Constellation Craze
This week we are heading for the stars as we finish up another one of our Earth and Space Science standards. Our standard deals with collecting data and looking for patterns related to shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of stars in the sky. What better way to talk about the seasonal appearance of stars in the sky than to look at the bigger "picture" and focus on constellations?
We spent the first couple of days building some background about what constellations are and why some constellations are only visible at certain times of the year. Part of the background learning that we did brought up the fact that many constellations have a mythological connection, and some of the students were able to make some quick connections to their reading units last year related to mythology (it's always nice to see that little spark in their eyes and to hear "I remember when we learned...). There are also a few students who are REALLY into the Zodiac signs, so we made the connections there as well.
Once we had the background knowledge built, then it was time to introduce the constellations project. The students are choosing a constellation that they want to research and present on. We do about one presentation project per unit (to help support some of the ELA standards), and some of the students absolutely love presenting, while others loathe it. However, this time around, now that the students know how to screencast on their Chromebooks, they have the option of making a screencast presentation. I think this relieved some of the introverts...
There are a few options I provided for the students in terms of how they wanted to make their presentations. Many are going with the traditional Google Slideshow, but I think there will be some of those projects that will be done as screencasts. Others are choosing to make a poster project. I had thrown the idea of making a 3-D model out to the classes, but it doesn't sound like there will be anyone who bites on that project. I think it would have been cool to see someone make a constellation out of toothpicks and marshmallows. I do, however, have a few especially outgoing students who want to write and perform a constellation rap! It should be interesting!
Mindfulness thought for the week: It is possible to be different and still be all right. --Anne Wilson Schaef
We spent the first couple of days building some background about what constellations are and why some constellations are only visible at certain times of the year. Part of the background learning that we did brought up the fact that many constellations have a mythological connection, and some of the students were able to make some quick connections to their reading units last year related to mythology (it's always nice to see that little spark in their eyes and to hear "I remember when we learned...). There are also a few students who are REALLY into the Zodiac signs, so we made the connections there as well.
Once we had the background knowledge built, then it was time to introduce the constellations project. The students are choosing a constellation that they want to research and present on. We do about one presentation project per unit (to help support some of the ELA standards), and some of the students absolutely love presenting, while others loathe it. However, this time around, now that the students know how to screencast on their Chromebooks, they have the option of making a screencast presentation. I think this relieved some of the introverts...
There are a few options I provided for the students in terms of how they wanted to make their presentations. Many are going with the traditional Google Slideshow, but I think there will be some of those projects that will be done as screencasts. Others are choosing to make a poster project. I had thrown the idea of making a 3-D model out to the classes, but it doesn't sound like there will be anyone who bites on that project. I think it would have been cool to see someone make a constellation out of toothpicks and marshmallows. I do, however, have a few especially outgoing students who want to write and perform a constellation rap! It should be interesting!
Mindfulness thought for the week: It is possible to be different and still be all right. --Anne Wilson Schaef
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