Download Zodiac Party Game - Home - DMNS Galaxy Guide Portal

Survey
yes no Was this document useful for you?
   Thank you for your participation!

* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project

Document related concepts

Astronomical clock wikipedia , lookup

Dasha (astrology) wikipedia , lookup

History of astronomy wikipedia , lookup

Tropical year wikipedia , lookup

Axial precession wikipedia , lookup

Ursa Minor wikipedia , lookup

Corvus (constellation) wikipedia , lookup

Planets in astrology wikipedia , lookup

Ursa Major wikipedia , lookup

Astrological age wikipedia , lookup

Aquarius (constellation) wikipedia , lookup

Chinese zodiac wikipedia , lookup

Zodiac wikipedia , lookup

Transcript
Zodiac Party Game - 1 of 15
Zodiac Party Game
Brief Summary
Banners showing the twelve Sun sign constellations of the zodiac are placed in a square
around the audience space in the Galaxy Stage, with a model of the Sun in the middle. The
presenter has visitors take their places in a circle so that their Sun signs are visible behind
the Sun. Then he or she takes the visitors through a series of kinesthetic (movement)
astronomy activities to explain basic phenomena such as the zodiac, the Sun signs, a day, a
year and precession of the celestial sphere. The demonstration ends with everybody singing
“Happy Birthday” to the visitors whose Sun sign corresponds to the current date.
Equipment Required
1. Laser pointer
2. Microphone
3. 12 zodiac
banners
attached to
rope.(See
sample at
right.) The
yellow SUN
BALL
4. Galaxy
Stage Lap
Top
Computer
5. Spinning
plate prop
(Optional)
Main Teaching Points
6. The Earth moves in three primary ways:
o it turns once daily on its axis.
o it orbits the Sun yearly.
o it precesses on its axis.
7. You see different constellations in the night sky at different times of year.
8. The celestial sphere (the dome of the whole sky) seems to move, but in reality, it is
Earth’s motion that creates the illusion that the celestial sphere is moving.
Zodiac Party Game - 2 of 15
Educational Strategy

Sensory saturation, especially physical involvement, is a very effective means to enhance
the storage of knowledge in the LTM (Long Term Memory). Zodiac Party Game is fun,
and involves vision, kinesthetic sense, as well as listening. REMEMBER THE
OPERATIVE WORDS HERE ARE “PARTY” and “GAME.”
Science Background: Constellations of the Zodiac



The zodiac is a belt of 12 constellations that surround the sky. They are significant
because they lie on the path that the Sun and planets take as they appear to move
across the sky.
The zodiac originated from astrology, which is not a science, but science later adopted
the same names. Note, however, that scientists renamed two of these constellations,
replacing Scorpio with Scorpius and Capricorn with Capricornus.
In the chart below times of year that these constellations can be seen in the night sky
are given. This is different from the “zodiac sign” for your birthday. For example,
people born on April 7th have Aries as their “sign”, but Aries is seen in the sky in
winter.
Spring
Cancer (CNC)
Leo (LEO)
Virgo (VIR)
Libra (LIB)
Scorpius (SCO)
Sagittarius (SGR)
Capricornus (CAP)
Aquarius (AQR)
Pisces (PSC)
Aries (ARI)
Taurus (TAU)
Gemini (GEM)
Night sky constellations
Summer
Night sky constellations
Fall
Night sky constellations
Winter
Zodiac Party Game - 3 of 15
Night sky constellations


