A Symposium on the Nature of Science Fermilab's Wilson Hall Saturday, March 18, 2000 8:15 AM to 4:00 PM

ASTRONOMY AND COSMOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

Heather Q. Farrar and Peter Konecki

Astronomy and cosmology are interesting subjects that are exciting for students. However, they aren't often taught due to teachers' uncertainty about how to approach them. We will present some strategies on how to teach cosmology and astronomy in the K-12 classroom. Bring ideas to share and questions to explore. Join the discussion and learn from your colleagues.

Heather received her teaching degree from Purdue University. She is in her second year of teaching and is currently a fifth grade teacher in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She is the science teacher for two fifth-grade classes. As part of the district curriculum, one of the units she teaches is about space. The students perform a variety of experiments and projects to work their way through our universe. They cover everything from the origin of the universe, star life cycles, stars, and astronomy all the way through to the various methods of space exploration and observation.

Peter is currently teaching physics and astronomy at William Fremd High School in Palatine. Over the last two years he has attended and contributed to several Hands-On Universe seminars. Last year he participated in the Near and Far Sciences for Illinois project, which covered Meteorology, Geology, and Astronomy and grouped teachers with scientists in each field.

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