Education ForeCAST Tipsheet

The Noon Observation Project: A Virtual Place on Earth Developed in 1986 at the College of Education, University of Illinois, the Noon Observation Project began as an effort to encourage students and teachers to use electronic networks to enhance their study of the sciences. Schools around the world look forward to the invitation to participate in the project each Spring. The basic purpose of The Noon Project is to use mathematical measurements and calculations to determine the north-south circumference of the earth. Because this project requires two sites with different latitudes to make some simple measurements, share data, problem solve the algorithms required, and then replicate and share their results, it is well suited to the interactive, high-speed delivery method of the Internet. More than 125 sites signed up for the 1998 chapter of the Noon Project, held on the Vernal Equinox, March 20. The Classroom Experience The practical component of The Noon Project is a replication of Eratosthenes of Cyrene's experiment more than 2000 years ago in Ancient Greece. On a specified date, in clear weather and at high noon, students at schools across the globe leave their classrooms and traipse outside with meter measuring sticks, large sheets of paper and mathematical calculators. They divide into teams and go about the business of measuring shadows -- laying the sheets of paper flat on the ground, they hold their meter sticks vertically and mark the paper at the end of the shadow at one minute intervals over a ten to twenty minute period. Back indoors, the students use statistical computations, trigonometry and algorithms to arrive at what they feel is the length of the shadow cast at local noon, the shortest shadow length. Then they go online to post their data on spreadhseets, make comparative analyses, and draw joint conclusions with cooperating schools worldwide. Much of what is taught and learned in the course of The Noon Observation Project bridges the content area in a conventional curriculum. For example: mathematics, trigonometry, elementary statistics and science are learned in a meaningful context the networked approach to social studies and geography has the effect of personalizing the lesson students participate directly in dealing with the issues of data analysis and reduction, and learn some of the values of working in cooperation with others Listen to the Education ForeCAST piece on The Noon Observation Project from WILL-FM Download a free copy of Real Audio here

The Noon Observation Project Emphasizes Educational Reform Goals Students following the Noon Observation Project curriculum engage in: authentic tasks multidisciplinary tasks collaborative tasks student exploration interactive modes of instruction For more information on the Noon Observation Project contact Kathleen Smith, Central High School, Champaign, IL 61820. Or send email to ksmith@ncsa.uiuc.edu. Visit The Noon Observation Project online for more information, for registration details, and for links to other exciting sites. (www.ed.uiuc.edu/) For more information on geographical science projects online, explore the following websites: The Global Positioning System (http://sideshow.jpl.nasa.gov/) Earth and Moon Viewer (www.fourmilab.ch/) Latitude: The Science of Sailing the World (www.ruf.rice.edu/) Origin of the Prime Meridian (www.ruf.rice.edu) Finding Your Way with Map and Compass (http://info.er.usgs.gov/) Marvelous Map Facts (www.moravian.edu) Latitude and Longitude: Location Finder (http://heuristicresearch.idirect.com/) A practical guide to hurricane tracking and plotting (www.allbroward.com/) Navigation (http://gopher.sti.nasa.gov/)