Constellation Project

Grade Six

Due __________________  

 

http://www.airbrushcity.com/draco_constellation_lg.jpgStars are so much more than pretty lights in the night sky. They act as both a compass and a clock. For hundreds of years people have relied on the stars to navigate the ocean and to know when to plant their crops or perform religious ceremonies. To make the stars easier to read, these people grouped the brighter stars in to recognizable patterns—constellations.

If you were to play connect-the-dots with the constellations, they would each resemble a different object. For example, the constellation Draco looks like a dragon with a small, pointed head and a long, curving body. Perhaps the most famous and distinguishable constellations are the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, better known as the big and little dippers. Depending on the time of year, the constellations will appear in different positions in the night sky.  

 

                The Greeks named many constellations after their gods and goddesses. Each of these constellations represents a character or object from a Greek legend.

For this project you will create a poster for a constellation and myth/legend to present to the class. Choose the constellation you want to research from the constellations of the Zodiacs. These websites might help:

·         http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/zodiac.shtml

·         http://www.windows2universe.org/mythology/stars.html

Here is a sample layout of the poster:

http://www.epchs.k12.il.us/faculty/beechmeg/hmwkhelp/P0hmwkhlp_files/image003.gif                                                                                                                                                Name of your constellation.

Text Box: Myth:   Pegasus, the winged horse, was the child of Medusa …   … and that is how Pegasus earned his place in the sky.

 

                                                                                                                                               

 


Description of the myth behind your constellation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The center piece of the poster is a picture of your constellation.

You can choose between 3 different ways to show your constellation in this picture:

·         Simple: You can printout a large colourful picture (including the stars). 

·         Medium: You can draw a large colourful picture (including the starts.)  

·         Challenge – You can do one of the above AND draw your constellation on the bottom of a can or cup, punch the stars out with a nail and shine a flashlight through the holes to shine your constellation on the wall.

 

Poster Rubric