Large Groups
In this activity students use the stars and constellations to tell time.
Additional Resources
Media
Beyond The Solar System- Expanding the Universe in the classroom, by Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; ISBN 0-9776402-0-5
Students will need to be able to identify stars that are grouped in patterns in the night sky. Students will also understand that these constellations move across the sky in a predictable and measurable way. Relate the changes in the night sky to the movement of Earth.
1. Use science process and thinking skills.
2. Manifest scientific attitudes and interests.
3. Understand science concepts and principles.
Invitation to Learn
Ancient cultures used the stars as a way to determine seasons and time. By looking into the night sky can you determine what season of the year it is? Can you tell what time it is by simply looking at the stars? Why would this information be important? Ancient cultures used the stars to know when to plant their crops and prepare for winter.
Instructional Procedures
Curriculum Extensions/Adaptations/ Integration
Family Connections
Research Basis
Caine, R.N., & Caine, G. (1994). Making connections: Teaching and the human brain. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley.
Learning from classroom activities with application to real world situations are the lessons students seem to learn from and appreciate the most. Brain research shows the more senses used in instruction, the better learners will be able to remember, retrieve, and connect the information in their memories. "I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand." Students learn best when doing. By incorporating realistic, integrated, or interdisciplinary activities that build on established knowledge and skills and more than one sense, memory pathways become more accessible and cross-referenced for future use. As teachers discover the most effective strategies for better student achievement, they can adapt their lessons accordingly.
Klentschy, Michael (2005).Science notebook essentials. Science & Children. 43, 24-27.
When literacy skills are linked to science content, students have a personal and practical motivation to master language as a tool that can help them answer their questions about the world around them. Language becomes the primary avenue that students use to arrive at scientific conclusions.