Further Information for SchoolsIntroduction Astronomy, the oldest of all the sciences, is a key feature in the National Curriculum from the earliest years right through to GCSE and beyond into A-level. Alas, it can be frustratingly difficult to teach as many of the concepts are too abstract to properly bring to life in the classroom. The Space Odyssey planetarium offers the chance to let children experience the awe and wonder of space whilst helping them to grasp difficult concepts. Of course, there are fixed planetaria in various parts of the UK but the cost and expense involved in taking classes to visit them are huge (e.g. typically ~£6.50 per pupil entrance fee plus transport costs etc. = £700+ for a coach of 50 pupils!). Space Odyssey offers the ideal solution: the 'school trip' comes to YOU! Simon will bring one of Space Odyssey's state-of-the-art domes, stunning planetarium projection technology and a host of multimedia equipment and set it all up within your school (typically in a sports hall, gym or assembly hall) in little more than an hour. One or two classes at a time can then be brought to the hall and, together with their teacher(s), they are then introduced to and led into the dome for the experience of a lifetime! All this at a fraction of the cost and inconvenience of a 'traditional' school trip (the cost of a visit by the Space Odyssey planetarium typically works out at around £2 - £3 per student, sometimes even less!) With every Space Odyssey "Space Dome" presentation being led by a fully-qualified, experienced Science Teacher, you can be assured that not only will the content be carefully adapted to suit your pupils, it will be delivered in a way that is appropriate for them, too. Simon has worked with and taught tens of thousands of young people, from Pre-School children to A-level astrophysicists and even University students and is regularly complimented on his ability to "pitch it" just right. To help with planning a visit, please either read through the following information or select from this list to jump to a particular section: Where appropriate, shows for schools are firmly rooted in requirements of the Science National Curriculum / Common Entrance Science / exam board syllabuses and are carefully enhanced to engender that sense of awe and wonder that astronomy should bring. Simon is happy to plan non-curricular presentations on request as he has a wealth of resources at his disposal to cater for particular needs. Each show is specifically targeted for the age group of the students. Show lengths will be tailored to suit your needs (e.g. for fitting within the length of a single lesson) and typically range from 30-75 minutes [remember to consider the time needed to bring pupils to the hall and take them back to classrooms afterwards. We can discuss the practicalities in detail to ensure the minimum of disruption and to maximise the learning experience for your students] Naturally, the content of each dome experience depends on the amount of time available for each group. Topics that can be covered include: Key Stage 1: difference between dark and light, stars as light sources compared with planets/moons reflecting light, shape and comparitive sizes of Sun, Earth, Moon and planets, shadows, cause of day and night, what a year is, legends behind the constellations, Q&A Key Stage 2: as above, plus eclipses and the phases of the Moon, the reason for the seasons, the Sun's path across the sky and the effect on shadows, exploration of the planets, the solar system within the Galaxy, Q&A Key Stage 3: as above plus changes in the path of the Sun across the sky, weight compared to mass, "weightlessness", artificial satellites and their orbits, advantages of space-based telescopes, comets, space probes, Q&A GCSE: how stars and planets form, the life-cycles of different kinds of star, gravity as a force, weight compared to mass, orbits, comets and asteroids, further details of the Solar System, artificial satellites, their orbits and their uses, searching for life beyond the Earth, Q&A A-level: stellar formation and the life-cycles of stars, the Hertzprung-Russell diagram, Cepheid Variables and Type I supernovae as 'standard candles', distance-measuring using parallax, nuclear fusion inside stars and element genesis (including the iron limit etc.), spectroscopy, red-shifting and the expansion of the Universe, Dark Matter & Dark Energy, large-scale structure of the Universe, quasars and super-massive black holes etc., Q&A Please note that it is rarely possible to cover all topics listed during the course of a single show, simply due to time constraints. Simon will use his teaching knowledge and planetarium experience to adjust the content according to the time available. However, if you wish a particular area to definitely be included during any presentation, please let us know. For instance, in a Key Stage 3 presentation, you may wish for the reasons for the seasons to be covered at the expense of exploring the nature of satellite orbits.
