MOVING ALL AROUND
MOVING ALL AROUND
Classroom Activities
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
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MOVING ALL AROUND
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© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
MOVING ALL AROUND
Classroom Activities
Amber Vogel, Ph.D., Senior Curriculum Developer
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
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MOVING ALL AROUND
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© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
Contents
A NOTE FOR TEACHERS ...............................................................................................1
STARS IN THE FALL
Fall Astronomy Glossary .....................................................................................4
Pegasus the Horse ................................................................................................5
Pegasus Writing Paper (classroom reproducibles) ........................................9, 10
Make a Fall Constellations Toy .........................................................................11
Fall Constellations Toy (classroom reproducible) ............................................15
STARS IN THE WINTER
Winter Astronomy Glossary ..............................................................................18
Orion the Hunter ................................................................................................19
Design Orion’s Belt ...........................................................................................23
Orion’s Belt Template (classroom reproducible) ..............................................25
STARS IN THE SPRING
Spring Astronomy Glossary...............................................................................28
Ursa the Bear .....................................................................................................29
Play “Languages All Around” ...........................................................................34
“Languages All Around” Game (classroom reproducibles).........................39, 40
CONNECTIONS TO STANDARDS
North Carolina Essential Standards....................................................................42
Common Core State Standards ..........................................................................43
LARGE PAPER STAR (classroom reproducible) ........................................................44
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
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MOVING ALL AROUND
Image Credits. Antique images of the Pegasus, Cygnus, Orion, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, and Boötes constellations are from a Latin
adaptation of Aratus’s Phaenomena in Leiden University’s Digital Special Collections. Other images are by Amber Vogel.
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© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
A Note for Teachers
M
oving All Around is a planetarium show
with a live presenter who involves K–2
students in looking, listening, contemplating, and inquiring as they learn to identify
objects in the night sky. You can build on this
immersive learning experience with related
activities in your classroom.
Originally developed by Morehead educator Mickey Jo Sorrell, Moving All Around
hones students’ observational skills as it teaches them to look carefully at the stars. Focusing
on the sky that North Carolina children can see
at the same time of year Morehead’s portable
planetarium is visiting, Moving All Around
teaches about several major constellations and
tells some of the ancient myths associated with
them. Students also learn about other objects
in the night sky, including planets and our own
Moon.
This curriculum guide describes activities
you can conduct in your classroom before or
after your students see the Moving All Around
show. You can also conduct the activities in
conjunction with other planetarium shows and
lesson plans about constellations.
The activities address content in science,
mathematics, language arts, and social studies.
Because students often need to be able to do
something in order to learn about it, many of
the activities emphasize creative tasks: creating large maps of seasonal constellations and
asterisms, making a constellations toy and a
wearable Orion’s Belt, writing about Pegasus,
playing a game with Latin words, and more.
MOVING ALL AROUND
MOVING ALL AROUND
Classroom Activities
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
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Suggested materials for these activities
are intentionally inexpensive, and many may
already be in classrooms or media centers at
elementary schools: a blackboard, whiteboard,
or bulletin board; pencils, crayons, and tape;
string or clay; paper or card stock; measuring
tools like rulers and scales; books about myths
or animals.
We hope you will find that the Moving All
Around show and activities introduce and reinforce a range of content you need to cover,
while addressing the varied interests and learning styles of the children in your classroom.<
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
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© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
STARS IN THE FALL
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
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MOVING ALL AROUND
Fall Astronomy Glossary
A
number of classical myths involve the
winged horse Pegasus. In one account of
his birth, the god Poseidon sired him, and
he sprang from the snake-haired Medusa’s
blood when Perseus slew her. Some myths describe how Pegasus helped Perseus and another
hero, Bellerophon.
As we view the sky in the fall, the story of
Pegasus and Perseus is most important to us.
When Queen Cassiopeia boasted of her own
beauty and that of her daughter, the gods swiftly punished them. Princess Andromeda was
chained to a rock near a threatening sea-monster
called Cetus. Riding Pegasus, Perseus literally
flew to her rescue. Perseus later married Andromeda, having first gained permission from
her father, King Cepheus. Several characters in
this tale give their names to fall constellations:
Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Cetus, Perseus, and, of course, Pegasus.
person, animal, or object (like the microscope
constellation—Microscopium). There are 88
official constellations.
asterism. A grouping, or smaller pattern, of stars
within a constellation.
Summer Triangle. An asterism formed by the
brightest stars in the Lyra (harp), Aquila (eagle), and Cygnus (swan) constellations. Despite
its name, we can see the Summer Triangle from
our geographical vantage point during the fall.
Big Dipper. An asterism within the Ursa Major
constellation. Its shape suggests a scoop or
soup ladle with a long handle.
Cassiopeia. This constellation is named for a
figure in Greek mythology—a beautiful queen
known for her extreme vanity. The five major
stars of this constellation appear as a “W” (or
an “M,” depending on your location on Earth).
constellation. A group of stars that appears to
form a shape in the sky. The shape could be a
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Great Square of Pegasus. An asterism composed of
four prominent stars within the Pegasus constellation. This square forms the flying horse’s
torso.
Little Dipper. An asterism within the Ursa Minor
constellation.
North Star. The very bright star at the end of the
Little Dipper’s handle.
Pegasus. This constellation is named after the
flying horse in Greek mythology.
star. Most stars, including the Sun, are huge
spheres of gas and plasma (a fiery hot, gaseous
substance). They produce large amounts of energy, including light.
Sun. The gigantic star at the center of our Solar
System. (We often capitalize it to differentiate
it from the suns of other solar systems.)
Ursa Major. We translate the Latin name of this
constellation as “Big Bear.”
Ursa Minor. We translate the Latin name of this
constellation as “Little Bear.” <
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
Pegasus the Horse
BEFORE: “When the planetarium comes to our
school, the presenter is going to tell us about a horse.
The horse is named Pegasus. Pegasus is a very unusual horse. Pegasus has wings!”
or AFTER: “When the planetarium came to our
school, the presenter told us about Pegasus. What
can you remember about Pegasus?”
OBJECTIVES
LESSON 1: MAP A FALL CONSTELLATION
• Learn the astronomy vocabulary words
“constellation” and “asterism.”
• Create maps of the Pegasus constellation
and the Great Square asterism.
• Learn about the suffix “–tion.”
• Write a short narrative.
• Learn about wings and animal structure.
MATERIALS
• Large paper stars (p. 44): 1 per student.
• Crayons and other art supplies (e.g., glitter,
glue sticks, colorful magazine pages to cut
up, etc.) for students to share.
• Safety scissors for students to share.
• Tape (to affix the stars to the board temporarily).
• Pegasus writing paper (p. 9): 1 per student.
• Book about Pegasus (optional).
• Pictures of real horses (e.g., a poster, picture book, photos from magazines).
• Pictures of real animals that can fly.
STEP 1: PREPARE THE STAR MAP
Before your class begins, follow the patterns
on page 8 to make marks on your board indicating the Pegasus constellation. Your students
are going to be placing a star on each mark.
(Alternatively, use thumbtacks to make the
pattern on your bulletin board.)
