Elementary School Science

Input:
What is the most important content in this lesson?
To reach this lesson’s objective, students need to understand:

• What a star is made up of.

• The life cycle of a star.

• The definitions to the terms: constellation, galaxy, and supernova.

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How will the learning of this content be facilitated?

• For the first few minutes, the students will fill out the “What I Know About Eclipses” worksheet.

• The teacher should begin class by playing the game “Fact or Fake?” On the board, the teacher should draw two columns. One column will be labeled “Fact” and one column will be labeled “Fake”. The teacher will have 10 “Fact or Fake” cards. The teacher will read each card. After reading the card, the teacher will ask the students if they think the statement is a fact or if it is fake. After the cards are read, the teacher will not review the correct answers. Instead, the teacher will present the information and then revisit the game at the end of class.

• Fact or Fake Answers:

• True​

  • Stars range in age from 1-year-old to 10 billion-years-old.

  • The Sun is considered a dwarf star.

  • Stars do not twinkle.

  • The Solar System is home to 100 billion galaxies.

  • There are 200-400 million stars in the Milky Way.

• FALSE

  • There are 4 different types of stars. [There are 3]

  • Smaller stars have shorter lifespans. [They have longer lifespans]

  • There are 100 known constellations [There are 88].

  • Galileo discovered 48 constellations. [Ptolemy discovered 48 constellations]

  • Brown dwarf is the most common type of star. [Red dwarf is the most common type of star]

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• After the game is done, the teacher will begin presenting the information on the Solar System. If it is possible, project each page of the teacher’s copy of the “All About the Solar System” Science Journal worksheet onto the board using a projector or put into a PowerPoint document and project.  The teacher’s copy of the journal has certain words/phrases that are bolded red and highlighted. It is important the teacher explain to the students those words/phrases are to be highlighted in their (students) journal. For this lesson, the teacher should review these pages:

• Page 53: Star Facts

**This page reviews basic information about the stars, including what they are made up of**

• Pages 54-55: Life Cycle of a Star

**These pages review the life cycle of a star**

• Pages 56-57: Types of Stars

**These pages review the three types of stars**

• Pages 58-60: Constellations

**These pages review the constellations in the sky, their names, and the reason they received the name they did**

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• After the information has been presented, the students will create a “Constellations” craft. Each student will get a piece of black cardstock or construction paper, a sheet of gold star stickers or gold paper stars, and a piece of white chalk. The students will choose one constellation from their science journal that they will like to recreate. On the cardstock/construction paper, the students will place the stars so they look like the constellation they chose. Using the chalk, the students will draw lines connecting the stars. On the bottom of the paper, the students will write the name of the constellation they chose. Allow the students about 15 minutes to complete the activity.  

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Closure

• The students should reconvene and the teacher should discuss the activities.

• The students will then fill out the “What I Learned About Stars” worksheet.

• They will then share with the class, or with a partner, some things they wrote down in their “What I Learned About Stars” page.

•  **The students should keep both of the "What I Know" and "What I Learned" sheets in a folder to put them all together into a book when the unit is finished.​**