Franklyn M. Branley, 1915-2002

Franklyn Mansfield Branley was born in New Rochelle, New York, 5 June 1915, and died of natural causes in Brunswick, Maine, on 5 May 2002, just one month before his 87th birthday. He will be remembered by the hundreds of grateful students he so skillfully introduced to astronomy.

Franklyn Branleys parents were Ella Lockwood and Percival Branley. Mr. Branley was a veteran of the Spanish American war and an insurance salesman for Metropolitan Life. Frank's mother died during a flu epidemic when he was only a few years old. At that time, his sister was taken in by the Lockwood family and he and his two brothers were sent to live with a farm family near Newburgh, New York. His father visited them there on the weekends. Because he contracted polio at a young age, he did not participate in sports except for swimming. He was an avid stamp collector.

After graduating from the New Paltz Normal School (now SUNY), he married his college sweetheart, Margaret Lemon, who became a grade school teacher for a while. After he retired, he and Peg moved from New Jersey to Sag Harbor, New York. When they were both in their eighties, they moved to Thornton Oaks, a retirement community in Brunswick, Maine.

His life had been devoted to education, chiefly writing books that make science accessible to, and fun for, children at the grade school level. There are about 200 of his books in print, or available in school libraries or on the shelves of now grown youngsters who have saved them for their children. His last, published was in fall 2002, ``Mission to Mars," has a forward by Neil Armstrong. Frank and his publishers have been able to engage top-flight illustrators with the imagination to envision his concepts. Each one is only about 30 pages, with few words on a page. Thus, each book lights a candle against the cursed darkness.

Branley joined the staff of the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium in September 1956, to run the Planetariums education program. He came from the New Jersey State Teachers College where he was teaching teachers how to teach science, and had been a guest lecturer at the Hayden for several months. Frank continued his own education while working at the Planetarium, gaining a Masters degree from New York University, and his Ed. D. from Columbia Teachers College.

In 1968, he took the reins of the Hayden as Chairman until he retired in 1972. During that time, we went to taped public shows, but shows for schools continued to be live. The use of tapes for the shows allowed much tighter control over their scientific content, and for more uniformity in their presentation. Gone, however, were ``the live lecturers and their live mistakes," as someone complained. This was also the period when they changed from a Zeiss Model 4 star projector to a Zeiss Model 6. This entailed a major renovation of the Sky Theater. Branley also transformed the room with the ceiling model of the Copernican solar system into another theater using eleven screens with 22 slide projectors. This involved a very complex control system taking several months to perfect.

During his whole tenure at the Hayden, Branley organized many workshops for the teachers of the Metropolitan New York area. These were very well conceived and received. Not only did the teachers get useful instruction from professional astronomers, they were also entertained with a behind-the-scenes look at the Planetarium, and could see how the shows were put on. Many brought their classes to see the shows, a welcome occurrence, because all income came solely from the box office.

Perhaps Frank Branley's greatest direct impact on astronomy, and even the Society, was a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation for 13 years. It was a two-week summer adventure for top-level high school students with a strong interest in science, especially astronomy. "They arrived from all over the country, but we never knew quite where they were staying." Every morning, there were at least two concentrated lectures by top astronomers and other specialists. In the afternoon, astronomy graduate students, also from around the country, gave a continuing course in astronomy. The students were either reinforced in their interest in astronomy, or they found out it was not for them. Either outcome was good, as it came early in their lives. The program must have been well respected, for the NSF seldom financed anything like this for more than about three years.

At his death, he was survived by his wife, Margaret, a sister Marion Gray, daughter Mary Jane Day, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Another daughter, Sandra Kay Bridges, died in 1985.

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Reference: Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, v. 35, no. 5, p. 1455-1457

Publication date: 12/2003

What Makes Day and Night

Accompanied by NASA photographs and Dorros’s colorful, lively drawings, the text explains the Earth’s rotation in clear and simple terms.

What Makes Day and Night?

Lesson Plan may need to be altered for differnt grade levels.

References: ORC (http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=9571)

1: Describe how night and day are caused by the earth’s rotation
2: Explain that Earth is one of several planets to orbit the sun, and that the moon orbits Earth

Objectives:
Describe how might and day are caused by the Earth’s rotation.

Materials
Globe
Flashlight
Sticker
3 x 5 cards

Initial Observation/Demonstration:
I will ask for suggestions on what causes day and night. We will also discuss the rotation and orbits of planets around the sun. Students will hypothesize about what causes day and night as well as why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Initial Model:
The Earth orbits the sun. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west (why??)

