The Earth / Moon / Sun System

NC Standard:  3.06

Activity: Constellations

Question: What are the patterns of the stars in the sky?

Vocabulary: constellation

Background: People have looked at the stars for many, many years. They could imagine pictures in stars. Those pictures are called constellations. After you do this activity you can find the constellations in the night sky.

Materials: scissors, empty 35mm film canisters, tape, pencil, piece of thick cardboard, push pins

Procedure: 

• 1. Put a piece of tape on the side of each canister. Write the name of a constellation on it.

• 2. Cut out a constellation pattern on the dotted lines.

• 3. Put the pattern on the canister with the correct name on it.

• 4. Put a pattern over the bottom of the film canister. Line the dark circle up with the inside rim of the canister. Tape the circle into place.

• 5. Punch a small hole through the paper and the canister for each star in the pattern.

• 6. Hold the film canister up to the light. Look through it to make sure that you have punched the holes all the way through. You should see light through each hole.

• 7. Take the paper pattern off the canister.

• 8. Repeat steps 2-8 for the rest of the constellation patterns.

• 9. Choose one of the canisters and read the name. Look through it to try to remember the pattern. Slowly turn the canister and observe.

• 10. Try to learn the constellations without looking at the names.

• 11. Look outside to find the patterns in the sky at night.
  

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Line of Learning:  This line is drawn to provide students with a space to share their experimental learning in words or pictures.
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