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By Rich Hedman
January 29, 2013
3rd/4th/5th grade science strand
Focus: Astronomy Standards
Grade 3 Std 4; Grade 5 Std 5
Goals for Workshop
 Two main goals:
 To develop in each of you an understanding of the science
content.
 To encourage each of you to use a
student-centered
and data-centered
instructional approach.
 Instead of the more traditional teacher-centered approach.
 However, the instructional approach is highly teacher-guided.
 So I will avoid “telling” you about stars tonight.
 Instead I will present you with data on stars from which
you can construct your own understanding.
 When I ask you questions, I am seeking your ideas and
your evidence, not a “right answer”.
(although my goal is for you to eventually get there)
 I will try to not answer your questions directly, but will seek
to have you figure it out yourself.
 I encourage you to take the same approach if you teach
these lessons to your students.
 This student- and data-centered instructional approach is
aligned with how people learn science and how scientists
engage in their work.
Rules of Engagement
 Be considerate and respectful in language and tone.
 Make sure everyone has a chance to express their ideas.
 Try to not steal anyone’s “Aha!” moment by “telling” them
your “answers”—instead ask questions that will guide your
group to these ideas. (ask, don’t tell!)
The Science
 Part One: Evidence of Motion
 Part Two: Day & Night
 Part Three: Star Data Using Stellarium Software
 Part Four: Stars During One Night
 Part Five: Stars Over Many Nights, Weeks, Months
 Part Six: Make and Understand a Star Finder
Evidence of Motion
 How do you know something
is moving?
 Pair-share.
 To know if something is
moving, we need:
 An object of interest
 A reference point
 A period of time
 And: we should understand
our point of view
 1st person (personal view)
versus 3rd person (objective
view)
The Science
 Part One: Evidence of Motion
 Part Two: Day & Night
 Part Three: Star Data Using Stellarium Software
 Part Four: Stars During One Night
 Part Five: Stars Over Many Nights, Weeks, Months
 Part Six: Make and Understand a Star Finder
Sun & Motion Question
 Question: Based on our
ideas of motion, in the 1st
person perspective, if you
are outside for an hour on
a clear day, is the sun
moving?
 Think quietly about that
for a moment.
 Share your thoughts.
 We will come back to this
later…
Observations: Day, Night, & the Sun
 Question: What are some observations that you have
about day, night, and the sun?
 Work with your group to list some of your observations
on the whiteboard.
 Be prepared to share an observation or two.
Model: Day & Night
 A model is a coherent set of ideas.
 What set of ideas could explain the patterns in day &
night you described?
 With your group, write down a list of statements about
what causes day and night, AND also be able to explain
your ideas with the 3-D objects:
 Earth beach ball, light representing the sun.
 Be prepared to share your model.
 I will capture the model on chart paper.
Sun & Motion Question
 Let’s revisit the question: Based on our ideas of
motion, in the 1st person perspective, if you are
outside on a clear day, is the sun moving?
 1st person is the earth-bound view.
 If your reference point is your local horizon, then the
sun is moving with respect to your horizon.
 If your reference point is the sun, then the horizon is
moving with respect to the sun.
 We must have a 3rd person perspective to figure out
which statement is more correct. Which is it?
The Science
 Part One: Evidence of Motion
 Part Two: Day & Night
 Part Three: Star Data Using Stellarium Software
 Part Four: Stars During One Night
 Part Five: Stars Over Many Nights, Weeks, Months
 Part Six: Make and Understand a Star Finder
Star Motion in Sky
 Now that we understand how the sun “moves through
the sky”, we need to look at how the stars move.
 Thought question: If you were to go outside on a clear
night, and watch the stars all night, what would you
see? Would the stars move? If so, how, exactly?
 Don’t forget our conventions about describing motion.
 Share some ideas.
Star Motion Data
 We need data to answer the question!
 We will get this data using the free astronomy program
Stellarium.
 Stellarium can be downloaded from:
http://www.stellarium.org/
Instructions:
1. Form into pairs (computer-savvy + computer-not)
2. Get a laptop, power it up.
3. Open up Stellarium:
Stellarium Controls—mouse over left side of
screen, and bottom of screen.
Set Location here.
Type Sacramento into the search box.
Then click on Sacramento, United States.
Note: Make sure the red dot is in the right place.
Close Location Window when finished
One way to set Time and
Date is here.
You can click on the up and down arrows to
adjust the date and time (military time).
You can drag the box around so it doesn’t block
your view, or just close it.
Click each bottom icon ON and OFF to see what it does.
The bottom right controls can speed up or reverse time.
Two final things:
1. Hold down left mouse button, and drag
mouse across screen to change your view.
2. Use your mouse scroll button to zoom in or
out, or use / to zoom in, and \ to zoom out.
The Science
 Part One: Evidence of Motion
 Part Two: Day & Night
 Part Three: Star Data Using Stellarium Software
 Part Four: Stars During One Night
 Part Five: Stars Over Many Nights, Weeks, Months
 Part Six: Make and Understand a Star Finder
Observations: Stars During 1 Night
 Question: What patterns do you notice in the motion
of stars over a night from Sacramento?
