The Lowell Observatory Navajo-Hopi Astronomy Outreach Program

One group that is striving to improve the education of their children is Native Americans. It is also a group that has been nearly absent from the physical sciences. Furthermore, among the Navajo and Hopi in northern Arizona and New Mexico, few science teachers at Navajo and Hopi schools are themselves Native Americans, resulting in a lack of science role models for students. When asked to describe a professional astronomer before ever seeing one, many students in several 7th and 8th grade Navajo classes described an astronomer as a middle-aged, white male with a foreign accent. This picture is not conducive to having the students think of astronomy or science as a career for themselves. Nevertheless, both the Hopi and Navajo are keenly interested in improving their science education.

Located in northern Arizona, adjacent to the Navajo and Hopi lands, Lowell Observatory is optimally situated to share the excitement of astronomy with several Native American peoples and contribute to enhancing science education in their schools. Therefore, in the summer of 1996 we initiated an outreach program to bring the excitement of astronomy to Navajo (Dine) and Hopi schools (history, funding). (See Mercury, May/June 1999, Vol. 28, No. 3, page 18 for a published summary of our program).

The goals of our program are twofold:

• To use astronomy to help teachers get Navajo and Hopi children excited about astronomy and science in general, encouraging a life-long understanding of science for all and advanced study for some
• To help teachers of Navajo and Hopi students learn about astronomy and astronomy activities so that they will be better able to incorporate astronomy in their classrooms

Our program is modeled after Project ASTRO, a program designed by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific that pairs astronomers with elementary and secondary school teachers. Each of us works with one teacher at a different school, a different teacher at a different school each year (focus, history). Throughout the year we make numerous visits to our teacher's classes and lead discussions linked with hands-on activities. We also hold nighttime star parties that involve the parents and family members of the students. The participation of the parents in the education process of their children is important to the success of that process, and star parties are an excellent way to foster this involvement. In addition, beginning in our second year we were able to bring our classes to Lowell Observatory. The classes spend the afternoon at the Steele Visitor Center and the night observing at two of Lowell Observatory's research telescopes.

Sensitivity to the cultures and world views of Native American audiences is an important part of our program. We are concerned with making our presentations and activities particularly interesting and relevant to Navajo and Hopi students.

By working with teachers we expand the impact of our program beyond the classrooms with which we meet directly each year. The teacher is a full partner in the classroom activities and in so doing learns about the activities so that she/he can do them with their other classes. We supply the materials for the activities and discussion and leave these with the teacher in order to help them share the activities with their other classes. We also try to involve the other teachers in the school indirectly. We ask the teacher with whom we are working to act as a resource for the other teachers, both for experience and materials. Since our second year, our astronomer-teacher pairs have also been able to attend the ASTRO workshop in Tucson held by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. This workshop, intended to introduce their astronomer-teacher pairs and help them prepare for the school year, helps us learn about classroom activities and prepare for the school year as well. We are grateful to NOAO for allowing our participants to attend. In addition April 2001 we held a workshop at Lowell Observatory. All teachers who have ever participated in our program were invited to attend and to bring another teacher from their school.

Eligibility

• Be a teacher we have not worked with before.
• Teach 5th--8th grade.
• Teach at a school on the Hopi or Navajo Nations.
• Teach at a school that we have not worked with before or have not worked with in the past 3 years. (See History).

Teachers satisfying these criteria are invited to apply. We take teachers on a first-come basis. Please contact Deidre Hunter at dah[at]lowell[dot]edu or 928-233-3225 (phone) or 928-774-6296 (fax). Thank you for your interest in our program.

Cultural Connections

An important aspect is to present astronomy activities in ways that foster learning specifically by Native American students. This is considered a crucial aspect in the education of Native American students by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). Most Native American groups have different learning styles which must be taken into consideration in order to be effective as a teacher. For example, students may do better working cooperatively in small groups than in a setting of individual competition. For some students English is a second language which should also be taken into account, and to help us understand the issues we visited a class at Marshall Elementary School that has a large proportion of ESL students.

In addition, both the Navajo and Hopi have strong traditional knowledge concerning the universe and astronomical objects. As presenters in the schools, we need to be sensitive to the traditions surrounding astronomy, including taboos. Students will also be more receptive if they see that there is a connection to their culture and their experiences. We are continuing to explore ways to make cultural tie-ins particularly through on-going collaborations with individuals who are versed in the traditional knowledge.

Focus

Our program focuses on 5th through 8th grade students. We have chosen this narrow age range primarily because we want to reach students at the transition period between the inherent curiosity about the world of young children and the fixed negative attitude towards science often seen in high school students. It is at this middle-school stage that one can have the most impact on future career options and attitudes towards science. In addition, by working with students in approximately the same conceptual development level, it is easier for us to learn to present ideas and work with the students on activities in an age-appropriate manner.

