Lesson Plans
Lesson Plan 1 – Papier ou 3-D?
Duration: 1 50-minute class period
Objectives: To define a constellation, to describe the difference between the constellation images we have drawn and the way the stars actually exist in the sky, to practice taking notes, to illustrate the way the sky-view changes over the course of a year.
Materials: Chart paper, blue, orange, and green markers, sheets of paper and a plate, a globe, a can of aerosol hairspray (CFC-free, of course!), a soccer ball, a large piece of cotton (to cover the ball), sequins, a basketball (with a hole cut out of the bottom so that it can be placed on a stick), a stick, a bucket filled with sand.
Do Now! Assignment: Dessinez votre constellation préférée. Nommez-la en français. Expliquez pourquoi c'est votre constellation préférée, en français, ou en anglais si c'est absolument nécessaire.
Initiation: Collect Do Nows! Ask students this question: Qu'est-ce que c'est une constellation? Make a key-word list of the responses, repeating English answers in French, and writing key-words in French. After all responses are given, go through each one and write a star if it is correct, or cross it out with a squiggly line if it is incorrect (I find squiggly lines to be less accusatory than plain strikethroughs!) When an answer is close, correct the inaccuracy. One color marker should be used for the list (I prefer blue, as it is easy on the eyes but not plain old black), another for the correct markings, including whatever you add to make something correct (I like upbeat pink or orange), and another for strikethroughs (I prefer less-harsh green.)
Activity: In this lesson, the teacher explains content and asks for responses to check for understanding. The content should be spoken slowly and emphatically, using TPR-type gestures and movements, so that someone walking past the room might think that the teacher was engaged in some sort of spoken mime routine!
Une constellation, c'est un groupe d'étoiles qu'on peut voir au ciel quand il fait nuit. ¿ nos yeux, ces étoiles semblent à former les dessins au ciel, comme si le ciel était plat, comme une feuille de papier, et quelqu'un a dessiné des petites images sur le papier du ciel. Bien s—r, nous connaissons que le ciel n'est pas plat,
parce que nous connaissons que la Terre n'est pas plate. La Terre, c'est une sphère en trois dimensions, comme une grande balle. Une feuille de papier, c'est un objèt en seulement deux dimensions. Comme la Terre est une sphère en trois dimensions, le gaz qui est tout autour de la Terre, ce qui s'appelle l'atmosphère, est aussi en trois dimensions.
The sheets of paper and the plate can be used to make a connection between flat, plat, and a plate. I like to combine English and French to helps students remember cognate connections, as I would here by touching different flat surfaces and repeating this phrase, "C'est plat(e) comme a plate." I would use the aerosol can of hairspray when discussing the atmosphere because many of my students use it in their hair, and it will help them to start to visualize what the atmosphere might be like, as it surrounds the Earth. I will stress the difference between the moment when the spray first comes out and you can see it, and a few seconds later, when it has dissipated into the air. Although you can not see the atmosphere, it exists.
- Questions (Answers are in bold-type): Est-ce que le ciel est plat? Non. Est-ce que la Terre est plate? Non. La Terre, c'est comme une balle ou comme un feuille de papier? Le ciel, c'est en deux ou trois dimensions? Une constellation, c'est une groupe d'étoiles ou une groupe de balles? Une constellation, c'est une groupe d'étoiles ou une groupe de dessins?
Voilà la Terre. [Je presente un ballon de football.] Voilà l'atmosphère. [Je mets un grand morceau de coton autour du ballon.] Et ce sont des étoiles dans l'atmosphère. [Je mets des paillettes dans le coton.] Bien qu'il semble que chaque constellation est faite sur une surface plate, en réalité, ce n'est pas le cas. En réalité, peut-ítre qu'il y avait une étoile ici, une autre étoile ici, et une autre là- bas. [Je mets chaque "étoile" à une profondeur différente.] ¿ nos yeux, toutes ces étoiles semblent à former une surface plate, en deux dimensions, mais nous connaissons que c'est vraiment une éspace en trois dimensions.
- Questions: Où est la Terre? Où est l'atmosphère? Où sont les étoiles? Devinez, où est le Soleil? Touchez-les.
