Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre Classroom Materials for Schools

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre Classroom Materials for schools

GCSE/BTEC: Inflatable Planetarium

Links to resources The resources below are suggested activities your class could complete before or after this workshop. Please note these are recommended activities; it is not compulsory that students complete them.

Some of the resources require access to ICT. The University of Manchester cannot be held responsible for the content of external sites.

1. Institute of Physics: Life Cycle of Stars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM9CQDlQI0A

Explains how we believe stars are born, live and die and the different ends to different sized stars. Features Professor Tim O’Brien; Associate Director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory.

2. Institute of Physics: How big is the Universe? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_xZuopg4Sk

Explains how astronomers have learnt to measure the distance to the stars. How many stars are in the observable universe and is it possible to comprehend the size of it all?

3. Institute of Physics: The Expanding Universe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jms_vklUeHA

The expansion of the universe, the big bang and dark matter. Astronomers talk us through what we know and don't know about the universe.

4. Institute of Physics: Classroom demonstration: Colour and temperature of stars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZve8FQhLOI

Using a variable resistor and a light bulb, it is possible to demonstrate how the colour of a star is related to its temperature.

5. Institute of Physics: Classroom demonstration: H-R diagram https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL3tt-fJC1k

How to illustrate the life cycle of stars using a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a large sheet, and some students.

6. Institute of Physics: Classroom demonstration: Redshift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCwGa4rVfGc

Pupils take an active role in this demonstration on light waves to show the Doppler effect.

www.jodrellbank.net Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre Classroom Materials for schools

7. BBC Stargazing Live: KS4 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00njbp3

An hour long lesson from Prof. Brian Cox, answering pupils’ questions about the universe, recorded at Jodrell Bank.

8. BBC Stargazing Live 2013: The Big Bang http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/0/20932483

A very concise webpage describing and explaining the evidence for the Big Bang theory, including an explanation of the Doppler effect and Cosmic Microwave Background.

9. National Schools’ Observatory: Life Cycle of Stars http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk/category/astronomy/stars/life-cycle-stars

Reference material and suggested activities on the life cycle of stars.

10. Discovery Education: Galaxy Tour http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/universe/galaxytour/index.html

Facts and figures on a selection of galaxies in the universe; from the local group, to the most distant universe. Developed by the American Museum of Natural History.

11. Skyserver: The Expanding Universe http://skyserver.sdss.org/dr1/en/astro/universe/universe.asp

Information telling the story of how astronomers developed the concept of an expanding universe.

12. NASA for KS4 Students http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/9-12/index.html

NASA’s site designed for KS4 students. Students can access NASA’s news, play educational games or search for information on space.

13. National STEM Centre: space:uk magazine http://www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/elibrary/collection/856/space-uk-magazine

Published by the UK Space Agency, the Space:UK magazine has all the latest news in UK space science, technology and exploration. This collection contains issues starting in 2004 and running through to the present day. Each issue contains interesting and easy-to-read articles on space news.

Feedback If you discover any broken links, or if you have any questions, comments, suggestions or feedback regarding these materials, please get in touch with the education team.