The Lowell Observatory Navajo-Hopi Astronomy Outreach Program: the 2017-2018 School Year

洛厄尔天文台纳瓦霍-霍皮天文学拓展计划是一个为纳瓦霍和霍皮小学（5 -8年级）学生和他们的老师提供的科学丰富计划。该项目利用天文学相关活动来帮助教师激发学生对科学的兴趣。纳瓦霍族和霍皮族儿童的高中毕业率远低于州和全国平均水平；这个项目旨在激励土著儿童留在学校，追求科学事业。研究人员花时间与土著社区建立关系，并了解可能阻碍儿童从事科学研究的文化差异。例如，一些国家对直视月球或日食有禁忌。研究人员在当地社区的天文学家和教师之间建立了伙伴关系，每个天文学家都多次访问一所学校，与老师和学生一起领导活动。然后，学校团体参观洛厄尔天文台，并参观望远镜进行一晚的观测。研究人员计划开发基于项目学习的课程，并探索扩展其计划的可能性。例如，北夏安族的教育家伯特·梅迪辛·布尔（Burt Medicine Bull）就有兴趣与该组织合作。在来自北夏安族的不同学生群体中尝试他们的方法，将有助于他们确定将他们的项目输出到国外有多容易。评估和评估将由北亚利桑那大学的一位教育学教授负责，他是与土著教育团体合作的专家。

The Lowell Observatory Navajo-Hopi Astronomy Outreach Program is a science enrichment program for Navajo and Hopi elementary school (5th-8th grade) students and their teachers. The program uses astronomy-­related activities in order to help teachers inspire students about science. The high school graduation rate of children in the Navajo and Hopi Nations is well below state and national averages; this program aims to inspire Native children to stay in school and to pursue careers in science. The investigators have taken the time to build relationships with the Native communities and to understand cultural differences that might hold children back from engaging in science. For example, several Nations have taboos about looking directly at the Moon or at a solar eclipse. The investigators build partnerships between astronomers and teachers in Native communities with each astronomer making multiple visits to a school to lead activities with the teachers and students. The school groups then visit Lowell Observatory for tours and visit the telescopes for a night of observing.The investigators plan to develop curriculum based on Project Based Learning and to explore the possibilities of expanding their program. For example, Burt Medicine Bull, a Northern Cheyenne educator, is interested in collaborating with the group. Trying their methods with a different group of students from the Northern Cheyenne Nation will help them determine how easy it will be to export their program. Assessment and evaluation will be managed by an education professor at Northern Arizona University who is an expert at working with Native educational groups.