STEP 2: DEFINE “CONSTELLATION”
Write “constellation” and “con • stell • a • tion”
on the board. Ask your students to pronounce
the four syllables of the word aloud. Discuss:
• Did you know that “stell” comes from a
very old word for “star”? When the Ancient Romans—who lived many, many
years ago—said the word “stella,” they
were saying the same thing as our word
“star.” If you know someone called Stella,
that’s where her name comes from. Star!
• The first part of the word (con–) is also
from the Ancient Romans’ language (called
Latin), and it means “with” or “together.”
• A constellation is a group of stars. When
we look at them together, they seem to
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
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MOVING ALL AROUND
form a shape. The shape could be a person
(usually a character from an ancient myth),
an animal (like a bear or a lion or even a
fly), or an object (there’s even a constellation called Microscopium—the microscope
constellation).
• There are 88 official constellations.
STEP 3: TALK ABOUT “–TION“
Direct your students’ attention to the end of the
word “constellation.” Ask:
• How do we pronounce the last part of this
word? This sound is at the end of a lot of
words that refer to things (nouns). Do we
know some other words that have this
sound at the end?
• Are there some words we use in math that
have the “shun” sound at the end? (addi–
tion, subtrac–tion, multiplica–tion, frac–
tion)
• Is there a word we use in social studies that
has the “shun” sound at the end? (na–tion,
constitu–tion, coopera–tion, celebra–tion,
tradi–tion)
• Is there a word we use in science that has
the “shun” sound at the end? (mo–tion,
rota–tion, predic–tion, reac–tion, inven–
tion, constella–tion)
• Is there a word we use in our English lessons that has the “shun” sound at the end?
(punctua–tion, conjunc–tion, communica–
tion, composi–tion)
As you discuss words that end in “–tion,” write
them on the board. While most children at this
age will be too young to absorb all these words
fully, this discussion will introduce them to the
overall concept. When such words occur later
in their learning, they will already have a good
start on understanding them.
STEP 4: DEFINE “ASTERISM”
Introduce the term “asterism” by writing it on
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the board and pronouncing it. Ask your students to pronounce the word, too. Tell them:
• Not all groups of stars are constellations.
Some small groups of stars are called “asterisms.”
• We find asterisms in constellations.
• The Great Square of Pegasus and the Big
Dipper are examples of asterisms. They are
found in the Pegasus and Ursa Major (Big
Bear) constellations.
STEP 5: COLOR THE STARS
Give each student a large paper star (p. 44).
Ask them all to decorate their stars using materials you have in the classroom (e.g., crayons or
markers, glue sticks and color magazine pages
to cut or tear for mosaic and collage effects,
glitter). Help them cut out their stars carefully
with safety scissors. These stars will be affixed
temporarily to the board with tape.
STEP 6: MAP THE GREAT SQUARE OF PEGASUS
Following the first pattern on page 8, show
your students the four stars that make up the
Great Square of Pegasus asterism. Invite four
students to the board to tape their colorful stars
on the marks. Draw the lines connecting the
stars. (If you use a bulletin board, you can create these connecting lines with string or wool.)
STEP 7: MAKE A MAP OF PEGASUS
Following the second pattern on page 8, show
your students the marks they will use to create the rest of the Pegasus constellation. Invite
11 students to come to the board to tape their
colorful stars on the marks. Draw the lines between the stars to create the rest of the constellation.
STEP 8: FILL THE REST OF THE SKY
Many classes have more than 15 students (the
number of stars shown in this model of Pegasus). If this is the case in your classroom, ask
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
your students to help you fill the rest of the
night sky with their additional stars.
LESSON 2: TELL STORIES ABOUT PEGASUS
STEP 1: TALK ABOUT PEGASUS
Tell your students about Pegasus:
• Pegasus is an imaginary flying horse—
a character in some stories first told long
ago by the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans. We call these stories “myths.”
• Myths have amazing people and animals in
them. Pegasus is a horse, but he also has
wings. Horses don’t really have wings. And
Pegasus’s father was a powerful person
called Poseidon. Horses can’t really have
people as their fathers and mothers. But
these things can happen in myths!
• In one myth, Pegasus helps his rider, whose
name is Bellerophon, fight a monster.
STEP 2: READ A BOOK ABOUT PEGASUS (OPTIONAL)
If your class has story time, read a book about
Pegasus to your students (e.g., The Flying
Horse: The Story of Pegasus, by Jane Mason).
STEP 3: WRITE ABOUT PEGASUS
Provide a copy of the Pegasus writing paper for
each student. Also provide crayons for students
to share. Depending on the ages and current
writing skills of your students, you may choose
to distribute only the first page of the worksheet (p. 9); or you may choose to copy both
sides (pp. 9–10), so older children have more
space for their writing. Examples of prompts
you can give your students:
• Make up your own story about Pegasus, the
flying horse.
• Write the story of Pegasus in your own
words (following a story time with a book
about Pegasus).
• Imagine that Pegasus is your horse! What
would you do if you had a flying horse?
Would that be fun? Where would you go?
Would you let anyone else ride him? Would
you call him Pegasus or a different name?
• Write down your memories of Pegasus and
the other things you saw in the planetarium.
The worksheet has room for a title and the writer’s name. Students can color in Pegasus and
make a daytime or nighttime sky around him.
Can your students spot the Great Square?
LESSON 3: LEARN ABOUT ANIMAL STRUCTURE
STEP 1: TALK ABOUT ANIMALS WITH WINGS
After reminding students that Pegasus is imaginary, show them pictures of real horses. Ask:
• Has anyone in the class ever seen a real
horse? Where did you see it? What was it
doing?
• Do you know some of the work that real
horses do to help people?
• Real horses cannot fly like Pegasus, but a
lot of other real animals can! Let’s list some
animals that we know that really can fly.
(Different kinds of birds, beetles, etc.)
STEP 2: SHOW AND TELL
Show your students pictures of interesting animals with wings. Include pictures of birds and
insects that students can find locally. Older students may especially like to see dinosaurs with
wings (e.g., Archaeopteryx, Quetzalcoatlus,
pterodactyls). <
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
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Great Square of Pegasus. This asterism is part of the Pegasus constellation. Its shape coincides with the torso
of the flying horse.
B
A
Pegasus. The brown star (B) denotes Pegasus’s “eye,” while the pink star (A) denotes his “nose.”
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© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
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Classroom Reproducible
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Classroom Reproducible
2011 by
Morehead and
Planetarium
and Science Center
© 2009, 2011©by2009,
Morehead
Planetarium
Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
Make a Fall Constellations Toy
BEFORE: “When the planetarium comes to our
school, the presenter is going to tell us about constellations. ‘Constellation’ is a useful scientific word to
know about.”
or AFTER: “When the planetarium came to our school,
the presenter told us about some constellations.
What is a constellation? Can you remember some of
the constellations you saw in the planetarium?”
OBJECTIVES
sus, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor), the constellations toy includes the following words:
• Recognize concepts of calendar time.
• Recognize seasonal changes in the environment.
• Learn about fall constellations.
• Compare geometric shapes.
• Read and answer interrogative sentences.
MATERIALS
• Fall constellations paper toy (p. 15): 1 per
student.
• Crayons for students to share.
• Safety scissors for students to share.
