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Teachers' Newsletter Back Issues, 390 Ashton Avenue
San Francisco, California
94112
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A Special Edition of "The Universe in the Classroom," a newsletter on teaching astronomy in grades 3-12, published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
In several U.S. states there have been demands that discussions of the Big Bang and the vast age of the cosmos be excluded from science curricula in K-12 classrooms. In response, the Astronomy Education Board of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) has put together an article for teachers on how astronomers know that the universe is old and that it changes with time.
The illustrated article has been posted on the Web at: http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/56/
The article explains the evidence showing that we live in a universe that is between 10 billion and 15 billion years old and that both the universe and its contents undergo evolutionary change. It is designed to help teachers explain these ideas to their classes and concerned community members. A list of written and web resources is also included.
The article grew out of a formal statement on behalf of the astronomical community issued by the Council of the AAS in 2000, when the Kansas State Board of Education in 1999 adopted state standards that eliminated both evolution and Big Bang cosmology. While those standards have now been repealed,
following the election of new Board of Education members, the scientific perspective continues to be questioned in states and communities around the U.S. Both the AAS Council, and the Society's Astronomy Education Board feel that astronomers
have an obligation to assist teachers in sorting out the evidence supporting our modern view of an ancient universe.
Type: Online Resources
Focus: Astronomy/Space Science
Audience/Grade(s) served: 3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12,
Order information: Back issues of newsletter may be available.
Cost: Free online. Single copies of back issues $2 each for the first five issues, and $1 each for more. Minimum order of $10.
Additional Languages: Spanish, French
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More Information (opens a new window):
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/56/ |
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