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- USING ART TO TEACH SCIENCE
-
- The creative skills involved in the process of artistic expression
- translate very well into the problem solving world of technology.
-
- Even in the elementary level it can help build confidence as well as
- the development of abstract skills that so often lead to concepts and
- conclusions.
-
- The ideas in USING ART TO TEACH SCIENCE are the result of feedback
- from many instructors. I would especially like to thank Sue Schmidt
- of Burnsville, Minnesota, and Jackie Rens of Little Falls, Minnesota.
- Their ideas as well as their classrooms are an inspiration for much of
- this book.
-
- R. A. Winrich
- Mail Stop ll-1
- AESP/NASA Lewis Research Center
- Cleveland, Ohio 44135
-
-
-
- DIORAMAS
-
- Here the third dimension plus imagination and a few facts are combined
- in a box to make parts of the universe more immediate and real. To
- create an alien landscape in your room, you will need the following
- supplies:
-
- A box such as a shoebox or small packing box
- Paints
- Reference materials
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Imagination
-
- EXAMPLES:
-
- MARS: By using the photos returned by the Viking Landers, we know
- Mars to be a planet of red rocks and pink skies (daytime only). But
- these landers landed in very flat, dull (but safe) areas. The rest of
- Mars offers some interesting geography.
-
- Through the use of orbital pictures, we find Mars is a planet with
- large valleys (Valles Marineris) which, if placed on Earth, would
- stretch coast to coast in America. Also found were gigantic volcanoes
- like Olympus Mons, three times higher than Mt. Everest. The Polar
- Regions would be somewhat like a winter landscape but with pink skies.
-
- MOON: The Apollo flights returned hundreds of surface photos showing
- a gray world with rounded hills and mountains. Remember to keep the
- sky black, as the moon has no atmosphere, and to place a crescent
- Earth in the sky.
-
- MERCURY: As this planet lacks an atmosphere, it resembles our moon,
- so it probably has smooth rounded hills. However, the day-time sky
- has a much larger sun and, once in a while, spectacular views of
- comets.
-
-
-
- WORLDS
- MODELS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
-
- We have all seen globes of the Earth and Moon in classrooms and
- libraries. This is a chance to construct globes of some of the other
- members of our solar family.
-
- Materials:
- Medium sized rubber balls, 6 to 8 inches in diameter
- Newspapers, non-colored sections
- White paint for the base
- Colored paints for surface features
- Glue
- Photographs of planetary surfaces, their moons and the Sun
- Patience
-
- Tear or cut the newspapers into strips about one inch wide and glue to
- the surface of the ball in one direction. Allow a day to dry, then
- repeat the covering process, only gluing the strips in the other
- direction. Be sure to use plenty of glue.
-
- You may want to make your own glue. There are some excellent recipes
- in a book by Helen Sattler titled "Recipes for Art and Craft
- Materials".
-
- After several layers of strips have been fixed to your globe, allow a
- day or more to dry completely and then cover with several coats of
- white paint for your base. Once this base has dried, you are ready to
- use the colored paints to create whatever world you want.
-
- Some objects will be harder than others to reproduce. Jupiter and
- Saturn have colorful cloud top features and render themselves well to
- paints. Remember to cut the brilliant colors with some white as to
- make them more realistic. Mars and Mercury will be a challenge as
- they have numerous surface features. Don't overlook the Sun as a
- subject with a few spots of solar activity. Smaller balls can be
- covered with thinner strips, and with time, they can become some of
- the moons of Jupiter or Saturn. Remember, these are not to scale.
-
-
-
- PALEOPROJECTIONS
-
- We have all seen pictures depicting life during the age of the
- dinosaurs. These views often depict a scene from some long lost
- swamp. But imagine what it all looked like from space.
-
- Imagine the ice age, or countless other events. The following are but
- a few paleoideas to get the wheels turning. It has possibilities to
- open a whole new door.
-
- Some scientists now think that the reason the dinosaurs died out so
- suddenly was due to a comet striking the Earth. Imagine such an
- impact as seen from three hundred miles up. Don't worry about the
- recognition of landscape -- the present land forms were not around at
- that time.
-
- The year is 1178, the place Canterbury, England. Here records
- indicate Canterbury monks may have witnessed a rare event -- the Moon
- was struck by a small asteroid. During the Apollo flights a very
- fresh impact feature was noted and named which might support their
- claim. Imagine what such an event might look like from the Earth, or
- from Lunar orbit.
-
- The year is 837. Europe is locked in what historians will some day
- call the Dark Ages. But in that year it wasn't quite so dark. Comet
- Halley made its closest approach to the Earth in 2,000 years and it
- blazed across the sky brighter than anything except a full moon.
