In this role-playing game, inspired by Barnard College’s Reacting to the Past series, student teams play one of nine astronomers debating the definition of a planet at a 2006 meeting of the International Astronomical Union. During this game, students will do the following:
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compare the history of Pluto’s discovery to that of the asteroid Ceres
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describe the properties of the Kuiper Belt and its members
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debate the necessity and value of scientific classifications
This game can be played be played with up to 36 students during one or two class periods as a substitute for or complement to traditional lectures on Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.