LESSON: MAKE A LEARNING TOY
STEP 1: INTRODUCE THE ACTIVITY
Distribute a copy of the fall constellations paper toy to each student and provide crayons for
the students to share. Briefly introduce the toy.
In addition to shapes (square, rectangle, triangle, star), numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 10), and the
names of some of the constellations visible in
our region during the fall (Cassiopeia, Pega-
bearissummer
biglittlethe
fallproudwho
flying
queen
winter
horse
spring
Students may recognize some of the words,
shapes, and numbers already. You will help fill
in any gaps in their understanding during the
class discussion.
STEP 2: REVIEW “CONSTELLATION”
Review (or introduce) key points from Lesson
1 of the “Pegasus the Horse” section of this
guide (pp. 5–7): what constellations and asterisms are; what the Pegasus constellation and
Great Square of Pegasus are. Refer to the constellation map your students made during that
lesson; alternatively, refer to a picture of the
constellation or copy the maps shown in this
guide (p. 8) onto the board.
STEP 3: REVIEW “ASTERISM”
If you have not done so before, introduce the
term “asterism” by writing it on the board and
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
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MOVING ALL AROUND
pronouncing it. Have your students pronounce
the word along with you. Ask:
• What is an asterism?
• Can you remember the names of two asterisms that we talked about? (The Great
Square of Pegasus is an asterism in the
Pegasus constellation. And the Big Dipper
is an asterism in the Big Bear/Ursa Major
constellation.)
• Can you see the Great Square of Pegasus on
your paper? (It is represented on the drawing of Pegasus in the middle of the toy.)
STEP 4: DISCUSS THE GREAT SQUARE OF PEGASUS
Tell or re-tell the myth of Pegasus. Discuss the
four stars shown on the drawing of Pegasus:
• The stars represent an asterism that astronomers call the Great Square of Pegasus.
• It’s not exactly a square, but from a distance
it almost looks like one when imaginary
lines are drawn between the stars.
When the students have finished discussing
Pegasus, tell them they can color the flying
horse. Tell them they can use whichever colors
they like, because he’s just an imaginary horse!
STEP 5: DISCUSS GEOMETRIC SHAPES
The Great Square of Pegasus and the Summer
Triangle have the names of geometric shapes
your students need to know about. The constellations toy reinforces students’ understanding
of these and two other geometric shapes. Ask:
• Which shape on your paper is a square?
How do we know it is a square? (Let’s count
its sides. It has four sides.) Do all the sides
look the same? (Yes! All four sides are the
same size.)
• Which shape on your paper is a rectangle?
Is there just one rectangle on the paper? Are
there two rectangles? How are the rectangles the same? (Let’s count their sides. Both
rectangles have four sides.)
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• Do both rectangles on your paper look the
same? (No, the square’s sides are all the
same length. But the other rectangle has
two short sides that are the same as each
other, and it has two long sides that are the
same as each other.)
• Which shape on your paper is a triangle?
How do we know it is a triangle? (Let’s
count its sides. It has three sides.)
• Which shape on your paper is a star? Stars
can have different numbers of points. How
many points does this star have? (There are
five points.) How many sides does the star
have? Let’s count the sides. (There are ten
sides.)
• Is this exactly how a real star looks in the
sky? Is this exactly how the stars we saw
in the planetarium looked? (No, not exactly.
It’s just a shape that we can make to remind
us of real stars. The points on the drawing
remind us that light comes out of stars to
make them shine.)
After discussing the shapes, students can color
them in. As they color each shape, they will see
the numeral representing the number of sides
for that shape.
STEP 6: DISCUSS SEASONS
During the Moving All Around planetarium
show, students learn that the constellations we
can see depend on our position on Earth and on
the time of the year. The constellations toy reinforces students’ understanding of the changing seasons. Discuss:
• Your paper has the names of four constellations we can see in North Carolina in the
fall: Pegasus, Cassiopeia, Ursa Major, and
Ursa Minor. What do you remember about
them? Do you know the ancient stories
about them?
• Can you name all the seasons we have here
in North Carolina? Let’s say them in order.
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
• How do the seasons differ from one another? What do we know about each of the
seasons?
“fortune-telling” toy, which in this case reveals
answers to questions about constellations rather than fortunes!
• In the planetarium we learned that the night
sky can look different in each season. How
is the sky different?
STEP 9: PLAY AND LEARN
After discussing the seasons, students can trace
the letters spelling each season with their crayons. As they do so, they will see that the seasons are numbered according to their order in
the year (winter is 1, spring is 2, summer is 3,
fall is 4).
STEP 7: EXPLORE THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Remind students that all the questions on their
pieces of paper refer to fall constellations.
These constellations are named after mythical
people and animals. Ask:
• Who is the big bear? (Ursa Major)
• Who is the little bear? (Ursa Minor)
• Who is the proud queen? (Cassiopeia)
• Who is the flying horse? (Pegasus)
Help your students read the questions and answers aloud. Tell or re-tell the stories about
these characters so that students will recognize
them when they play with the constellations
toy later.
STEP 8: CONSTRUCT THE PAPER TOY
Ask your students to cut out their paper toys
on the dashed lines, then guide them as they
fold the toys. The photographs provided (p. 14)
show how to fold the paper to create a familiar
When they finish folding their paper toys, students can place their thumbs and index fingers
in the toys’ pockets (behind the pictures of the
triangle and other shapes) and take turns playing the game with other students. The toys open
and close in two different directions. Show
your students how to alternate directions as
they open and close the toys, so they see different words and numbers when they look inside
each time. Tell the students:
First step. Choose a shape (triangle, star,
square, or rectangle). If the shape has four
sides, open and close the toy four times. If
the shape has three sides, open and close the
toy three times. If the shape has ten sides,
open and close the toy ten times.
Second step. Look inside and choose a season
or a question. If you choose a season, open
and close the toy the number of times indicated. For instance, summer is the third season of the year, so the toy should be opened
and closed three times.
Third step. Look inside and choose a season
or a question. If you choose a question, try
to guess the answer before opening the inner
flap to see what it is.
Next steps. Same as the previous steps. The
game can continue until all four questions
have been asked and answered. <
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
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MOVING ALL AROUND
CONSTRUCTING THE FALL CONSTELLATIONS TOY
1
2
3
4
1. FOLD IN HALF DIAGONALLY AND CREASE.
2. FOLD IN HALF AGAIN, CREASE, AND UNFOLD.
3. WITH THE PRINTED SIDE DOWN, FOLD THE
CORNERS SO THEY MEET IN THE CENTER.
4. TURN THE TOY OVER AND FOLD THE CORNERS
SO THEY MEET IN THE CENTER.
5
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5. PLACE YOUR THUMBS AND FOREFINGERS
IN THE “POCKETS” (BEHIND THE TRIANGLE,
SQUARE, AND OTHER SHAPES) TO OPEN AND
CLOSE THE TOY. LIFT THE INNER FLAPS TO REVEAL THE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS.