 Use Stellarium to take your observations.
 Start by looking south. Then look east and west. Then
look north.
 Write the patterns you notice on your whiteboards.
 Be prepared to share your observations.
Animations of Stars During 1 Night
 If there is time, watch animations of the stars during 1
night in Sacramento, looking in each direction.
 QUESTION: How can these patterns be explained?
Model: Stars During 1 Night
 A model is a coherent set of ideas.
 What set of ideas could explain the patterns you
noticed in the motion of stars over a night from
Sacramento?
 With your group, write down a list of statements about
what causes the patterns in the motion of stars, AND
also be able to explain your ideas with the 3-D objects:
 Earth beach ball, light representing the sun,
constellation sheets.
 Be prepared to share your model.
 I will capture the model on chart paper.
If Needed: Quick Activity on Star “Motion”
 Spin in your chair. Tell me what you see.
 Make sure to include the direction of motion.
 Does this remind of you of any observations?
 Now look up while you spin. Tell me what you see.
 Does this remind of you of any observations?
Can you explain this picture with your model?
The Science
 Part One: Evidence of Motion
 Part Two: Day & Night
 Part Three: Star Data Using Stellarium Software
 Part Four: Stars During One Night
 Part Five: Stars Over Many Nights, Weeks, Months
 Part Six: Make and Understand a Star Finder
Observations: Stars Over Days,
Weeks, and Months
 Question: What patterns do you notice in the motion
of stars in the sky at the same time of night in
Sacramento, over days, weeks, and months?
 Use Stellarium to take your observations.
 Start by looking south. Then look east and west. Then
look north.
 Write the patterns you notice on your whiteboards.
 Be prepared to share your observations.
Model: Stars Over Days, Weeks,
and Months
 What set of ideas could explain the patterns you
noticed in the motion of stars at the same time of
night in Sacramento over days, weeks, and months?
 With your group, write down a list of statements about
what causes the patterns in the motion of stars, AND
also be able to explain your ideas with the 3-D objects:
 Earth beach ball, light representing the sun,
constellation sheets.
 Be prepared to share your model.
 I will capture the model on chart paper.
Models of Star Motion in Sky
 Our models can be used to explain:
 Day and night.
 The sun’s apparent motion through the sky.
 The apparent motion of the stars through the sky:


Over one night
Over many nights, weeks, and months
 Now let’s see if our models can help us understand a
common tool, a star finder.
The Science
 Part One: Evidence of Motion
 Part Two: Day & Night
 Part Three: Star Data Using Stellarium Software
 Part Four: Stars During One Night
 Part Five: Stars Over Many Nights, Weeks, Months
 Part Six: Make and Understand a Star Finder
Task: Make a Star Finder
 Follow the instructions. I have a sample for reference.
 You need the 2 sheets (below), scissors, and tape.
Using the Star Finder
 With your group, figure out how to use the star
finder to predict the position of the stars you
would see in the sky at 9pm tonight.
 Make sure everyone in your group knows how to
use the star finder.
 Once you are ready, I will test you. I will ask you
the name of a constellation from Stellarium.
Understanding the Star Finder
With your group, answer these questions:
1. Why are the East and West compass directions reversed?
2. Why do we need an oval cut-out, what does this represent?
3. Take the “wheel” of stars out and look at it. What does this
represent?
4. Explain why there are marks indicating the time of day—what
does that represent physically?
5. Explain why there are marks indicating the month and date—
what does that represent physically?
6. Could you use this star finder to predict the patterns of stars
you would see in the sky if you lived in Brazil? Explain.
7. Could you use this star finder to predict the patterns of stars
you would see in the sky if you lived on the earth’s North
Pole? Explain.
California Science Content Standards Addressed:
Grade 3 Standards:
4. Objects in the sky move in regular and predictable patterns. As a basis for understanding this concept:
A. Students know the patterns of stars stay the same, although they appear to move across the sky nightly, and
different stars can be seen in different seasons.
B. Students know the way in which the Moon’s appearance changes during the four-week lunar cycle.
C. Students know telescopes magnify the appearance of some distant objects in the sky, including the Moon and the
planets. The number of stars that can be seen through telescopes is dramatically greater than the number that can be
seen by the unaided eye.
D. Students know that Earth is one of several planets that orbit the Sun and that the Moon orbits Earth.
E. Students know the position of the Sun in the sky changes during the course of the day and from season to
season.
Grade 5 Standards:
5. The solar system consists of planets and other bodies that orbit the Sun in predictable paths. As a basis for
understanding this concept:
A. Students know the Sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system and is composed primarily of
hydrogen and helium.
B. Students know the solar system includes the planet Earth, the Moon, the Sun, eight other planets and their satellites,
and smaller objects, such as asteroids and comets.
C. Students know the path of a planet around the Sun is due to the gravitational attraction between the Sun and
the planet.
Thank You
 Contact information:
 Rich Hedman
[email protected]
 All files (instructor notes, handouts, PowerPoints, videos)
used in this presentation may be downloaded from:
http://saspcsus.pbworks.com