K-12 Education

During the summer of 2022, NSF SpectrumX, along with its partners at its member institution the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), conducted a six-week virtual professional development program for 10 middle and high school teachers. The educators were selected from across the United States through a competitive application process. The participants were chosen based on their experience creating original lessons and interest in incorporating more electromagnetic (EM) spectrum curricula into their classes.

Read more about NSF SpectrumX’s partnership with the NRAO in a story by Valarie Bogan, NSF NRAO and NSF SpectrumX partner.

The partnership and professional development program resulted in 20 middle and high school curriculum on a wide array of EM topics to get students excited in the field.

Middle School Curriculum

Below are a selection of the courses the partnership created. The full list may be found at SuperKnova.org.

CubeSat Model Building

This lesson will help students visualize the size and scope of cube satellites (CubeSat). First, students will use a printable template to build a cardstock CubeSat model. Then they will research what tasks a satellite of this size can accomplish.

NGSS Standards MS-PS4-3

Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information than analog signals.

MS-ESS1-3 Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.

Materials: template, cardstock, box cutters, tape

Key words: Radio Frequencies, CubeSat, Satellite

Downloadable Materials:

Teacher:

Teacher Guide and Lesson Plan (English language version)

Spanish language version coming soon

Student:

Student Page (English language version)

Student Page (Spanish language version coming soon)

Introduction to Radio Wave Communication

Students will learn about the history of radio spectrum communication technology. They will investigate and experience Morse Code, explore radio history with a digital scavenger hunt, and investigate materials that can block radio waves.

NGSS Standards

MS-PS4-2 Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

MS-PS4-5 Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.

Materials: two student cellphones per group, aluminum foil, metal pot with lid, felt, packing peanuts, cardboard, tile, plastic box, foam squares, tape

Keywords: Faraday cage, radio frequencies, cell phones

Downloadable Materials

Teacher:

Teacher Guide and Lesson Plan (English language version)

Teacher Guide and Lesson Plan (Spanish language version coming soon)

Presentation (English language version)

Presentation (Spanish language version coming soon)

Student:

Radio Wave Blocking Lab (English language version)

Radio Wave Blocking Lab (Spanish language version coming soon)

Scavenger Hunt (English language version)

Scavenger Hunt (Spanish language version coming soon)

Introduction to Satellites

Students will learn about satellites as they participate in a research project. The research will be presented in poster form which will be shared with peers through a gallery walk.

NGSS Standards

MS-PS4-3 Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information than analog signals.

Materials: student computers, large poster boards, scissors, glue sticks

Key words: radio frequencies, electromagnetic spectrum, satellite

Teacher:

Teacher Guide and Lesson Plan (English language version)

Teacher Guide and Lesson Plan (Spanish language version coming soon)

Satellite Presentation (English language version)

Satellite Presentation (Spanish language version coming soon)

Student:

Satellite Communications Page (English language version)

Satellite Communications Page (Spanish language version coming soon)

Satellite Research Instructions (English language version)

Satellite Research Instructions (Spanish language version coming soon)

High School Curriculum

Below are a selection of the courses the partnership created. The full list may be found at SuperKnova.org

A Radio Astronomy Design Project

During this lesson, students will be introduced to Radio astronomy and the telescopes which are used in the discipline. They will then be challenged to design a dish for a brand-new telescope.

NGSS Standards

HS-PS4-1 Waves and their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer. Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.

HS-PS4-5 Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.

Materials: lasers, flat mirrors, protractors, large sheets of paper, student computers

Key Words: Radio Astronomy, Radio Telescope, Radio Frequencies

Teacher:

Teacher Guide and Lesson Plan (English language version)

Teacher Guide and Lesson Plan (Spanish language version coming soon)

Student:

Reading Comprehension (English language version)

Reading Comprehension (Spanish language version coming soon)

Diffraction of Radio Waves

During this lesson, students will learn about the wave and particle nature of electromagnetic waves. Students will also learn about the diffraction of light and conduct an experiment to determine the thickness of a piece of hair. Students will also observe the diffraction pattern of burning gas when viewed with a diffraction grating, thus understanding how astrophysicists know the compositions of stars. Students will also learn about how diffraction of electromagnetic waves affects telescope resolution and what can be done to mitigate the effects as well as learn about how radio signals diffract when hitting the edge of an obstacle, dispersing the signal and causing weakened signals.

NGSS Standards

Materials: diffraction grating, spectroscope, spectrum tubes, tape, laser, mounting slides, and meter stick

Key Words: Radio Astronomy, Diffraction, AP Physics

Teacher:

Teacher Guide and Lesson Plan (English language version)

Teacher Guide and Lesson Plan (Spanish language version coming soon)

Presentation (English language version)

Presentation (Spanish language version coming soon)

Student:

Practice Problems (English language version)

Practice Problems (Spanish language version coming soon)

Diffraction Lab (English language version)

Diffraction Lab (Spanish language version coming soon)

Hearing and Seeing the Invisible

Students will understand how data from radio telescopes are used to create images of celestial objects. They will further explore ways to enhance visual representations of the data by including sound using Afterglow Access sonification software tool.

NGSS Standards

HS-PS4.A Wave Properties Information can be digitized (e.g., a picture stored as the values of an array of pixels); in this form, it can be stored reliably in computer memory and sent over long distances as a series of wave pulses. (HS-PS4-2),(HS-PS4-5)

HS-PS4.C Information Technologies and Instrumentation. Multiple technologies based on the understanding of waves and their interactions with matter are part of everyday experiences in the modern world and in scientific research. They are essential tools for producing, transmitting, and capturing signals and for storing and interpreting the information contained in them.

HS-PS4.B Electromagnetic Radiation Electromagnetic radiation (e.g., radio, microwaves, light) can be modeled as a wave of changing electric and magnetic fields or as particles called photons. The wave model is useful for explaining many features of electromagnetic radiation, and the particle model explains other features. (HS-PS4-3) When light or longer wavelength electromagnetic radiation is absorbed in matter, it is generally converted into thermal energy (heat). Shorter wavelength electromagnetic radiation (ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays) can ionize atoms and cause damage to living cells. (HS-PS4-4)

Materials: student computers, headphones, UV light, remote control, cellphone with camera, colored pencils, markers, modeling clay

Key Words: Radio waves, AfterGlow, Radio Astronomy

Teacher:

Teacher Guide and Lesson Plan (English language version)

Teacher Guide and Lesson Plan (Spanish language version coming soon)

Teachers Notes on Extension Activity (English language version)

Teachers Notes on Extension Activity (Spanish language version coming soon)

Student:

Student Page One (English language version)

Student Page One (Spanish language version coming soon)

Data Page One (English language version)

Data Page One (Spanish language version coming soon)