yccc 5 day - cfa.harvard.edu web viewyouth capture the colorful cosmos. program outline. this guide...

Youth Capture the Colorful CosmosProgram Outline

This guide will cover a 5-session implementation for the YCCC Program. The suggested timing for this implementation is 3 hours each day, for 5 sessions.

Day 1: Introduction to Telescopes and Images/The Solar SystemActivity: Get To Know You Icebreaker: The Great Wind Blows

Suggested time: 10 minutes

Goal: This is a good way to get to know each other before sitting down to do focused activities.

Astronomers observe objects in space using telescopes and other tools. Some observations can be made just by looking at the object, such as their shape and brightness. Other observations need more information, such as what they are made of or how they are moving. In this workshop we’ll be making lots of observations of objects in space and learning more about them through research.

All students stand in a circle with the one in the center. Use chairs or tape to mark each student’s place in the circle. The person in the middle says: “My name is [name] and I [something that is true about me]. (E.g. “I am wearing sneakers,” or “I have a brother.”)

Everyone else for whom that fact is also true (e.g. everyone who is wearing sneakers or has a brother) leaves their spot and tries to find a new spot. The person in the middle takes someone else’s spot. The person who is left without a spot at the end is now in the middle. Repeat!

Make sure to include facts that cannot be seen just by looking at people. For example, “I used to live in another state,” or “I like basketball.”

Introductions and Format of the workshop, SurveySuggested time: 30 minutes

Materials: Intro to YCCC, example posters, online survey

Goal: This is a good time to introduce the project, as well as to show physical examples of the posters they hope to create at the end.

■ Intro to YCCC - Explain the goals and main point of your program■ Intro to making astrophotography exhibits - What is an astrophotography exhibit? Show some examples of what they’ll be making.■ Survey - Have everyone take an online or paper survey to get their ideas about astronomy.■ Star System of Rewards - Introduce the star system as a means for motivation

Details - Activity Guide page 1

Introduction to TelescopesSuggested time: 15 minutes

Group Discussion: What are your ideas about telescopes?

Goal: It’s important to start with what students think they know about telescopes, so you can build on those ideas!

There are 2 kinds of telescopes, reflectors and refractors. Reflectors use mirrors, and refractors use lenses.

Details: Activity Guide page 4

Activity: Lenses and MirrorsSuggested time: 10 minutes

Materials: Magnifying lenses, small concave mirrors, index card, projector or open window

Goal: Students discover that mirrors and lenses can project an image of what is in front of them. Let students experiment for a while before showing them the answer!

Give each participant 1 magnifying lens, 1 mirror and 1 index card.

Part 1: Have the participants hold their lens and index card. Ask them to try and make an image of something on the projector or the open window on the index card only using the lens.

Part 2: Switch to the mirror and index card. Ask the participants to do the same thing, but with the mirror.


Activity: looking through a reflecting telescope and a refracting telescopeSuggested time: 15 minutes

Materials: Reflecting telescope, refracting telescope, observing sheets, pencils

Goal: Students can get the experience of looking through an actual telescope before using robotic ones over the internet.

Part 1: Point the telescopes at a target in the distance, such as a street sign, top of a house, or a tree. Have each student look through each telescope.

Part 2: Give the participants an observing sheet and pencil. Have them choose just one telescope to look through and complete the observing sheet.

Activity: Kinesthetic Telescope/ Vocabulary ReviewSuggested Time: 20 minutes

Materials: Index cards with parts of telescope

Goal: This is a physical way to introduce your students to the parts of a telescope. It is useful later on, when referring to the parts, to recall as a class which person played which part.

Have the participants become the parts of a reflecting telescope. Act out the process of light shining from a star, coming through the aperture of the telescope, being reflected by a mirror, and passing through an open shutter to be recorded by a detector.


Activity: Intro to MicroObservatorySuggested time: 20 minutes

www.MicroObservatory.org

Goal: Introduce students to MicroObservatory.org as a resource they can use at home, too!

Request at least 5 images from the telescopes- Choose the Field of View- Choose an exposure time, or amount of time that the shutter stays open to let light through. The dimmer the object, the longer the shutter should stay open.-Make sure to request at least 3 images with RGB filters!!