- Imagine what it must have looked like to people living at that time.
- Remember to keep the landscape realistic. How about such a view at
- the unique angle provided from low Earth orbit?
-
- Tunguska, 1908. Here in Siberia, a tiny comet levels the landscape in
- an explosion that rivals the largest of atomic devices today. Imagine
- such an event as seen from low Earth orbit, or perhaps an airplane
- flying at 35,000 feet and some 100 miles away.
-
- The Ice Age. Scientists say several times in the recent geologic
- past, glaciers advanced over the midwest areas of the United States.
- The last stage had several small surges and left in its wake the Great
- Lakes. Imagine what some of these stages might have looked like from
- 300 miles up with the vast expanse of ice in the north and overhead,
- perhaps an Aurora display.
-
- The geologic past is rich with clues, and theories abound as to the
- lay of the land. There are many texts that contain maps of the
- defined geologic eras. Imagine what Earth views might have looked
- like from 300 miles up, or from a stationary weather satellite 22,500
- miles in Space.
-
-
-
- VIEW FROM ABOVE
-
- There is a new type of artist emerging these days, the artist who
- works with the theme of Orbital Art. Some of the best in this field
- include former astronaut Alan Bean and the Cosmonaut Leonov, who have
- put their experiences on paper showing us the view from above.
-
- However, it is not necessary to have to go into orbit to capture these
- elements. By viewing some of the thousands of photographs and using
- an atlas plus a little imagination, one can translate some of the same
- views. Here are some possibilities to consider.
-
- The Great Lakes. Any one or a combination of lakes. Remember these
- lakes create their own climates. It is seldom clear over the entire
- system. A challenge might be right at sunset over Chicago with the
- lights of Detroit and smaller towns beginning to show.
-
- Florida. There are lots of good photographs of this area from
- different altitudes.
-
- Hawaii. Another subject that has been photographed to help.
-
- These are but a few selected areas. Any area where there is contrast
- between the elements of land and water are possible subjects. Don't
- overlook the elements of nature, a tropical storm or the Northern
- Lights as seen from space -- and don't forget the entire system
- including the moon as perhaps seen by a crew on the way to Mars.
-
- One method suggested by several teachers is to take a state map and
- work with the idea of curving it as one would see the Earth from a
- little over 100 miles in orbit. Then work with the imagination to
- project the elements of weather and textures to a piece of paper.
-
-
-
- THE ZERO-G CLUB
-
- Welcome to the world of Zero-G. In this world there are some special
- problems. There is no up or down. You find that a room has more
- space because you can use all of it. To become a member of this club
- you must solve some problems related to everyday life. For example,
- take your classroom. What would it be like without gravity? Where
- would you put your desk? Where would the teacher be? What would it
- be like to take Gym in space? You generate the problem and then come
- up (no pun intended) with the solution.
-
- Good luck!
- A good film to support this activity is called Zero-G, HQa 260A. It
- is a color film, 15 minutes long.
-
-
-
- A SCIENCE THROUGH ART PROJECT
-
- WARNING: THIS ACTIVITY IS KNOWN TO BE CONTAGIOUS!
- This activity can stimulate the desire to be unique while learning
- from others.
-
- THE PATCH
- Each space flight was the first of some kind and a crew patch to
- express the objectives of the mission was designed by the members of
- that flight.
-
- Design a patch to commemorate the following events:
- A. First Mars landing
- B. Staff member for the space platform team
- C. Staff member for the Lunar-Far Side Observatory
- D. Staff member for a geological survey of the Asteroid Belt
- E. First mission to another star system (Pick a star.)
-
- The students should know a little bit about the object they select,
- and this might require some library research.
-
- HOW TO WEAR A PLANET
- There are many good pictures available from the various planetary
- missions that show features of these worlds. Some are works of art in
- themselves and would make interesting designs.
-
- Other ideas might be an extension of what we have learned about these
- worlds. For example, imagine skiing down Olympus Mons, a mountain
- three times higher than Mt. Everest, located on the planet Mars.
-
- Imagine a storm on the surface of the planet Venus, or ballooning
- above the great spot of Jupiter. The possibilities in our Solar
- system are endless.
-
- Materials: It is recommended that you use an old t-shirt. There are
- many kinds of transfer materials available to color in your design.
