Constellations

1
Constellations

• Patricia Burleson
• Dianna Angelli

2
Stars Stories

• A Third Grade Lesson

Patricia Burleson
3
Integrated Curricular Practice

• Consider how you might use science in your
• language arts classroom.

• Rather than focusing on fiction, turn to
• science nonfiction for book choices

4
Science Text Sets

• Put together a text set for your current
  science unit of study.
• During Language Arts students are reading and
  discussing science subject content.
• Books are designated for Read Aloud or Guided
  Reading.
• Each book aligns with one or more Science and
  Language Arts objectives from New Jersey
  Standards

5
During Reading
Offer strategies for active reading
Students record I wonder statement
Students create KWL chart
Employ graphic organizers for small group,whole
class, and individual activities Graphic
Organizers
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Group Research
Students work in small groups to research the
mythological stories behind constellations
Myths about the Sky, Constellations, and Stars
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Extension Activities
Interview a mythological character
Act out the mythological story of a
constellation
Write a new ending
Write a diary entry by a mythological character
Write a newspaper article describing a
mythological event
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Assessment
Rubrics
9
Resources
Google.com http//www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link/
mythology/stars.html http//www.eduplace.com/graph
icorganizer/ http//teacher.scholastic.com Amazon.
com (book summaries) http//www.readwritethink.org
(extension activities) Getting Started with
Literature Circles by Katherine L. Schlick Noe
and Nancy J. Johnson http//www.coldwater.k12.mi.
us/lms/planetarium/myth/index.html
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Standards

• STANDARD 5.9
• (ASTRONOMY and SPACE SCIENCE)

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Constellations

• Imagine the Possibilities

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Objectives

• 6th Grade Science
• Research
• Creativity
• Design

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Activity

• Set the Stage
• Create Your Own Constellation
• No Holds Barred
• Example

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Background Information

• Familiarize with constellation mythology
• Different cultures
• Have internet resources ready!
• Safe sources
• http//www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link/mythology/s
  tars.html
• http//www.coldwater.k12.mi.us/lms/planetarium/myt
  h/index.html

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Assessment

• Mythology Board Game
• Concrete
• Interpersonal
• Poster
• Abstract
• Intrapersonal
• Rubrics
• Poster rubric
• Oral presentation rubric?

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Extension Activities

• Upgrading
• Make a TV commercial
• Made for TV Movie
• StarLab
• Downgrading
• Draw Movie Poster
• StarLab

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Angles and Constellations

• Mini-Lesson designed for a Comprehensive
  Constellations Unit
• Target Audience Grades 5 - 8

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Goals and Objectives

• Possess a better understanding of angles and
  angle measurements
• Learn how to use a protractor to find the
  measures of angles
• Understand how to measure angles in degrees
• Learn how to construct and use an astrolabe to
  find the altitudes of stars in degrees
• Map out constellations and make predictions of
  movement over time
• Make appropriate predictions and test their
  predictions to make theories

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Activities and Demonstrations

• Teacher directed demonstrations of angles and how
  to find angle measurements
• Teacher and Web directed demonstrations of
  constructing an astrolabe
• Students will create their own astrolabe, map out
  various constellations, and make predictions

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Assessment

• Project Build an Astrolabe
• Students will build an astrolabe to help them
  collect and analyze data from constellations
• Students will be graded on the quality of their
  astrolabe as well as their responses on their
  data worksheets

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Lesson Part One

• Teacher Directed
• Introduce angles, parts of an angle, how to
  measure angles using a protractor
• Explain degrees
• Give examples of where we use angles and degrees
  outside of math class

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Lesson Part Two

• Teacher and Web Directed Astrolabe Activity
• If the students have access to computers they may
  go to the following website to find the procedure
  for constructing their astrolabes
• If the students do not have access to computers
  the teacher can print out the procedures from the
  following website and copy them for their
  students
• http//cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/activi
  ty_07.html

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Lesson Part Three

• Tape stars around the room and have students in
  pairs practice finding the altitudes of the stars
  using their astrolabes
• Create a list of constellations that the students
  can use to help them find a constellation that
  will be visible the night of the activity.
• Have the students complete the activity
  worksheets

Great Family Night Activity
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Lesson Part Four

• Student Discussion/Closure
• Students discuss their findings and answers to
  the questions in the activity
• Students lead the closure by summing up all that
  they had discovered during the lesson and the
  activity