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Boeing Educator Enrichment Day
Astronomy Grades 3-5
Name of workshop:
Star Maps
Time:
Prep time (for teacher before class): 1 hour & 15 minutes
Class time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Student Homework time: total of 1 hour over 1 week (30 min a night)
Materials needed:
Set of 6 star map worksheets on card stock
4 - large classroom black posters (recommend 3’X5’ posterboard)
Planisphere worksheets (Discovery School
school.discovery.com/schooladventures/skywatch/howto/planisphere1.html)
Staplers
2 - Pkgs large self-stick foil stars
1 - Pkg small self-stick foil stars (at least 20 stars in each pkg)
1 - Booklet titled, “Earth, Moon & Stars – Great Explorations in Math & Science
(GEMS)
Guiding Question or focus:
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Do the patterns of the stars move & change?
Why do stars appear the way they do from Earth?
Concepts:
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Finding constellations in the night sky using star maps. Is it easy or hard to
find the constellations? Do the star maps help?
How to tell direction in the night sky and use the star maps to orient direction.
What constellations are near the horizon? Which are near the zenith?
Do the constellations change position in the night sky from month to month?
Is the Big Dipper in the same spot in the night sky in January as it is in June?
People in different locations on Earth see different parts of the night sky, and
see different stars & constellations at different times of the year.
GLE 1.2.5 (4) Describe how the patterns of stars in the sky stay the same as
seen from Earth (e.g., constellations such as the "Big Dipper" always have
the same pattern).
GLE 1.3.7 (4) Describe how star patterns are different at different times of the
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year as seen from Earth (e.g., constellations such as Orion cannot always be
seen during the course of a year).
Vocabulary
Word Bank:
Star
Constellation
Horizon
Zenith
Celestial sphere
Little Dipper
Orion
Virgo
Leo
Season
Sign-posts
Zodiac
Working definitions:
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Star = a ball-shaped gaseous celestial body (as the sun) of great mass that
shines by its own light.
 Constellation = pattern or arrangement of stars in the sky; usually named after
animals, heroes and gods. There are a total of 88 “official” constellations.
 Horizon = the line where the land meets the sky. Constellations near the
horizon appear low in the sky (near the edge of the circle of the Star Map).
 Zenith = the part of the sky that is directly above you. Constellations near the
zenith appear high, near the top of the sky (middle of the circle on the Star
Map).
 Celestial sphere = giant imaginary sphere that surrounds Earth. Stars &
constellations appear to be attached to this imaginary sphere.
 Little Dipper = shaped like a small ladle or spoon. The end star of the Little
Dipper’s handle is Polaris. The Little Dipper is part of a bigger constellation
called “Ursa Minor” which means Little Bear.
 Orion = constellation represented by the figure of a great hunter in Greek
mythology. The belt of Orion is made up of three bright stars and is usually
the most recognizable part of the Orion constellation. Winter is the best time
to view this constellation.
 Virgo = the second largest constellation (after Hydra). It is one of the
constellations of the Zodiac, and its appearance in the night sky announces
the harvest season. The constellation is represented by the figure of a
maiden, who is known by a variety of names (e.g. Isis, the Egyptian
protectress; Ishtar, the Sumerian Queen of the Heavens; Roman goddess
Ceres; and Greek goddess Demeter).
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Leo = constellation represented by the Nemean Lion, in Greek mythology,
which was killed by Hercules. It is also a constellation of the Zodiac.
Season = one of the four quarters into which the year is commonly divided –
Autumn, Spring, Summer & Winter.
Sign-posts = Stars, constellations, or other major celestial objects (e.g. the
Moon, planets, galaxies & nebulas), that are easily recognizable in the night
sky and provide direction or clues to finding other stars, constellations and
major celestial objects.
Zodiac = As the Earth revolves around the Sun, the Sun appears to move
eastward in a complete circle around the sky. This path is called the ecliptic
and any constellation that is located on this path (as seen in the night sky) is
called a zodiac constellation.
Operational definitions:
Opening:
(How will you engage your students?)
Sometimes when you look up at the night sky, it can be very intimidating trying to
make out anything except a whole bunch of scattered stars. Hopefully, this next
activity will give you a better idea of which direction to start looking and help you
map out the night sky. So when someone asks you where is the Orion
constellation, you’ll be able to tell them what part of the sky to look and at what
time of the year is best for viewing it.
When you look up at the night sky, the stars all seem to be on the inside of a
huge dome. Ancient astronomers saw it as a giant celestial sphere that
surrounds earth, with different constellations & stars on different parts of the
celestial sphere. As the earth rotates inside this celestial sphere, you see
different areas of the sphere or different constellations. If you broke up the
celestial sphere into different pieces, you would get Star Maps.
Investigation:
(How will your students explore and investigate?)
Note 1: For the following star activities, please try to pick a time during the
school year, when the skies are less likely to be cloudy. Also, for student
homework, please try to pick evenings when the Moon is not full. Sometimes the
full moon is so bright, it is difficult to see the stars.
Note 2: A more detailed description of this activity can be found in the GEMS
booklet (listed under ‘Materials needed’), pgs 41-53.
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Put up the poster of the 3 constellations (Big Dipper, Little Dipper &
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Cassiopeia), from the Myths & Constellations activity, at the front of the room.