Procedure:
1. Put the sticker on the globe to indicate where you live.
2. Place the globe on a table, then turn the lights off.
3. Have a student shine the flashlight on the globe where the sticker is.
4. Ask students if it is day or night where the sticker is located.
5. Turn the globe counterclockwise until the sticker is away from you.
6. Shine the light on the other side. Students will notice the sticker is now on the
dark side, which represents night time.

There is also a second part to this experiment in which the students will learn how the Earth, sun and moon travel in relation to each other in space.

1. Divide the class into groups of three.

2. Give each group three cards and have them write “Sun”, “Moon”, and “Earth”, on the cards. Students can also draw a picture of the word they wrote.

3. Take the class outside or to a large open area.

4. Have one group come to the middle and position the sun performer. Explain that, like the real sun, he will not move. Have the child acting as Earth, revolving very slowly around the sun. Have the moon performer revolve around the moving Earth. Explain that while it takes the Earth about 365 days to orbit the sun, it takes the moon only about 28 days to orbit Earth.

Discussion/Summary:
The students will find that the counterclockwise rotation of the earth is responsible for day and night as well as the position of the sun in the sky at various times during the day. The rotation experiment will also show them the relative speed at which the Earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the Earth.

Revised Model:
The students will understand why we have days, months and days based on the Earth’s position and rotation around the sun.

----------------------------------------------------
Name:______________________________
Date: ______________________________
Mrs. Tammy Science
Day and Night Worksheet
Directions: Follow the following directions and answer all questions with complete sentences.
1. Place a sticker on the globe where you live.
2. Shine the flashlight to the East of where you live.
3. Turn the globe slowly counterclockwise.
4. What time of day is this showing where you live?
_____________________________
5. Slowly rotate the globe counterclockwise until the light is on California.
6. What time of day is it where you live? __________________________
7. Next, pick a new place to put the sticker. Where is it? _______________
8. Shine the light on the East coast of the United States.
9. What time of day is it where your new sticker is? _____________________
10. Shine the light on your new sticker.
11. Rotate the globe counterclockwise until the light comes back onto your sticker.
12. How many hours does this take in real life? _________________

Extensions:
1. Why does it look like the sun rises in the East?
2. Where does the sun set?

Volcanoes

Volcanoes are one of nature's great wonders. For years they can stand dormant, but once active they can erupt in tremendous explosions of power. Some eruptions are so big, they change the earth's climate. Luckily, geologists can now approximate when an eruption will occur. What are the causes of an eruption and what are the warning signs?

Lesson Plan Idea:

VOLCANOES
WEEK 1.

PRE: Exploring the rocks produced by volcanoes.
LAB: Comparing igneous rocks.
POST: Critiquing books on volcanoes for their scientific content.

EARTHQUAKES
WEEK 2.
PRE: Analyzing the types of waves produced by earthquakes.
LAB: Interpreting seismograms with associated damages.
POST: Analyzing earthquakes around the world.

PLATE TECTONICS
WEEK 3.
PRE: Investigating the patterns produced by volcanoes and earthquakes.
LAB Testing models of crustal movement.
POST: Defining plate boundaries.

HAZARDS
WEEK 4.
PRE: Comparing volcanic and earthquake hazards.
LAB: Determining what type of viscous mixtures can cause the most damage.
POST: Exploring earthquakes that are associated with volcanoes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

LESSON PLANS AND
ACTIVITIES
Math/Science Nucleus © 1990, 2001 2

Math/Science Nucleus © 1990, 2001 3
Klyuchevskoi (Kamchatka, Russia)


OBJECTIVES:
1. Exploring the rocks produced by volcanoes.
2. Describing the parts of a volcano.

VOCABULARY:
andesite
basalt
igneous
obsidian
pumice
ring of fire
scoria
volcanic

MATERIALS:
physiographic globe
Internet

BACKGROUND:
The study of volcanoes begins the unit on plate tectonics. Plate tectonics is a science that investigates the movement of the Earth's crust. It includes the exterior and interior of the Earth. Both volcanoes and earthquakes provide data for plate tectonics. Magma that feeds volcanoes comes from the upper mantle and lower crust, and not the deep interior of the Earth. Volcanoes were and are important to the development of the Earth. Lava produce the "continents" while the Earth was forming. Volcanoesalso produced the water that we have on this Earth, by chemical ly combining hydrogen and oxygen inside the Earth, to produce steam which was released when the students search the Internet for information on volcanoes.

