KEY QUESTION
What are constellations?

POSSIBLE PRECONCEPTIONS
Students may be confused by the elaborate drawings of constellations they see in books. These drawings often bear little relationship to the actual star patterns in the sky.

KEY CONCEPTS
Constellations are connect-the-dots pictures. However, there are no numbers or letters next to the 'dots' (stars) in the sky, and you can connect them any way you want to. All people everywhere have (or had) stories about the 'pictures' in the sky and everyone connected the dots in different ways and made
different pictures and stories.

METHOD
Students gain an understanding of the concept of constellations by dividing into groups, constructing a 'new' constellation and inventing a story about this 'constellation'.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Target Grades: All grades (with modifications)
Participant Size: Whole class and groups of 3-5
Length of Activity: One hour (depending on class size)
Where: Indoors
Method: Teacher-guided discovery
Focus: Constellations
Skills: Creativity, story-telling, language arts

MATERIALS LIST
Per group

1 sheet black paper
'Stars' (5-10) 'Stars' can be lick-n-stick foil stars or stick-on small colored dots. They can also be as simple as the paper circles left by a hole punch. You may have different sizes or colors of 'stars' to represent differences in brightness or color

Glue (if 'stars' must be glued on) Use traditionally-made glue to give this activity a 'cultural' spin.

PROCEDURE
Preparation

Prepare a packet for each group that contains between five and ten 'stars' (each group should receive the same number of 'stars'). You may want to use two or more different kinds of 'stars' to designate bright and dim stars or stars of different color.

DOING THE ACTIVITY

Ask the students if they know what a constellation is. The answer will vary with age level and English proficiency. Explain that constellations are connect-the-dots in the sky and that all people have stories about the patterns of stars they saw in the sky. You might tell a couple of quick stories about a
prominent constellation, or simply mention a few of the things that people all over the world have called the pattern of stars we call the Big Dipper (dipper, bear, broom, spoon, wagon, plow, many different animals, to mention only a few). Also present other sky legends including local ones.

Divide the students into groups of 3-5 and tell them that they are going to create their own constellation and sky story about it. Give each group a piece of black paper and a packet of 'stars'. Have each group choose one person to hold the 'stars' about a foot (30 cm) above the black paper and drop them. This
creates a random pattern of 'stars'. Mark the place where each star fell and fix it to the paper at that point (no fair moving them around!). Have each group draw the pattern of dots on a blank piece of paper and decide how the dots should be connected. Then tell them to create (and write down) a story about their constellation. They should also name their constellation.

When the groups have finished, collect all the constellations on the black paper and redistribute them, making sure that no group receives its original constellation. Then have each group name and write a story about the constellation they just received. They should also reproduce this constellation onto a piece of paper and connect the 'dots'.

When all the groups have finished, collect the black-paper constellations and hold up one. Have the two groups who did stories about that 'constellation' tell their stories to the class. Repeat until all the stories have been told about all the constellations.

CLOSURE
Explain once again to the students that stories about the sky are a rich part of the cultures of all people and that it is possible to make up an infinite number of stories about the patterns of stars.

EXTENSIONS
Have the students investigate star stories from different cultures and report back to the class. You might want to pick certain bright star patterns like the Big Dipper or Orion the Hunter and find out what stories were told about them. 

Have your students write their stories down and publish a Sky Legends Book for their class. This activity fits in very well with creative writing endeavors.

A very important logical extension of this activity is to have the students record the star stories told in their homes. Much of the Pacific Islands star lore has never been written down, particularly agricultural and fishing lore. This information is an important part of any culture and is too valuable to lose. Help
record it today! If you are interested in doing this, you might want to ask for the activity Traditional Skies.
 

Ideas for this activity were taken from Constellations by Dr. Marykay Hemenway of the University of Texas at Austin.