Students research the legend of Tanabata in order to explain some of the astronomical findings in the night sky. The Japanese tell the story in order to explain the origin of celestial bodies.

Students use Excel software as an interactive database to answer questions about our closest neighboring stars. They apply filters to the spreadsheet to sort through data and find results. Students identify properties of stars. They...

Fourth graders view an interactive PowerPoint presented by the teacher. Students then research a particular planet on the Internet. The students construct a model of their planet and present it to the class.

Eighth graders research and investigate a constellation. They identify the basic constellations in the night sky. Students construct a model of a planetarium and discuss its limitations. They relate mythology to the early study of the...

Students are introduced to both celestial coordinates and to the first rung on the distance determination ladder. They convert spherical coordinates to Cartesian coordinates to construct a three dimensional model of a constellation...

Students are split into teams. Students travel to the stars instructional activity on a given web site and gather information about stars. Students then choose a category for the tag board that the teacher has made. The teacher asks a...

Third graders read about Galileo. They create constellation cards. Students create mini planetariums of a constellation. They encounter myths and stories created around the constellations.

Students recognize various constellations in the planetarium. They discuss why the stars do not look the same everywhere and in all seasons. Students use their constellation maps to locate the constellations. They write a reflective...

Eighth graders write a myth about a constellation that is seen from the night sky in South Carolina. They draw a picture of their constellation to attach to their myth. They scan their pictures and type their stories into a web page...

Students observe the changing night sky over the course of an evening and chart the circumpolar stars as they traverse the sky in a progression around Polaris. They infer and discuss the cause of the changing star positions.

Students divide into groups of four or five and distribute materials to design StarDarts by drawing and cutting out 6-8 cardstock stars, each about one and a half inches across. They decorate their stars with phosphorescent paint...

Young scholars watch a demonstration on how to create pineapple stars. As a class, they review the different types of fabrics and the best ones to use for this activity. They share their creation with the class and ask for constructive...

Students, through teacher lecture and class discussion, explore historical methods of navigation: dead reckoning and celestial navigation.

Students examine stars and constellations in the night sky. They complete a KWL chart and calculate the mass of stars. They also discuss how a star is formed.

Students explore the night sky and make illustrations which are shared in class the next day. Distinctions are made between the stars and the planets and views of the constellations for the season are made available. The work of early...

Learners consider the amount of time that it would take to get to the star, Sirius using various modes of transportation, some practical and some whimsical. The practicality of physically going to another star system is explored in this...

Students identify and recall common constellations by using a palm pilot with astronomy software. Students will use their Palm to assist them in correctly identifying constellations using a telescope.

High schoolers compare and contrast the orbits of Earth and Mars, locate the planet Mars, and diagram its retrograde motion.

Learners produce quilting stars that challenge students with unusual piecing situations, and the sampler format allows quilters to create freely with unusual fabric combinations.

Second graders participate in a variety of activities to explore the Solar System in this unit.

High schoolers explain the functions of a telescope. They name the parts of the telescope. After previously learning the planets and constellations, students identify and view them during a star party.

Students decipher two teacher chosen mystery constellations a month. They listen to stories, explain what they know about constellations and name the mystery constellation.

Third graders use flashlights and balls to demonstrate how the light bounces off of the sun and reflects onto the moon. They record their observations in a journal.