- Some examples are the use of Pental, Fabricfun Pastel Dye Sticks, and
- Versatex Textile Paint. It is recommended that two people work on the
- shirt as it requires the shirt to be held fast. The dye sticks are
- crayons and will look like crayon coloring, so several coats may be
- needed for the satisfaction of the individual. If you do not use it
- with an old t-shirt, patches can be made out of old sheets and then
- sewn on. **R.A.W.**
-
-
-
- THE THIRD EYE
-
- We have a third eye, the inner eye that allows us to deal mentally
- with those things we cannot see, touch or smell. It is the inner eye
- of our imagination and it may well be our most useful tool. As a
- great thinker once remarked, "Imagination is more important than
- knowledge." But how do we develop our use of this eye? Perhaps like
- everything else, we can develop it by exercise. Let's try this
- exercise based on things that we know and understand.
-
- Most of us have at one time or another lost a helium-filled balloon
- and watched it sail off into the sky. In some cases, a postcard is
- attached to the balloon before it is released and in some cases
- returned to the sender after a trip of hundreds of miles. Imagine
- what it is like to be that postcard. What would it feel like to fly
- over your house, clear the trees and head up into the sky? What would
- the view be like? What would it feel like to float up into a cloud,
- slowly get damp, become heavy and begin to fall back to Earth. What
- would you see as you fall? Where would you land?
-
- Try to put these ideas into complete sentences and record your
- thoughts. This exercise was based on things we have experienced most
- likely at some time in our lives. Let's see if we can experience some
- things out of this world. To do this, you will need some background
- in Astronomy. Perhaps this will require some reading on your part.
- Let's see how well we can do.
-
- A. On July 30, 1964, Ranger 7 hit the moon. This was the first Ranger
- success. It transmitted over 4,300 pictures back to Earth. Imagine
- what it was like for Ranger.
-
- B. Jupiter's Red Spot has been observed for hundreds of years, but we
- still don't understand what causes it. Imagine traveling in a balloon
- inside the spot. What would you see? What would the sky look like?
- What would it smell like?
-
- C. What would it be like to ride along with Halley's Comet as it goes
- around the sun and races back to the cold depths of the Solar System?
-
- D. What would it be like to climb the slopes of Olympus Mons, the
- highest mountain on the planet Mars? This is a mountain three times
- higher than Mt. Everest.
-
- E. What would it be like to play baseball by yourself on Phobos, a
- tiny moon of Mars, where the gravity is so weak that you can place a
- ball into orbit simply by throwing it?
-
- F. What would it be like to be a tiny piece of ice left over from some
- forgotten comet and to suddenly see yourself racing towards Earth at
- over 60,000 miles per hour, soon to go out in a blaze of glory?
- R.A.W.'83
-
-
-
- CREATIVE WRITING IDEAS
-
- There are many books devoted to this subject area, often they use the
- elements known as poetry. Here are but a few condensed possibilities
- to perhaps get you started.
-
- SHAPE POETRY
- Thoughts, feelings, and ideas are written in the shape of the
- subject. Lines are not necessary to outline the subject, but they
- might help outline the shape. Example: A star, the shuttle, the moon
- or sun, or a rocket.
-
- LIMERICKS
- A simple rhyming poem often nonsensical and humorous and has the
- potential to be rather disastrous.
-
- Couplets
- Simply, two lines that rhyme
-
- Hink Pinks
- Use of synonyms for clues to get a rhyming answer
- 1. Hink pink: one syllable
- Example: What is an interplanetary contest? A space race.
- 2. Hinky Pinky: Two syllables
- Example: What is a messy landing? A crashdown splashdown.
- 3. Hinkity Pinkity: Three syllables
- Example: What is a great ocean? A terrific Pacific
-
- Haiku
- Japanese poetry focusing on one specific element or aspect of nature.
- It consists of three lines -- 5, 7, 5 syllables
- Keen observations as well as a love for some element of nature are
- shown.
- Each poem forms a unique word picture.
- Example (showing feeling from orbit):
- All of space is cold
- And feelings are all trembling
- In the sudden dawn.
-
- Cinquain
- Five line poem with no rhyme pattern.
- Format:
- Line one: one word, a noun
- Line two: two words; describes line one
- Line three: three words; action of line one
- Line four: four words; your feelings about subject
- Line five: two possibilities; one word same as line one or,
- similar or, five words that tie the whole thing
- together.
-
-
-
- OBSERVATIONS WITH INSTRUMENTS
-
- This has become almost a lost art form, yet before the invention of
- photography it was the sole method of illustrating the views of the
- various objects of the night sky.
-
- To do this you will need an instrument, and in many cases, a knowledge
- of the night sky. Instruments need not be as expensive as large
- telescopes; a good pair of 7 x 50 or 7 x 35 binoculars should be
- adequate.
-
-
- The Moon
- Here is an object that has been the easiest to find and work with.
