Abstract
"This project was developed on the idea that most students need to have a better understanding of certain scientific concepts such as Astronomy. The idea was to increase their background and historical knowledge which intern would help them have a deeper understanding and better appreciation for the work that has already been done by scientists. This historical background knowledge would help with comprehension of future work in astronomy.
This goal was accomplished by taking information that most students could easily observe over the course of time with the naked eye, much like our ancient ancestors. I then built on these observations using activities such as demonstrations with discussions, labs, hands on activities and computer websites to teach students how scientist using experiments and better equipment, explained how the universe works. For each new lab or activity, I incorporated the background history that explained what scientists believed centuries ago and how we have progressed, over time, to the understanding of astronomy we have today.
Pre and post-test results were used as an indication of how many of the students knowledge increased over the course o f this unit. I used an evaluation form to see what activities students liked and thought were helpful. The students needed to know not only how the universe works, but also what evidence scientists used to make their conclusions. The students also filled out evaluation forms that were useful in determining which activities were most beneficial."
