6 OUR SOLAR SYSTEM IS A VERY SMALL PART OF ONE OF BILLIONS OF GALAXIES IN THE UNIVERSE

Task 4: The brightness of stars

Level: Primary (1.–5. Graders)

Subject: Art

Recommended age of pupils: 6–11 years old or older

Time allocated: 1-2 lessons

List of equipment needed for pairs of pupils:

Drawings of constellations (for example the Ursa Minor, the Cygnus, the Aquila, the Delphinus).
A sheet of paper with the brightest stars marked
A pencil

List of practical (research) activities:

Description – a brief summary:

The goal of the activity is to acquaint pupils with different constellation patterns and their similarities with known shapes.

Description – individual sections of the lessons

	Work content	Time	Material and equipment needed	Teacher’s activity	Pupils’ activity
Introduction to topic – motivation	What is a constellation?	10 minutes	A notebook for recording the findings, a pencil	Describes constellations, their significance for orientation in the sky. He/she manages and assesses pupils’ activities.	In the form of group work, pupils estimate the significance of the constellations
Pre-laboratory preparation	Dividing pupils into groups, motivation, formulation of the target, assessment, a worksheet.	10 minutes	A notebook for recording the findings, a pencil	Divides pupils into groups, motivation, formulates the target, introduces the assessment criteria to pupils, distributes the worksheets, and supervises pupils when working.	Presentation of constellations, they complete the worksheet with tasks, they cooperate within the group, and ask the teacher questions.
Practical (research) activity	Drawing of the constellation pattern.	20 minutes	A notebook for recording the findings, a pencil	Pays attention to pupils.	Pupils make a constellation model according to the pattern of a constellation and distances of individual stars.
Evaluation of lessons	Summary, advantages and disadvantages of constellations, presentations	5 minutes	None	Controlled discussion with pupils.	Disadvantages of orientation in the sky with the help of constellations

Preparation of the teacher:

Description of the activity

This activity is not very suitable for doing in lessons, as it is advisable to observe the night sky, even if the activity can be modified into a class.

Pupils will try, based on their observations, to compare the brightness of the seven stars forming the asterism of the Big Dipper (part of the constellation of the Great Bear). They mark the star, which appears to them as the brightest, with the number 1. The second star in order of brightness, they designate the number 2, etc. The least bright star will have the designation of number 7. They write the numbers directly next to the stars in the picture.

With pupils, after the realization of the task, it is possible to discuss whether all the stars are separate stars; the second star from the left is actually a double star and contains two stars – Alcor and Mizar.

With limitations, the determination of the brightness of stars can be realized in the classroom by projecting a stellar sky through a computer planetarium, e.g. Stellarium.