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
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FALL CONSTELLATIONS TOY
Classroom Reproducible
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Morehead
2011 by
Planetarium
Morehead and
Planetarium
Science Center
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MOVING ALL AROUND
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© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
STARS IN THE WINTER
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
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Winter Astronomy Glossary
I
n classical mythology, Orion was a handsome
hunter accidentally killed by Artemis, a goddess who loved him. She placed him and his
dog Sirius among the stars. The Pleiades are said
to represent Atlas’s seven daughters—transformed into stars in order to evade Orion, who
had chased after them. No Greek or Roman
myth specifically connects Orion and Taurus,
but illustrations often depict Orion opposing
this raging bull.
asterism. A grouping, or smaller pattern, of stars
within a constellation.
Big Dipper. An asterism within Ursa Major.
Canis Major. We translate the Latin name of this
constellation near Orion as “Great Dog.” Along
with the “Little Dog,” Canis Minor, it is sometimes thought of as a hunting dog belonging to
Orion. Sirius is part of Canis Major.
Canis Minor. The “Little Dog” constellation near
Orion. It is sometimes thought of as the smaller
of the hunting dogs belonging to Orion.
constellation. A group of stars that appears to
form a shape in the sky. The shape could be a
person, an animal, or an object. Modern astronomers officially recognize 88 constellations.
Orion. A constellation.
Orion’s Belt. An asterism of three bright stars
within Orion.
Pleiades. Located in the Taurus constellation,
this is the brightest “galactic” (or “open”) star
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cluster in the sky. There are about 500 stars in
this star cluster. While most are faint, six of the
stars can be seen without a telescope. We sometimes call these six stars plus one other star the
“Seven Sisters.”
Sirius. The brightest star in the sky (except for
the Sun). This star within Canis Major is also
known as the “Dog Star.” Harry Potter readers
will recognize this name (associating it with
the human character Sirius Black and the dog
he becomes as a shape-shifting “animagus”).
star. Most stars, including the Sun, are huge
spheres of gas and plasma (a fiery hot, gaseous
substance). They produce large amounts of energy, including light.
star cluster. Stars that, because of their proximity
to each other, can be considered as a group. “Galactic” (or “open”) clusters are usually made up
of hundreds of relatively new stars (i.e., formed
as recently as a couple of million years ago);
while the much older “globular” clusters are
made up of tens or hundreds of thousands of
stars. The Pleiades is a star cluster.
Sun. The gigantic star at the center of our Solar
System. (We often capitalize it to differentiate
it from the suns of other solar systems.)
Taurus. A constellation.
Ursa Major. We translate the Latin name of this
constellation as “Big Bear.”
Ursa Minor. The “Little Bear” constellation. <
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
Orion the Hunter
BEFORE: “When the planetarium comes to our
school, the presenter is going to tell us a story about
a man named Orion. This man was a hunter, and
he wore an unusual piece of clothing—a belt with
three stars.
or AFTER: “When the planetarium came to our
school, the presenter told us about Orion. What can
you remember about Orion?”
OBJECTIVES
pattern on your bulletin board.)
• Learn the astronomy vocabulary words
“constellation” and “asterism.”
• Create maps of the Orion constellation and
the Orion’s Belt asterism.
• Learn about the suffix “–tion.”
MATERIALS
• Large paper stars (p. 44): 1 per student.
• Crayons and other art supplies (e.g., glitter,
glue sticks, colorful magazine pages to cut
up, etc.) for students to share.
• Safety scissors for students to share.
• Tape (to affix the stars to the board temporarily).
LESSON: MAP A WINTER CONSTELLATION
STEP 1: PREPARE THE STAR MAP
Before your class begins, follow the patterns
on page 22 to make marks on your board indicating the Orion constellation. Your students
are going to be placing a star on each mark.
(Alternatively, use thumbtacks to make the
STEP 2: DEFINE “CONSTELLATION”
Write “constellation” and “con • stell • a • tion”
on the board. Ask your students to pronounce
the four syllables aloud.
• Did you know that “stell” comes from a
very old word for “star”? When the Ancient Romans—who lived many, many
years ago—said the word “stella,” they
were saying the same thing as our word
“star.” If you know someone called Stella,
that’s where her name comes from. Star!
• The first part of the word (con–) is also
from Latin, the Ancient Romans’ language,
and it means “with” or “together.”
• A constellation is a group of stars. When
we see them together, they seem to form a
shape. The shape could be a person (usually a character from an ancient myth), an
animal (like a bear or a lion or even a fly),
or an object (there’s even a constellation
called Microscopium—the microscope
constellation).
• There are 88 official constellations.
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
19
MOVING ALL AROUND
STEP 3: TALK ABOUT “–TION“
Direct your students’ attention to the end of the
word “constellation.” Ask:
• How do we pronounce the last part of this
word? This sound is at the end of a lot of
words that refer to things (nouns). Do we
know some other words that have this
sound at the end?
• Are there some words we use in math that
have the “shun” sound at the end? (addi–
tion, subtrac–tion, multiplica–tion, frac–
tion)
• Is there a word we use in our social studies lessons that has the “shun” sound at the
end? (na–tion, constitu–tion, coopera–tion,
celebra–tion, tradi–tion)
• Is there a word we use in our science lessons that has the “shun” sound at the end?
(mo–tion, rota–tion, predic–tion, reac–tion,
inven–tion, constella–tion)
• Is there a word we use in our English lessons that has the “shun” sound at the end?
(punctua–tion, conjunc–tion, communica–
tion, composi–tion)
As you discuss words that end in “–tion,” write
them on the board. While most children at this
age will be too young to absorb all these words
fully, this discussion will introduce them to the
overall concept. When such words occur later
in their learning, the students will already have
a good start on understanding them.
STEP 4: DEFINE “ASTERISM”
Introduce the term “asterism” by writing it on
the board and pronouncing it. Ask your students to pronounce the word, too. Tell them:
• Not all groups of stars are constellations.
Some small groups of stars are called “asterisms.”
• We find asterisms in constellations.
• Orion’s Belt and the Big Dipper are ex20
amples of asterisms. They are found in the
Orion and Ursa Major (Big Bear) constellations.
STEP 5: COLOR THE STARS
Give each student a large paper star (p. 44).
Ask them all to decorate their stars using materials you have in the classroom (e.g., crayons or
markers, glue sticks and color magazine pages
to cut or tear for mosaic and collage effects,
glitter). Help them cut out their stars carefully
with safety scissors. These stars will be affixed
temporarily to the board with tape.
STEP 6: MAKE A MAP OF ORION’S BELT
Following the first pattern on page 22, show
three students where to tape their colorful stars
on the board to represent the Orion’s Belt asterism. Then draw the lines connecting these
stars. (If you use a bulletin board, you can create these connecting lines with string or wool.)
STEP 7: MAKE A MAP OF ORION
Following the second pattern on page 22, show
your students the marks they will use to create
the rest of the Orion constellation. Ask:
• Who used a lot of red crayon or red glitter
to color their stars? (Ask one student to tape
her or his star on Orion’s right shoulder.)
This red star is the very cool Betelgeuse.
• Who used a lot of blue crayon or blue glitter to color their stars? (Ask one student
to tape her or his star on Orion’s left foot.)
This blue star is the very hot Rigel.
Invite two more students to come to the board
to tape their colorful stars on the remaining
marks. Draw the lines between the stars to create the rest of the constellation.
