ESS3+(9-11)+-+6


 * Students demonstrate an understanding of the formation of the universe by…**

6a using data (diagrams, charts, narratives, etc.) to explain how the “Big Bang” theory has developed over time citing evidence to support its occurrence (Doppler Effect/red shift).

What do these GSEs mean? What subtopics do students need to address to understand these GSEs?
This GSE means not only should the students just learn what the "Big Bang" theory is, but they should be able to use charts and diagrams to further support it. Students should understand that this theory attempts to explain the very beginning of our universe, and how exactly this theory claims it began. They should be able to explain the theory by referring to important laws it includes and the basic astronomical and physics components of it.

What ideas to students need to understand before they can address the topics described above?
__Students should understand some basic **Astronomy** terms such as:__ - stars, - galaxies, - black holes, - planets, - and space.

__They should also have some basic **Physics** knowledge by knowing:__ - what gravity is and how it works, - Pressure, - Density, - Hubble's Law (dealing with galaxies moving away from us), and the Doppler Effect (the changing of light and sound waves as they get closer and further from the observer)

Before the topic is described, students should also have a clear understanding that the teacher is not saying this is an absolute fact and nothing they learn should interfere with their religious beliefs, they are strictly learning about the theory and what it is, not that it is and obligation to believe.

What misconceptions are students likely to have about these topics?
- The "Big Bang" theory is not in fact an explosion - The universe is expanding, not shrinking - There was no space before the "Big Bang" theory, this marks the beginning of our galaxy



What phenomena and representations help students understand these topics?
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These two videos are both great supplements to a lesson on the Big Bang Theory. Besides being extremely scientific and slightly boring at times, they both show great animations and give students a visual representation to a concept that is very hard to actually visualize.

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This video can not be embedded, but the link that shows after you try and play it works. Click that link in order to view, it is the most helpful for students to view! Explained in simple and easy to see terms, the video also shows an activity that a class could perform by assigning roles and getting the whole class up and moving around.

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The "Science Rapper" made a song about the big bang theory in connection with red shift. This is a fun overview of the topic being rapped in a British accent. Again, this video is an overview. It does not explain all of the details or answer all the questions, it seems like more of an introduction or a conclusion video instead of a video to explain the concept.

What activities or activity sequences can be used to address these GSEs?
Latex Balloon Activity This activity I actually performed in high school, although slightly different than what is cited below. Overall, the concept of the "Big Bang" is tied together with one word- expansion. This activity helps support this theory. Students begin the activity with deflated balloons, and they begin to draw shapes on them with markers. This can also be done with stickers, or even sometimes seen as gluing on objects like paperclips or pennies. Then the balloons are inflated at various steps. Students could measure the difference in distance of the shapes, or simply just watch the demonstration. There are many uses for this activity, both in a hands on context and also as a classroom visual aid.

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/curriculumcenter/universe/activity2.html http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/Universe/uni1.html#activity2

Also, this activity can be performed with a rubber band instead of the balloon. There are many pros and cons between using balloons versus rubber bands, the main ones being noise. Balloons are noisy when popped or when let go of and deflating while zooming around the classroom. Rubber bands though have a reputation for being good at snapping peoples arms with though, so these pros and cons would need to be looked at through a classroom management point of view.