TUMBLE AUDIO COURSE
CATALOGING THE UNIVERSE
Welcome to Cataloging the Universe,
an audio course by Tumble Media - the makers of Tumble Science Podcast for Kids!
How far away is that star in the sky? How can you measure its distance from Earth? Those questions puzzled astronomers for centuries. You’ll get to time travel along as we meet famous astronomers of the past! They’ll help us tell the story of how science changed our view of the universe - forever.
The best part? You’ll pick up the skills to make your own observations and discoveries in the night sky!
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Intended for students in grades 3-5
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Suitable for any age with the help of a parent, caregiver, or teacher
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Aligned with NGSS: 5-ESS1-1
Lesson 0: Introduction
Listen to this introduction before you get started.
Join Marshall and his astronomer friends to find out how we discovered the vastness of the universe and become a skywatcher. “Cataloging the Universe” more than a podcast. It’s interactive! Each episode - or lesson - in this series contains activities to complete while you listen. Plus, you’ll get discussion questions, graphic organizers, and a star journal to keep your observations in.
Lesson 1:The Scale of the Universe
Get ready to meet two famous astronomers just before they face off in a scientific argument.
“The Great Debate” was about the biggest astronomy question of their time: How big is the universe, and how do we know? Marshall travels back in time to interview them, and find out why unusual objects in the sky called spiral nebulae may be the key to determining the size of the universe.
RESOURCES INCLUDED WITH THIS LESSON:
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Listening Comprehension Questions
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Discussion Questions
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Shapley & Curtis Graphic Organizer
Lesson 2: Starting Your Star Journal
Let’s get to work on your star journal! Marshall takes you back to modern times to meet a real-life astronomer named DK. DK will teach us the basics of skywatching. First up: How to write observations about the things we see in the sky.
RESOURCES INCLUDED WITH THIS LESSON:
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Review Questions from Episode 1
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Star Journal Pages with Questions adapted from the episode
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Reflection Questions
Lesson 3: Observing Mystery Objects
It’s time-traveling time again! This time, we’ll be going to France in the 1700s to talk to French astronomer Charles Messier. Messier is observing the sky and making a list of what he finds. Come along with Marshall as he finds out why Messier’s list will prove to be important for centuries of astronomers to come.
RESOURCES INCLUDED WITH THIS LESSON:
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Listening Questions
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Discussion Questions
Lesson 4: Journal Constellations
Get ready to go outside! Now that we’re back from France, it’s time to apply what we learned from our visit with Charles Messier to our own observations of the sky. It’s time to hunt for constellations!
RESOURCES INCLUDED WITH THIS LESSON:
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Star Journal Pages
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Reflection Questions
Lesson 5: Brightness and Distance
How do astronomers figure out how far away things are from Earth? We’re going to do an experiment using flash lights to find out why this question puzzled astronomers for centuries. Get your flashlights ready!
RESOURCES INCLUDED WITH THIS LESSON:
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The Flashlight Experiment (A separate document!)
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A Star Journal
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Reflection Questions
Lesson 6:The Great Debate -Solved!
We’re traveling back in time one last time, to find the solution to “The Great Debate.” Marshall meets Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer who discovered the key to determining the size of the universe. With Henrietta’s help, we’ll find out who won The Great Debate, and what those mysterious spiral nebulae really are.
RESOURCES INCLUDED WITH THIS LESSON:
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Listening Questions
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Discussion Questions
Lesson 7: The Galaxy Zoo
You’re finally ready to help real astronomers with real astronomy! Find out how you can identify galaxies to help astronomers answer their questions about the universe. Astronomer Karen Masters will introduce us to Galaxy Zoo, a citizen science project that relies on astronomy enthusiasts like you to understand the universe we live in.
RESOURCES INCLUDED WITH THIS LESSON:
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Listening Questions
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Post Galaxy Zoo Questions
Production of this audio course, as well as Dhanesh Krishnarao’s work, is supported by an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship under award AST-2102490.