Processing Challenge: The Prudential TowerSuggested time: 10 minutes

Materials: USB Drives, computers, PixelValue.ppt

Goal: This processing challenge uses an image of a familiar building, the Prudential Tower, to introduce the concept of image processing to bring out different details. It will introduce the concept of pixels, brightness, contrast, and the adjust image tool.

Making part 1 into a competition is very fun, and immediately ensures everyone will be focused on the task!

Have each participant open the Prudential Tower FITS file in MicroObservatory Image.

Part 1: Who can find the highest and lowest pixel value? Have students compete to see who can find the highest pixel value in the image.After the highest value has been found, move on to the lowest pixel value.

Part 2: What is a pixel, anyway? Have students click on the magnifying glass and magnify one part of the image as far as it will go to observe the pixels. Each pixel has a number, called the brightness. The higher the number, the brighter the pixel! Each pixel corresponds to a particular part of the detector in the telescope. The more light the pixel detects, the higher the number, and the brighter the pixel is on the screen!

Show everyone the example of a detector with no values shaded in in the powerpoint presentation PixelValue.ppt. Can anyone guess what the simple image is? Remember, high values are very bright, and low values are dark.

Part 3: Adjust how the program displays the pixelsOpen up the adjust image menu by going to Process > Adjust Image. Play with the sliders and see what happens. Try to get your image to look just like the first challenge image. Then, try to get the 2nd challenge image. When you

change the Adjust Image sliders, you are changing the contrast, or the range of brightness displayed in an image. Changing the contrast makes the image look very different!

Go to Process > Color Tables and choose a few different colors. Find a few that you like and save them to your flash drive by going to File > Save As > GIF, and choosing a folder on your flash drive as the save location. Save at least 4 different images that you like.


Size and Scale of the Earth and Moon ActivitySuggested time: 15 minutes

Materials: Balls of different sizes, tape measurer

Goal: It’s one thing to see a picture of the relative size of the Earth and Moon, but it’s more memorable to feel it, and measure it!

Break the group into pairs. Have each pair of students select 2 different balls that they think represent the relative size of the Earth and the Moon. Reveal that the moon is actually about ¼ the diameter of the Earth. Ask students to choose new balls in the correct ratio of sizes.

Now, ask the pairs to stand where they think the Moon and the Earth are relative to their sizes. Reveal that the Earth is actually 30 Earth distances away from the Moon! Measure each student’s Earth and multiply that by 30. Use the tape measurer to indicate where each student should actually stand.


Processing Challenge: the MoonSuggested time – 10 minutes

Goal: This processing challenge introduces students to many tools in MicroObservatory image that they can use to bring out interesting details in their own images. This challenge encourages them to use the adjust image, zoom, sharpen, and crop tools.

Have each student open up MoonChallenge.FITS

Part 1: Try to make the image look like the first challenge image, Moon1.GIF. If the students need help, here are some hints:- In the software, go to Process > Sharpen. How did the image change?- Click on the magnifying glass at the top of your image to Zoom into the crater in the middle of the moon.- Go to Process > Adjust Image and change your MAX and MIN values to adjust the contrast

of the image.- To play with your image some more, go to Process > Color Tables- Once you are happy with the way your crater looks, select the dashed square to select the crater part of your image.- Go to Process > Crop

Part 2: Try to make the original FITS image look like the second challenge image.- Use the zoom, sharpen, adjust image, and crop tools again to make your moon look like the Moon2.GIF image.


Size and Scale of the Universe InteractiveSuggested time: 15 minutes

Goal: This video is meant to take the familiar neighborhood of Roxbury, and zoom out all the way to the known universe.

Watch the video zooming out from Roxbury to the Universe.

Pause the video wherever there are question marks and ask the students to guess what they think should be there.


Vocabulary game: Jump up!Suggested time: 10 minutes

Materials: 2 sets of cards with vocabulary words written on them

Goal: A little competition goes a long way in trying to encourage students to remember the vocabulary we’ve encountered so far!