The hand drawn figures vary considerably from one artist to another. There are no
standards figures for the constellations. We have used the classic art of astronomerartist Johannes Hevelius from the 17th Century.
Our BANNER drawing for Cancer shows a lobster not a crab. This is the way the
figure was drawn by Hevelius.
Some Basic Facts about the Zodiac Constellations
Constellations
(CODE)
Aries (ARI)
Month of peak
visibility
December
Taurus (TAU)
January
Gemini (GEM)
February
Cancer (CNC)
March
Leo (LEO)
April
Virgo (VIR)
May
Libra (LIB)
June
Blurb about the myth and configuration in
sky
The golden fleece from this ram was the
prize that Jason and the Argonauts sought
on their voyage. At the time the zodiac was
invented more than 2000 years ago, the
year began with the “first point in Aries.”
The figure of the bull goes back to at least
4000 BC. It represented strength and
fertility. Taurus charges toward Orion below
the zodiac who holds up a shield to defend
himself.
After Castor died, his devoted twin brother
Pollux was so overwhelmed with grief, that
Zeus took pity on him and reunited the twins
in the night sky. The twins wade in the
stream of Milky Way.
Sent by the gods to aid Hercules in fighting
the monster Hydra, Cancer was crushed,
but was rewarded with immortality for his
effort.
The first of Hercules seven tasks was to
slay this dangerous lion. The bright star
Regulus means heart of the lion, named
after the king of beasts.
Virgo is associated with the goddess Ceres,
who oversaw planting of crops. The
brightest star in Virgo, Spica, means “ear of
wheat.”
The scales (Libra) are one of the tools used
by Astraea, the goddess of justice when she
decided cases.
Zodiac Party Game - 4 of 15
Scorpius (SCO)
July
Sagittarius (SGR)
August
Capricornus (CAP)
September
Aquarius (AQR)
October
Pisces (PSC)
November
Scorpius was sent by the gods to ward off
Orion who was after the goddess Artemis.
To keep Scorpius and Orion from fighting,
the gods placed them as far apart as
possible in the sky. Scorpius grabs the
scales in his claws. The center of the Milky
Way Galaxy is located near Scorpius’
stinger.
Sagittarius was a centaur (half horse, half
human) not only a skilled archer, but also
knowledgeable in medicine and music. He
aims his arrow at Scorpius. “The Teapot”
structure at the top of Sagittarius is entirely
located in the river of the Milky Way.
These last three constellations have the
nickname “The Sea” because they all have
to do with water. Capricornus is a goat with
a fish’s tail. 2000 years ago, the Sun
reached its most southerly point on the
ecliptic in Capricornus. That point is now in
Sagittarius.
Aquarius is Latin for “the water carrier.” This
constellation may refer to the beginning of
the rainy season in the Mediterranean area.
Venus and Cupid escaped a monster’s
grasp by turning themselves into fishes and
swing away down the Euphrates River.
Special Vocabulary
Consistent and correct use of terms in this demo is very crucial to success here.
Otherwise confusion sets in and undermines the experience for visitors. Here are the
terms that should be learned very accurately by the presenter and used fluently without a
pause in the presentation.
NOTE: We’ve chosen to drop the word “revolve” entirely and use “orbit” instead in order to
avoid confusion with the term “rotate.”
o CONSTELLATION--A pattern of stars that appear to be grouped together.
o CELESTIAL SPHERE--The entire shell of stars that appears to form the dome of
heaven.
o ZODIAC--The set of 12 constellations located on a belt around the middle of the Earth.
(The zodiac is a circle of animals and that’s why it’s a celestial zoo or zodiac.)
o SUN SIGN--Any one of the 12 constellations such as Scorpius, Taurus or Libra in the
zodiac.
o YEAR--the period of time Earth takes to ORBIT the Sun once.
o DAY--The period of time required for the Earth to TURN AROUND ONCE on its axis.
Zodiac Party Game - 5 of 15
o PRECESSION--The very slow wobbling motion of the Earth on its axis. This motion
has two effects:
1. It shifts the celestial sphere toward the east by one constellation every 2,200 years.
2. It alters which star, if any, is the North Star. A north star is a star that appears to be
located directly above the Earth’s geographical north pole. Currently, the star at
this location is Polaris, but 4,800 years ago, it was Thuban.
NOTE: It is better to avoid using pronouns such as “it” or “them” referring the to
constellations, and other objects in this demo. As you introduce new words, it is helpful to the
visitors to repeat the key phrases such as THE 12 CONSTELLATIONS OF THE ZODIAC,
and PRECESSION OF THE CELESTIAL SPHERE instead of using pronouns.
Motions of the Celestial Sphere