STEP 8: FILL THE REST OF THE SKY
Most classes will have more than seven students (the number of stars in this model of
Orion). If this is the case in your classroom,
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
ask your students to help you fill the rest of the
night sky (the board) with their additional stars.
STEP 9: ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY
Use the students’ colorful stars to create different constellations or asterisms shown in the
Moving All Around guide. <
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
21
MOVING ALL AROUND
Orion’s Belt. This asterism is part of the Orion constellation.
A
C
B
Orion the Hunter. The red star (A) on Orion’s right shoulder is the very cool Betelgeuse. The blue-white star
(B) on Orion’s left foot is the very hot Rigel. Belletrix (C) is on Orion’s left shoulder.
22
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
Design Orion’s Belt
BEFORE: “When the planetarium comes to our
school, the presenter is going to tell us about constellations. ’Constellation’ is a useful scientific word to
know about.”
or AFTER: “When the planetarium came to our
school, the presenter told us about some constellations. What is a constellation? Can you remember
some of the constellations you saw in the planetarium?
OBJECTIVES
tion and refer to it as you discuss his myth and
the Orion’s Belt asterism.
• Learn about the Orion constellation.
• Make a model of the Orion’s Belt asterism.
• Practice dividing equally into two parts.
• Practice adding, subtracting, and (for older
students) multiplying by threes.
MATERIALS
• A picture of the Orion constellation.
• Card-stock star belts (p. 25): 1 per student.
Pre-cut the belts and pre-punch the holes.
• Crayons and other art supplies for students
to share.
• Safety scissors for students to share.
• String or wool: 18 inches per student.
• 1 large paper star colored red (p. 44).
• 1 large paper star colored blue (p. 44).
LESSON: MAKE (AND WEAR!) ORION’S BELT
STEP 1: SHOW AND TELL
Show the class a picture of the Orion constella-
STEP 2: TALK ABOUT ORION
Tell or re-tell the story of Orion the Hunter:
• In classical mythology, Orion is a handsome hunter accidentally killed by Artemis, a goddess who loves him. She places
him among the stars, along with his dog
Sirius.
STEP 3: DISCUSS ORION’S BELT
Write the terms “asterism” and “constellation”
on the board and pronounce them with your
students. Discuss:
• Both words refer to shapes or patterns that
stars appear to make in the sky. A constellation is a large shape or pattern, and an asterism is a smaller shape or pattern within
a constellation.
• A certain pattern of stars is called the Orion
constellation.
• Three stars on Orion’s “waist” are called
Orion’s Belt. Orion’s Belt is a small asterism in the Orion constellation.
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
23
MOVING ALL AROUND
STEP 4: DECORATE THE BELT
Distribute a card-stock star belt to each student.
Ask students to share crayons and other art
supplies available in the classroom to decorate
their models of Orion’s Belt.
STEP 5: DIVIDE IN HALF
Distribute a length of string or wool to each
student (suggested length: 18 inches). Provide
safety scissors for students to share. Say:
• Fold your piece of string carefully in half.
• Cut your string exactly on the fold so that
you have two equal pieces of string.
Reinforce to students that they have twice as
many pieces of string now. Ask:
their belts around their waists. Now they can
each wear Orion’s Belt!
STEP 7: MODEL BETELGEUSE AND RIGEL
Ask a volunteer to come to the front of the class
to play the role of the Orion constellation. The
student will wear her or his model of Orion’s
Belt. Now tape a red paper star on the student’s
right shoulder to represent the star called Betelgeuse. Tape a blue paper star on the student’s
left foot to represent the star Rigel. The stars
are different colors because they are different
temperatures: Betelgeuse is very cool, and Rigel is very hot.
STEP 8: ADD, SUBTRACT, AND MULTIPLY BY THREE
• How many pieces of string did the whole
class have before we cut them in half? (The
total number of students multiplied by one.)
Wearing their belts, students can model addition, subtraction, and (for older students) multiplication by threes. For instance:
• How many pieces of string does the whole
class have now? (The total number of students multiplied by two.)
• As two students stand at the front of the
room, ask the class to count the stars they
see. (Six!)
STEP 6: FINISH THE BELT
• Ask the class to predict how many stars
there will be if one more student comes to
the front of the room. (Nine!)
Guide your students as they tie the pieces of
string through the holes on the sides of their
belts. One piece of string will be tied onto each
end. The students will use the strings to fasten
• When a third student comes to the front of
the room, ask the class to count all the stars
to see if their prediction was correct.<
MODEL OF ORION’S BELT
This wearable asterism was made
with card stock and string and
decorated with markers, shiny
fabric, buttons, and glue—but
other available materials can be
substituted.
24
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
25
MOVING ALL AROUND
26
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
STARS IN THE SPRING
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
27
MOVING ALL AROUND
Spring Astronomy Glossary
T
he Ursa Major and Ursa Minor constellations
are often linked to the classical myths that
tell of the nymph Callisto. The god Zeus
was the father of Callisto’s son, Arcas. So Zeus’s wife, the goddess Hera (well known for her
fits of jealousy), took revenge by turning Callisto into a bear. Later, when Arcas had grown
up and become a hunter, Callisto saw him in
the forest where she now lived. But Arcas saw
only a dangerous bear, not his own mother in
her new form. To prevent Arcas from harming
Callisto, Zeus turned him into a bear also. Zeus
then placed the Big Bear (Callisto) and the Little Bear (Arcas) together in the sky.
form a shape in the sky. The shape could be a
person, an animal, or an object (like the constellation Microscopium, which is named after
the microscope). Modern astronomers officially recognize 88 constellations.
asterism. A grouping, or smaller pattern, of stars
within a constellation.
star. Most stars, including the Sun, are huge
spheres of gas and plasma (a fiery hot, gaseous
substance). They produce large amounts of energy, including light.
Big Dipper. An asterism within the Ursa Major
constellation. Its shape suggests a scoop or
soup ladle with a long handle.
Boötes. This constellation is known as the “Bear
Driver” or “Keeper of the Bear” because it follows the Big Bear. Some people think it looks
like an ice cream cone!
constellation. A group of stars that appears to
28
Leo. This constellation has the Latin word for
“Lion” as its name because it can be imagined
as a lion leaping across the sky.
Little Dipper. An asterism within the Ursa Minor
(Little Bear) constellation.
North Star. The very bright star at the end of the
Little Dipper’s handle.
Sun. The gigantic star at the center of our Solar
System. (We often capitalize it to differentiate
it from the suns of other solar systems.)
Ursa Major. We translate the Latin name of this
constellation as “Big Bear.”
Ursa Minor. The “Little Bear” constellation. <
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
Ursa the Bear
BEFORE: “When the planetarium comes to our
school, the presenter is going to tell us about two
bears. Both bears have the same name. They’re both
called Ursa. But one of the bears is big, and the other
bear is little. So they’re called Ursa Major and Ursa
Minor.”
or AFTER: “When the planetarium came to our
school, the presenter told us about two bears. Both
bears had the same name. They were both called
Ursa. But one of the bears was big, and the other
bear was little. Can you remember what the presenter called the bears so they wouldn’t get mixed up?”
rarily).
OBJECTIVES
• Learn the astronomy vocabulary words
“constellation” and “asterism.”