Break the group into 2 teams, and give the same vocabulary words written on cards to students on each team. When you read a definition, the first student to jump out of their chair, say the vocabulary word and hold the card over their head gets a point for their team. A student may only say the word if he or she is holding the correct card!


Vocabulary for today:

Telescope: An instrument that makes a far away object look nearer by collecting and focusing light. Allows us to see more details than we can with our eyes only.Reflector: A type of telescope that uses mirrors to collect and focus light.Refractor: A type of telescope that uses lenses to collect and focus light.Aperture: The opening in a telescope through which light entersMirror: The part of a telescope that reflects and focuses lightShutter: The part of a telescope that opens and closes to let light through to the detector.

Exposure time: The amount of time the shutter stays open.Detector: The part of a telescope that collects the focused light, and records it as an electronic image.Pixel: Short for “picture element”. The smallest square portion of an electronic image, where light was collected by each part of the detector.Brightness: The amount of light that was collected by the telescope from part of an object. Measured as “pixel value” from an image using MicroObservatory Image software.Contrast: The range of brightness (pixel value) that we choose to display in an image.Moon: A chunk of material (usually rock), that travels in a circle around a planet.Planet: A chunk of material (can be rock or gas) that travels in a circle around a star.Our Solar System: Made of our one star, the Sun, and all the planets and their moons, which move in a circle around the sun together by the force of gravity.Gravity: A force that pulls all things together.

Day 2: Visit your TelescopeField Trip

Transportation to CfA

Welcome and Introductions

Tour

- Great Refractor- Roof, MicroObservatory Telescopes- MicroObservatory Lab

Notes:

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Day 3: Intro to Astronomy and Processing Your Own ImageActivity: Get To Know You Icebreaker - What’s Different?Suggested Time: 10 minutes

Goal: This icebreaker not only is a good warm up for the day, but it encourages students to be very observant of small details!

One volunteer stands in front of the group while the group examines their appearance carefully. The group turns away while the volunteer changes something about their appearance. For example, they can take off their name tag, roll up their shirt sleeve, or change their hairstyle. When given the signal, the group turns back and tries to guess what has changed.

Processing Challenge: The Whirlpool GalaxySuggested time: 15 minutes

Goal: This is to introduce the idea that some images need to be adjusted before you can see anything at all!

Open up MicroObservatory Image and then open GalaxyChallenge.FITS in the Whirlpool Galaxy Challenge folder.

You’ll notice that the image is very dark when you first open it. Can they use some techniques they’ve learned so far to make something visible in the image? Have students go to Process > Adjust image, and use the sliders. What happens when you click “auto?”


Processing Challenge – The Orion NebulaSuggested time: 10 minutes

Goal: This challenge introduces students to some adjust image tools for the first time. You get very different levels of detail if you choose linear > auto or log > auto

Open up MicroObservatory Image and then open NebulaChallenge.FITS in the Orion Nebula Challenge folder.

Go to Process > Adjust image, and notice the buttons on the bottom of the box. What happens when you click Auto?

Move your cursor around in the bright center of the Nebula, and notice that they all have different pixel values, yet are all displayed as the same level of brightness. There is more detail to be revealed!

Now, try clicking log first before you click Auto. MicroObservatory will assign a wider range of values to the brightest pixels which happen to be in the center of the nebula, which lets us see the best detail!


Activity: Processing your own ImageSuggested time: 30 minutes

Goal: Now that you’ve spent time doing pre-made challenges, it’s time to try your hand at making your own images! Use the MicroObservatory image tools you’ve learned about to make some cool images of your own.

Have each student open up an image they requested from the telescopes.

Process the images in as many different ways as you can in the 20 minutes. Use zoom, crop, false color tables, and the adjust image tool to bring out as many details as possible. At the end, each student should have at least 10 different processed images saved to their flash drives.

Image Show and Tell plus Astronomy InformationSuggested time: 30 minutes

Goal: This activity has 3 main purposes. Students spend time selecting an image they are proud of for public viewing, it gives students a chance to see the different techniques and images their fellow classmates are using, and it is a great time to talk about what the actual images are.

