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Curriculum Information
 | Our AstroTour school programs provide complete coverage of the current Victorian Science Curriculum - from primary school through to the Victorian Certificate of Education. To help you plan your AstroTour visit, the following table highlights topics that may be discussed and for which year levels they are suitable. Alternatively, we are always happy to customise an AstroTour to suit the topics your students are interested in exploring. Just let us know when you make your booking. |
| Topic | Areas Covered
| Year Level
| 5&6
| 7&8 | 9&10 | VCE | | The Earth & Moon | - The Earth as a planet
- The Earth’s rotation and the cycle of night/day
- The phases of the Moon
- The orbit of the Earth and other planets around the Sun
- Time periods: days, months, years
- The cycle of the seasons
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| | | | | The Solar System | - Overview of the Solar System
- The nine planets
- Comparisons between rocky terrestrial planets and the gas giants
- Planetary atmospheres
- Craters and other surface features
- Little things in the Solar System: comets, asteroids, meteors, Kuiper Belt Objects, Pluto
- Recent exploration of Mars and the search for water
| | | | | | Stars | - The Sun as a star
- Nuclear fusion as the Sun’s power source
- Atoms, elements and the periodic table
- Life-cycle of the Sun and other stars
- Star and planet formation
- End-states of stars: red giant, planetary nebula, white dwarf, supernova
- Pulsars: properties, locations, tests of gravitational theories
- Stars in our Galaxy
| | | | | | Galaxies | - The Milky Way as a galaxy
- Galaxy types: spiral, elliptical and and irregular
- Comparison of Milky Way with other galaxies
- Formation of the Milky Way
- Galaxy interactions and mergers
- Galaxy groups & clusters
| | | | | | The Universe | - Galaxy surveys
- The large-scale structure of the Universe
- The role of Dark Matter in the Universe
- Computer modelling of the Universe
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| | | | | | | | Support | | | |
The Centre gratefully acknowledges the kind support of the State Government of Victoria in helping to establish AstroTour, DEET and the Science in Schools Strategy for their continuing support.
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