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Investigating Astronomy

Investigating Astronomy is the first comprehensive astronomy textbook written specifically for high school students. This text includes all the major topics in an astronomy course while also engaging students in hands-on investigations and using tools that will help students learn in interactive and meaningful ways. The book also focuses on scientific inquiry; the process of making scientific claims and supporting them with evidence; and using scientific reasoning to justify and revise those claims.

The student guide has six units corresponding to the six major themes of astronomical content:

Unit 1 — Investigating Motions of the Sky
Unit 2 — Investigating the Sun-Earth-Moon System
Unit 3 — Investigating Planets
Unit 4 — Investigating Tools of Astronomy
Unit 5 — Investigating Stars
Unit 6 — Investigating the Universe

The first three units deal with observations humans have made from Earth (some for thousands of years) as well as the mechanics and characteristics of objects within the solar system. The second three units deal with the more advanced observations of electromagnetic radiation through telescopes and of objects that are outside the solar system and even outside the galaxy.

Within each unit there is a series of 'Explorations'. Each 'Exploration' is based upon an essential question that will be a guide to what students are learning. Each 'Exploration' also offers an opportunity for 'First Thoughts'—the opportunity to make initial claims about an essential question and related ideas. At the end of the 'Exploration', those claims are revisited with the chance to confirm or revise them based on what was learned within the exercise. This structure is meant to model best practices in scientific inquiry. All 'Explorations' within a unit prepare students for the unit 'Challenge'—a project that makes use of all information presented in the unit. Although the challenges are introduced in the beginning of the unit and referred to throughout the explorations, they are intended as final projects for each unit.

This textbook (student edition and teacher guide) is available for purchase from It's About Time.