Space Odyssey's inspirational planetarium experiences are now available in either of two different sizes of inflatable dome (for photographs and further details, please see the Domes section of the website). Your choice of dome will primarily be determined by the size of your chosen venue. In any secondary and most independent schools, there will be at least one hall or gym large enough to accommodate the Voyager dome. Many primary schools will also have a suitably large school hall for this larger dome. However, smaller primary schools may not be able to accommodate the Voyager dome. In such cases, the smaller Pioneer dome will almost certainly fit into either your own hall or in a nearby community/village hall. That said, it is very important that you measure the dimensions of the hall in question to make absolutely sure that one of the domes will fit! Details of the hall size requirements are given on the Domes pages. If you're in any doubt at all, please contact us to discuss the circumstances of your chosen venue as it may be possible to fit the domes in between beams/light fittings or into a slightly narrow hall if certain precautions are taken. It is, however, essential in such cases that Simon knows about this in advance as this will affect the time required to set up! The number of children who can be accommodated in either dome does, of course, depend on the age of the students. Please note the following maximum capacities: Voyager dome
Pioneer dome
For the larger Voyager dome, prices for school shows depend on the number of students involved, in other words whether there are two classes in the dome at the same time or just one. There are pros and cons for each alternative and these are discussed below. Two classes per show in the Voyager dome Pros:
Cons:
One class per show Pros:
Cons:
Regardless of how many students are in the dome at a time, Simon strongly recommends that gym mats be made available for the students to sit on (as well as a couple of chairs for staff in the Voyager dome). Gym mats need to be supplied by the school itself and should be brought to the hall before Simon arrives so that he can put them into the dome as he sets up.
When working out the timings for the day's planetarium sessions, please include time for Simon to set up and pack away all the necessary equipment! Please allow 90 minutes between Simon beginning to unload the van to the start of the first session. It is important to allow extra time if access is anything other than straightforward (e.g. if there are flights of stairs or long corridors to negotiate) and to let us know about this beforehand so Simon can factor this into his planning. Once the equipment has been brought from the van to the hall, it takes barely 30 minutes to set up the dome and equipment ready for the first show and a similar time to pack it away afterwards. Please allow at least half an hour for the equipment to be brought from the van to the hall in the first place and a further half an hour for it to be returned to the van after it has been packed away. As some items of equipment are quite heavy and are on wheels, easy ramped access is highly desirable from as close as possible to the hall (ideally from immediately outside the fire exit, for example). If stairs or steps are involved, five minutes' worth of assistance will be required from someone to get a few items of equipment to the hall (just to help lift things up steps - the rest of the time the kit can be wheeled along).
If the hall is needed during lunchtime, please allow a minimum of 20 minutes after the end of the last morning presentation for the dome and equipment to be disassembled and moved to the corner of the hall or into a nearby classroom before the dinner ladies begin to set up. At least 45 minutes are then needed after the hall has been cleaned and cleared before the next show can begin. Please arrange for the floor of the hall to be given a particularly thorough clean after lunch as Simon needs to keep the dome spotlessly clean! As time is lost by taking the dome down and re-inflating it after lunch, if at all possible it is worth making alternative lunch arrangements for the day of the shows so as to maximise the time available for presentations. Arranging
for pupils to eat in their classrooms that day (or perhaps only having
hot dinners in the hall, with tables set up around the dome) eliminates
the possibility of delayed starts in the afternoon. These have been caused
in the past by Simon having to give the hall floor an extra sweep, followed
by a thorough mop and then an anxious wait whilst the floor dries before
he can begin to set up again. If you can arrange it, it's much
better to arrange for the dome to stay up during lunchtimes although,
naturally, if it has to come down and go up again, so be it! |