Math/Science Nucleus © 1990, 2001 4


The interaction of the moving plates at boundaries creates conditions which melt rock. Melted rock is less dense than solid rock, so it will rise and cause an eruption. The model of plate tectonics helps explain why and where we have volcanoes. However, some volcanic action, like the Hawaiian Islands, do not quite fit into the model. Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Plate, not at a plate boundary. This and other intraplate volcanoes are probably caused by hotspots, which are magma sources in the Earth’s mantle below the plates. Hotspot magma generation is not fully understood. The restless Earth is not fully understood, so new models on volcanic activity can emerge with new data.

PROCEDURE:
1. Show the students the layers of the Earth using the physiographic globe, or use the presentation below. Point out that the magma that feeds volcanoes comes from the upper mantle and lower crust, and not the deep interior(core) of the Earth. Explain that plate tectonics movements involve the crust and upper mantle, which are collectively called the lithosphere. Students in the fifth grade should have learned about the shapes of volcanoes and their general classification. If they are not familiar with volcanoes review the materials from prior grades.

2. In lab, the students will look at various types of volcanic rocks. Review the vocabulary words with the class, emphasizing that the students will see these rocks in the lab. Remind them that igneous rocks come from volcanoes or from magma that cooled within the outer portion of the Earth. Again, use the physiographic globe to emphasize that magma for volcanoes does not come from the center of the Earth, but only the crust and upper mantle.

3. Review the following diagram and the different types of volcanoes. It is part of the presentation below, or draw it on the board.

1. VENT
2. MAGMA CHAMBER
3. LAVA
4. PUMICE, SCORIA
5. OBSIDIAN (OUTSIDE)
6. BASALT OR ANDESITE (INSIDE THE LAVA FLOW)

4. Instruct the students to conduct a web search on volcanoes to find out more information on their locations; which ones are currently erupting; and how much damage volcanoes do. The web is full of wonderful sites that show the majestic mountains formed by volcanoes.

Below are a few sites that could aid your students, but make sure students perform a search to find their own sites.

www.meto.umd.edu/~jose/VOLCANOES/volcpage.html
This site has good pictures, including a simulated 3-D column of ash erupted out
of a volcano.

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/current_volcs/current.html
Information on currently erupting volcanoes around the world, with links to each site.

http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/
Michigan Technological University - volcano sites from around the world.

http://www.usgs.gov/
The US Geological Survey has many links to volcanic activity.

http://www.norvol.hi.is/
The volcanoes of Iceland and their eruption histories.


PLATE TECTONIC CYCLE - VOLCANOES
LAB
OBJECTIVES:
1. Comparing igneous rocks.
2. Describing characteristics of igneous rocks.

VOCABULARY:
andesite
basalt
obsidian
pumice
scoria
vesicular

MATERIALS:
Plate Tectonic Cycle - Volcanoes relief maps of California

BACKGROUND:
There are many different types of igneous rocks. They all have in common that they were all once melted, and have since cooled down and become solid. Igneous rocks look different because of two factors: they cooled at different rates and the "Mother" Magma (original melted rock) was different. In addition, volcanoes erupt in different ways. Some extrude quiet lava flows, while others explode violently, blowing lava into fragments of pumice or scoria. Geologists use these differences as criteria to name igneous rocks. Rocks that are cooled outside of the volcano are called volcanic rocks, and those that cool inside the lithosphere are called plutonic rocks. Magmas that cool at different rates develop different sized crystals. Quick cooling volcanic rocks such as lava are composed of small crystals. For example, basalt has small crystals that can be seen under a microscope, inferring that basalt cooled quickly. Obsidian is also a volcanic rock, however, this rock cooled so quickly that no crystals had time to form. Slow cooling magma inside the Earth creates plutonic rocks like granite, which is composed of large, visible minerals. Some of the samples in this lab have a “holey” or sponge-like appearance. Geologists call this a vesicular texture and the holes are called vesicles. They form in lava that contains gas. As the pressure on the lava decreases near or on the Earth’s surface, the gas forms bubbles. This is physically similar to the bubbles that happen when a can of soda is opened. In the rock samples the students will see (pumice and scoria) the gas students look at volcanic rocks from California.


PROCEDURE:
1. Ask the students if they think that one volcano can produce different types of rocks. Explain that not all volcanoes are the same. Volcanic rocks differ in composition and eruptive style. Explain the differences in appearance between plutonic and volcanic rocks.

2. Discuss how to describe igneous rocks by offering the students the following words: bumpy, glossy, black, red, greenish, holey, grayish. Review any words that will help them describe the rocks further. Instruct students to find the locations where these rocks were formed by using the map of California to the right. Give them the following information about each location.
Ask them if there are enough data points to conclude if there is a pattern of volcanic rocks in California. The answer is no. You need more data points to make a conclusion.

