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September 2010
Teachers! Look here for great resources!

Canadian Astronomy starts here!

Learn more about the night sky!

 

 

  

Some Astronomy Teaching Resources in Ontario

Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 390 Ashton Avenue, San Francisco CA 94112, USA. The best source of astronomy education materials, on-line catalogue, on-line quarterly teachers' newsletter (TNL), on-line astronomy activities. (415) 337-2624.

Astronomy Clubs. According to the May/June 2002 issue of SkyNews, there are (in addition to the RASC Centres mentioned below) astronomy clubs in the following cities: Barrie, Belleville, Brockville, Port Elgin, Deep River, Durham Region, Elliot Lake, Hamilton, North Bay, Simcoe, North York, Toronto, Ottawa Valley, Peterborough, and South Simcoe. Many of them have outreach activities. Contact John Percy (jpercy@utm.utoronto.ca) for more information.

Astronomy News.

Books on Astronomy. Any written by Terence Dickinson, published by Firefly Books, especially Exploring the Night Sky and Extraterrestrials for young people, and NightWatch and The Universe and Beyond for anyone. Also Dan Falk's Universe on a T-Shirt.

Canada Science and Technology Museum, P.O. Box 9724 Station T, 1867 St. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa ON K1G 5A3. Wide variety of programs for students, teachers, and the public, including planetarium programs, and sky viewing. (613) 991-9219.

Canadian Astronomical Society has a CASCA-Westar Visiting Lecturer program which sponsors two-day visits by astronomers to smaller centres in Canada, without local astronomy facilities. These visits may include school visits or teachers' workshops, as well as public lectures.

Canadian Space Agency has information and a web site on Space, including material for students and teachers.

Careers in Astronomy. There is an excellent web page right here:

David Dunlap Observatory. P.O. Box 360, Richmond Hill ON L4C 4Y6. School programs on Thursday mornings, public programs on Friday and Saturday evenings in the spring and summer. (905) 884-2112

Gemini Space Exploration, 43 Dauphin Ave., Kingston ON K7K 6B2. Portable planetarium presentations. (613) 547-2317.

Laurentian University, Doran Planetarium, Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury ON P3E 2C6. Shows in English and French. (705) 675-1151x2227.

Let's Talk Science, Health Sciences Addition 004, University of Western Ontario, London ON N6A 5C1. Award-winning national science outreach program has some astronomy activities for school classes and youth groups.

McMaster University, W.J. McCallion Planetarium, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 1280 Main Street W., Hamilton ON L8S 4M1. Planetarium programs. (905) 525-9140x27777.

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Astronomy education research group. On-line misconceptions questionnaire, and material on co-investigation as a strategy for making the teacher "the guide on the side" rather than "the sage on the stage".

  • http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/~ewoodruff (currently unavailable)

Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Road, Toronto ON M3C 1T3. Wide variety of curriculum-based programs for students, teachers, and the public, including planetarium programs and OmniMax films. (416) 696-3140.

Private Universe Project. Part of a large science education research project in the USA, including on-line misconceptions questionnaire, and excellent teaching activities for elementary school.

Royal Astronomical Society of Canada has branches or Centres in: Ottawa, Kingston, Niagara, Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Sarnia, Windsor, and Thunder Bay. Many have programs for schools and the public.

Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Kingston Centre, P.O. Box 1793, Kingston ON K7L 5J6, has produced slide sets, grade 6 and 9 curriculum guides, and an astronomy career booklet.

Royal Ontario Museum, Education Department, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto ON M5S 2C6. Wide variety of curriculum-related programs for students and teachers, using mobile planetariums. (416) 586-5801.

Science North, 100 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury ON P3E 5S9. School programs; 3D films. (705) 522-3701.

Sky Information On-Line. One source is:

SkyNews, RR 1, Cedar Valley ON L0G 1E0. Astronomy from a Canadian perspective; edited by Terence Dickinson; the best magazine resource on astronomy for school libraries.

Solar Wind Portable Planetarium, Toronto ON, offers curriculum-based presentations. (416) 221-7375. solar.wind@pathcom.com

University of Toronto, Department of Astronomy, Toronto ON M5S 3H8. Public open house on the first Thursday evening of each month. Occasional public lectures.

University of Toronto at Mississauga, Department of Astronomy, Mississauga ON L5C 3C6. Advice (from John Percy) about astronomy curriculum, teaching, activities, and resources. Occasional teachers' workshops by request. On-line resources.

University of Western Ontario, Hume Cronyn Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, London ON N6A 3K7. Summer open houses, with sky viewing; winter programs by appointment. (519) 661-3183.

York University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto ON M3J 1P3. Tours all year, day or evening, by appointment. Public tours on Wednesday evenings. (416) 736-2100x77773.

with files from Rosemary McNaughton, 2003-01-27
and the the CASCA education Webteam, (2009)

  
       

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