[Je mets un basket-ball sur un baton, et le baton dans un seau rempli du sable, pour la stabilité.] Voila le Soleil. Regardez comme il reste à la meme place. Regardez comme la Terre tourne autour du Soleil. Elle ne fait pas un cercle, comme ça; elle fait un ovale, comme ça. Un seul voyage autour du Soleil prend combien de jours? [J'attends une réponse; s'il n'y a pas de réponse, je la donne.] Il prend 365 jours. Nous avons les saisons differentes pendant l'année, parce que la lumière du Soleil est plus concentrée et donc plus forte, en été et, en hiver, moins concentrée, donc moins forte. [Je montre le voyage de la Terre, en utilisant un photo comme ce qu'on peut trouver à page 121 du livre The Stars de H.A. Rey comme guide.] Juste comme les saisons changent pendant l'année, aussi les vues d'étoiles qu'on peut voir changent pendant l'année. Regardez: Voilà le Soleil, la Terre, et là-bas ce sont les planètes de notre système solaire. Les étoiles qu'on peut voir sont ici, a ce c"té de la Terre. Il y a des étoiles à ce c"té aussi, mais nous ne pouvons pas les voir, à cause de toute la lumière du Soleil. Les étoiles sont fixées; la Terre n'est pas fixée. La Terre bouge, la Terre voyage; les étoiles ne bougent pas, ne voyagent pas. En fait, les étoiles bougent un très très petit peu, au cours de beaucoup beaucoup d'années; c'est un mouvemente négligeable.
- Questions: Est-ce que les étoilents bougent? Non. Est-ce que la Terre bouge? Oui. Est-ce que la Terre est fixée? Non. Est-ce que les étoiles sont fixées? Oui. Est-ce que la Terre fait un cercle autour du Soleil? Non, un ovale. Est-ce qu'il y a des étoiles entre le Soleil at la Terre? Oui. Est-ce qu'on peut les voir? Non. Pourquoi? ¿ cause de la lumière du Soleil. La Terre prend combine de jours pour voyager autour du Soleil? 365.
Closure: Ask each student to stand and share one fact he/she learned today. If a child can not say a full sentence, encourage him/her to say as much as possible, and fill in the blanks as needed. For homework, students will make an illustration of how the star-views change over the year, labeled in French.
Lesson Plan 2 – Les Années-lumière
Duration: 1 50-minute class period
Objectives: To define a light year, to make comparisons between distances of stars and magnitudes, to calculate differences between distances, to draw conclusions about the relationship between magnitude and distance.
Materials: Chart of the 20 Brightest Stars, from Appendix B (students will already have theirs) choice cards with the names of each star on the list, bucket for the cards, turn-taker (small bean-bag animal passed to students to take turns), transparency sheet of just columns 1,2, and space for column 6, of the chart (star hierarchy, name. and space to fill in distance from the Earth), list of questions to ask to compare and calculate distances, and copies (without answers) for students.
Do Now! Assignment: Copiez la phrase suivante: Une année-lumière = 6,000,000,000,000 miles, Traduisez-la en anglais.
Initiation: Ask for translations, to see who understands a number of that size; write down all guesses, so that, if there are many, it will reinforce the idea that the light-year needed to be invented. If they know the number easily, I will just praise them for being super-intelligent and get them to concede that the light-year is easier. Explain that a light-year is a distance and not a measure of time (the distance the light travels in a year's time.)
Activity: Begin the activity with choral repetition of the chart's information, according to the following model. Sirius est l'étoile la première plus brillante dans le ciel. Elle se trouve 9 années-lumière de la Terre. Then ask fill-in-the-blanks questions to practice the numbers with the same information, as in, Sirius est l'étoile la _____ brillante dans le ciel. Elle se trouve ___ années-lumière de la Terre. Pass the choice card bucket around; the student needs to say, in as full a sentence as possible, where that star stands on the hierarchy of brightness, as in, Sirius est l'étoile la première brillante dans le ciel. The student to that student's left then says how far that star is from the Earth, in light-years; then he/she throws the turn-taker to someone else. Repeat the cycle until everyone has gone at least once. Go to the transparency sheet and have students give the light-year distances from their sheets; fill them in on the transparency. Using your list, ask word problem questions like: Canopus est 313 années-lumière de la Terre, et Arcturus est 37 années-lumière de la Terre. Quelle est la différence entre les deux distances? 276 al. [The abbreviation for années-lumière is al.] Quelle étoile est plus proche? Arcturus. Quelle étoile est plus brillante? Canopus. Pourquoi?Canopus a une plus brillante magnitude, elle a une plus grande luminosité intrinsèque qu'Arcturus. Do several as a class, and then break down into groups of two. Pass out question sheets and pairs take turns asking and answering the questions, as the teacher monitors.
