Read

Each week before you attempt that module's activities, you should read the relevant readings in each module and take the reading quiz. As you answer questions that fill your pages,  you should look back on the readings. Do not be afraid to look to outside sources if the textbook and recommended references do not meet your needs, but always reference and cite your sources!

Discuss

Throughout the course, we will have opportunities to discuss by text and video the ideas we are learning and the observations we are making during this time. The more you let yourself be present mentally in these discussions, the more reward you will find in them. We will use groups to facilitate these discussion in multiple ways.

Observe

Since astronomy is the study of the sky, it is very important for you personally to look at the sky both during the day and at night.

Each week, at least once during the day and once at night from the same spot, you must record:

1. the date and time of observation,
2. the location of the sun in terms we will discuss in class (day),
3. the location and phase of the moon (day or night),
4. the location of a circumpolar asterism and Polaris (night), and
5. a sketch including two semi-permanent ground objects and the relevant day or night celestial object(s)

This observation sketch should be to scale and neat but should not depict the ground objects in detail. You will convert this sketch into an image that you embed into your Observations page.

Even if the sky is overcast or visibility is limited, you should still make your observation and record the circumstances. Your observation site needs to have a mostly unobstructed view of the north and south sky. Attending an (optional) weekly observation time (Mondays) at Hawthorn Hollow will give me an opportunity to help you specifically with your observations.

Organize Knowledge

To organize all of the particulars that you encounter in this course, you will be creating pages in your individual Canvas group (this will be a group of one). These pages will be linked, contain answers to questions posed or diagrams to relate information encountered. These pages will be your references when you take exams in this class. 

Research & Present

For the cultural component of this class, you will work with up to two other classmates to undertake a study of one Native American culture (usually defined by language) who did not have active contact with the world body of astronomical knowledge (from ancient Babylon and Egypt through modern times) and present your findings to the class in a 15-minute presentation (5 minutes per student in the group). Once you have chosen your culture of study, each group member will identify and submit three unique primary or secondary sources pertaining to that culture in PDF form (books available only in print may have their title, bibliography, and start-of-chapter pages submitted). You and your group members will divide by topic: sky knowledge and names, sky stories(mythology), and sky times (calendar), and you will each fill out a detailed questionnaire for your culture, referencing the source of each answer. For your topic, you will prepare an outline of your presentation and a page creation assignment for the class members outside your group to take notes from and learn from your presentation. You will also prepare a few sample test questions about your culture to be used on the final exam. This is group work so you should help each other complete your parts and make the presentation of your group smooth and connected. The presentation should be delivered orally with visual support using KalturaLinks to an external site..

Engage (CBL)

For the community-based learning portion of this course, you will work with one of our community partners to develop an engagement plan that supports that partner’s community service goals and your course learning outcomes. This will involve 15 hours of total engagement with that partner and reflection on that engagement over the course of this semester. This work will reinforce what you are studying in class and help you make better connections as you strive to engage others on these topics. To participate in this course, you need to share your relevant student information with one or more of our community partners. For those assignments, please compose an email to the partner, copying the instructor with your name and relevant class group, authorizing UW-Parkside and the community partner to only share information about you that is relevant to your participation in this course.

Take Exams, Quizzes, and Surveys

There will be three exams in this course: one at the start of the semester to show me your current knowledge level and show you what we plan to cover during the semester; one in the middle of the semester to show us your progress up to that point; and one at the end of the semester to cap off everything we have covered.

Each module has a reading quiz to check your reading and a module quiz to give you a chance to test what you learned from your readings and activities in a lower-stakes environment than the exams. These will be due each week Tuesday at 7:29 pm Central time. There will be one reading quiz and one module quiz per module.

Additionally, I will administer a general astronomy survey at the beginning of the semester and an identical one at the end of the semester. This will show both you and me what you know at the start and what you have learned by the end of the course, helping you prepare for the final exam. These surveys will not be graded for correctness but for completion.

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