Stars in the sky appear to be stuck to an inverted transparent bowl. This imaginary shell of
lights surrounding the Earth is called the CELESTIAL SPHERE. It contains all the stars,
the Sun and Moon, galaxies, planets, comets and other objects.
The CELESTIAL SPHERE appears to turn slowly around the Earth with three distinct
motions: a 24 hour cycle, a 365 day cycle and a 26,000 year cycle. Of course, we now
know that the celestial sphere itself doesn’t move, but that the Earth executing its
threefold motion gives the appearance of motion in the sky above.
The first motion of the CELESTIAL SPHERE is its nightly motion. It turns around the sky
once each night. Constellations rise and set each night in the same way the Sun rises and
sets each day and for the same reason, namely that the Earth is turning once each day.
However, the nightly turn of the celestial sphere falls one degree short of a completing a
360 degree circle in 24 hours. If a star passes through the overhead point (the ZENITH) at
nine o’clock tonight, it will be found at one degree to the east tomorrow night at the same
clock time. The shift of one degree is due to the Earth’s other motion: orbiting the Sun at
the rate of about one degree per day. (In fact, it was this motion that caused the
Babylonians to choose 360 degrees for a circle.)
The second motion of the CELESTIAL SPHERE is its yearly orbit around the sky. For the
Earth to travel once around the Sun and return to the place where a particular star is in
exactly the same place at the same time of night requires exactly requires 365.25 nights.
The celestial sphere’s third motion is PRECESSION. PRECESSION refers to the
wobbling motion of objects such as a toy top that causes its axis to draw a small circle in
the air above it. The Earth’s PRECESSION causes the celestial sphere to slide gradually
to the east one constellation every 2,200 years.
Setting Up the Demo
SETTING UP THE LAPTOP
Zodiac Party Game - 6 of 15
1. On the stage laptop, go to the dock at the bottom of the screen, find the preset file
named cc, and click to open it.
2. To get rid of the borders from the screen, PRESS and HOLD DOWN THE fn key on
the lower left of the keyboard.
3. With this preset running, use the OCC to boot up SHOW 15 for the street theatre light
effect Select STAGE LAPTOP TO LEFT AND RIGHT SCREENS. This rolling image
will help to attract an audience.
SETTING UP THE DEMO SPACE
4. Re-arrange benches in the Galaxy Stage demo area into a square as large as
possible.
5. Take the A-Frame cart which holds the SUN SIGN BANNERS from storage and wheel
it down to lower left corner of the stage in the vicinity of HOOK # 1. (See below.)
6. Unreel the first several BANNERS from their pegs, and place the rope “leg” marked
LOOP # 1 onto HOOK # 1.
GALAXY STAGE
HOOK # 4 
 HOOK # 1
WINTER NIGHT SKY
Ĵ
Ĵ
GEM
TAU
ARI
CNC
PSC
SUN
SPRING
NIGHT SKY
LEO
AQR
FALL
NIGHT SKY
BALL
VIR
CAP
LIB
HOOK # 2 
SCO
SGR
 HOOK #
SUMMER NIGHT SKY
3
Ĵ
Ĵ
ENTRY CORRIDOR
7. Roll the A-FRAME CART diagonally across the demonstration space to the area just
below HOOK #2, and unfurl the BANNERS in pairs as you go. Lay them gently on the
floor. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO STEP ON THEM!!
8. Place LOOP # 2 of rope over HOOK # 2.
9. Find LOOP # 3 place it on HOOK # 3. THIS REQUIRES GOOD FOOTING. MAKE
SURE A BENCH IS IN POSITION BEFORE YOU TRY THIS.
Zodiac Party Game - 7 of 15
10. Place the long length of rope over HOOK #4, and pull it downward to relieve the
tension on the support rope. Slide LOOP # 4 onto HOOK #4. The BANNERS are
ready to go. This arrangement gives the demo space an artistic feel and helps attract
an audience.
11. Take the yellow SUN BALL from the A-frame cart and hang it from the SUN HOOK
above the center of the demo floor space. You are now ready to announce the show
and gather a crowd.
12. We are concerned that children might hang on the ropes or BANNERS or bat the
YELLOW SUN BALL Please have one MGG stationed in the demo area at all
times to minimize breakage.
Running the Demo
Staff members have worked out this demonstration over a span of several months, and unlike
some other demos, the sequence provided below, we feel, is the best way to do this
demonstration; we ask all performers to stick to this sequence of events. We begin with the
audience seated, then call up visitors one by one. Three reasons to start your show with the
audience seated and only a single visitor demonstrating the motions of the Earth are these:
1. You have more control at first when you are trying to direct only a single person than
trying to direct the whole group
2. When the audience first walks in, they don’t have any idea of what is happening, so it
is better to let them be an “audience” at first, and only after they are comfortable, bring
the whole group into the action.
3. When you are directing only the single person at the start of the show, you are de
facto giving instructions to the whole audience of what they will be doing later.
STEP-BY STEP PROCEDURE
This script is written as a 2-person demo. Performers are designated as PERSON A and
PERSON B.
PREPARATION
 A&B
As per above Set Up Procedure, make sure the demo area is set up properly
and your
mics are on.
 A&B
Once you have gathered an audience, have them sit anywhere on the benches.
GAINING THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE TO SEE THE ZODIAC
 A
Open ZodiacPartyGame#2.snf. This preset animation shows a top view of the
planets
orbiting the sun.
 B
Point out that we are watching the planets orbit the Sun.
 A
Switch modes in ZodiacPartyGame#2.snf so that you can tilt the whole solar
system,
and illustrate this motion.
 B
Point out that all the planets lie nearly in the same plane. Pluto is the odd ball;
it’s
Zodiac Party Game - 8 of 15