Ask each student to display 2 images on their screen. As a group, visit each image and discuss the object. Talk about what it is, features in the image, and what a caption might say! Here, introduce stars, nebulas, and galaxies outside our own. Stars and nebulas in the image are inside our own galaxy, called the Milky Way. Some images are of galaxies outside of our own! The collection of all of the galaxies that we know about is called the universe.

Stars and nebulas are made of gas and dust. Stars are born inside star forming nebulas and when they die they form other types of nebulas.


Astro-Creative Challenge: Astro-PoetrySuggested time: 20 minutes

Materials: index cards cut into 3rds, pencils

Goal: Students will need to create captions for their exhibits, and it can sometimes be difficult to come up with descriptions for an image. Astro-Poetry is a good way to come up with a compelling caption, and practice observation and description.

In this activity, the students will create a poetic caption for an image using index cards.

Part 1: as a groupPut up an image of a galaxy or nebula on a projector in Powerpoint. Ask the students to come up with single words they’d use to describe the image. Try to get a variety of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Now, have volunteers arrange the words into different lines of a poem!

Part 2: On your ownSelect an RGB image that you requested and processed. Brainstorm words you would use to describe the image, and write one word per index card. Then, arrange the index cards into a poem!

Type up or write down your results.

Kinesthetic Life cycle of starsSuggested time: 15 minutes

Goal: After being focused on the computers for so long, it helps to get up and move around! Plus, this very much helps cement the ideas, as the students themselves become part of a star’s life cycle while reviewing vocabulary they learned during the show and tell session. This activity should also focus on what can be seen in images.

First, the group of students becomes gas and dust floating in space. Then, gravity begins to pull the clumps together to form a star, creating a core of 4 students in the middle of the star. The 4 students of the core begin to fuse hydrogen into helium, and push outwards. Other students form the outer layers of the star, and push inwards, creating a balanced, shining star.

Now we’ll reenact 2 different ways this star can end its life. If the star is the same size as the Sun, the core will collapse, and the outer layers drift away. Compare this to an image of the ring nebula! Rewind to the happy, balanced star. If the star is very massive, the core collapses, the outer layers fall inwards towards the core and explode outwards, releasing lots of energy.


RGB Filter ActivitySuggested time: 20 minutes

Materials: old bookmarks, tape, red, small green and blue filter squares

Goal: The MicroObservatory telescopes use filters in front of their black and white detectors so that we can later combine images taken through different filters into one color image. Many people think that a red filter will filter out red light, but experimenting with these filters makes it clear that a red film only lets through red light.

Have each student create a filter bookmark by taping a red, green, and blue square off the edge far enough that they can look through one color at a time.

Then, use the filter powerpoint to introduce the concept of filters. Have the students look through the filter squares at the different slides and make observations! Some will note they can read the “secret” messages without the filters, but what fun is that?

Processing Challenge: RGB ImagesSuggested time: 15 minutes

First open MicroObservatory image, and then open OrionNebRed.FITS, OrionNebGreen.FITS, and OrionNebBlue.FITS in the OrionNeb Challenge folder inside the RGB challenge folder by dragging the files into the open MicroObservatory Image window.

Open the Adjust Image window under the Process menu. Click on one of the open images, then select Log, and click Auto on the adjust Image window. Then, select Process > Reduce Noise. Repeat this for the 2 other filter images.

For each image, go to Process > Color Tables, and select the appropriate color for the image. Do this for each of the Red, Green and Blue images.

Next, go to Process, Stack, Convert Images to Stack. Select Process > Shift. Select the Green image as the background, and align the other 2 colors to it, then finish by clicking ok.

Go to Process > Stack > Convert stack to RGB!

Details: Activity Guide Page 24

Process your own RGB imageSuggested time: 10 minutes

Practice making RGB images with other files

Request Images from the TelescopesSuggested time: 10 minutes

Goal: Students will need more images for their exhibits.

Request at least 5 new images from the telescopes.

Vocabulary for todayStar: A massive ball of gas that shines brightly because of the huge amount of energy that is produced inside it.Nebula: A giant cloud of gas and dust.Galaxy: A collection of many billions of stars, gas and dust (including nebulae), all held together by the force of gravity.Milky Way: Earth and our solar system are part of this galaxy. All the stars visible in the night sky are part of this galaxy.Universe: This is made of billions of galaxies. All the galaxies you could see with any telescope are part of this.

