Year 10 Learning Resources Project Physics

Astronomy
In this project you will learn to use the resources of the LRC to
 work in a group on a research project,
 discover facts that you need to know from books CD roms and the Internet,
 take notes in a simple way that you can revise from,
 produce a written account that others can use to learn from,
and which
 shows where you obtained your knowledge,
 gives a list of sites where more information can be found.

Your set will be divided into groups, with three or four pupils in each group. Each group will be
assigned one area of the syllabus. You will need to find out about your area and
 write brief notes as you go,
 write a full account of your area which will be given to the other groups who have
not studied your area. You may also be asked to explain what you have found to them
by making a presentation.

Different members of your group should use the different facilities, books, CD rom (Red Shift), the
Internet. You must all make a contribution, and all contribute to the final report.

You must NOT merely copy material without editing it and understanding it. Your notes and final
report do not need to be typed, hand-written notes are better unless you are a fast typist.

The whole topic is titled The Solar System. Make sure your research is about astronomy
and related to the issues you have been assigned. You may find other interesting facts or avenues to
investigate. Remember your aims and only stray from your assignment when you have completed
them.

You may wish to start using the internet with the following sites (just click on them)

http://www.seds.org/billa/tnp for a multimedia tour of the solar system

http://www2.ari.net/home/odenworld/café.html for the astronomy café to provide answers to questions
http://www.halebopp.com for information on the most famous comet of recent years
Group 1 The Sun, and the planets.

You may like to consider answers to the following questions.

What is the difference between a star and a planet?
What are the names of the planets?
What energy changes are occurring in the Sun to cause it to emit light?
What does the Sun give out, apart from visible light?
What are the shapes of the planetary orbits?
How were planets and the Sun formed?
Are there other suns in the universe? How are they arranged?

Group 2 Moons asteroids and comets

You may like to consider answers to the following questions

What is the difference between a moon and a planet?
Where will moons be found?
What is the shape of the orbit of a moon?
What determines how long a moon takes to orbit?
Why does our moon look different during the month?
Why does the moon look like so spotty?
Why do we only see one side of the moon?
What effects does the moon have on the Earth?
How were moons formed?
What are asteroids and comets? How are they different? Where do they come from? What will
happen to them?

Group 3 The Earth

You may like to consider answers to the following questions

Why do we have day and night?
Why do the stars appear to move?
What is meant by a year?
Why do we have summer and winter?
Why does the Sun look different in summer and winter?
Why is it hotter at the equator rather than near the poles?

Why is the Earth at temperatures that make life possible?

How was the Earth formed?
What will eventually happen to the Earth?
What is global warming and how does it happen?