3. Here is information on each of the rock types:

Gilroy is south of San Jose. The volcanic rock records volcanism that occurred millions of years ago. The volcanoes are now extinct. The type of rock is basalt. Clearlake is north of the San Francisco Bay Region. The vulcanism in Clearlake was more recent that in Gilroy, and were thought to be extinct, but recent studies may list this area as "dormant". The type of rock is obsidian. The Clearlake volcanoes also produced another type of rock called scoria, or a reddish looking rock. Mono Craters which produces the pumice, is presently dormant. However the magma chamber below is still moving upwards and small earthquakes are common in the area. Mt. Lassen is in northern California. The last eruption was in the early 1900's. The volcano is dormant and the type of rock is andesite.

4. The students should conclude that volcanoes produce different types of rocks. The samples that the students have are insufficient to conclude if there are differences between a quiet and violent eruption. However, students may see that some rocks are more "holey" which represents gas being trapped in the rock which is more common in a violent eruption.


PROBLEM: Do rocks produced by volcanoes provide clues about that volcanic eruption?
PREDICTION:__________________________________________________

Look at a map and locate where the rocks came from in California. Describe the rocks in the area provided below. After learning about the type of eruption that caused the volcano, can you interpret if there is a difference in rock type between a violent eruption and a quiet eruption?

1. GILROY, CALIFORNIA - This ancient lava flow erupted with a powerful blast. Lava cascaded down the slopes of the growing volcano.
DESCRIPTION: __________________________________________________

2. CLEARLAKE, CALIFORNIA - The cinders swished from the volcano, causing extensive
deposits, (scoria). Flows of lava cooled quickly to form thick bands of obsidian.
DESCRIPTION: (scoria) _____________________________________________

DESCRIPTION: (obsidian) ___________________________________________

3. BLACK BUTTES, CALIFORNIA - Lava slowly moved from the crater of the volcano.

A thick layer of basalt was deposited.
DESCRIPTION: ___________________________________________________

4. MONO CRATERS, CALIFORNIA - The volcano "coughed" violently, gas trapped in the
molten rock formed pumice.
DESCRIPTION: ___________________________________________________

5. MT. LASSEN, CALIFORNIA - The magma chamber was cooling, but suddenly the
volcano erupted.
DESCRIPTION: ___________________________________________________

CONCLUSION: Are there characteristics of volcanic rocks that indicate what type of
eruption produces them?
_______________________________________________________________

Is there enough data here to really tell? Explain.______________________________

Available in books and the Internet:

Volcanoes by Franklyn M. Branley (Harper and Row), and Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Laurence Santrey (Troll)

1. Adults know that some books are written better than others. This however, is not as obvious to children, especially since books are chosen for them. In this exercise we have the students critique two or more books to decide for themselves which is better.

2. Choose two books from the school library that are between a first and third grade reading level. This exercise is designed to test the students critical reading skills. After they read the books students should decide whether or not they would recommend the book to a young child.

The following two books: Volcanoes by Franklyn M. Branley (Harper and Row) and Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Laurence Santrey (Troll). The reason for these books is because one has a story line (Volcanoes) while the other revolves around facts (Earthquakes and Volcanoes).

3. Explain to students that they should observe if the book is scientifically accurate, easy to read, illustrated, and interesting. Try to recommend an interesting book and one that is "dry."Instruct students to voice their opinions by reading their critiques to the class. See if they have differing opinions. This may be a chance for a debate. If students are unfamiliar with critiques, you may want to guide their comments by having them fill in the graph below.

BOOK 1 BOOK 2
Author, Title
Scientifically correct
Illustrations
Interesting
Content
Other Comments

Snow Is Falling

Snow is falling. Snow is wonderful - for sledding, for skiing, and for building snowmen. But did you know that snow can actually keep things warm? Find out how snow helps plants, animals, and people to survive. But when a blizzard blows, watch out! The snow that is so useful can be dangerous too. Franklyn M. Branley and Holly Keller team up for a fun and colorful exploration of the world of snow.

A Let's Read and Find Out Science book, for Stage 1.

----------------------------------------------------

Activities

Find Out More About Snow!

Does it matter what color your jacket is when you're playing in the snow?

Supplies:

A piece of white cloth, a piece of black cloth, and two thermometers.
(The pieces of cloth should be the same thickness.)

Make sure the reading on both thermometers is the same.
Put the thermometers in a sunny place in the snow.
Cover one thermometer with the white cloth and the other with the black cloth.
Wait ten minutes. Read the temperature on each thermometer.
Cover the thermometers again. Wait another ten minutes and read the temperature again. Which thermometer has the higher temperature?

