Collaboration Across Cultures Global Astronomy: Collaboration Across Cultures

Activity: Satellite Venn Diagram

Days Needed: 1
Grade Level: 11 – 12

Objectives

In this activity, students will use the background information they have read to organize a list of sources and objects, putting each item given in the appropriate part of the Venn diagram, depending on which instrument will study that item.

Science and Math Standards

NCTM

  • Content Standard 1
    • Mathematics as Problem Solving
  • Content Standard 2
    • Mathematics as Communication

NSES

  • Content Standard A
    • Unifying Concepts and Processes in Science
  • Content Standard F
    • Science and Technology

Prerequisites

  • Math Students should understand Venn diagrams and the concepts of sets.
  • Science Students should have an understanding of spectra, of astronomical observations, and have read the background material on Chandra, Astro-E and the microcalorimeter, and the Constellation X-ray Observatory.

Exploration

Print out the Student Worksheet for the students.

Student Worksheet
Solution to Student Worksheet

Closure

Students should write a five minute summary of the capabilities of the three observatories, based on their Venn diagram. Do the observatories compliment each other? Where are they redundant?

Assessment

Students' understanding of the background material (on X-ray astronomy and on the three observatories) can be evaluated based on the accuracy of their Venn diagrams and the interpretation of the information on the Venn diagrams from their closure paper.