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Re: Suggestions for new astronomy course



I apologize, but it seems that my original post was garbled. Here it
is, hopefully in a more readable form.


David Strasburger wrote:

Next spring I will be teaching a half-year course in introductory
astronomy to high school juniors and seniors. ....(snip).......
I am working on a proposal for some development money from my school
(natch) and looking for suggestions.

(snip)

2) activity/resource suggestions --


Check out the Astronomical Society of the Pacific - they have very good
literature for free!


3) text suggestions -- Any texts that people particularly like?


The Stars, H. A. Rey; Houghton Mifflin
Co.
Houghton Mifflin Co., 1980; 101 Campus Dr.
ISBN 0-395-24830-2 Princeton, NJ
08540
1-800-733-7075

The Urban Astronomer, Gregory L. Matloff;
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1991
ISBN: 0-471-53142-1

The Practical Astronomer, Brian Jones; Simon & Schuster,
Inc.
Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1990; 200 Old Tappan Rd.

ISBN 0-671-69303-4 Old Tappan NJ
07675
1-800-223-2336


4) Reference books --

A Complete Manual of Am. Astronomy, C. Sherrod; Simon & Schuster,
Inc.
Prentice Hall Press, 1981;
ISBN 0-13-155359-3

A Brief View of Astronomy, J. M. Pasachoff; Holt, Rinehart, &
.....
Saunders College Publishing, 1986; Order Fulfillment
Dept.
ISBN 0-03-058422-1 6277 Sea Harbor
Dr.
Orlando, FL 32887

1-800-426-0462

Touring the Universe Through Binoculars, P. S. Harrington; Wiley & Sons,
1990

365 Starry Nights, Chet Raymo; Prentice Hall Press, 1982

Astronomy Magazine, Kalmbach Publishing Co.

Sky & Telescope Magazine, Sky Publishing Co.

Astronomy, An American Nature Guide, Ian Ridpath; W. H. Smith
Publishers, Inc., 1990

Passport to the Stars, T. Dickinson; Edmund Scientific Co., 1979

The New Patterns in the Sky, J. D. W. Staal; The McDonald & Woodward
Pub. Co, 1988

Star Names: Their Lore & Meaning, Richard H. Allen; Dover Publications,
Inc., 1963

Burnham's Celestial Handbook, R. Burnham Jr.; Dover Publications, 1978

Astronomy, Ian Ridpath; Gallery Books, 1990


I have found that the more hands-on your Astronomy course is, the more
your students will enjoy it. Regular observation nights are a must.
Keep in mind
that you can do quite a bit of Astronomy with either your eyes or a good
pair of binoculars! For instance, your students will find it fun
learning Rey's
constellations and star names and then going and seeing them in the
night sky. Or they will find it challenging, but doable and fun,
locating all of the Messier
objects with a pair of 7 x 50 binoculars. This is a great exercise and
doesn't involve much money or supervision! You can also do a lot of
activities with an
SLR camera, a shutter cable and a tripod. I am a strong proponent that
introductory courses should teach students how to do Astronomy, rather
than just
discuss the standard set of topics in a standard Astronomy text.

I have many more ideas having taught a high school astronomy course for
eleven years. I would be more than happy to share them people.

Rex

--
Rex G Snyder rgsnyder@macol.net
St. Paul's School rgsnyder@usa.net
Baltimore, MD 410.821.3031 (work)