Author:
The genius group from Madison Wisconsin
Subject:
Astronomy, Character Education, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, Ancient History, World Cultures
Material Type:
Lesson
Level:
Upper Primary
Tags:
  • Astronomy
  • Constellations
  • Cultivating Genius
  • Five Pursuits
  • Myths
  • Research
  • World Cultures
  • License:
    Public Domain Dedication
    Language:
    English
    Media Formats:
    Audio, Downloadable docs

    Education Standards

    fifth grade Cultivating Genius framework science: Constellations: A Global Perspective

    fifth grade Cultivating Genius framework science: Constellations: A Global Perspective

    Overview

    Details: This lesson can be added to 5th Grade Amplify Patterns of Earth and Sky: Analyzing Stars on Ancient Artifacts, with Lesson 2.1 after looking for patterns, making observations, and reflecting on the Model.

    Pursuits addressed: 

    Identity-Students will learn about constellations from their own cultural perspectives and recognize that people from all over the world have stories related to the stars in the sky.

    Skills-The students will research constellations from a cultural perspective and create a class book to share with the rest of the school about constellations and their stories from around the world.

    Intellect-Students will interview their families to find out if their families have any constellation stories or information related to their cultures.

    Criticality- Students will understand that there are more than Greek and Roman names and stories for the constellations. The stories  are told and retold  by those in power. 

     

    Constellations: A Global Perspective

    Lesson 

    Overview

    (Time est)

    Pursuits addressed: 

    Identity-Students will learn about constellations from their own cultural perspectives and recognize that people from all over the world have stories related to the stars in the sky.

    Skills-The students will research constellations from a cultural perspective and create a class book to share with the rest of the school about constellations and their stories from around the world.

    Intellect-Students will interview their families to find out if their families have any constellation stories or information related to their cultures.

    Criticality- Students will understand that there are more than Greek and Roman names and stories for the constellations. The stories  are told and retold  by those in power. 

     

    Details: This lesson can be added to 5th Grade Amplify Patterns of Earth and Sky: Analyzing Stars on Ancient Artifacts, with Lesson 2.1 after looking for patterns, making observations, and reflecting on the Model. 

     

    Driving Question for Investigation 2.1:What causes the daily pattern of when we see the sun and other stars?

       

    Lesson Snapshot 

    1. Introduction: Introduce Photos of Constellations and Stars by showing the pictures and discussing what students already know about the constellations and stars.

    2. Activities: Introduce the idea that Indigenous people have had names and stories for the stars and constellations and  used the stars and constellations to inform their actions long before the Greek and Roman cultures created names for the stars and constellations by matching  the Greek or Roman  constellation pictures and African Constellation information cards.

    3. Wrap Up: Have students interview a family member or research to find information about the name and story of a star or constellation from their own culture or a culture of their choice. Then have the students turn their research or interview findings into a book that can be kept in the school library and shared with other students for years to come. 

    Possible Research sources:

    Constellation Finder A guide to patterns in the night sky with star stories from around the world by Dorcas S. Miller, Nature Study Guide Publishers, 2005

    Nativeskywatchers.com (website)

    Talking Sky by Carl Gawboy and Ron Morton, Rockflower Press, Jan. 1, 2014

     

    Learning Performances

    Students will research and write about stars and constellations from various cultural perspectives.

     

    Building toward PE

    Students will research and gather information by asking questions about constellations (systems) to support representing 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. 

     

    Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: CCSS.ELA.RI.5.7

    Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

    Research to Build and Present Knowledge: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.7

    Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. 

    Writing: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.4

    Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

    Materials and Prep

     

    Materials

    Preparation 

    • Collect books about constellations from your public or school library.

    • Make copies for each student of the family survey template.

    • Send a link to each student of the Cultural Constellation Research Page

    Lesson Component

    How to Implement 

    What are kids figuring out?

    Students figure out that constellations have many names and stories from various cultures.

    Look Fors

    1. Look for students finding key details in the text about constellations from African cultures.

    2. Look for students answering survey questions or researching to find information about constellations from cultures that they can relate to or interest them.

    1

    Introduction

    (15  min)

    Engaging with Phenomenon and DQ, “What are some constellations and stories related to the constellations from other countries? 

    1. We have been learning about what causes the pattern of when we see the sun and other stars. People from many cultures all around the world have been studying the stars and have named constellations based on activities, celebrations, and stories from their cultures.

    2. Show Photos of Constellations and Stars.

    3. Show and discuss African Constellation Information.

    4. Model and practice reading the information from one of the African constellation stories and discuss what the constellation is called in other cultures. Show how to fill in the Template for Cultural Constellation Research Page.

     

    Supporting Student Discourse: In whole class discussions, support students to do the following: listen to the ideas of others carefully, ask questions to check their understanding of others’ comments, explain their own ideas and understanding clearly, and build on one-another’s ideas. 

    2

    Activity

    (25 min)

    1. Model and practice reading the information from one of the African constellation stories and discuss what the constellation is called in other cultures. Show how to fill in the Template for Cultural Constellation Research Page.

    2. Have students work as partners to fill in the above template with another of the African constellations.

    3. Have partners share the information that they wrote about.

    4. Explain to students that they are going to have homework. It is their job to find someone at home and ask them the questions on the Family Survey Template.

    5. The following day students will work on their own to fill out one more page of the Template for Cultural Constellation Research Page.

     

    Possible cultural constellation research resources (in case students were unable to complete the family survey):

    Constellation Finder A guide to patterns in the night sky with star stories from around the world by Dorcas S. Miller, Nature Study Guide Publishers, 2005

    Nativeskywatchers.com (website)

    Talking Sky by Carl Gawboy and Ron Morton, Rockflower Press, Jan. 1, 2014




     

    3

    Wrap Up

    (10  min)

    Exploring the pursuits within the lesson 

     
    1. Write the quote on the board: History is decided by the victors. -  Winston Churchil 

    2. Ask students to think about what this quote means in the case of constellations and astrology. Students turn and talk.

    3. Ask students to think about something they read or a movie they watched that was from the perspective of the person not 'in power'. Discuss. Ask students to reflect silently what this power structure has to do with them and how they might want to change it in small ways. 

    extensions 

    1. Ask students to interview a family member or research to find information about the name and story of a star or constellation from their own culture or a culture of their choice. Then have the students turn their research or interview findings into a book that can be kept in the school library and shared with other students for years to come. 

    2. Put all of the Cultural Constellation Research Pages together as a google slideshow. Record the class reading the book or print the pages. Share the link to the recorded reading or the printed book with the school librarian so that other students in the school can also learn about the constellations around the world or invite another class in to listen to the newly created informational book.it

    Formative Assessment

    Look Fors

    1. Look for students researching and writing about constellations from cultures that are meaningful to them .

    2. Look for students understanding key details from the text and writing in a clear and concise manner.

     

    Evidence Statement 

    Student research will demonstrate that there are more stories about the stars from various cultures than the ones that currently 'dominate the western landscape'. 

     

     help student apply thinking to another.JPG

    Suggested Prompts

    • What country or culture is the constellation that your classmate is explaining from? 

    • What else do you know about that country or culture?

    • What other information do you need from your classmate to understand their presentation?