- Follow its progress night by night and sketch its features. The full
- moon presents an interesting subject -- a contrast in tints.
-
-
- The Winter Sky
- There are several objects to sketch here and each is easy to locate in
- the evening sky. But it is best if the instrument you are using is
- supported in some manner, so all you have to do is keep it focused and
- make a few movements to keep your objects in the field of view.
-
- Objects to look for in the winter sky:
- The Pleiades
- Located in the constellation Taurus, looks like a tiny Little Dipper.
- Sketch it with the unaided eye, then with the aid of your telescope.
- Orion
- One of the largest constellations in the winter sky.
- Below the three bright stars that make up its belt are located three
- fainter stars. Sketch the center one -- it is the great nebula of
- Orion.
-
-
- If you have a larger telescope at hand, try sketching the planets
- JUPITER and SATURN when they are visible.
-
- The night sky isn't the only area available. The SUN is an excellent
- target that offers constant change. BUT NEVER VIEW THE SUN DIRECTLY.
- Utilize a projection method. Even a 7 x 35 can produce nice images
- when projected.
-
- When working with night objects, try to notice the subtle differences
- in color. To get this on paper, it is best to use colored pencils or
- water colors.
-
-
- PHOTOGRAPHY -- The Night Sky
- There are those who will argue that using a camera isn't Art! Yet many
- great museums show photographs in their exhibits. One of the simple
- things you can do with a camera is the capture of star trails. Here
- the options are many in terms of what film to use. If you have a
- darkroom, you might try various speeds of black and white emulsions to
- determine what is best for your effect. As a base line or standard,
- set your camera in a fixed position and at F5.6. Leave it open,
- centered on the North Star. In one hour, as the Earth completes 22.5
- degrees of a turn on its axis, the stars will form little parts of
- circles. Then go up to F8 and repeat. Finally, one more turn at
- F3.5. This should tell you how your film reacts to this time frame.
- The is more effective if done on a clear night.
-
-
-
- WELCOME TO TITAN
- An Experiment in Alien Landscapes
-
- Space landscapes are relatively new art form. The people who draw
- what it would be like on the moon or Mars for a living are a select
- few. However, more and more people are turning to illustrating what
- we have learned about the worlds around us. That number even includes
- a man who walked on the moon.
-
- But you don't have to go into space to imagine what it must be like.
- All you need are a few facts and your powers of imagination. Here are
- some ideas.
-
- TITAN is unique among the moons of the Solar System. It has an
- atmosphere and probably has weather, but not like any weather here on
- Earth. On Titan it may rain methane and snow methane, there may even
- be rivers and lakes or glaciers made up of methane. This is truly a
- world of no smoking! Imagine flying over the landscape in an
- ultralight -- what would your view be like? Remember, you are almost a
- billion miles from the sun, so the light will be a little weak. Keep
- in mind the Voyager pictures showing the upper atmosphere to be orange
- in color, so everything would have an orange tint to it.
-
- MARS is a world that awaits. Perhaps some time early in the 21st
- Century people will walk on its surface. And what a strange surface
- it is. After researching this object, imagine you are sitting on top
- of one of its ancient volcanoes with the land below. What would it
- look like? Imagine your ultralight flying down some large valley (it
- should have extra large wings for the air there is very thin).
- Imagine flying over one of the polar regions. Would it resemble our
- own polar areas?
-
- JUPITER is a world of savage beauty. Imagine floating above Amalthea,
- one of the inner moons. Amalthea is unique. It is bright red in
- color, and from its orbit, Jupiter would fill over half of the sky.
-
- IO is the next moon out from Jupiter. It is the only yellow and brown
- moon known so far, and it is unique in that it has active volcanoes
- that at times send material (sulphur compounds) over a hundred miles
- into the sky. What would one of these eruptions look like from a
- distant hill? Remember to place Jupiter in the sky. What would it
- look like when Jupiter eclipses the sun? What does Jupiter look like
- with the sun hidden behind it? Jupiter has gigantic lightning storms
- and Auroras similar to those seen above our own planet.
-
- Background:
- TITAN: Voyager pictures are about what we have so far, and all of
- them show Titan as an orange fuzzy ball.
- MARS: Film, Planet Mars, HQ 283, runs 28.5 minutes and gives an
- excellent background of that subject.
- JUPITER: Voyager images
-
- Don't forget the Earth. All you need is a good atlas and the idea of
- viewing a curved surface so objects like the Great Lakes don't just
- lie flat. Keep in mind that it is seldom clear over a large area,
- unless you picked the great deserts or the Polar areas. Select your
- own altitude.
-