A
orbit is tilted at 17 off the plane of the rest of the planets. Also point out that
now we
can see the meaning of the zodiac. The zodiac is the belt of 12
constellations that the
Sun, planets and the moon travel on in their journey across the sky. The
fastest way
to find the zodiac is by finding the path of the moon.
Go back to the first preset ZodiacPartyGame#1.snf. and let it roll.
EARTH’S YEARLY MOTION
 A
Pick a kid about 10 years old. Ask his or her name. Ask kid’s birthday and place
him or
her in correct position (opposite his Sun sign).
 A
Ask how many times he or she has gone around Sun. (This number is the same
as the
kid’s age.)
 A
Have the kid run around Sun that many times (counter-clockwise).
EARTH’S DAILY MOTION
 B
Ask audience what other motions Earth does (start with daily rotation).
 B
Get person who answers correctly to come up.
 B
Put him or her in correct birthday-spot.
 B
Person spins around once to show Earth’s daily motion. (Be sure
he or she goes counterclockwise as seen from above, to the left.)
EARTH’S WEEKLY MOTION
 A
Ask, “who can do a week?”
 A
Put person in birthday-spot.
 A
Spins seven times.
 A
Mention that Earth also goes around Sun. The Earth advances about one
degree per day.
(In fact the number of days in a year was chosen to fit closely to the days per
year.)
 A
Ask audience how far the Sun goes in a week (ANS: 1/52 nd of a circle or 7
degrees of
the way around the Sun).
 A
Have that kid or someone else illustrate the spinning: 7 times and the 7 degrees
of
progress around the Sun. (Use your judgment to avoid getting kids dizzy or
out of
control so they fall down.)
PARTS of the DAY: NOON, SUNSET, SUNRISE and MIDNIGHT
 B
Bring another person up.
 B
Put on Birthday-spot.
 B
Use him or her to demonstrate parts of the day.
 B
Noon – belly button faces Sun.
Zodiac Party Game - 9 of 15


B
Midnight – away from Sun.
B
Hands out: Right hand = west; left = east. (When you see the Sun at your left
hand, the time of day is dawn, at the left hand, it is dusk.) Place your hand with “hitch
hikers thumb” on your navel to illustrate. The thumb here represents a person with the
thumb being the head. Noon = time of day when Sun is overhead.

