Sensing the invisible: The Herschel Experiment
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=421
A lesson plan for Grades 6–8 Science
About this resource
- Appropriate grades
- 6–8
- Subjects
- science (space exploration), thinking skills (higher order thinking, information literacy)
- Provider
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
Legal
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In this lesson, students reproduce William Herschel’s original experiment of 1800 that discovered the existence of infrared radiation. This involves creating a device in which sunlight will pass through a prism and produce a spectrum of light on the bottom of a cardboard box. Using a series of thermometers, students measure temperatures at various locations within and outside of the spectrum. By doing so, students should come up with results that are similar to Herschel's and discover the existence of radiation beyond the spectrum of visible light. Science NetLinks provides a link to helpful resources from NASA’s MESSENGER Mission, which has an overview of the research and detailed instructions for completing the activity. The lesson also contains warm-up and pre-assessment questions and a discussion and reflection section, as well as links to other similar lessons from Science NetLinks.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Science (2005)
Grade 6
- Goal 1: The learner will design and conduct investigations to demonstrate an understanding of scientific inquiry.
- Objective 1.01: Identify and create questions and hypotheses that can be answered through scientific investigations.
- Objective 1.02: Develop appropriate experimental procedures for:
- Given questions.
- Student generated questions.
- Objective 1.04: Analyze variables in scientific investigations:
- Identify dependent and independent.
- Use of a control.
- Manipulate.
- Describe relationships between.
- Define operationally.
- Objective 1.05: Analyze evidence to:
- Explain observations.
- Make inferences and predictions.
- Develop the relationship between evidence and explanation.
- Objective 1.06: Use mathematics to gather, organize, and present quantitative data resulting from scientific investigations:
- Measurement.
- Analysis of data.
- Graphing.
- Prediction models.
- Objective 1.07: Prepare models and/or computer simulations to:
- Test hypotheses.
- Evaluate how data fit.
- Objective 1.08: Use oral and written language to:
- Communicate findings.
- Defend conclusions of scientific investigations.
- Objective 1.09: Use technologies and information systems to:
- Research.
- Gather and analyze data
- Visualize data.
- Disseminate findings to others.
- Objective 1.10: Analyze and evaluate information from a scientifically literate viewpoint by reading, hearing, and/or viewing:
- Scientific text.
- Articles.
- Events in the popular press.
- Goal 5: The learner will build understanding of the Solar System.
- Objective 5.01: Analyze the components and cycles of the solar system including:
- Sun.
- Planets and moons.
- Asteroids and meteors.
- Comets.
- Phases.
- Seasons.
- Day/year.
- Eclipses.
- Objective 5.04: Describe space explorations and the understandings gained from them including:
- N.A.S.A.
- Technologies used to explore space.
- Historic timeline.
- Apollo mission to the moon.
- Space Shuttle.
- International Space Station.
- Future goals.
- Objective 5.05: Describe the setting of the solar system in the universe including:
- Galaxy.
- Size.
- The uniqueness of Earth.
- Objective 5.06: Analyze the spin-off benefits generated by space exploration technology including:
- Medical.
- Materials.
- Transportation.
- Processes.
- Future research.
- Objective 5.01: Analyze the components and cycles of the solar system including:
