Pictures in the Stars
Pictures in the Stars
5-ESS1-2. Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.
The orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns. These include day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the day, month, and year.
Have a Sunny Birthday!
Patterns in Shadows
Pictures in the Stars
Adapted from AASS Science Netlinks lesson Looking at the Night: http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/looking-night-sky/
Before: You will need various objects to be “constellations.”
Seek: Have you ever noticed stars in the night sky? Discuss constellations.
Try: Use the skychart at http://www.starrynighteducation.com/skychart to examine how the pattern of stars changes as you change the date. Start with today’s date and go forward or backward one day at a time to show how the pattern changes. (This skychart is the graphical display in this lesson.)
Expand: Return to the idea of rotation and revolution to explain why the stars look different at different times of the year. Place objects around the perimeter of the room to be “constellations” and have a student be the Earth. Set up a sun in the middle of the floor and review rotation and revolution.
When can you see the stars? When it is night; when your portion of the Earth is rotated away from the light of the sun.
Have the student rotate and revolve, slowly, and discuss which “constellations” s/he can see in each position. Elicit from students that the revolution of the Earth around the sun in what makes different constellations (and other space features) visible at different times of the year.
Make Connections: Have students reflect, in words and/or pictures, why the sky looks different at different times of the year.
Extend:
Students can explore star charts for different seasons: http://sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/starsearch/starsearch.swf
Students can research constellations: http://www.dustbunny.com/afk/constellations/ (only one example; many sites available)
Students can learn how to use a sextant: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/navigate/escapeworks.html
Students can complete the star observing exercise described at the bottom of http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/looking-night-sky/
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5-ESS1-2. Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.
The orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns. These include day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the day, month, and year.
- The Earth moves in two ways: The Earth orbits (revolves) around the sun and turns (rotates) on its axis.
- The rotation of the Earth causes day and night.
- The movement of the Earth causes observable patterns. (specifically in the appearance of shadows, sunrise and sunset, and star patterns)
Have a Sunny Birthday!
Patterns in Shadows
Pictures in the Stars
Adapted from AASS Science Netlinks lesson Looking at the Night: http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/looking-night-sky/
Before: You will need various objects to be “constellations.”
Seek: Have you ever noticed stars in the night sky? Discuss constellations.
Try: Use the skychart at http://www.starrynighteducation.com/skychart to examine how the pattern of stars changes as you change the date. Start with today’s date and go forward or backward one day at a time to show how the pattern changes. (This skychart is the graphical display in this lesson.)
Expand: Return to the idea of rotation and revolution to explain why the stars look different at different times of the year. Place objects around the perimeter of the room to be “constellations” and have a student be the Earth. Set up a sun in the middle of the floor and review rotation and revolution.
When can you see the stars? When it is night; when your portion of the Earth is rotated away from the light of the sun.
Have the student rotate and revolve, slowly, and discuss which “constellations” s/he can see in each position. Elicit from students that the revolution of the Earth around the sun in what makes different constellations (and other space features) visible at different times of the year.
Make Connections: Have students reflect, in words and/or pictures, why the sky looks different at different times of the year.
Extend:
Students can explore star charts for different seasons: http://sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/starsearch/starsearch.swf
Students can research constellations: http://www.dustbunny.com/afk/constellations/ (only one example; many sites available)
Students can learn how to use a sextant: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/navigate/escapeworks.html
Students can complete the star observing exercise described at the bottom of http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/looking-night-sky/
Back to the Teacher main page