Standards and Objectives - Starlab

Classtime: 1 hour
Time needed for Setup: 60 min
Target Age/ Audience:  Grade 1-6                    
                                    
Goal:
Provide an experience for students to be in an environment that simulates the night sky with representations of the constellations and discussion of Ancient myths about the constellations.  Also, to explain and demonstrate the terms revolve and rotate in terms of the Earth, Moon & Sun as well as information about the planets and their three major classifications.


Objectives:

  • To provide a visual experience of constellations, the ancient stories connected with them, and the types of constellations, and how current astronomers map them.
  • Students will explore how the constellations move and are classified according to color, size, and distance.
  • Students will examine the solar system with planets consisting of 8 planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune), and 3 dwarf planets (Ceres, Eris, and Pluto) and our center sun.
  • Students will physically experience the terms revolve and Rotate and how they relate to the sun, moon, and earth as well as act out with objects how through the earth’s tilt (on its axis), we experience 4 seasons throughout the year.
  • Students(4th+) will model and discuss how the Earth casts a shadow on the moon causing phases.  Depending on the position of the earth, moon, and sun is how when get different moon phases.


Standards:
Tennessee

  • 6.0 The cosmos is vast and explored well enough to know its basic structure and operational principles.
  • GLE0107.6.1 Compare and describe features of the day and night sky
  • GLE0207.6.1  Realize that the sun is our nearest star and that its position in the sky appears to change.
  • GLE0307.6.1  Identify and compare the major components of the solar system.
  • GLE0407.6.1 Analyze patterns, relative movements, and relationships among the sun, moon, and earth.
  • GLE0507.6.1 Compare planets based on their known characteristics.
  • GLE0507.6.2 Recognize that charts can be used to locate and identify star patterns.
  • 6.7.spi.1.  Distinguish between a day, month, and year on earth based on the movements of the earth, sun, and moon.
  • 6.7.spi.4  Categorize the components of the universe (i.e. stars, planets, comets, asteroids, meteors).
  • 6.7.spi.3 Differentiate between planets according to specific characteristics.
  • 6.7.spi.4 Select the diagram that reflects the earth/sun relationship that accounts for the four seasons.


Georgia:

  • SKE1.  Students will describe time patterns (such as day to night and night to day) and objects (such as sun, moon, stars) in the day and night sky.
  • S4E1 Students will compare and contrast the physical attributes of stars, star patterns, and planets.
  • S4E2 Students will model the position and motion of the earth in the solar system and will explain the role of relative position and motion in determining sequence of the phases of the moon.