Poster Abstracts - Kepler - NASA

POSTER ABSTRACTSP1004. POSTER SESSION IIKEPLER AND THE NEXT GENERATION: EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF EDUCATION/PUBLICOUTREACH IN THE HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSROOM. N. M. Chambers 1 , West High School,20401 Victor Street, Torrance, CA 905030, nchambers@etusd.org.Introduction: One goal of the Kepler Mission’sEducation and Public Outreach is effective and meaningfulcommunication of the concepts, process, andoutcomes of the mission to high school age students ina formal education setting. After the author’s participationin the 2009 E/PO workshop at the Jet PropulsionLaboratory, the Transit Tracks activity [1] wasincorporated into a high school astrobiology curriculumat two different learning levels (9 th /10 th grade introductory,and 11 th /12 th grade advanced). The authorwill discuss initial success stories and explain how theactivity was modified, extended and enriched with additionaloutside resources and original ideas in 2010and 2011.The original activity, which is taught in a knowledgeforming context, is revisited and incorporatedinto a unit-summarizing final assessment of studentunderstanding. This final assessment incorporates theuse of transit light curves and absorption spectroscopyto simulate the identification of a potentially habitableextrasolar planet. Concept mastery, data analysis, andsynthesis of evidence-based conclusions are an expectedoutcome of this project. The author will presentboth the assignment and student products.General feedback on the E/PO effort, includingwhat elements translate successfully into a 9-12 classroomas well as suggestions for improvement, will beincluded.References:[1] http://kepler.nasa.gov/education/activities/transitTracks/2011 Kepler Science Conference - NASA Ames Research Center 207