4th Grade Planetarium Program Howard B. Owens Science Center PRE-VISIT MATERIALS

Transcription

1 Heroes of the Sky 4th Grade Planetarium Program Howard B. Owens Science Center PRE-VISIT MATERIALS

2 Heroes of the Sky Walk through the doors of the planetarium, and the transformation is complete: you are now a demigod. Come learn about your relatives in the sky and train using your newly discovered demigod skills! Program Description: The constellations names come from Greek and Roman mythology. Inspired by Rick Riordan s world of Percy Jackson, students will be introduced to age-appropriate versions of the myths as they learn to find some of the Greek heroes in the patterns in the night sky. Then students will work in teams to explore specific astronomy content relevant to their godly parentage. This program is designed to link astronomy with social studies through the understanding of culture through myths. Curriculum Alignments: NGSS: (SAME) 5. Earth Systems: Stars and the Solar System 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. ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System. The orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around the 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. (5-ESS1-2). MCCRS- RELA & Math: ELA/Literacy RI.5.9: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. L.4.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation). RL.4.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. RL.4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character s thoughts, words, or actions). Mathematics MP.1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. MP.2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4. Model with mathematics. 2

3 Program Title: Heroes of the Sky Grade Level: 4 Science/Mathematics Standard: Date: Quarter 2 Program Lesson Planner Time min. Statement of Objective: What should students know and be able to do as a result of the lesson? Students will develop an understanding of Greek culture and mythology through roleplay. Students will analyze character traits Greeks admired in their heroes. Students will work in teams to explore different astronomical concepts (such as magnitude, navigation, stellar spectra). Engagement Warm-Up: How will you engage students in learning? How will you connect the lesson to their prior knowledge? Students will become a demigod as they enter the planetarium by randomly selecting a card which will identify their godly parent. All females will be given the opportunity to join the Hunt with the goddess Artemis; six will be selected (based on the total number of students present). Students will be introduced to the Greek gods by reviewing/sharing the characteristics of their godly parents. Exploration Time Teacher Monitored Activities: What will students do together to use new concepts or skills? How will you assist them in this process? 45 min. Students will be taken on a tour of the night sky, learning the Greek legends through the constellations/associated mythology. The host teacher will share the legends, interacting with the students to discover their prior knowledge of the legends.

4 Program Title: Heroes of the Sky Grade Level: 4 Science/Mathematics Standard: Date: Quarter 2 Program Lesson Planner Explanation Time (part of 45 minute sky tour) Teacher Directed Activities: How will you aid students in constructing the meaning of new concepts? How will you introduce/model new skills or procedures? The host teacher will guide students through the constellations, pointing out how the legends reflect careful observations of the sky motions, such as the rotation of the Earth through the story of Taurus/Pleiades and the determination that certain constellations can never be seen in the sky at the same time, such as Orion/Scorpius. Elaboration Time min. Extension, Refinement, and Practice Activities: What opportunities will students have to use the new skills and concepts in a meaningful way? How will students expand and solidify their understanding of the concept and apply it to a real-world situation? How will students demonstrate their mastery of the essential learning outcomes? Students will work in teams of six-seven to perform specific tasks associated with their godly parent, each task designed to teach a specific concept about the sky. At times, all students will be asked to make the same sky observations. Concepts covered include exploring stellar magnitude (brightness) and color using the constellation Orion, identifying gases by their spectra, determining the altitude (height above horizon) of bright stars, comparing stars according to magnitude (brightness), and estimating the number of stars in the sky by sampling sections of the sky. 4

5 Program Title: Heroes of the Sky Grade Level: 4 Science/Mathematics Standard: Date: Quarter 2 Program Lesson Planner Evaluation Time (throug hout class) Ongoing Assessment: How will you monitor student progress throughout the lesson? The host teacher will monitor student progress and informally assess student understanding based upon the reporting out/discussion periods. Culminating Assessment: How will you ensure that all students have mastered the identified learning indicators? How will you assess their learning? The host teacher will provide the visiting teacher with a formal assessment through completing the Post-Visit materials. Closure Time Closure Activities: Through this teacher-guided activity, how will you assist students in reflecting upon what they learned today and preparing for tomorrow s lesson? What homework will be assigned to help students practice, prepare, or elaborate on a concept or skill taught? 20 min. Teams will report out their findings briefly, to add to the corporate knowledge of the students. 5

6 Pre-Visit Activity One: Make and Take - Planisphere Star Maps are fantastic tools for helping identify stars and constellations. However, most star maps are designed to show you only a snapshot of the sky at a particular time and date. To be able to locate stars/constellations for any time of the year at any time during the night, another useful tool is a planisphere. Materials: Teachers: Access to Internet and printer; enough Cardstock paper to print two pages per student Students: Pair of scissors TEACHERS: Log on to Print out the directions page for your students Click on the link to download the Starwheel file. Print the first two pages of this file on cardstock (one set each per student). Guide the students through the creation and use of the Starwheel. OPTIONAL: Have students bring their starwheels to the planetarium program! We will put them to use! 6

7 Pre-Visit Activity Two: (Web 2.0) The Sky Live! Interact with the sky using the online planetarium : 1. You may be prompted to allow Flash to run the program. 2. Check the location button to make sure you are looking at the skies above you. If not, click on Set to my location. 11 Set to my location 7

8 3. Click the sky to explore. Find the Sun, then locate any planets near the Sun by placing your mouse over it. Hint: planets are usually the bright objects that are not part of a constellation outline. If the constellation outlines are not visible, click on the Constellations button. List the planets near the Sun: 4. Step through approximately five days and observe the Sun and planets. Describe what you see. THINK: Why did the Sun behave as you observed? Why did the planets behave as you observed? 8

9 5. Use your mouse to spin the view until you find Celestial North. It will be labeled in red. Place your mouse over the star closest to Celestial North. What is the name of this star? What constellation is it part of? 6. Click forward at least 12 hours. Observe and describe the changes in the sky. THINK: Why did the stars behave as you observed? 7. Explore freely, seeing what other constellations and stars you can identify! 9

10 Pre-Visit Activity Three: The Labors of Hercules Materials: Access to Internet; this worksheet 1. To learn about the most famous Greek hero (demigod), link to There is a link to each one of the Twelve Labors of Hercules. Name 2. Click on each link to answer the following: A) One of the traits which characterizes Hercules is his great strength. Use evidence from at least two of his labors to support this claim. 10

11 B) Hercules s nephew, Iolaus, often accompanied him on his labors. Describe, using at least two examples, how Hercules needed Ioalus to accomplish the labor. C) GEOGRAPHY! Circle the following cities on the map of Greece and explain the importance of each, using the Labors of Hercules: Mycenae: Lerna: Elis: 11

12 Nemea: Stymphalia: From 12