Constellation Mythology:

A collection of stories and related classroom materials for

teaching students about constellations

By: Jordan Wargo

GVSU Fredrick Meyers Honors College Senior Project

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Table of Contents Description ................................................................................................................................................... 3

Standards ...................................................................................................................................................... 4

“The Bears” cover ......................................................................................................................................... 6

“The Bears” Teacher Guide ....................................................................................................................... 7

Uncle Al’s Star Wheel ................................................................................................................................ 8

“The Hunter” cover .................................................................................................................................... 11

“The Hunter” Teacher Guide .................................................................................................................. 12

Create Your Own Myth Writing materials .............................................................................................. 13

“The Shallow Queen” cover ....................................................................................................................... 15

“The Shallow Queen” Teacher Guide ..................................................................................................... 16

Life cycle of stars foldable instructions ................................................................................................... 17

“The Warrior Twins” cover ........................................................................................................................ 19

“The Warrior Twins” Teacher Guide ...................................................................................................... 20

Charting the Stars worksheet .................................................................................................................. 21

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Description

This project is a unit on teaching four mythology stories to schoolchildren. This is

an integrated unit which will meet Michigan state and national standards in Science, Math,

English/Language Arts, and Social Studies. Within this packet you will find:

Four stories about constellations

Teacher guides for instruction

o Class worksheets for each book

o Relevant activities for the classroom

The purpose of this unit is to bring increased science curriculum for the classroom.

According to a study conducted by Rolf K Blank, the average time spent on science

instruction in Kindergarten through fourth grade is about two hours per week (2013). This

has been correlated to lower scores on standardized testing. By integrating the four core

subjects, teachers can feasibly increase the amount of science instruction that is

happening in our classrooms while still emphasizing ELA and Math in accordance with

national standards. The target age for these activities is 3rd grade, but they can easily be

adapted to fit any grade level.

Blank, R. K. (2013). Science instructional time is declining in elementary schools: what are the implications

for student achievement and closing the gap? Science Education Sci. Ed., 97(6), 830-847.

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Standards

Next Generation Science Standards

2-PS1-3. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how

an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new

object.

5-ESS1-1. Support an argument that the apparent brightness of the sun and

stars is due to their relative distances from the Earth.

5-ESS1-2. Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily

changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal

appearance of some stars in the night sky.

English Language Arts Standards

R.CM.00.04 apply significant knowledge from grade-level science, social studies,

and mathematics texts

W.GN.04.01 write a cohesive narrative piece such as a myth, legend, fantasy, or

adventure creating relationships among setting, characters, theme, and plot.

CCSS Math Content Standards

3.MD.B.3 Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data

set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how

many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For

example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent

5 pets.

Social Studies Grade Level Content Expectations

K – H2.0.4 Describe ways people learn about the past (e.g., photos, artifacts,

diaries, stories, videos).

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2 – G1.0.2 Use maps to describe the spatial organization of the local community

by applying concepts including relative location and using distance, direction, and

scale.

3 – G1.0.1 Use cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) to describe the relative

location of significant places in the immediate environment

3 – H3.0.4 Draw upon traditional stories of American Indians (e.g., Anishinaabeg

- Ojibway (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), Potawatomi; Menominee; Huron Indians)

who lived in Michigan in order to make generalizations about their beliefs.

o NOTE: Although this standard emphasizes American Indians and Michigan,

it is applied to the understanding of Western Civilization (i.e. Greek and

Roman) beliefs

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The Bears:

An origin story for Ursa Major and Ursa Minor

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“The Bears” teacher guide

For this lesson you will need:

“The Bears” story

Uncle Al’s Star Wheel and Instructions

Begin by introducing the topic of mythological stories. Remind students that myths are

stories that are passed through generations to explain something that they believe in, but

are not usually true. You may also wish to introduce students to the idea of constellations.

Read the story to the children, as this is the introduction to the unit, students should

just be making observations of the characters and characteristics of mythologies they can

identify in the story. Stop as often as you like to discuss the story or answer questions.

When you are done reading, tell students that they will be building a star wheel so

they can find constellations in the night sky. This project should be done in small steps

following the provided instructions.

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The Hunter:

An origin story for Orion and Scorpio

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“The Hunter” teacher guide

For this lesson you will need:

“The Hunter” story

Story sheet

“Create your own” prompt

Begin by reviewing “The Bears” with the students. Tell the students that they will be

listening to a similar story and doing another activity. While you are reading, students

should focus on the characteristics of a mythological story.

Read the story to the students, stopping as often as you wish for questions or

discussion.

After reading the story to the students, prompt the students for a brief writing

assignment. Begin by reading the prompt to the students several times. Ask the students

to identify the important parts of the prompt. You can then brainstorm as a class. Focus

on brainstorming the aspects of mythology stories that you might need to include. Send

students to do some research on the Canis Major constellation mentioned in the story.

This research can either be done independently on the computer or can be done ahead

of time by the teacher and provided for the students. Once the students have done some

research, come back together as a class to brainstorm the content you want in the Canis

Major myth. Give students time to write and illustrate their own stories.