Which color jacket would keep you warmer if you went skiing or sledding on a sunny day?
During winter, people put salt on icy roads and sidewalks to help make the ice melt.

You can watch this work in your own kitchen.

You will need:
a tray of ice cubes, two bowls, and some salt.

Put the same number of ice cubes in each bowl.
In one of the bowls, stir in some salt. Watch the bowls for fifteen minutes, stirring them often.
In which bowl are the ice cubes melting more quickly?

Snow Web Sites to Visit
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/:
The National Weather Service page has links to hundreds of weather-related sites.

www.crh.noaa.gov/mkx/owlie/owlie.htm:
This website has safety tips for winter storms and blizzards.

www.npac.syr.edu/textbook/kidsweb/Sciences/weather.html:
Learn about environmental science, weather, and geology with this web site.

Let's Read and Find Out Science Books

Astronomer Emeritus

Former Chairman of the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium

Let's Read and Find Out Science Books

The series was created in the 1960's by early-childhood education experts, Roma Gans (Roma Gans, Professor Emeritus of Childhood Education, Teachers College at Columbia University) and Franklyn Branley. Harper boasts that it is one of their longest running series. Each book in the series introduces "the reader through a basic science concept and then, step-by-step, takes the reader through that idea, providing a focused narrative study for the young child," according to HarperCollins the publisher of the series. The older books in the series was published by Crowell and by Harper & Row. On the back of the series the following statement can be found :

Children want to be up-t0-date. As a child reads or is read to, he feels himself stretch in importance. This is a feeling that each child should have in growing up. Let's Read and Find out Science Books are designed to help him acquire this feeling. They are planned for the child who is eager to know.

Let's-Read-And-Find-Out Science Books

1. present basic science information

2. are written with an understanding of how children think

3. are brief enough for the young child to cope with

4. are long enough to challenge him

In 1960, he originated the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. Dr. Branley was the author of over 150 science books for children. Franklyn M. Branley was born in New Rochelle, New York in 1915. He received degrees from New York University, the State University of New York at Paltz, and Columbia University.

In the mid-1930s, Branley began his elementary and secondary school teaching career, science education for children was a new venture. Only a few course materials existed to explain science to children, and many instructors did not teach it at all. Branley coauthored a teaching pamphlet for elementary science instruction and began his career writing for professional journals and children's magazines.

Branley regretted that many schools waited until junior years to teach science to children. He instead promoted the idea of exposing children as young as preschool age to the excitement of science, believing younger children are more capable of grasping scientific principles than people gave them credit for. Between 1947 and 1957 Branley coauthored nine "experiment series" books, designed to allow children to use common household objects to learn about topics as diverse as airplane instruction, microscopes, optical illusions, and electricity.

In 1956 Branley became an associate astronomer. Branley was trained as an astronomer and a teacher. He was hired in 1957 by the Hayden Planetarium of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to design its educational programs. He became chairman of the planetarium in 1968 and retired four years later to write full time. The International Space Station: Stage 2 (HarperCollins, 2000), named one of Booklist's top 10 science books of the year for children.

In the 1960s, Branley founded and co-edited the "Lets-Read-and-Find-Out-About-Science" books, a highly successful series explaining scientific principles to early readers. Branley also received many literary awards, including the Edison Award for the Outstanding Children's Science Book of 1961, Experiments in Sky Watching.

Happy Reading!

Various Books by Author (many more not listed)

Books (1961-1988)

Air Is All Around You (1962; revised edition, 1986)
Beginning of the Earth (1972; revised edition, 1988)
Comets (1984)
Dinosaurs, Asteroids, and Superstars: Why the Dinosaurs Disappeared (1982)
Eclipse: Darkness in Daytime (1973; revised edition, 1988)
Feast or Famine (1980)
From Sputnik to Space Shuttle (1986)
Is There Life in Outer Space? (1984)
Journey into a Black Hole (1986)
Jupiter: King of the Gods, Giant of the Planets (1981)
Mysteries of Outer Space (1985)
Mysteries of the Universe (1984)
Rockets and Satellites (1961; 2nd revised edition, 1987)
Saturn: The Spectacular Planet (1983)
Shivers and Goose Bumps (1984)
Snow is Falling (1963; revised edition, 1986)
Space Colony: Frontier of the 21st Century (1982)
Space Telescope (1985)
Star Guide (1987)
Sunshine Makes the Seasons (1974; revised edition, 1985)
Water for the World (1982)