Stories in the Stars
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Since the beginning of history, humans have always looked into the night sky and wondered about the strange shapes made by distant lights. Before humans could explain the stars and constellations scientifically, they made up stories to go along with them.
The Ancient Greeks were among the first cultures to name the constellations and connect them to their stories. These stories, what we now call mythology, told the dramatic adventures of gods, goddesses heroes and monsters. Greek mythology explained how things came to be. It explained the unknown and the known world. It gave meaning to human life and taught values and lessons to humans. |
This project, Stories In The Stars, gave students an opportunity to become myth and fable makers, astronomers and artists. We wanted to see
At the beginning of our project, we interviewed 4th graders from Explorer Elementary. We asked them questions like:
- What new shapes can we find in the constellations?
- What new stories can we weave into these astral images?
At the beginning of our project, we interviewed 4th graders from Explorer Elementary. We asked them questions like:
- What are the greatest mysteries in the world?
- What do you believe?
- What do you want to know about outer space?
- What are the most important rules to live by?
We then used these ideas, from the interviews, as a basis for creating our stories. We tried to answer their questions in a mythical way or write a fable that showed their values. Next, we selected constellations, learned how to map them mathematically (using right ascension and declination – like real astronomers) and created paintings of astral images. Some of our stories are based on known mythology. Other stories are 100% original. Every story was written, critiqued, revised and edited by students. For our exhibition, students carried on the oral tradition of the Ancient Greeks, performing their stories on stage in front of a live audience.
The math component of this project was collaboratively designed and taught by two students...
Student Reflection:One morning after finishing their work during math class, Ms. Wong came to Will and Harrison and told them to find a way to map out a constellation. That night, Will brought the assignment home and made many mistakes... first he found that his coordinates were wrong. Then Will found that using a coordinate plane wasn’t the most accurate way of mapping out the stars. While analyzing many different constellations, Will found that it would be easier to use the data chart than a coordinate plane. That night, Will finished the data chart and brought it to Ms. Wong the next day.
When Will brought his idea to Ms. Wong, she had the same idea! Will presented this idea to Harrison and Harrison got it instantly. Then Ms. Wong came to Will and Harrison once more saying that it would make this project even more special if we made the same graph on the computer. Will and Harrison used Google Spreadsheet to make the graph. At first Will didn’t know how to use spreadsheet but since Harrison had used this program before, he taught Will how to do it. Will and Harrison then used Adobe Illustrator to connect the stars to make the constellation. The next week they taught the class to make their own constellation diagrams. Teaching the class was a lot harder than Will and Harrison had expected. Though it was very hard, Will and Harrison learned a lot more by teaching the class than just sitting in a chair for 45 minutes each day. During the course of this mini-project, not only did Will and Harrison learn how to make the charts, but they also learned how to teach others, have patience, and be supportive. - Written by Will H. (2013) |
Student Constellation Diagrams:
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about_your_constellation.docx | |
File Size: | 62 kb |
File Type: | docx |
stars_research_graphic_organizers.docx | |
File Size: | 48 kb |
File Type: | docx |
star_diagram_data_chart.docx | |
File Size: | 300 kb |
File Type: | docx |
all_stars_rubric.docx | |
File Size: | 108 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Suggested Sites for All Stars Project Research:
http://www.topastronomer.com/default.aspx
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_kids/AskKids/stars.shtml
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/stars.htm
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/universe_level1/stars.html
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/asks
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/universe/sights/stars/
http://www.space.com/57-stars-formation-classification-and-constellations.html
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_kids/AskKids/stars.shtml
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/stars.htm
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/universe_level1/stars.html
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/asks
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/universe/sights/stars/
http://www.space.com/57-stars-formation-classification-and-constellations.html