Cuesta College :: Astronomy 210 :: Spring 2020
Calendar Policies Goals Grades

Homework 
Read ASTRO3, Chs. 2-2, 2-3, 2-4a, 2-4b
Purchase "starwheel" from bookstore
     (Familiarize yourself with the terminology used in the textbook; more details will
     be covered in the presentations, and in class.  Make sure you have a starwheel
     to practice with at home and in the next class.  If you can't get one yet, there will be
     a (limited) number of starwheels you can borrow in class.)
     
Preview online presentations (*.blog), (*.blog), (*.blog)
     (Celestial motions and moon phases are covered incompletely in the textbook; 
     go through the presentations in-depth for more information and animations.
     Also read through advice from former students on how to succeed in this course.)
     
Complete online reading assignment 1 (*.html)
     (Due 12:00 AM midnight before class this week)
          (Answer questions on reading comprehension and provide feedback on what you 
          understand or don't understand; classwide results will determine specifically 
          which topics should emphasized in the next class, and at what level.)


Wednesday (1) 
"To be interested in the changing seasons is, in this middling zone, a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring."
     --George Santayana, The Life of Reason: or, The Phases of Human Progress, Volume 4,
       Charles Scribner's Sons (1906), p. 189.

Quiz 1 question packet (*.pdf)
     Don't talk with neighbor, silently fold response card
     1-2-3: hold flashcard under your chin
     Don't guess, choose "unsure/guessing/lost/help!" if uncertain
     (Later--convince neighbor why your answer is correct)

Chs. 2-2, 2-3: Precession, Motion of the Sun, Seasons [00:20]
     Cycles & Motions (*.blog)
     "Spiral waltz" model
     The Twelve Signs in Western Astrology (*.html) (*.html)
          (wikipedia.org)
     "Wobbly top" model (*.blog)
          (Florida State University)
     Motions of the Sun Simulator (*.swf), (*.gif), (*.gif)
          (Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project)
     Ex: rise/set positions and paths of the sun (*.blog)
     Ex: rise/set positions and paths of the sun (*.blog)

                   
In-class activity 3 (*.pdf) [00:20]
     Find and sit in your assigned groups
     Cooperate and collaborate within your group
     Share answers within and between groups
     Turn in group worksheet at front
     
"Harvard Graduates Explain Seasons" (*.html), (*.mov), (transcript)
     (A Private Universe, Science Media Group, 
      Harvard University/Smithsonian Institution, Cambridge, MA (1989))
                   


Wednesday (2) 
"The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk with."
     --Carl Sandburg, "Moonlight And Maggots," Complete Poems of Carl Sandburg: 
       Revised and Expanded Edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (1970), p. 665.
     
Quiz 1 question packet (*.pdf)

Ch. 2-4: The Cycles of the Moon [00:30]
     Lunar Cycles & Motions (*.blog)
     "Overhead ±6 hour" model
     Ex: moon setting in the afternoon (*.blog)
     Ex: third quarter moon setting (*.blog)

In-class activity 4 (*.pdf) [00:15]
     Find and sit in your assigned groups
     Cooperate and collaborate within your group
     Share answers within and between groups
     Turn in group worksheet at front

Quiz 1 announcements
     Wednesday, 2/5, 6:00-6:20 PM
     Closed-book, closed-notes
     Ten multiple-choice questions = 40 points
          Starwheels/zodiac/star cycles: four questions
          Earth/seasons/sun cycles: two questions
          Moon cycles/motions/times: four questions
     No work needs to be shown; partial credit possible
     No scantrons; circle answers directly on quiz
     **USE YOUR OWN UNIQUE 4-DIGIT P.I.N.**
     **BRING YOUR OWN STARWHEEL**



Homework 
Review previous reading assignment responses (*.blog)
Read ASTRO3, Chs. 2-4c, 2-4d, 3-1, 3-2 (skim 3-3, 3-4, 3-5)
     
Preview online presentations (*.blog), (*.blog)
     
Complete online reading assignment 2 (*.html)
     (Due 12:00 AM midnight before start of class next week)