• Create maps of the Ursa Major constellation and the Big Dipper asterism.
• Learn about the suffix “–tion.”
• Make comparisons between large and
small things, including greater and lesser
amounts.
• Learn how communities measure public
opinion.
• Become acquainted with the concept of
homonyms and homographs.
MATERIALS
• Large paper stars (p. 44): 1 per student.
• Crayons and other art supplies (e.g., glitter,
glue sticks, colorful magazine pages to cut
up, etc.) for students to share.
• Safety scissors for students to share.
• Tape (to affix the stars to the board tempo-
• Pictures of bears for students to consult.
• Clay or Play-Doh: enough for each student
to make an animal model.
• Rulers and scales for students to share as
they compare the heights and weights of
their animal models.
• A fiction or non-fiction book about bears
(optional).
LESSON 1: MAP A SPRING CONSTELLATION
STEP 1: PREPARE THE STAR MAP
Before your class begins, follow the patterns
on page 33 to make marks on your board indicating the Big Dipper and Ursa Major. Your
students are going to be placing a star on each
mark. (Alternatively, use thumbtacks to make
the pattern on your bulletin board.)
STEP 2: DEFINE “CONSTELLATION”
Write “constellation” and “con • stell • a • tion”
on the board. Ask your students to pronounce
the four syllables of the word aloud. Ask:
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
29
MOVING ALL AROUND
• Did you know that “stell” comes from a
very old word for “star”? When the Ancient Romans—who lived many, many
years ago—said the word “stella,” they
were saying the same thing as our word
“star.” If you know someone called Stella,
that’s where her name comes from. Star!
• The first part of the word (con–) is also
from Latin, the Ancient Romans’ language,
and it means “with” or “together.”
• A constellation is a group of stars. Seen together, they appear to form a shape. The
shape could be a person (usually a character from an ancient myth), an animal
(like a bear or a lion or even a fly), or an
object (there’s even a constellation called
Microscopium—the microscope constellation). There are 88 official constellations.
STEP 3: TALK ABOUT “–TION”
Direct your students’ attention to the end of the
word “constellation.” Ask:
• How do we pronounce the last part of this
word? This sound is at the end of a lot
of words that refer to things (nouns). Do
we know some other words that have this
sound at the end?
• Are there some words we use in math that
have the “shun” sound at the end? (addi–
tion, subtrac–tion, multiplica–tion, frac–
tion)
• Is there a word we use in our social studies lessons that has the “shun” sound at
the end? (na–tion, constitu–tion, coopera–
tion, celebra–tion, tradi–tion)
• Is there a word we use in our science lessons that has the “shun” sound at the end?
(mo–tion, rota–tion, predic–tion, reac–
tion, inven–tion, constella–tion)
• Is there a word we use in our English lessons that has the “shun” sound at the end?
(punctua–tion, conjunc–tion, communica–
30
tion, composi–tion)
As you discuss examples of words that end in
“–tion,” write them on the board. While most
children at this age will be too young to absorb
all these words fully, this discussion will introduce them to the overall concept. When such
words occur later in their learning, the students
will already have a good start on understanding them.
STEP 4: DEFINE “ASTERISM”
Introduce the term “asterism” by writing it on
the board and pronouncing it. Ask your students to pronounce the word, too. Tell them:
• Not all groups of stars are constellations.
Some small groups of stars are called “asterisms.”
• We find asterisms in constellations.
• The Big Dipper and the Little Dipper are
examples of asterisms. They are found in
the Ursa Major (Big Bear) and Ursa Minor
(Little Bear) constellations.
STEP 5: COLOR THE STARS
Give each student a large paper star (p. 44).
Ask them all to decorate their stars using materials you have in the classroom (e.g., crayons or markers, glue sticks and color magazine
pages to cut or tear for mosaic and collage
effects, glitter). Help them cut out their stars
carefully with safety scissors. These stars will
be affixed temporarily to the board with tape.
STEP 6: CREATE A MAP OF THE BIG DIPPER
Following the first pattern on page 33, show
your students the seven stars that make up the
Big Dipper asterism. Invite seven students to
the board to tape their colorful stars on the
marks. Draw the lines connecting the stars. (If
you use a bulletin board, you can create these
connecting lines with string or wool.)
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
STEP 7: CREATE A MAP OF URSA MAJOR
Following the second pattern on page 33, show
your students the marks they will use to create
the rest of the Ursa Major constellation. Invite
11 students to come to the board to tape their
colorful stars on the marks. Draw the lines between the stars to create the rest of the constellation.
STEP 8: FILL THE REST OF THE SKY
Many classes have more than 18 students (the
number of stars in this model of Ursa Major).
If this is the case in your classroom, ask your
students to help you fill up the night sky with
the rest of their stars.
STEP 9: READ A STORY ABOUT BEARS (OPTIONAL)
Share a fiction or non-fiction book about bears
with your students. Your school or community
library may have a non-fiction picture book
about bears, familiar stories like The Berenstain Bears on the Moon and even Winnie the
Pooh, or a newer title like Kevin Henkes’s Old
Bear (in which a hibernating bear dreams about
the seasons) that your students will enjoy.
LESSON 2: LEARN ABOUT MAJOR AND MINOR
STEP 1: DEFINE ”MAJOR” AND “MINOR”
As you discuss the following words with your
class, write them on the board and pronounce
them. Ask your students to say the words aloud
along with you, too. This will help your students to connect letters and sounds. Discuss:
• Do you know why the big bear and the little bear are called “Ursa Major” and “Ursa
Minor”? It’s because one is big and one is
small.
• The constellations have names that are in
Latin. And in Latin, “major” means big and
“minor” means small. So Ursa Major is the
Big Bear, and Ursa Minor is the Little Bear.
• The words “major” and “minor” can be
used in some different ways. “Major” can
sometimes mean “very important.”
• Does anyone in the class know a major
serving in the military? That person has a
very important job.
• “Minor” is often used to refer to a young
person. This just means the person isn’t a
grown-up yet.
• Sometimes words sound alike but are
spelled differently and mean different
things. “Minor” (with an “o”) sounds like
another word: “miner” (with an “e”). A
miner also does a job—a very useful and
interesting job. Do you know what a miner
does?
• Did you know that if you decide to go to
college when you’re a bit older, you’ll
choose a major subject and a minor subject
to study? Your “major” will be the thing
you study most in college. It will probably
be your favorite subject, and your “minor”
will be your second favorite. If you were
in college now, what major would you
choose?
STEP 2: COMPARE A BEAR
To give students practice in measuring and
comparing, ask them to create clay (or PlayDoh) models of the Big Bear and Little Bear:
• Display pictures of bears that students can
consult as they work. (Alternatively, ask
your media center specialist to pick out
books or web sites that have bears in them.
During a visit to the media center, your students can copy pictures of bears onto pieces
of paper or into their workbooks to use as
references when they make their clay bears
back in your classroom.)
• Remind the students that Ursa Major and
Ursa Minor have “tails” (the handles of
the Big Dipper and Little Dipper). So they
must certainly add those to their bears!