B
Illustrate Noon – dusk – midnight – dawn – noon.
PARTS of the DAY and NIGHT SKY for the WHOLE AUDIENCE
 A&B
Help the whole audience find places on the circle where they can see the Sun
in front
of their Sun sign. (This is done by checking to find which dates on the BANNER
contains his or her Birthday.)
 A&B
Have visitors rotate through Noon – dusk – midnight – dawn – back to noon
 A&B
Everyone turns to midnight.
 A&B
Point out that the constellations you see now on the banner represent the stars
you see at
night.
 A&B
Ask a few visitors what stars they can see at night on their birthdays.
 A&B
Have everyone shuffle half around the circle to represent moving through six
months of
the year as Earth goes around the Sun.
 A&B
Turn your back to the Sun so you can see the BANNERS. This represents
midnight: Ask, “now what stars do you see?”
MOVEMENT OF THE ZODIAC
 A
Have visitors look at side screens showing the moving zodiac constellations.
The speed
is 700,000 times normal. Note the Earth in the foreground and the moon
whizzing
by. Each moon cycle is a month long, so we can see that each constellation
is in the
center of the sky for about a month. In addition, each constellation can be
seen to the
sides of the sky for several months before and after its optimum.
 A
Explain to visitors what they are seeing: the apparent motion of the zodiac as
the Earth
moves through one year.
 B
Name each constellation in the zodiac and give a short blurb of information
about it.
(See Science Background section above.)
 B
Have visitors recite names of zodiac signs in unison as they pass by.
 A
Have visitors continue moving around the Sun till they get back to their original
birthday-spots.
 A
Have visitors tell what sign they would see if there were an eclipse of the Sun
and you
could see the see the actual constellation behind the Sun on your birthday.
Zodiac Party Game - 10 of 15





B
Sun.”
B
correct
A or B
A or B
A&B
today’s
Explain that on your birthday, your Sun sign is the constellation “behind the
These zodiac signs you see now fit your birthday 2000 years ago. To see
positions now, take a giant step to left one Sun sign. (Clockwise)
(Optional) Use spinning plate to explain precession
Find out whose birthday is closest to the present date.
Have everyone sing “Happy Birthday” to visitors whose sign falls nearest to
date. Sing: “Happy Birthday, dear Aries.”

Some Additional Content “Jelly Beans”—Warning: These are tasty little
morsels but too many will make the audience sick! In other words, don’t try to add ALL
these tidbits to the same show. That much factual knowledge will stop the show dead in
its ecliptic.

At present (2004) the Sun passes through
o Virgo for the autumnal equinox
o Sagittarius for the winter solstice
o Pisces for the spring equinox.
o On the boundary line between Taurus and Gemini for Summer solstice, just
above the bright star Betelgeuse.

To get to the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, head toward Scorpius’ stinger. With
telescopes, it’s hard to get good pictures of this part of the sky because of all the space
dust between the core of the galaxy and our current position.
Use plate to from spin demo illustrate the shape of the Milky Way Galaxy. Point out that
our solar system is located about ⅔ of the distance from the core to the edge.
To go out the top of the spiral galaxy, go toward the area just below the Big Dipper, which
is not shown in the set up, but would be overhead and closest to Gemini.
Orion is NOT a zodiac constellation, but lies right below Taurus. (Demonstrate his position
by kneeling on the floor on one knee with club in the right hand to whop Taurus between
the eyes.
There are a handful of bright stars in the zodiac (or near it).




