Need idea for your physics class magazine? I got one! -

Hello, everyone!

The new academic year has not started yet, but this long holiday gives me plenty of time to think. Well, it's good to start preparing early. You know, there are lots of things to prepare to a new class. Classroom design, syllabus handouts, ice breaker games, students score list... and of course new wall magazine posted on your wall!

As well as last year, in the incoming academic year, we (physics teachers) will be responsible for 'SPECTRA'. SPECTRA is the wall magazine in the physics room no.8. Last year, our theme was about the Sun. We included articles, crossword puzzle, comics and quizzes for the students to answer and from which they can get a prize. We also added some drawing from previous year's physics comics drawing competition.

Last year's SPECTRA

Okay, okay, it looked rather empty. I was lazy last year. :) But I really like the rocket.

The rocket in the article is made of crepe papers. The content of the article is adapted from www.sciencefairadventure.com

This year, I have already taken approval from the Physics Department Head. I am going to take Stellar Evolution as the theme. I know the topic is rather uncommon for high school students, but Hey! they need to learn some fun outside the class topics. I am thinking that the background of the wall magazine will be all black with random tiny white dots made using a correction pen liquid. This time, I will included facts about stellar evolution, biography of Chandrasekhar, crossword puzzle with prize. Of course there will be a HUGE diagram of the stellar evolution, which label on each phase. I am going to attached all of the materials in this blog for you, if you want to make the same wall magazine, but using the materials for reading assignments is just good as well. This edition will look something like this:

Next year's SPECTRA design

What do you say?

Above is the layout for my planned wall magazine. I get the idea from the real diagram of stellar evolution I read from Wikipedia The white blocks are each phase in stellar evolution. I am going to put there picture of the sample star and a little description a high school student can understand in the next post. You can read, copy, and paste the pictures and descriptions according to the numbering.

It will be great if you add edition number of the magazine, similar with normal magazine. I will print it on a small piece of paper, No. 1/II/July 2016, and pin it next to the header. The yellow box number 17 will be a space for a "Foreword" of the wall magazine. You may also add some text explaining how scientist understand the full cycle of stars since they all look the same each night. The yellow box no 18 will includes some terms about stellar evolution, remembering my students are all non-native-English-speakers. As for the yellow box number 16, I am going to add "Check Your Understanding" in the form of a crossword. The yellow oval number 19, I will put a short biography of Chandrasekhar, the person who found the limit for a star to undergo supernova. While the big red box number 20 is the main idea of this wall magazine, something a student should learn, something bigger than the understanding of stellar evolution itself :

EVERY BEING WILL SURELY DIE ONE DAY

THE TRUE QUESTION IS NOT "WHEN?"

BUT

"WHAT DOES GOD GIVE US LIFE FOR?"

Teaching and Education