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"Windows on the Cosmos" celebrates the International Year of Astronomy honoring scientist Galileo Galilei who, 400 years ago, turned a telescope to the sky and carefully documented what he saw. Probe the deep mysteries of the cosmos to explore the wonders of the stars and sky and what these phenomena mean for us here on Earth.
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Utah Elementary (Grades K-6) Science Core Curriculum Requirements(Click Here) |
Utah Secondary (Grades 7-12) Science Core Curriculum Requirements(Click Here) |
Physics Core Curriculum – Standards 1 through 4
Earth Systems – Standard 1 Objective 1a-e, Standard 1 Objective 2a-f, Standard 2 Objective 1a-c
Standard 1: Students will understand the scientific evidence that supports theories that explain how the universe and solar system developed.
Objective 1: Describe the big bang theory and evidence supporting it.
a. Determine the motion of a star relative to Earth based on a red or blue shift in the wavelength of light from the star.
b. Explain how evidence of red and blue shifts is used to determine whether the universe is expanding or contracting.
c. Describe the big bang theory and the red shift evidence that supports this theory.
d. Investigate and report how science has changed the accepted ideas regarding the nature of the universe throughout history.
e. Provide an example of how technology has helped scientists investigate the universe.
Objective 2: Relate the structure and composition of the solar system to the processes that exist in the universe.
a. Compare the elements formed in the big bang (hydrogen, helium) with elements formed through nuclear fusion in stars.
b. Relate the life cycle of stars of various masses to the relative mass of elements produced.
c. Explain the origin of the heavy elements on Earth (i.e., heavy elements were formed by fusion in ancient stars).
d. Present evidence that the process that formed Earth’s heavy elements continues in stars today.
e. Compare the life cycle of the sun to the life cycle of other stars.
f. Relate the structure of the solar system to the forces acting upon it.
Standard 2: Students will understand that the features of Earth’s evolving environment affect living systems, and that life on Earth is unique in the solar system.
Objective 1: Describe the unique physical features of Earth’s environment that make life on Earth possible.
a. Compare Earth’s atmosphere, solar energy, and water to those of other planets and moons in the solar system.
b. Compare the conditions that currently support life on Earth to the conditions that exist on other planets in the solar system.
c. Evaluate evidence for existence of life in other star systems, planets, or moons, either now or in the past.
Chemistry – Standard 1 Objective 1a-d
STANDARD I: Students will understand that all matter in the universe has a common origin and is made of atoms, which have structure and can be systematically arranged on the periodic table.
Objective 1: Recognize the origin and distribution of elements in the universe.
a. Identify evidence supporting the assumption that matter in the universe has a common origin.
b. Recognize that all matter in the universe and on earth is composed of the same elements.
c. Identify the distribution of elements in the universe.
d. Compare the occurrence of heavier elements on earth and the universe.
8th grade Integrated Science – Standard 4 Objective 1a-e
Standard IV: Students will understand the relationships among energy, force, and motion.
Objective 1: Investigate the transfer of energy through various materials.
a. Relate the energy of a wave to wavelength.
b. Compare the transfer of energy (i.e., sound, light, earthquake waves, heat) through various mediums.
c. Describe the spread of energy away from an energy-producing source.
d. Compare the transfer of heat by conduction, convection, and radiation and provide examples of each.
e. Demonstrate how white light can be separated into the visible color spectrum.
6th grade – Standard 1 Objective 1a-d, Standard 1 Objective 2a-c, Standard 3 Objective 1a-e, Standard 3 Objective 2a-d, Standard 3 Objective 3a-c, Standard 4 Objective 1a-d
STANDARD I: Students will understand that the appearance of the moon changes in a predictable cycle as it orbits Earth and as Earth rotates on its axis.
Objective 1: Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
a. Describe changes in the appearance of the moon during a month.
b. Identify the pattern of change in the moon’s appearance.
c. Use observable evidence to explain the movement of the moon around Earth in relationship to Earth turning on its axis
and the position of the moon changing in the sky.
d. Design an investigation, construct a chart, and collect data depicting the phases of the moon.
Objective 2: Demonstrate how the relative positions of Earth, the moon, and the sun create the appearance of the moon’s phases.
a. Identify the difference between the motion of an object rotating on its axis and an object revolving in orbit.
b. Compare how objects in the sky (the moon, planets, stars) change in relative position over the course of the day or night.
c. Model the movement and relative positions of Earth, the moon, and the sun.
STANDARD III: Students will understand the relationship and attributes of objects in the solar system.
Objective 1: Describe and compare the components of the solar system.
a. Identify the planets in the solar system by name and relative location from the sun.
b. Using references, compare the physical properties of the planets (e.g., size, solid or gaseous).
c. Use models and graphs that accurately depict scale to compare the size and distance between objects in the solar system.
d. Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
e. Research and report on the use of manmade satellites orbiting Earth and various planets.
Objective 2: Describe the use of technology to observe objects in the solar system and relate this to science’s understanding of the solar system.
a. Describe the use of instruments to observe and explore the moon and planets.
b. Describe the role of computers in understanding the solar system (e.g., collecting and
interpreting data from observations, predicting motion of objects, operating space probes).
c. Relate science’s understanding of the solar system to the technology used to investigate it.
d. Find and report on ways technology has been and is being used to investigate the solar system.
Objective 3: Describe the forces that keep objects in orbit in the solar system.
a. Describe the forces holding Earth in orbit around the sun, and the moon in orbit around Earth.
b. Relate a celestial object’s mass to its gravitational force on other objects.
c. Identify the role gravity plays in the structure of the solar system.
STANDARD IV: Students will understand the scale of size, distance between objects, movement, and apparent motion (due to Earth’s rotation) of objects in the universe and how cultures have understood, related to and used these objects in the night sky.
Objective 1: Compare the size and distance of objects within systems in the universe.
a. Use the speed of light as a measuring standard to describe the relative distances to objects in the universe
(e.g., 4.4 light years to star Alpha Centauri; 0.00002 light years to the sun).
b. Compare distances between objects in the solar system.
c. Compare the size of the Solar System to the size of the Milky Way galaxy.
d. Compare the size of the Milky Way galaxy to the size of the known universe.