Ask the students if they remember the names of the constellations.
Ask them to identify Polaris. How did they find Polaris (from the Myths &
Constellation activity) and what direction does Polaris tell them?
Now put the posters of the other 3 constellations that you created as
preparation for this class activity (1 poster for each constellation). Orion goes
on the left wall (West). Virgo goes on the right wall (East). Leo goes on the
back wall (South).
Note: Which wall the constellation goes on, depends on what time of the year
you are viewing the night sky. The time represented in this activity is MarchApril.
Ask the students to face the front of the room at the Big Dipper poster. Ask
the class what direction are they facing? How can they tell? What direction is
the back of the room? The right side? The left side? Put sticky notes on the
posters that indicate what direction it is, after the students have correctly
identified them. Don’t write the direction on your posters, so you can re-use
the posters for other classes.
Give each student a star map for the appropriate time of year (e.g. in this
activity March-April). Copy the star map handouts on cardstock (prep time).
Tell the students to face the North poster and then to follow the instructions at
the bottom of their Star Map – “Hold this sheet in front of you. Turn the map
so the direction you are facing is on the bottom. The constellations in the sky
will match the constellations on the map.” See if they notice that north and
south on their maps don’t line up with the directions on the wall.
Now, tell the students to swing their maps up over their head, so they are now
looking up at the star maps, towards the ceiling. Do the directions on the wall
now match with the directions on their map? Ask them why that is?
Explain other markings on their Star Maps, like the Horizon.
Pick the Little Dipper and ask the students to find it on their Star Maps. Now,
how would they find the Little Dipper in the actual night sky with their star
map? What direction should they be facing? (North), so what direction should
be at the bottom of their star map? (North). So if they put the star map over
their head again, what direction should the poster of the Little Dipper be? (In
front of them).
Pick another constellation like Orion. Go thru the same steps. Have them
find the constellation on their star map. Ask them to face that direction on the
wall posters (West, left wall). Do they have west at the bottom of their star
maps? Now have them flip the map over their head and point out which
direction Orion is. Which wall poster? (In front of them). Without moving or
changing what direction they’re facing, ask them what direction (wall) is the
Little Dipper? (They should point to their right, towards the front of the class
room).
Now, pick another constellation, Leo or Virgo and have them do all the steps
themselves.
Assign homework to the students to take home their star maps and use them
at night to find as many constellations as possible. Have them record their
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observations in their journals. Ask them to go at two different times that night
and to record their observations. Could they find the same constellations at
the two different times? Were there other differences, like the location of the
constellations in the sky? Recommend that the students do this homework at
least 2-3 times.
Briefly review the star maps for the other times of the year.
Summarize:
(How will your students reflect and explain?)
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Constellations define patterns of the stars and break up the night sky into
distinct regions, like mapping the night sky.
The stars & constellations you see at night will change position from season
to season as the Earth orbits the Sun. The stars will be in a different location
(west of) as it was the previous night at the same exact time.
Which stars & constellations you see depends on your latitude on Earth.
People in the Southern hemisphere see different constellations at different
times of the year. Some constellations that we see in the Northern
hemisphere cannot be seen at all by the people in the Southern hemisphere,
and vice versa. Even though there are a total of 88 constellations that can be
seen from Earth, only about half of them can be viewed from the Northern
hemisphere.
Some constellations are sign-posts & can help you find other constellations in
the night sky.
Knowing which direction you’re facing will help you find which part of the night
sky that a constellation is in.
The patterns & shapes of the constellation do change over time. The stars
are not fixed. They all move through space at very high speeds, but because
they are so far away, we don’t notice any movement, even in our lifetime.
Only after 100,000 years, would a change in pattern or shape be noticed.
Application:
(How will your students apply and extend what they have learned?)
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Discover which constellations are the key “sign posts” and be able to find the
location of all the constellations in the sky from these sign posts.
Are the stars within a constellation connected to each other?
Probably not. The stars within one constellation are all at different distances
from us, on Earth. It’s only by chance, that they appear to be next to each
other, to form a shape or constellation.
Ask the students to go out at night in a couple of months and record their
observations about the same constellations they have observed for this
activity. They should go out at the same times they do for this activity. Do
the positions of the constellations change over the months, even though they
go outside at the same exact times?
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Why are there more stars visible in the country settings than in the city?
There are fewer artificial lights to block out the light of the stars.
Why do stars twinkle?
Do planets twinkle?
Leo & Virgo are constellations of the Zodiac. Find out about other
constellations of the Zodiac. Find the constellation for your zodiac or
astrological sign in the night sky.
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[INSERT ILLUSTRATION PAGE: “STAR MAP 1 – JAN-FEB”]
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[INSERT ILLUSTRATION PAGE: “STAR MAP 2 – MAR-APR”]
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[INSERT ILLUSTRATION PAGE: “STAR MAP 3 – MAY-JUN”]
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[INSERT ILLUSTRATION PAGE: “STAR MAP 4 – JUL-AUG”]
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[INSERT ILLUSTRATION PAGE: “STAR MAP 5 – SEP-OCT”]
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[INSERT ILLUSTRATION PAGE: “STAR MAP 6 – NOV-DEC”]
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