Solar Week > Wednesday > Wednesday 45 minutes

What to do if you only have 45 minutes.
Wednesday

Schedule 1:
Learn about the Active Sun and Play the Game
Schedule 2:
Play the Game and then learn about the Active Sun
Schedule 3:
The Active Sun Activity
Schedule 4:
Meet Today's Scientists

Schedule 1: Information and then Game on the Active Sun (approximately 45 minutes)

1. To begin, choose A or B below:

A. In order for your students to become knowledgeable about the "active sun", you should explain to them some of the information covered in the first three content pages, "Solar Flares", "Coronal Mass Ejections", and "Movies".

B. A. Have your students log on to the Solar Week website, and complete the scavenger hunt for Wednesday. The scavenger hunt will lead your students through the first three content pages, "Solar Flares", "Coronal Mass Ejections", and "Movies".

2. Once your students have learned about the active sun, they are ready to play Wednesday's game, "Chance Activity". This game is loosely based on Yahtzee. The aim is to fill in each of the score boxes, with the highest score winning the game. The students have to be able to identify the images and make up the required patterns (like a pair, 3 of a kind, etc.). A crib sheet is provided, and this could appear on a separate browser window or be printed out for convenience.

3. If students complete the game early, encourage them to explore another part of Wednesday such as the scientists' biographies, "The Effect on Earth", or "Questions to Think About".

4. Debrief students on their experience today. Ask students to explain what new information they learned. If students have a good understanding of the information they covered, you could assign the "Questions to Think About" as group discussion questions or as homework.

Preparation Needed for Schedule 1:

1. If you are going to do 1A, you will need to read over the information provided in the first three content pages and decide what information you are going to explain to your students.

2. If you are going to do 1B, you should print enough copies of Wednesday's scavenger hunt for each person in the class or for each group of students.

3. It is recommended that you bookmark the Solar Week website on each computer the students will be using in order to save time in the future.

4. Before students play the game, "Chance Activity", you may want to print out the crib sheet for each group of students.

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Schedule 2: Game and then Information on the Active Sun (approximately 45 minutes)

1. Students can play Wednesday's game, "Chance Activity", before learning about the content. This game is loosely based on Yahtzee. The aim is to fill in each of the score boxes, with the highest score winning the game. The students have to be able to identify the images and make up the required patterns (like a pair, 3 of a kind, etc.). A crib sheet is provided, and this could appear on a separate browser window or be printed out for convenience.

2. After students complete the game, you can choose of the options below - explain the information to the students (A), or have the students discover the information on their own by completing a scavenger hunt (B).

A. In order for your students to become knowledgeable about the "active sun", you should explain to them some of the basic information covered in the first three content pages, "Solar Flares", "Coronal Mass Ejections", and "Movies".

B. Have your students log on to the Solar Week website, and complete the scavenger hunt for Wednesday. The scavenger hunt will lead your students through the first three content pages, "Solar Flares", "Coronal Mass Ejections", and "Movies".

Preparation Needed for Schedule 2:

1. It is recommended that you bookmark the Solar Week website on each computer the students will be using in order to save time in the future.

2. Before students play the game, "Chance Activity", you may want to print out a copy of the crib sheet for each group.

3. If you are going to do 2A, you will need to read over the information provided in the first three content pages and decide what information you are going to explain to your students.

4. If you are going to do 2B, you should print enough copies of Wednesday's scavenger hunt for each person in the class or for each group of students.

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Schedule 3: The Active Sun Activity

1. Read over the activity for Wednesday, "CME Velocity".

2. Follow the directions to complete this activity with your students.

3. Debrief students on their experience today. Ask students to explain what new information they learned.

Note: Some of the activities provided in Solar Week may take more than one class period. Read the directions ahead of time in order to be sure that you have set aside enough class time.

Preparation Needed for Schedule 3:
1. Gather all of the necessary materials for the activity by following the directions in "CME Velocity".

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Schedule 4: Meet Today's Scientists

1. Have your students choose one of the two scientists from the page entitled, "Introducing Our Scientists". NOTE: Depending on time, students may be able to read both biographies.

2. Then have the students read the scientist's biography. The purpose of the biographies is to help your students relate to the scientists as people and perhaps find some similarities in their life that might give your students some encouragement to keep going with science. You may want to have your students write down any important or interesting facts about their scientist.

3. Once the students are knowledgeable about their scientist, have them look at the section on Wednesday's page called "Ask a Question". On this page, they will see a message board with eight different categories.

4. Ask each student or each group of students to write down one question to ask the scientists. The question should fit into one of the eight categories. They can ask questions on the topic of the day, "the sun as a star", or they can ask questions about what it's like to be a female scientist or what it takes to be a solar physicist. Encourage your students to think of challenging questions to ask the scientists.

5. The students should then bring their question to you in order to have it approved. If students have questions on facts about the sun, please have them refer to the Solar Facts page as well as the questions that have already been answered about how hot the sun is, how big the sun is, how old it is, etc.. This way the scientists do not have to answer the same questions numerous times.

6. Once you have approved the question, the students should click on the appropriate category and type in their question.

7. Have your students check back later that day or the following day to see if the scientists have answered their question.

8. If students are finished early, encourage them to do one of the following: read another scientist's biography, read over questions and answers posted on the message board, or learn about the "active sun" by reading one of the content pages.

Preparation Needed for Schedule 4:
1. Look over the "Ask a Question" message board so that you know the eight categories for questions.

2. If you have time, read over the scientists' biographies so that you have discuss with students the connections between the scientists and themselves.

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