"Pluto is dead" - Mike Brown, It's official |
"Pluto is dead" - Mike Brown, It's official |
Aug 24 2006, 01:58 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 531 Joined: 24-August 05 Member No.: 471 |
-------------------- - blue_scape / Nico -
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Aug 25 2006, 03:57 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 510 Joined: 17-March 05 From: Southeast Michigan Member No.: 209 |
IIRC, my 3rd grade daughter's class spent about a week of their science time on the solar system last year. Since it's been all over the media, questions are bound to come up, so unfortunately it should be covered. Depending on how the teacher wanted to handle it, they could probably get through the discussion in 10-15 minutes. That may blow half of a day's science lesson, but you've still got the rest of the week for more important things.
-------------------- --O'Dave
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Aug 25 2006, 09:22 PM
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The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Depending on how the teacher wanted to handle it, they could probably get through the discussion in 10-15 minutes. Hmmm... 10-15 minutes to explain how Pluto was predicted, then found; how astronomers looked for then found KBOs; how there was a worldwide astronomical debate, lasting decades, about the identity of Pluto, at the same time as small group of planetary scientists fought desperately for NASA to send a mission to Pluto, and succeeded in launching it just before a visionary and controversial proposal was put forward to expand the solar system, which was then shot down and replaced with what many see as a painfully politically-correct compromise that in turn led to a suspiciously undemocratic vote which finally ended with Pluto being evicted from the list of planets, to the disgust and outrage of many... If I heard from my kid that a teacher had raced through all that in 10-15 minutes I'd want them slapped with a wet fish and made to do the lesson again. -------------------- |
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Aug 26 2006, 01:02 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 510 Joined: 17-March 05 From: Southeast Michigan Member No.: 209 |
Hmmm... 10-15 minutes to explain how Pluto was predicted, then found... I was thinking of 8-10 year old elementary students, so the classification discussion doesn't have to be quite so detailed. I totally agree with that even that's too much to spend on this matter, but the cat's out of the bag. I'll be paying closer attention than normal to what happens in class when space comes around again this year. I'm sure the better teachers will make an effort to balance the time on the issue and "get it right", but unfortunately I feel a majority of them will teach straight from the book, or worse, straight from the standardized test. And kudos to Stu for doing those workshops! I've done several astronomy nights myself, and I've always found the students & teachers very appreciative of the extra exposure. -------------------- --O'Dave
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