Jena Freeth

October 14th, 2014

Science Introduce Stars
1.1

Objectives
Students will know what a star and a constellation are.
Students will be able to identify major constellations.
Students will be able to create their own constellation.

1.2 Standards
3.3.4.B: Identify planets in our solar system and their basic
characteristics. Describe the solar system that includes the sun (a
star), planets, and many moons. Recognize that the universe contains
billions of galaxies and that each galaxy contains many billion of stars.
1.3 Anticipatory Set
Timed star knowledge.
1.4 Procedure
Anticipatory Set
o Students will start by being timed. In 2 minutes, write down
everything you know about stars. Can be a sentence, a word, a
color anything that comes to mind!
After that, the teacher will ask students to share their ideas with the
person next to them. Once that is completed, the teacher will pull
students back together and make a class chart of what we already
know about the stars. Then the teacher will ask students to share aloud
some thought of maybe what they would like to learn.
Once finished, we will move on vocabulary Stars and Constellations
The teacher will ask students if they remember what a star is?
o Star A ball of burning gases that give off light and heat.
o Students will write that down in their vocabulary flip book. While
they do that the teacher will explain that the closest star is
extremely far away! So far away that even the fast jet plane
going at 2067mph would take over a million years to fly to the
closet star past the sun.
Then the teacher will ask students if they know what a cluster of stars
is called?
o Constellations A group of stars that form an identifiable pattern.
Can describe an object, person, or animal.
o The teacher will then put the big dipper on the smartboard can
anyone identify this constellation? People in the past thought it
looked like a cup on a handle, which is how it got its name.
o The teacher will then tell students that the big dipper is actually
apart of a bigger constellation called Ursa Major which in latin

means The Great Bear. The teacher will show the stars version of
Ursa Major.
o After this the teacher will show how this constellation makes a
bear and ask students if anyone knows the story of Ursa Major?
The teacher will explain the story of the fox and the bear.
After that, the teacher will pass out the worksheet star patterns.
Students will be asked to create their own star patterns. Get creative!
It can be an animal, sport, person, but be able to explain why you
chose it!
o Once students complete their worksheet, the teacher will ask
volunteers to come up and share some ideas.
1.5 Differentiation
There are a variety of activities that can appeal to all learners. Also,
students who have trouble copying or reading the teacher can give
those students the worksheets or vocabulary print outs after the
lesson.
1.6 Closure
Having students share their constellations and their story to go along
with it.
1.7 Formative/Summative Assessment of Students (P-12)
Formative Progress Monitoring and worksheet.
Summative Unit test on the sun, moon, and stars.
1.8

Materials/Equipment
Smartboard
Pencils
Worksheet
Chart for KW
Markers

1.9 Technology
Smartboard
2.1 Reflection on Planning
When planning this lesson, I admit I was a bit nervous because it was
first time deciding how much information can be fit in a day and what
route I would like to go to teach it all. The science kit given does an
extremely helpful job of laying out how the lesson should be taught
which was super helpful in planning. They leave plenty of room for
adding activities and your own spin, which I this time around did not

change much. Were actually having students record vocabulary but

that is about it. I hope that the lesson goes as smoothly as planning
did.
2.2 Reflection on Instruction