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Date: April 19, 2010

Title: StarryTelling (TM) at Parkland Middle School

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Podcaster: Students at Parkland Magnet MS for Aerospace Technology

Links: Producer and Funding: Elizabeth F. Wallace, Giraffe ‘n’ Ant Productions LLC – www.starrytelling.com
School: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/parklandms/
Teacher: Dorian Janney, NASA Solar System Ambassador – http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador/profiles/Dorian_Janney.htm
Sound Design: Dallas Taylor – www.defactosound.com
Audio Technician: Cliff Laufer – www.cliffart.com
Music: Pump Audio – www.pumpaudio.com
Theme Composer: Roger Hooper – www.rogerhooper.com

Description: The ancient questions of the past are still being asked today. Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? Hear how astronomy students at Parkland Magnet MS for Aerospace Technology are answering them for themselves. During IYA 2009 representatives of Giraffe ‘n’ Ant Productions LLC conducted a cultural astronomy class showing how oral narrative or storytelling was essential for passing on ancient understanding about the universe. The students were then given creative writing prompts and within only a few minutes they crafted and recorded their own skylore based on a contemporary understanding of astronomy.

Bio: Students at Parkland Magnet MS for Aerospace Technology benefit from the partnerships with organizations like the Civil Air Patrol, the University of Maryland, Montgomery College, Lockheed Martin, Spaceport Associates, Kids to Space and other aerospace technology organizations in the Washington DC area. Along with Parkland students, President Obama enjoyed a talk with crew on board the International Space Station earlier this year. For more information on the school, contact Magnet Coordinator Donna Blaney. Donna_M_Blaney@mcpsmd.org

Today’s sponsor: This episode of “365 Days of Astronomy” has also been sponsored by Tom Foster.

Transcript:

Selena by Tammy Sidel

There was once an earthling girl named Selena. She lived a normal life until a strange man came. The strange man told her brother, Gollan, that he was the high prince of a strange planet. At first, Selena didn’t believe the man, but then she saw his luxury spaceship. The man took her brother away.

Selena missed her brother dearly but in an attempt to cheer her up, her parents got her a cat. She then realized that her sapphire necklace, the necklace that her great, great grandfather had dug out of the mines himself was gone! As it was no longer in her necklace case. Her parents hadn’t yet noticed it was gone so she, with her brilliant mind, built herself a rocket that would take her to her brother’s new planet. Along with her she took Midnight, her handy black cat that never left her side.

“We have a visitor in Sector 9” Officer Blakeson reported. “It looks like an earthling ship!”

“An earthling ship?” Gollan snapped disbelievingly. Gollan grabbed the spacescope. The moment he saw it, his jaw dropped.

“Selena….” He murmured to himself and to Blakeson he yelled “Deploy the troops! Kill them the moment they touch ground!”

Blakeson saluted him and then left.

Selena’s ship suddenly touched ground. With a hiss the ship’s door opened. What Selena didn’t expect was the large army that came to greet her. She started to throw the knives she found in the kitchen but they didn’t do anything. The aliens just kept advancing. Midnight suddenly jumped out of the cockpit and slashed with her paws madly. However, there was one Midnight and many army soldiers. Midnight lasted no longer than 30 seconds. In grief, but fear winning over, Selena struggled to close the door and head home.

Lunar Eclipses (Anonymous)

The Moon was traveling to find a partner. When he found the Earth, he immediately wanted to be her partner. But the Earth was too busy looking at the Sun because he was bigger, larger and more powerful. The Moon was jealous so one day he jumped in front of the Earth blocking the Sun. The Earth was surprised because the Sun had never disappeared before. The Earth decided to have the Moon as a partner. But every once in a while the Earth wants the Sun again so the Moon makes the Sun disappear.

Betelgeuse by Mary Aronne

My story is about Betelgeuse, the star. Betelgeuse was as ripe and plump as a strawberry and older than Orion the Hunter himself. She moved through the vacuum of space with the grace of a bird. In front of her was a magnificent nursery called the Orion nebula. She traveled towards it alone, despite her old age. After billions of years in her prime, it was time for her to go super nova. Any day now her core would collapse. But she did not care about that. All she wanted was to spread her fast knowledge to the protostars twinkling through gas and dust. Her very core tingled with excitement as she thought about all she would tell them. How to spin planets out of gas and dust. And even how to make plants and animals that would turn into civilizations that would look up at them and admire them. And millions to billions of years later, they would make their own tedious journey to a nebula and teach the eager young stars everything. In this way, the universe would keep on surviving and thriving.

