Lesson Plan: Analyzing Planetary Data with R

Grade Level & Class type

• Appropriate for: Middle to high school students
• Unit title: Astronomy Unit
• Number of students: 30 per class
• Time: 50 minutes

from https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/

Lesson Plan and Materials

• Lesson Plan

• Folder with all lesson materials

Objectives:

• Understand the importance and applications of data analysis in various fields.
• Learn how to use R for basic data analysis
• Analyze planetary data (mass, radius, surface gravity) using R.

Materials Needed:

• The dataset for planetary data (in .csv format).
• Projector or smartboard for demonstrating R operations.
• Printed worksheets from the previous discussion for each student.
• Lesson Slides
• Also check out the other materials on our overview page for broader unit materials you can include in your lessons.

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction to Data Analysis (10 minutes)

   • Briefly discuss what data analysis is and its importance in different fields (science, business, etc.).
   • Highlight how data analysis helps in making informed decisions by understanding trends and patterns.

2. Applications of Data Analysis (5 minutes)

   • Provide examples of data analysis in astronomy, such as analyzing planetary data to understand celestial bodies.
   • Mention real-life applications, like weather forecasting, understanding climate change, or space missions.

3. Introduction to R (5 minutes)

   • Introduce R as a powerful tool for data analysis.
   • Pull up RStudio on posit.cloud using this link or on Rstudio desktop and upload this file
     • We recommend using posit.cloud because students can access R and the files directly on their computer.
   • Show the Studio interface and explain the different panels (console, script, environment, and files).

4. Loading and Viewing Data in R (5 minutes)

   • Demonstrate how to load the planetary data using read.csv().
   • Use commands like head(), summary(), and str() to view and understand the data structure

5. Working on the Worksheet (10 minutes)

   • Hand out the printed worksheets (from the previous discussion).
   • Students will use R to calculate the surface gravity and mass over surface area ratio for each planet, filling in the worksheet.

6. Worksheet Discussion and Q&A (5 minutes)

   • Discuss the findings from the worksheet.
   • Encourage students to ask questions about the analysis process or any difficulties they encountered.

Reflection:

Conclude by asking students to reflect on how understanding data analysis can contribute to various scientific discoveries.