Star
Constellation
Regulus
Spica
Leo
Virgo
Antares
Scorpius
Aldebaran
Taurus
Betelgeuse Orion
Comment
The 18th brightest star in the northern hemisphere sky.
A rare blue giant star, 11th in brightness in northern
hemisphere
Antares is a red giant star located very near the path of the
planets. The name Antares means rival of Mars, using the
Roman name for Mars (Ares) rather than the Greek.
Light from the V-shaped group of stars that forms the bull’s
head has been traveling through space since Abraham
Lincoln was president. Aldebaran is the bull’s eye star.
Orion’s right shoulder, a red supergiant star. The 7th
brightest star in the sky.
Zodiac Party Game - 11 of 15
Rigel
Sirius
Orion
Canis Major
Orion’s left knee. Another rare blue giant
One of Orion’s dogs, the brightest star. When the Sun rises
near the dog star in July, we have the hot dog days of
summer.
POST DEMO WRAP UP


Offer to stick around to answer questions and show some more clips on the laptop.
Put everything back into position the way you found it, and stow the props in their
designated places. To re-stow the BANNERS, reverse the procedure for installing
them. TO PRESERVE THE THESE VERY EXPENSIVE BANNERS PLEASE
FOLLOW THE STEPS CAREFUL AND IN THE RIGHT ORDER.
Operating Tips



To avoid confusion, ask visitors frequently if they are with you. If not, repeat your
explanation, but try to approach the topic from a different angle, using slightly different
words. Often, this will go around learning blocks.
Be selective in telling facts about the Earth and night sky. Don’t let the pace get bogged
down.
You can add your own sky lore or “jelly beans” as long as they are well researched and
totally correct. But beware of the common urge to add more and more facts that will spoil
the pace of the show. REMEMBER THE OPERATIVE WORDS HERE ARE “PARTY” and
“GAME.”
Remind visitors that they
should never look directly at
the REAL Sun.
Questions and Answers
Q: I can never find the constellations, especially my Sun sign. Where are they?
A: Only a handful of the constellations look much like the figures you see on the BANNERS.
Most other constellations such as Hercules are just semi-imaginary representations of well-
Zodiac Party Game - 12 of 15
known story characters rather than visible outlines. Scorpius, Leo and Taurus in the zodiac
are easy to spot; north or south of the ecliptic you can find the bright constellations Orion, the
Big Dipper and Cygnus. Be patient and don’t expect the Disney-like figures to hover in the
sky. Also, start by learning the easy few constellations, then later go for the rest of the
constellations of the zodiac which are some of the hardest constellations to find because they
have so few bright stars. Also, the zodiac is often near the horizon where clouds and haze
obscure them.
Q: Is astrology a science? Does it work?
A: Scientists refer to astrology as psuedo-science, or false science. Astrology’s central belief
is that the position of the stars and planets affects human behavior and human fate. Within a
framework of science, that belief is not grounded in any observable and reproducible results,
for example, why don’t people born in the same hospital at the same time have parallel lives?
Q: If astrology doesn’t work, then why does every culture worldwide have so may astrologers,
more numerous in fact than astronomers?
A: Good question, one better answered by a psychologist. Possibly it’s because the little
newspaper horoscope predictions are gentle suggestions that guide a person toward wiser
behavior; for example, “don’t make any rash purchases today,” or “though people you deal
with today will cause you stress, you should not let them bother you, because you will have
rewards later this month.” Seems appealing to have daily reminders to act for the long-term
gain rather than the short term impulse.
Q: What causes the Seasons?
A: Not only are summer days longer and winter days shorter, but also the Sun’s rays hit the
ground at a steeper angle in summer, and so the energy in the rays is more concentrated in
one location and can heat the ground better than in winter when they strike the ground at a
lower angle.
Rays at noon in Denver on:
21
Jun 21
Dec
= 73 degrees
= 27
degrees
One square foot of surface in June gets the same energy that 3 square feet gets in
December!
Other Cool Stuff to Try