Baby Moon: by Adrian Balderamma

A long time ago there was a moon, not that bright or big, but a moon. She decided to have a child so she did. And when she did she left her orbit and her baby moon fell to earth as a pebble. As the (baby) moon grew older it started to float higher into the sky. Then as it was floating, a boy came by and saw it. He took the moon and took care of it. Then when the moon grew older it realized that it can’t live on earth. So the boy said, “What about space?” And the moon said OK. The boy threw him back into the sky, into his Mom’s orbit. Now we have a bigger and brighter Moon in space.

Demo the Mail Carrier by Eliezer Vainqeuer — an explanation of the Aurora Borealis

My story is Demo, the Mail Carrier. Demo moves across the sky like a rocket that makes a boom. Demo delivers mail to each planet every year. But every year he doesn’t deliver mail to one planet, the Sun, because of its flares. The Sun’s flares are violent but very rare. So one day he goes to deliver mail to the earth but the sun shot a HUGE flare. But the Earth didn’t care. He had an atmosphere. But when Demo was looking at the Earth, he saw beautiful lights and said, “What a wonderful sight! I would like to have that wonderful light.”

Cool Solar Facts by Johannes Awi
I’ve got some cool facts for you. Have you ever noticed that the sun is very hot because it like makes much of nuclear fusion, and that forms into sun rays, and the sun rays go through three stages: the core, the radiation zone and the convection zone. And then it goes out of it and then goes through the chromosphere, photosphere and corona, which then it forms into sun rays. And the sun rays goes through the space. And them (um) some of, not all of it makes it through the Earth’s atmosphere because if it does, then like all of us would get mini-sunburns and some of us will die and (whew!) I don’t want that to happen. So some of it, some of the Sun’s rays goes through and it makes the heat for us so plants can grow and stuff.

Auroras by Emma Bearman 301 871 9504

This is how people in Sweden think Auroras are caused.
Freyja and the Valkyries choose people to go to heaven. They do this during the night so no one sees them. They carry colorful shields to block the bad people from touching them. As they go to heaven with people, their shields shine reflecting the Sun’s light causing colorful auroras. The End.

Two Brothers by Mohammed

The Sun and Moon were brothers. They were invited to a party. In the party, their mother asked for a piece of meat. The Moon got meat from the party, but the Sun felt ashamed of bringing meat in front of all these people. Then both of them came in front of their Mom and their Mom asked for the meat. The Sun said “I feel ashamed” and the Moon brought it for the mother. The mother was happy with the Moon but really upset with the Sun. Then their Mom said that the Moon will get peace and sleep all night but the Sun will burn all day.

Woody by Josh

The story I’m telling you is called Woody. Once there was a tiger named Woody who was very athletic. One day he took one long stick and one small stick, tied them together, and then made a club with it. Then he got some bamboo leaves, rolled them up into balls, and then, one after another, he hit them into space, then there, for two years, he made all the stars happen.

How the Milky Way was formed by Victor Granados Melgar

There was a tiny little hobo little girl wearing raggy clothes. She lived in a tiny little hut with her Mom. And she barely got any food. So she was soo hungry one night when her Mom was cooking roast root that she took it off the fire, threw it up into the sky, and the ashes created the Milky Way.

Zackery the Star by Melanie Amo

Once upon a time there was a star named Zackery. He moved as fast as a cheetah and he was the only star in the solar system. So one day he went to the Sun, the master of all planets. Because he was so lonely, he asked the Sun to send an invitation to the globular cluster of stars to come live with him. Once the invitation got to the stars, they were soooo excited and they came rushing to the Sun. They asked him where they would be staying. And the Sun said “There! With that star Zackery!” As soon as Zackery saw them, he rushed to all of them and hugged them. He was so excited he made new friends, which is now why all the stars shine brightly in the night sky.

End of podcast:

365 Days of Astronomy
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