History

We hope that this will be a long term project. The 1996-1997 school year was our exploratory year for defining the program and learning what works best. We worked with two teachers that year: Marty Nelson, an 8th grade science teacher at the Navajo Tse' Bit' Ai Middle School in Shiprock, New Mexico, and Allen Doering, a 5th and 6th grade teacher at the Hopi Polacca Day School in Polacca, Arizona. Both teachers have some experience in astronomy: Mr. Doering has attended the American Astronomical Society workshop for teachers held at NAU and Ms. Nelson teaches college astronomy in the summers through the Navajo Community College. With their astronomy backgrounds, both teachers were able to advise us on the teaching aspects of our classroom visits.

In our second year (1997-1998) we worked with Linda Doering, a 5th grade teacher at Second Mesa Day School at Second Mesa, Arizona. Ms. Doering also had attended the American Astronomical Society workshop for teachers held at NAU. We also worked with David Schindelman, a 7th and 8th grade teacher at Chinle Middle School in Chinle, Arizona.

In our third year (1998-1999) we worked with Stephanie Tucci, a seventh grade teacher at Cottonwood Day School, Catherine McCormick, a sixth grade teacher at Hopi Day School, and Franklin Tohannie, a sixth grade teacher at Tonalea Day School.

In our fourth year (1999-2000) we worked with Beth McCauley and her eighth grade class at Rocky Ridge Boarding School and Elizabeth Alden, a 6th grade teacher at Moencopi Day School.

In our fifth year (2000-2001) we worked with Keith Mook and his 5th grade class at Seba Dalkai Boarding School, Mark McConnel and his 5th grade class at Hotevilla-Bacavi Community School, and Jim Mason and his 5th/6th/7th grade class at Tolani Lake Elementary School Academy.

In our sixth year (2001-2002) we worked with Cindy Rodriguez and her 8th grade classes at Hopi Junior/Senior High School; Brother Dwight Kenny and his 7th grade classes at Ganado Middle School; and Alfred Bigay and his 6th grade class at Second Mesa Day School.

In our seventh year (2002-2003) we worked with Idella Poocha and her 5th grade class at Keams Canyon Boarding School, Loretta Williams and her 5th grade class at Ganado Intermediate School, Jean Moore and the 7th graders at Kaibeto Boarding School, Aria Campbell and her 5th grade class at Crystal Boarding School, and Glenn Mengason and the 5th graders at Kayenta Community School.

In our eighth year (2003-2004) we worked with Rosie Suen and her 8th grade classes at Rock Point Community School, John Hall and his 8th graders at Kayenta Middle School, and Adrianne Keene and her 6th grade class at Hopi Day School.

In our ninth year (2004-2005), we worked with Judy-Suzanne Sadler and her 6th-8th grade classes at T'iis Nazbas Community School, Amanda Saganitso and her 5th grade class at Eagles Nest Intermediate School, Ann Satran and her 5th grade class at Tsehootsooi Dine Bi'olta' School, and Dennis Lowe and 5th-8th grade students at Naatsis'aan Community School.

In our tenth year (2005-2006), we worked with Ali Henderson and her 3-6 graders at First Mesa Elementary School, Rochelle Barton-Silver and her 7th graders at Pinon Accelerated Middle School, Rowena Dolino and her 7th graders at Tse Ho Tso Middle School, and Katherine Billie/Loretta McNamee and their 7th and 8th graders at Dilcon Community School.

In our eleventh year (2006-2007), we worked with Virginia Tulley and her 5th graders at Window Rock Elementary School, Rosie Terry and her 8th graders at Seba Dalkai Boarding School, Richard Thomson and his 6th grade classes at Jeddito Elementary School, Susan Holiday and her 7th and 8th graders at Leupp Middle School, and Laura Tsosie and her 5th graders at Pinon Elementary School.

In our twelfth year (2007-2008), we worked with Charles Carter and his 6th grade class at Moencopi Day School, Alice Yellowhair and Nancy Bedonie and their 5th and 6th grade classes at Kayenta Community School, Verna Clinton and her 6th grade class at Chinle Elementary School, and Judy-Suzanne Sadler and Amy John who were team-teaching 7th and 8th graders at Tse Bit 'Ai Middle School in Shiprock, New Mexico.

Now in our thirteenth year (2008-2009), we are working with Renee White and her students at Leupp Schools, Inc., Muriel Goldtooth and Charlette Davis and their 5th graders at Eagles' Nest Intermediate School, Nicholette Wright and her 7th and 8th graders at Monument Valley High School, Marty McQuade and 6th graders at Wide Ruins Community School, Karen Duwyenie and 6th graders at Hotevilla-Bacavi Community School, and Allen Doering at Second Mesa Day School.

We are grateful to these teachers for all that they have taught us.

Funding

The Lowell Observatory Participants

Lowell Observatory Astronomy Workshops for Hopi and Navajo Teachers

We now aim to hold workshops every other year for current and past Outreach Program participants and their colleagues: 21 October 2006, 19-20 September 2008

Arizona State Educational Standards for 5th-8th grades

These are the Arizona science standards by grade for 5th-8th grades: Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8.

These are the Arizona science standards organized for all grades, by topic ("strands"): Inquiry Process, Physical Science, Earth and Space Science.

A List of Useful Educational Web Sites

Useful things for astronomer partners (local access only)

Last updated 31 March 2009