More About This Resource...

• This Moveable Museum article, available as a nine-page printable PDF file, offers a thorough, kid-friendly look at telescopes. It discusses the following four concepts in depth, and provides a reading list for further research:

  • telescopes collect and detect light, like giant eyes
  • telescopes' advantages over eyes include a larger light-collecting area, collecting light for longer periods of time, and the ability to detect wavelengths of light invisible to humans
  • different telescopes collect different wavelengths of light
  • telescopes in space avoid interference from the Earth's atmosphere

• Completion Time

  Less than 1 period

• Teacher Tip

  Supplement a study of astronomy with an activity drawn from this Moveable Museum article.

  1. Ask the class what they know about telescopes. How do they work? What advantages do they offer?
  2. Send students to this online article, or print copies of the essay for them to read.
  3. Have them briefly explain each of the four concepts in their own words.

• Topic

  Astronomy

• Subtopic

  Tools and Methods