In the demo it is possible to illustrate why the seasons happen, though the extra
information may put your audience over the top as far as information is concerned. Be
careful to make sure you have a fairly well informed audience before launching into
that complex topic.
Zodiac Party Game - 13 of 15

This demo can lead into many post demo discussions using SNP.
Fast Facts


It was probably the Minoans, the sea-faring ancestors of the Greeks, who first mapped
out the zodiac more than 3,000 years ago. The Scorpion, the Bull and the Lion go
back to 4,000 BC.
The zodiac concept apparently spread in prehistory from culture to culture because
you can find similar representations of the zodiac from the near east to China, though
the Chinese animals are mostly farm animals: horse, duck, pig, snake, etc.
Potential Problems



Moving too fast. Better to edit the material down so that visitors walk away with just
one clear understanding than several ill-formed ones. Fuzzy understanding is very
quickly erased from the memory and has no lasting effect except to discourage visitors
from trying to understand the material the next time they encounter the material.
Lack of coordination of the parts. With props and a laptop to manage, rehearsal of the
sequence of this show is important.
Getting into a lecture or even an extended question and answer period. It’s better to
keep up the pace and not let this demo go over 10-12 minutes.
Background materials (websites, videos, articles, digital
collections links)
Constellations
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/constellations.html
Mythology of the Constellations http://www.emufarm.org/~cmbell/myth/myth.html
Constellations with explanations http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/1364/Constellations.html
Zodiac—Encarta Encyclopedia http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560429/Zodiac.html
The Constellations of the Zodiac http://www.griffithobs.org/IPSrealrealconstellations.html
The Eight Motions of the Earth http://geology.50megs.com/space/earth8/earth8.html
Peterson Field Guides: Stars and Planets—An excellent resource on stars, constellations and
Earth’s motion.
Self assessment suggestions
After doing the ZODIAC PARTY GAME demonstration several times, complete the checklist,
then highlight the box in the rubric that best describes your performance. Have your team
leader observe your demo then complete an identical rubric. Discuss your presentation
technique with your team leader along the lines of the rubric.
Zodiac Party Game - 14 of 15
Assessment for ZODIAC PARTY GAME DEMO
PRESENTER_______________
DATE________
Checklist of pre-requisite skills
1. Can set up, operate & put away all props and media equipment
2. Can articulate in layman’s terms the three motions of Earth: daily, yearly and
precessional.
3. Fully understands the concepts of motions of the Earth, celestial sphere, the zodiac
and Polaris.
4. Can incorporate Starry Night Pro preset seamlessly into your presentation
5. Knows the sequence of this demo 1) Gather your audience 2) illustrate yearly and
daily motions 3) Place one visitor in the circle according to his or her Sun sign 4) Have
entire group do daily motions 5) Have group look at what stars they can see in the
night sky at different times of year 6) Explain precession 7) Sing “Happy Birthday” to
the visitors with the appropriate Sun Sign.
B. Rubric for ZODIAC PARTY GAME
LEVELS 
OK
EXCELLENT
Presentation style
Can gather and engage a
crowd.
Knowledge of the
background science
Can answer visitor questions
correctly
Presentation sparkles.
Enthusiasm, humor,
connection with crowd all
make this an amusing and
informative event.
Can go beyond visitor
question and add interesting
facts gleaned from various
QUALITY
TRAITS 
Zodiac Party Game - 15 of 15
Effectiveness using props
Can make a smooth
presentation using each prop at
some time during the demo
Educational strategy
Presents a step-by-step
explanation, allowing visitor to
digest one concept before going
onto another one.
Can boot up and use all
specified media bits without
delay
Fluency with media
resources
Can do the demo using
several different approaches
and can incorporate props in
any order
Uses a step-by-step approach
and actively insures visitor is
ready to move on by asking
appropriate questions
Can also use other media
resources for enrichment