

A year of Activities about the Solar System

Windows to the universe - national Earth Science Teacher’s Association

the national Public radio observatory - AlmA Science

FAQ on constellations

the mythology of the constellations

videoS

nASA’s tour of the electromagnetic Spectrum (32:02)

about the companyJanet ivey is the creator and host of Janet’s Planet, an award-winning children’s educational television program that has aired on more than 144 public television stations since 2000. The world of the show is filled with creativity and rich interactions

that educate and inspire scientific inquiry. Each program is grounded in educational research and prompts young viewers to be active rather than passive learners. Janet’s Planet also seeks to bring to light the wonderful creativity that is an integral part of science: as Albert Einstein said, “imagination is more important than knowledge.” The show’s unique, innovative, and interactive approach makes science fun and accessible, engaging children and inspiring them to learn more about the universe.

Bonus explorations

Questions to engage & connectAfter seeing the show, ask your students to answer these questions:

• Before seeing this show, i didn’t know that…

• This show made me think about…

• The part that most grabbed my attention was…

• While watching the show, the strongest feeling i had was…

• overall, the show made me feel…

• The question i have about the show is…

• i would/would not want to be an astronaut because…

• i do/do not think there could be life on other planets in our solar system or another because…

• But if there was, i would name it… it would be located… in the galaxy… it would be the color… its atmosphere would be… it would support life forms…

• What i can do, dream, or begin to take care of Planet earth is...

• something i want to share with my family about the experience is…

courtesy of nASA

mArS ‘mArAthon vAlley’ overlook: This view from NAsA’s opportunity mars rover shows part

of “marathon Valley,” a destination on the western rim of endeavour crater, as seen from an overlook

north of the valley.

about the Schooltime SeriesThe Schooltime Series presents national and interna-

tional touring companies and performers that you will not see anywhere else in or around Albuquerque.These companies are selected with youth and family

audiences in mind, from titles and materials that reflect the cultural diversity of our global community. These professional performing artists create educational experiences designed to encourage literacy, creativity, communication and imagination.Join our community and sign up for our monthly

newsletter at: facebook.com/schooltimeseries. Click on “Join My list,” or send an e-mail with your name and e-mail address to schooltime@popejoypresents.com requesting to be added to the newsletter list. You can contact us at schooltime@popejoypresents.

com or visit us at www.schooltimeseries.com.

etiquetteThe performing arts—theater, music and dance—are all

collaborative endeavors. They require the cooperation of many skilled people: playwrights, directors, perform-ers, designers, technicians, lyricists, choreographers, musicians, and the audience. live performances can transport you to other times and places but to do so, they require you, the audience, to listen, observe, dis-cover, and imagine. The inside of a theatre is called a “house.” There are

rules inside the house to make the experience smooth and enjoyable for everyone. A summary poster of theatre etiquette is available on our website. Please post it and discuss it with your students and chaper-ones before attending this show.

house Policies Please visit our website for detailed information about

house Policies. This includes our guidelines on safety, special needs, food and drink, backpacks, cell phones, photography, recordings, and more.

credits

Selected dreamcatchers Teaching Guide materials pro-vided by Janet ivey for Janet’s Planet, nASA, dialogue for kids, Pnm’s PowerSource, the Planets Suite, and other resources noted within this guide.

Popejoy hall, new Mexico’s premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment.

Popejoy hall’s Mission: To provide access to the performing arts for all new Mexicans.

dreamcatchers are teaching guides produced by the Education department of Popejoy Hall, new Mexico’s premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment located in Albuquerque, new Mexico.

The los Alamos national bank Popejoy Schooltime Series is a program of The university

of new Mexico.

The schooltime series is a proud member of

The LanB Popejoy Schooltime Series is supported in part by awards from:

The Eugene and Marion Castiglia Popejoy Children’s

Schooltime Endowment

The Popejoy Schooltime Education Endowment

Schooltime SerieS

the los Alamos national bank