Teacher’s Guide for:
OBJECTIVES:
·
To see how our ideas of our place in the universe have changed
over time
·
To observe the life cycle of a star
·
To hear several Native American stories about the sky and its
origins
·
To survey the planets in our solar system
·
To bring to light the power of observation, exploration and
discovery
BRIEF SHOW
DESCRIPTION:
“Odyssey” was the very first original program
produced by the Staerkel Planetarium, first showing in 1987.
The show is a wonderful and comprehensive look at our universe and how
our views of it have changed. From
Native American stories around a crackling campfire, to Copernicus and Galileo,
to space observatories, the wonder of exploration is portrayed.
And the discovery process doesn’t stop; it continues today.
Parts of this program were inserted into the shows “Planet Search”
and “Star Journey.” Odyssey
should not be combined with either of those two shows for a doubleheader.
PRE-VISIT
ACTIVITIES/TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:
* What is an "odyssey?" Trying looking it up in the
dictionary. What would be included in a planetarium show called
"Odyssey?"
* Consult the pre- and post-visit activities for both "Planet Search"
and "Star Journey" for more ideas.
POST-VISIT
ACTIVITIES/TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:
* Find the poem spoken at the beginning of Odyssey. It can be found in
first volume of "Burnham's Celestial Handbook."
* Where will our next odyssey be? If you had an unlimited budget,
where would your next destination be?
INTERNET RESOURCES:
* Ask Starman an astronomy question: http://www.parkland.edu/coned/pla
* Do some observing with the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society: http://www.prairienet.org/cuas
* Astronomical Society of the Pacific: http://www.astrosociety.org
* Read the latest astronomy news at: http://www.astronomy.com
or http://skyandtelescope.com
* Astronomy picture of the day: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html