Day 4 – Making Exhibits!Icebreaker: Blind Sculpture ChallengeSuggested time: 10 minutes

Goal: The partners have to choose their words and descriptions very carefully to create an accurate replica. When making their posters in groups, or presenting their final work to others, students will need to think carefully about how to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively!

Break the group up into teams of 2. The 2 students should sit back to back, so that they cannot see what the other is doing.

Give each student the same pieces of clay to work with. Student 1 creates a basic sculpture out of the clay. When he or she is finished, student 1 describes the sculpture to student 2, who should try to re-create the sculpture as accurately as possible by listening to student 1’s instructions and descriptions.

Next, switch roles and have student 2 make a sculpture, and describe its construction to student 1 .

Process your own imagesSuggested time: 10 minutes

Goal: Whenever you process your own images, you are adding to your portfolio of image you can contribute to the final exhibits.

Process some of the images you requested from the last session. Use some of the techniques you’ve learned! Use color tables, zoom, and sharpen. Make sure to save at least 5 different images that you like.

Group Selection and PlanningSuggested time: 30 minutes

Goal: This is an organized process to use the images the students have already processed as the basis for some of their exhibits. Also, it gives all the students ownership over all of the exhibits their group produces, as their images end up on posters other than the one they create. Everyone has a say on every theme before groups are decided.

Have students look at the images they’ve processed. Brainstorm possible themes, using their images as inspiration.

Write each theme down on an index card, and place the index cards around the room.

Have students walk around the room and vote for 4 of their favorites using star stickers.

Choose the 4 favorite themes (depending on the number of students you have, you may need more!)

Have students walk around the room and place their images near the themes they think they fit best.

Discuss “story” ideas as a group, write on sticky notes.

Decide “curators” for each topic. Have each person write down their top 3 choices, and place students in groups.

Activity: Astro-sculptureSuggested time: 15 minutes

Materials: as many craft supplies as you can pull together. Best to have at least some disc shapes (old CDs), cotton, pipe cleaners, balloons, construction paper, scissors and glue.

Goal: In the end, each exhibit needs to have a creative element, and this gives an opportunity to create it while exploring the difference between flat images and 3D objects in space

Split into your poster groups. Each group chooses one of the images they’d like to include in their exhibit and creates a three-dimensional model of the object in your image.You can help the grounds by asking questions to guide their sculptures. What shape would this object be if it were 3D? What do you think this object would feel like? Is it all one piece? What is it made of? What is the object doing? How can you represent that process?

Exhibit Preparation: Image CaptionsSuggested time: 15 minutes

Goal: The final exhibit construction might be a little rushed, so it is important to practice making captions and get small pieces ready ahead of time.

Have participants return to the computers and create a caption for the sculpture they’ve just created. With the remaining time, write captions for other images in their exhibit.

Activity: Jeopardy vocabulary gameSuggested time: 20 minutes

Goal: This is a fun way to review all the vocabulary and concepts we’ve learned so far.

Split the group into teams (however many teams make sense for the particular sized group.) Give each team a colored index card to act as their “buzzer.” Use the jeopardy power point presentation on a projector, and play jeopardy with the vocabulary words.

You can decide the rules that make sense for your group. One suggestion to avoid one assertive team dominating the answers is to have each team take turns choosing a category and a point level, then have the first chance to answer their chosen question. If

they do not get the answer, the other teams then have a chance to “buzz in” and try to give the correct vocabulary word.


Choose Final Images/ConsultsSuggested time: 10 minutes

Goal: The students should agree on what their poster will be focused on before what it will look like.

Have each group decide on which images they want in their final exhibit.

Choose Final Image LayoutSuggested time: 10 minutes

Goal: Now that you have your images and ideas, it’s time to lay out the poster! How can you lay out your images and captions to best tell your story?

Have each group lay out their images and decorations on their poster board, and begin cutting and arranging the final layout.

Note: Do not hand out the glue yet! Each group should consult with a leader before beginning to glue anything to their poster.

