The Universe in My Hands — Level 1A -Year 2 Science
This one year introduction to science uses The Universe in My Hands by Mary Daly as a framework. It will teach your child how everything in the universe can be classified by order of magnitude. He will set up a binder in which his work, both at this level and in the future, can be kept in a logical scientific order. Certain topics will be explored in greater depth.
Time requirement: Two weekly lessons of approximately 30 minutes.
Teacher involvement: You will need to work with your child for these lessons
Key Texts:
The Universe in My Hands by Mary Daly (available from Ye Hedge School)
Note: You will require both the booklet and the set of dividers. We advise you to read through the booklet before starting the lessons with your child.
Home Science Adventures: Microscopic Explorations
Adventures With Atoms and Molecules: Chemistry Experiments for Young People (Vol.1), by Robert Mebane and Thomas Rybolt
Home Science Adventures: The Astronomy Adventure
Recommended Resources:
Heaven and Earth: Unseen by the Naked Eye, by Katherine Roucoux
This book is a collection of photographs taken through either a microscope or a telescope, arranged in order of magnitude. This book will enable your child to see both the smallest items (electron trails in a bubble chamber) and largest items (a galaxy field) discussed in The Universe in My Hands – and items of every size in between. It is available in both a large hardcover or a mini paperback edition. The larger pictures have more impact, but pictures from the small book could be scanned, copied, or even cut out for inclusion in your child’s binder.
or
Powers of Ten: a Flipbook by Charles and Ray Eames
Another photographic journey, starting with a view of one billion light years and moving inwards by powers of ten down to subatomic particles. Directly correlates to magnitude studies, with postcard sized pictures.
Optional Extras:
The Films of Charles and Ray Eames, Vol.1 is available on DVD and includes Powers of Ten, a nine minute film exploring magnitude.
Usborne Internet-Linked Mysteries and Marvels of Science
Teacher Resources:
CD for the Universe in My Hands and A Doorway of Amethyst (Beginning Geology) by Mary Daly
Note: We highly recommend listening to this talk if you are unsure about how the orders of magnitude work, or how to teach them.
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TERM 1: The Visible World
MAGNITUDE: The Universe in My Hands (One lesson weekly)
Note: When using The Universe in My Hands, try to have your child draw or paste in as many pictures as possible as each order of magnitude is studied
Unit 1: What is size? What is small?
Lesson 1: Size and smallness; What is a magnitude? (pp.10-12)
Have your child set up a binder with the tabbed dividers.
Optional activity: Memorize Bible verse (Ws. 11:20)
Lesson 2: Page Zero – One meter (pp.13-15)
Lesson 3: Page (-1) – One decimeter (pp.16-18)
Lesson 4: Page (-2) – One centimeter (pp.19-21)
Lesson 5: Page (-3) – One millimeter (pp.22-24)
Lesson 6: Magnitude review (pp.25-27)
Unit 2: My Home on Earth
Lesson 7: Page (-4) – One tenth of a millimeter
Lesson 8: Big Things (pp.33-34)
Lesson 9: Page (+1) – Ten meters (pp.35-38)
Lesson 10: Page (+2) – One hundred meters (pp.39-41)
Lesson 11: Page (+3) – One kilometer (pp.42-43)
Lesson 12: Page (+4) – Ten kilometers (pp.44-45)
EXPLORATION (One lesson weekly)
Note: Remember to relate your child’s studies to the orders of magnitude, and file activity sheets and narrations in the appropriate section of the binder.
Magnitude (-3) and (-4): MICROSCOPIC WORLD
Home Science Adventures: Microscopic Explorations (14 lessons)
Optional Reading
Usborne Internet-Linked Complete Book of the Microscope
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TERM 2: Beyond the Visible
MAGNITUDE: The Universe in My Hands (One lesson weekly)
Unit 3: Down to the Quarks
Lesson 13: Page (-5) – Cells (pp.48-49)
Lesson 14: Page (-6) – Light, Bacteria (pp.49-50)
– discovery of the microscope
Lesson 15: Page (-7) – DNA, Molecules (pp.50-52)
Lesson 16: Pages (-8) and (-9) – smaller molecules (pp.52-55)
Lesson 17: Page (-10) – Water molecules, atoms (pp.55-57)
Lesson 18: Pages (-11), (-12) and (-13) – Electrons (pp.57-59)
Lesson 19: Pages (-14) to (-19) – Quarks (pp.59-61)
Lesson 20: Page (-34) – Planck’s Constant (p.61)
Lesson 21: Review
Unit 4: Up to the Stars
Lesson 22: Page (+5), 100 kilometers (pp.64-66)
Lesson 23: Pages (+6) and (+7), 1,000 and 10,000 kilometers (pp.66-67)
Lesson 24: Pages (+8), 100,000 kilometers (pp.68-69)
EXPLORATION (One lesson weekly)
Adventures With Atoms and Molecules
Choose any twelve experiments from the book.
Note: If you are enthusiastic scientists and have time, do two experiments each week
Optional Reading:
Pasteur’s Fight Against Microbes (Beverley Birch)
Marie Curie’s Search for Radium (Beverley Birch)
The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System (Joanna Cole)
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TERM 3
MAGNITUDE: The Universe in My Hands (One lesson weekly)
Unit 4: Up to the Stars
Lesson 25: Pages (+9), (+10) and (+11), 1 million to 100 million kilometers – Stars (pp.69-71)
Lesson 26: Pages (+12 to +15), 1 billion to 1 trillion kilometers – Comets (pp.71-72)
Lesson 27: Page (+16), 1 light year – Measurement (pp.72-74)
Unit 5: A Universe Just Your Size
Lesson 28: Page (+17), 10 light years – Why stars burn (pp.76-78)
Lesson 29: Page (+18), 100 light years – Constellations (pp.78-79)
Lesson 30: Page (+19), 1000 light years – Orion (pp.79-80)
Lesson 31: Pages (+20) and (+21), 10,000 and 100,000 light years – Milky Way (pp.80-82)
Lesson 32: Pages (+22) and (+23), 1 million and 10 million light years – Andromeda Nebula and Virgo supercluster (pp.82-83)
Lesson 33: Pages (+24), 100 million light years – Galactic superclusters (pp.83-85)
Lesson 34: Page (+25), 1 billion light years – Universe and time (pp.85-86)
Lesson 35: Page (+26), 10 billion light years – Creation (pp.86-89)
Lesson 36: Review
Note: These are complex ideas! Don’t worry if your child doesn’t grasp them at this stage. This is just a first introduction to the universe, and will be revisited again at Level 3.
EXPLORATION (One lesson weekly)
Home Science Adventures: The Astronomy Adventure (16 lessons)
Lessons 1 to 11 and 16 to be used during class time. Lessons 12 to 15 are observations of the night sky, one for each season.
Optional Reading
The Stars: a New Way to See Them by H.A.Rey
Find the Constellations by H.A.Rey
One Small Square: the Night Sky by Donald M.Silver