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
31
MOVING ALL AROUND
• Ask students to work in pairs. Provide modeling clay to each pair. One member of each
pair of students will create a big, or major,
bear; while the other student will create a
little, or minor, bear. Tell each pair that they
must work together to make sure their bears
differ in size.
• Using rulers and scales, each pair of students can record and compare their bears’
heights and weights to show that one is the
Big Bear and one is the Little Bear.
• Each pair of students can report this information about their bears to the class.
STEP 3: EXPLAIN WHAT A MAJORITY IS
Because “major” and “minor” are parts of the
word “majority” and “minority,” this can provide an opportunity for older students to learn
about these concepts:
32
Use objects (like the paper stars or clay bears
used in previous activities) to demonstrate a
majority. For example, tape six stars on one
side of the board and two stars on the other
side, then ask where the majority of the stars
are. Ask your students how many stars must
join the single star so that the majority of
stars are on that side of the board. Repeat this
with different numbers of stars on each side.
Use opinion polls. Ask your students which of
two kinds of things they like best: plain milk
or chocolate milk, playing outside or playing inside, or anything else that is relevant
and interesting to them. Tally the results on
the board and ask the students which choice
the majority of the class prefers. Ask which
choice the minority prefers.
Relate these concepts to elections and other
ways that communities make decisions. <
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
A
B
C
Big Dipper. This asterism is shaped like a scoop or ladle with a long handle. It is part of the Ursa Major constellation. The Big Bear’s tail can be seen in the handle—the curve formed by stars A, B, and C.
D
D
D
N
D
D
D
D
P
P
P
P
P
Ursa Major. The Big Bear’s paws are shown in orange (P) and her nose is shown in pink (N). The Big Dipper is
shown in yellow (D).
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
33
MOVING ALL AROUND
Play “Languages All Around”
BEFORE: “When the planetarium comes to our
school, the presenter is going to tell us about two
bears. Both bears have the same name. They’re both
called Ursa. That is a word in a very old language.”
OBJECTIVES
• Learn that throughout time different communities have often used different languages.
• Learn that words we use today have roots
in ancient times.
• Reinforce learning about constellations.
MATERIALS
• “Languages All Around” game cards and
word pieces copied on card stock: 1 set per
group. Use Version A (p. 39) or B (p. 40)
depending on your lesson plan.
• Art paper: 1 piece per student (optional).
• Crayons or paints for students to share (optional).
LESSON 1: DISCUSS HOW WE USE LATIN TODAY
STEP 1
Following the example on page 35, draw an
empty matrix on your board. Discuss:
• Even when people are speaking different
languages, they often want to talk about
34
or AFTER: “When the planetarium came to our
school, the presenter told us about two bears. Both
bears had the same name. Can you remember what
they were called? It’s a word in a very old language.”
the same things! Sometimes they want to
tell stories about bears and lions, or they
want to talk about the stars in the sky, just
like we do!
STEP 2
Fill in the first space with the word “Latin.”
Discuss:
• Latin is a very old language. It was the language used by the Ancient Romans who
lived far away hundreds of years ago.
• Latin is no longer used in the way people
now use English or Spanish—for all their
conversations and other communications—but it is still important to us.
• Our state motto is in Latin! It is Esse
quam videri. It means “To be rather than
to seem.”
• Doctors and nurses sometimes use Latin
words. They write “tussis,” which means
“cough.”
• Scientists also sometimes use Latin words.
Many of the scientific names for plants and
animals are in Latin.
• The scientific name of the American black
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
bear is Ursus americanus. The scientific
name of the polar bear is Ursus maritimus
(“sea bear”). And the scientific name of
the grizzly bear is Ursus arctos horribilis!
(“arctos” is from the Greek word for bear,
and “horribilis” is ... horrible!).
• The constellations have Latin names.
Sometimes they are named after people or
animals in stories that the Ancient Romans
used to tell and that we still remember.
STEP 3
Fill in the next space with the word “Ursa.”
Discuss:
• The Ancient Romans told a story about a
beautiful lady and her son who were turned
into bears. The Ursa Major and Ursa Minor
constellations are named after them.
• “Ursa” is the Latin word for “bear.” We
can compare this to spellings in other languages.
STEP 5
Fill in a space in the left-hand column with the
word “Spanish.” Ask:
• What is the word we use in Spanish for
“ursa”? (It’s “oso”!)
STEP 6
Follow the previous steps as you fill in “leo/
lion/león” and “stella/star/estrella” on the
board. If they are already able to spell the English or Spanish words, ask your students to
come to the board and fill these words in for
the class to see. Discuss:
• When we compare “leo” and “stella” to the
English and Spanish spellings, we can see
that these languages have some things in
common.
• Did you notice that they use the same kinds
of letters (alphabet)? Did you hear that
some of the words use the same sounds?
LESSON 2: PLAY A LANGUAGE GAME
STEP 4
Fill in a space in the left-hand column with the
word “English.” Ask:
• What is the word we use in English for
“ursa”? (It’s “bear”!)
STEP 1
After discussing the words in the matrix, ask
your students to spend 15 seconds quietly
looking at the words and trying to remember
LATIN
ursa
leo
stella
ENGLISH
bear
lion
star
SPANISH
oso
león
estrella
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
35
MOVING ALL AROUND
them all. Then erase the words. (Alternatively,
play this game on a following day, asking students to think back to what was on the board.)
STEP 2
Divide the class into groups. Distribute a playing card and an assortment of 18 word pieces
to each group:
Version A. This playing card may be best for
younger students, as all the boxes of the matrix are pre-filled. This version serves to reinforce knowledge of words already discussed,
introduce new words, and develop skills such
as sorting and matching.
Version B. This playing card may be best for
older students, as the blank spaces left in the
matrix provide a greater challenge than does
Version A.
STEP 3
Discuss the game’s rules:
• Challenge students to cover all the spaces
in the matrix with the correct word pieces.
• Each word piece should align correctly
with the language on the X axis and with
similar nouns on the Y axis.
• If a group does not have all the word pieces
needed to fill its game card, one group member at a time is allowed to visit the other
groups to trade for a needed word. Once a
word is acquired, a different member of the
group is allowed to visit the other groups to
trade for another needed word. This continues until the group’s card is complete.
Alternatively, at the outset of the game provide
each group with all 18 word pieces it will need.
Challenge the groups to fill in their game cards
as quickly as possible.
STEP 4
After the game has been played, discuss it as a
class. Ask students:
36
• Was it difficult or easy to remember where
all the words went? Did similarities in some
of the languages help?
• What new words were in the game? (sol/
sun/sol; luna/moon/luna). Was it difficult to
figure out where the new words went on the
game card? How did you figure this out?
• Do you know some useful words in English that begin with “sol” or “luna”? (What
about solar and lunar?) What do these
words mean? How would we use them in
sentences?
STEP 5 (OPTIONAL)
Provide paper and crayons or other art supplies
so that students can illustrate and label the
nouns they have been learning about:
• Younger students can choose one of the
nouns to draw a picture of (bear, lion, star,
sun, or moon). They should label their pictures with the appropriate nouns written in
all three languages.
• Older students can choose one animal (bear
or lion) and one celestial body (star, sun, or
moon) to illustrate. They should label their
pictures with the appropriate nouns written
in all three languages.
