Coon Rapids High School – Astronomy

Mar 2026 · 2nd Semester

One Trimester = 0.5 credit. Major Outcomes: Learn to navigate the night sky; Understand how astronomers uncover the mysteries of stars, supernovae, galaxies, and black holes; Investigate the possibility of life outside of Earth, the expansion of the universe, general relativity, dark matter, and dark energy; Develop skills to understand and communicate about new astronomy research. Projects, activities, etc: Create a star wheel to help view the night sky, stargaze with telescopes, develop a model showing the life cycle of stars, analyze curved space-time with a gravity table, use real data from space telescopes to look for exoplanets, complete personalized research project. Instructional Focus: Collaborative and hands-on lab activities, discussion, and lecture through the context of current astronomy research and data.