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Create your own… Myth

Directions: Do some research on the mythological story of Canis Major. Use what you

found to write and illustrate your own story! You can make it as short or as long as you

would like as long as you get all of the important details! Don’t forget to add a creative

title to your story. Reminder that this is YOUR creation and no one else’s, try your best

and be proud. Have fun

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Page ________

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The Shallow Queen:

An origin story for Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and Andromeda

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“The Shallow Queen” teacher guide

For this lesson you will need:

“The Shallow Queen” story

Two 8 ½ X 11 pieces of paper per student

Scissors

Instructions for lice cycle of a star foldables

Begin by reviewing the first two stories: “The Bears” and “The Hunter”. Then introduce

the next story “The Shallow Queen.” The students should continue focusing on the

mythology story, but also tell them to focus on the science mentioned in the story.

Specifically, students should focus on the life cycle of a star.

Read the story to the students, stopping as often as needed to ask or answer

questions while reading.

Students will be making two, four-tab foldables about the life cycle of a star. One

foldable will focus on the life cycle of a sun-like stars and another will focus on the life

cycle of giant stars. Use the provided diagram and outline to guide students through the

creation of their foldables.

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Materials: Two 8 ½ X 11 pieces of paper, scissors

Directions: Fold the sheet of paper in half hot dog style. Then hold the paper long ways

and fold it in fourths. Cut down the three folds to the center line made from the original

fold. Then fold the flaps down. You should now have a four flapped foldable. Repeat these

steps with another piece of paper so you have two foldable templates. Use the following

information as a guide to help students fill out the information in their foldable.

Sun sized star:

Flap 1: Average sized star

The cover: a sketch and title of the star.

Inside flap: This is a stable star. It produces light and heat.

Flap 2: Red Giant star

The cover: a sketch and title of the star.

Inside flap: The stable star will start to cool down and turn red. The star gets bigger

as it cools.

Flap 3: Planetary Nebula

The cover: a sketch and title of the star.

Inside flap: The red giant star will lose the outer layers, leaving the hot core behind.

One of these nebulas can be seen in WHAT CONSTELLATION WE TALKED

ABOUT.

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Flap 4: White dwarf

The cover: a sketch and title of the star.

Inside flap: The white dwarf is the hot core left behind from the nebula. As it gets

colder, it will get smaller, becoming a black dwarf star.

Giant star:

Flap 1: Giant star

The cover: a sketch and title of the star.

Inside flap: A giant star is more than 3 times the size of the sun. These stars also

produce light and heat.

Flap 2: Supergiant

The cover: a sketch and title of the star.

Inside flap: The stable giant star will start to cool down and turn red. The star gets

bigger as it cools. This supergiant is similar to the red giant, but bigger.

Flap 3: Supernova

The cover: a sketch and title of the stage.

Inside flap: The supergiant star will explode, leaving behind the pieces of the

original star. Remains of a supernova can be seen in WHAT CONSTELLATION

WE TALKED ABOUT.

Flap 4: Neutron star OR Black hole

The cover: a sketch and title of both stages.

Inside flap: The neutron star happens when a core collapses and becomes dense.

One neutron star can be seen in WHAT CONSTELLATION WE TALKED ABOUT.

A black hole will happen if the core collapses and goes away.

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The Warrior Twins:

An origin story for the Gemini brothers

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“The Warrior Twins” teacher guide

For this lesson you will need:

“The Warrior Twins” story

Charting the Stars math worksheet

Begin by reviewing all of the other constellation stories. This can include discussions

about characteristics of myths or the life cycle of stars. This story is a conclusion of the

unit.

Read the story to the students. The students should be focusing on the different

types, or sizes of stars in the story. Stop as often as needed for questions.

The students will be completing a math worksheet comparing the sizes of different

stars. The students can complete this worksheet with partners or by themselves.

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Name: ________________________________

Charting the Stars

Directions: Finish filling in the table with information about two stars you

found through safe internet research. Use the provided table to make a line

chart comparing several stars’ distance from Earth to their masses. Answer

the questions below.

Name of star Distance from Earth (Light Years)

Mass (Solar masses)

Betelgeuse (RSG) 643 11.6

Rigel (BSG) 860 23

Sirius (AS) 8.6 2.02

Pollux (GS) 33.78 2.04

Castor (6Stars) 51 2.2

Polaris (YSG) 433.8 6

Mas

s (S

ola

r M

ass)

Distance from Earth (Lightyears)

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1. Which star is the farthest from Earth? __________________. The closest?

_________________.

2. Which star has the largest solar mass? ___________________. The smallest?

_________________.

3. What two factors go in to how bright a star looks from Earth?

a. _________________________

b. _________________________

4. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, though it only has a solar mass of 2.02.

Why do you think that is? ____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

5. Use the following information about the types of stars to identify the next stage in

the star cycle.

Name of Star Current Stage

Betelgeuse Red Supergiant

Rigel Blue Supergiant

Sirius Average Star

Pollux Giant Star

Polaris Yellow Supergiant

a. Betelgeuse: ________________________

b. Rigel: ________________________

c. Sirius: ________________________

d. Pollux: ________________________

e. Polaris: ________________________