Caption Writing/ ConsultsSuggested time: 30 minutes

Goal: Take some time to really read over your captions and write new ones if necessary. You want your images and captions to all work together to tell one story.

Now that each group has a rough layout, what else needs to be added? Use this time to type up and print image captions, add decorations, and adjust the final layout as needed.

No gluing yet!

Exhibit Display AssemblySuggested time: 30 minutes

Goal: Decide on all of the details before using any glue!

After the groups have a final layout they all agree on, pass out glue to each group and instruct them to begin gluing their images, captions, and decorations to the board. They don’t have to finish everything today, but make sure to take a picture of the final layout before cleaning up!

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Day 5: Poster Presentations and Touch-UpFinish Exhibit DisplaysSuggested time: 45 minutes

If you didn’t finish working on your poster last time, take some time to put some finishing touches, re-write captions, or add eye-catching decorations.

Introduction to Visitor Conversations, prepare demonstrationsSuggested time: 15 minutes

Goal: Give the groups some time to plan out who will talk about which aspect of their poster to ensure the presentations run smoothly. Ask questions to help simulate a visitor seeing the poster for the first time.

Talk to everyone about elements of a good presentation, and visitor conversation. People will be seeing this poster for the first time, what do they need to know? Answer questions like how you got the images, what your favorite images are. What is your poster’s main message?

Plan out our short presentation. Make sure every member of the group has something to say! Talk about your poster theme, your main idea, and how you designed it.

Poster Presentations and DemonstrationsSuggested time: 40 minutes

Goal: Students should practice their presentations in a small setting before being in front of their parents and teachers at the final celebration.

Practice Presenting and Provide FeedbackEach group should give a short presentation on their poster as it stands so far. Each student should fill out a short evaluation on how they think each group did.

Work on Exhibit DisplaysSuggested time: 30 minutes

Goal: It’s good to be able to come back to the posters later to see your work with fresh eyes and make adjustments. Use the suggestions your classmates gave to make your posters and captions even better.

Use the suggestions your classmates gave to make your posters and captions even better.

Workshop Wrap-upSuggested time: 10 mins

Goal: Goodbyes and final information for the YCCC celebration

Remind students about the details of when their presentations will be, and congratulate them on all of their hard work!

Master Vocabulary List

Telescope: An instrument that makes a far away object look nearer by collecting and focusing light. Allows us to see more details than we can with our eyes only.Reflector: A type of telescope that uses mirrors to collect and focus light.Refractor: A type of telescope that uses lenses to collect and focus light.Aperture: The opening in a telescope through which light entersMirror: The part of a telescope that reflects and focuses lightShutter: The part of a telescope that opens and closes to let light through to the detector.Exposure time: The amount of time the shutter stays openDetector: The part of a telescope that collects the focused light, and records it as an electronic image.Pixel: Short for “picture element”. The smallest square portion of an electronic image, where light was collected by each part of the detector.Brightness: The amount of light that was collected by the telescope from part of an object. Measured as “pixel value” from an image using MicroObservatory Image software.

Moon: A chunk of material (usually rock), that travels in a circle around a planet.Planet: A chunk of material (can be rock or gas) that travels in a circle around a star.Our Solar System: Made of our one star the Sun, and all the planets and their moons which orbit the Sun.Gravity: A force that pulls all things together.Galaxy: A collection of many billions of stars, gas and dust (including nebulae), all held together by the force of gravity.Milky Way: Earth and our solar system are part of this galaxy. All the stars visible in the night sky are part of this galaxy.Universe: This is made of billions of galaxies. All the galaxies you could see with any telescope are part of this.Nebula: A giant cloud of gas and dust.Star: A massive ball of gas that shines brightly because of the huge amount of energy that is produced inside it.

Crop: A tool that takes away the parts of an image around a chosen area.False color table: A tool that uses colors to represent the brightness of pixels in an image.Sharpen: A tool that makes clearer the edges between nearby regions of high and low brightness.Contrast: The range of brightness (pixel value) that we choose to display in an image.Noise: Extra brightness in an image that did not come from light from an object, usually from the detector electronics.

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