Closure: Ask students to define a light-year. Ask students why Arcturus is so much closer than Canopus, yet it is less bright than Canopus. For homework, students should choose 1 word problem we did in class, and illustrate it, with labels, distances, vocabulary, and detail.
Lesson Plan 3 – Créez une Constellation!
Duration: 3 50-minute class periods
Objectives: To examine the constellations we have learned in order to assess characteristics of a constellation, to name a "new" constellation using that criteria, and to construct a two- and a three-dimensional model of that constellation.
Materials: Transparency sheet made up to be a General Sky Chart (like the one on the last page of Rey's book Finding the Constellations). The transparency sheet will have different-sized pin-holes to represent the stars; first run the sheet through a photocopier with no image to be copied to make the sheet black, so that the light shining through the holes will show up like stars in the night sky. If possible, get an old wall projector so that the image can be as large as possible on the wall, as if you were going to trace the images on a roll of newsprint. Craft supplies, including things like sequins and beads of different sizes for stars of different magnitudes; a selection of papers, pipe cleaners, thread, buttons, bottle caps, extra pencils, an easel or masking tape, chart paper, markers, index cards, voting ballot sheets.
Pre-Class Preparation: Last night's homework assignment will have been to scavenge the house for craft items to make a constellation model out of. Students will know that they will be making one two-dimensional model and one three-dimensional model, and we will have brainstormed a possible materials list already. Students will also have already replicated their own General Sky Chart, and should have it with them.
Do Now! Assignment: Regardez votre Feuille de Ciel. Cherchez une autre image, une nouvelle image, à créer avec les étoiles. Essayez de joindre des nouvelles étoiles!
Initiation: Turn on the overhead projector, and ask for volunteers to show their "new" constellation possibilities. Students may need longer, and they will have more time during class. I will be prepared with one far-out example (so as not to "take" an apparent idea!) to show them.
Activity: Ask students to give characteristics of a constellation, and make a chart of them (you will need an easel or tape since this list should remain up and there is a Sky Chart occupying your blackboard!) Once we all agree on the characteristics (including stars of different magnitudes and distances, possibility of creating an image from the star-dots in the sky, and constellation myths), students will go back to work on finding a "new constellation." When each student is done, he/she may get out his/her supplies from home, and begin to plan and then create the two-dimensional representation of the constellation (including an index card with constellation name, names of noteworthy stars, and any corresponding information. As students finish the paper model, they will meet with me to explain what they've done and why. I will point out any areas of particular strength or weakness, and we will come up with suggestions for improving the weaknesses; inaccuracies will be corrected. After pitching its basic idea to me, the student will then be permitted to work on his/her 3-D model. At the end of the first day, students will be assigned to bring in any items that may be needed to finish the project. If a student is behind he/she will need to work at home this night. At the end of the second day, students will be assigned to finish the project for homework. On Day 3, students will share their constellations with the class.
Closure: At the end of Days 1 and 2, students will be asked to tell one thing that worked, 1 thing that did not work, and why. Students already know that when I ask these questions, answers could include knowledge that was recalled (or not), processes that went smoothly (or not), matters that needed clarification (or not), or ideas that were carried out as expected (or not). At the end of Day 3, we will place secret ballot votes for Most Creative Name, Most Creative Image, Most Scientific, Most Artistic, Most Witty, Most Accurate, and Best All-Around Constellations (for both 2-D and 3-D models). I will tally results to offer 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd place awards in each category. I will create quirky, funny awards for the small number of people who don't get an award; unless there is a strong atmosphere of caring and fun in the classroom, this could backfire and further stigmatize these children, so proceed accordingly. I will make award "buttons" on name-tag stickers for student-winners.
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