STEP 6 (OPTIONAL)
The short lesson described here focuses on
Latin, English, and Spanish. However, one or
more of your students may speak another language at home and be able to translate these
words for the class. You can extend the matrix
to include these additional translations.
LESSON 3: LEARN ABOUT ROMAN NUMERALS
STEP 1: COUNT
Talk about Roman numerals with your class.
Write these numerals on your board: I, II, III,
V, and X. Ask:
• Do you already know what these are?
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
(These are 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10. This is the
way that the Ancient Romans wrote some of
their numbers.)
• We sometimes still use these kinds of numbers for counting, just as we sometimes use
words that the Ancient Romans used.
If you have a watch or other item with Roman
numerals, show it to the class. The Super Bowl
also uses Roman numerals.
STEP 2: CALCULATE
Ask your students to help you do some simple addition and subtraction on the board with
these numerals:
I + I = II
I + II = III
II + III = V
V + III + II = X
III – II = I
V – III = II
X–V=V
X – III = VII
Ask your students to work in groups to use Roman numerals to devise more problems. Each
group can then write their problems on the
board for the class to solve; or they can pass
their problems along to another group, which
will work to solve them. <
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
37
MOVING ALL AROUND
VERSIONS OF THE “LANGUAGES ALL AROUND” GAME
A
In this simpler version, the playing card is printed with all the words needed to fill the matrix. By trading with other students, players acquire game pieces to fill in the entire card correctly. This game can
be played by individuals or by groups.
B
In this more difficult version, the playing card is blank except for the names of the languages and one
word in each of the other columns. (These words can be considered “free” spaces, or players can be
required to cover them with matching game pieces.) By trading with other students, players acquire
game pieces to cover the entire card correctly. This game can be played by individuals or by groups.
38
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
Classroom Reproducible
© 2009, 2011©by2009,
Morehead
2011 by
Planetarium
Morehead and
Planetarium
Science Center
and Science Center
león
leo
lion
león
oso
ursa
bear
oso
SPANISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
SPANISH
estrella
star
stella
estrella
star
stella
”LANGUAGES ALL AROUND” GAME—VERSION A
lion
leo
bear
ursa
ENGLISH
LATIN
sol
sun
sol
sol
sun
sol
luna
moon
luna
luna
moon
luna
MOVING ALL AROUND
39
40
Classroom©Reproducible
2009, 2011 by
© 2009,
Morehead
2011Planetarium
by Moreheadand
Planetarium
Science Center
and Science Center
lion
león
leo
lion
león
bear
oso
ursa
bear
oso
ENGLISH
SPANISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
SPANISH
estrella
star
stella
estrella
star
stella
“LANGUAGES ALL AROUND” GAME—VERSION B
leo
ursa
LATIN
sol
sun
sol
sol
sun
sol
luna
moon
luna
luna
moon
luna
MOVING ALL AROUND
MOVING ALL AROUND
CONNECTIONS TO STANDARDS
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
41
MOVING ALL AROUND
North Carolina Essential Standards
Pegasus the Horse
Design Orion’s Belt
Kindergarten. Science K.P.1, K.E.1, K.L.1;
Social Studies K
​ .H.1, K.G.1
Kindergarten. Science K.P.1; Social Studies
K.G.1
1st. Grade. Science 1.E.1; Social Studies
1.H.1, 1.G.1, 1.C.1
1st. Grade. Science 1.E.1; Social Studies
1.H.1, 1.G.1, 1.C.1
2nd. Grade. Social Studies 2.G.1, 2.C.1
2nd. Grade. Social Studies 2.G.1
Make a Fall Constellations Toy
Kindergarten. Science K.P.1, K.P.2, K.E.1;
Social Studies K.H.1, K.G.1
1st. Grade. Science 1.E.1; Social Studies
1.G.1
2nd. Grade. Social Studies 2.G.1, 2.C.1
Orion the Hunter
Kindergarten. Science K.P.1, K.E.1; Social
Studies K.H.1, K.G.1
1st. Grade. Science 1.E.1; Social Studies
1.H.1, 1.G.1, 1.C.1
Ursa the Bear
Kindergarten. Science K.P.1, K.E.1; Social
Studies K.H.1, K.G.1
1st. Grade. Science 1.E.1; Social Studies
1.H.1, 1.G.1
2nd. Grade. Social Studies 2.G.1, 2.C.1
Play “Languages All Around”
Kindergarten. Social Studies K.C.1
1st. Grade. Social Studies 1.H.1, 1.G.1,
1.C.1<
2nd. Grade. Social Studies 2.G.1, 2.C.1
42
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
MOVING ALL AROUND
Common Core State Standards
Pegasus the Horse
Design Orion’s Belt
Kindergarten. English Language Arts​W.K.3,
SL.K.3, SL.K.5, L.K.5, L.K.6
Kindergarten. English Language Arts SL.K.5;
Mathematics K.OA.1, K.OA.2
1st. Grade. English Language Arts W.1.3,
SL.1.3, SL.1.5, L.1.2, L.1.5, L.1.6
1st. Grade. English Language Arts SL.1.5;
Mathematics 1.OA.1, 2.OA.2
2nd. Grade. English Language Arts RF.2.3,
W.2.3, SL.2.3, SL.2.5, L.2.5, L.2.6
2nd. Grade. English Language Arts SL.2.5;
Mathematics 2.OA.1, 2.OA.2
Make a Fall Constellations Toy
Ursa the Bear
Kindergarten. English Language Arts SL.K.3,
SL.K.5, L.K.1; Mathematics K.CC.3,
K.CC.5, K.CC.6, K.G.1, K.G.2, K.G.4
Kindergarten. English Language Arts W.K.7,
SL.K.3, SL.K.5, L.K.5, L.K.6; Mathematics
K.MD.1, K.MD.2
1st. Grade. English Language Arts SL.1.3,
SL.1.5; Mathematics 1.G.1
1st. Grade. English Language Arts W.1.7,
SL.1.3, SL.1.5, L.1.2, L.1.5, L.1.6
2nd. Grade. English Language Arts SL.2.3,
SL.2.5; Mathematics 2.G.1
2nd. Grade. English Language Arts RF.2.3,
W.2.7, SL.2.3, SL.2.5, L.2.5, L.2.6; Mathematics 2.MD.1, 2.MD.4
Orion the Hunter
Kindergarten. English Language Arts SL.K.3,
SL.K.5, L.K.5, L.K.6
1st. Grade. English Language Arts SL.1.3,
SL.1.5, L.1.2, L.1.5, L.1.6
2nd. Grade. English Language Arts RF.2.3,
SL.2.3, SL.2.5, L.2.5, L.2.6
Play “Languages All Around”
Kindergarten. English Language Arts L.K.5;
Mathematics K.OA.1, K.OA.2
1st. Grade. English Language Arts L.1.5;
Mathematics 1.OA.1, 1.OA.2
2nd. Grade. English Language Arts L.2.5;
Mathematics 2.OA.1<
© 2009, 2011 by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
43
MOVING ALL AROUND
44
Classroom Reproducible
© 2009, 2011©by2009,
Morehead
2011 by
Planetarium
Morehead and
Planetarium
Science Center
and Science Center