Starry Night Middle School

Posted by LisaHill - 24/06/09 at 04:06 pm

Subject Matter: Astronomy
Grades: Upper Elementary to Middle School

Teen Star Gazing
Leave it Simulation Curriculum to create another award winning astronomy software and educational study guide. Many U.S.A. and Canadian school systems are including astronomy in their middle and high school science curriculum. Teachers, parents and students can easily master Starry Nights Middle School to view the night sky.

An easy-to-understand Quick Start study guide and lesson plans provide good tutorial material before tackling more challenging material. Lesson plans, rubrics and assessments are provided online and  in the workbook.  I’ve worked with different Starry Night programs, and they never disappoint me.  Listed below are main points Starry Night emphasizes for this program.

Starry Night Middle School provides:

• Lessons plans correlated to state and national standards that meet curriculum needs
• Accurate visualizations and simulations that allow students to make precise observations of Moon phases, motions of the Sun and planets and much more
• Interactive computer exercises and hands-on activities that encourage questioning, experimentation and exploration and accommodate diverse learning styles
• Pre- and post-assessment resources with recommendations for improved student performance
• Flexible teaching models for easy adaptation to pacing and classroom needs
• Opportunities to develop key skills: observation, data collection, analytical thinking and discovery
• Extensions that connect to topics in math, physics, language arts, social studies and technology

Starry Night Middle School is:

• US and Canadian curriculum specific
• Full of pre-tested activities and exercises
• Designed specifically for middle school students
• Hands-on and interactive
• Fun and simple to use

Modular and easy-to-use solution comes complete with:

• 28 detailed lesson plans
• Interactive computer exercises
• Hands-on classroom activities
• Conceptual background for teachers
• Discussion questions
• Assessment tests and answer keys
• Resource lists
• Appendices
• Glossary of astronomical terms

New features highlight the latest theories and address classroom needs:

• 4 lesson plans, focused on the reclassification of Pluto, unmanned space exploration, astrology and black holes
• Math and observing extensions for most lessons
• Revised and expanded assessment resources
  • Pre-assessment Idea Diagrams and Concept Maps identify pre-conceptions
  • Thinking Grids and Contrast and Compare charts develop logical and critical thinking skills
  • Drawing Completion activities and KWL charts assess student understanding
  • Easy-to-use Scoring Rubric evaluate learning of science content and process
• Expanded library of astronomy simulations
• Lesson Plans at a Glance help you choose the lesson plans that best fit your curriculum requirement
• QuickStart Guide for teachers new to astronomy or using Starry Night for the first time

Starry Night provides these simulations:

• Travel through time from 4713 BC to 9999 AD
• Visit 2.5 million stars
• View exclusive Tully database and explore 13,000 deep space objects of the NGC-IC catalog
• Fly through the universe in spaceship mode to experience the vastness of space
• Plan observing sessions using Events Finder full of upcoming astronomical events
• Turn on custom constellation illustrations to view the animals and people from Greek and Roman mythology.

Astronomy  has never been so easy!

System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.3.9; Windows XP
Contact: StarryNightEducation.com
Cost: $199.95; contact for educational license fees

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 at 4:10 pm and is filed under Astronomy, Homework Help, Science. The entry is tagged under Astronomy, Canadian, elearning, elementary, middle, middle school, school, Science, Starry Night, Starry Night Middle School, STEM, teacher. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.