ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

During a conversation with one of my students, I was shocked to learn that she had never seen the Big Dipper. I recalled my fascination with locating stars and constellations when I was in grade school and how even now, when the stars are visible, I always look for my personal favorite, Orion. I began to wonder: How many other students have never seen the Big or Little Dipper? Do my students know that stars make constellations? Do they know the stories behind their creation? I have to admit that I don’t even know most of the myths behind their origination. Students should not be “in the dark”, so to speak, about something that surrounds them and is part of their own universe. We do not currently have a formal state assessment in science. However, based on my encounter with that particular student, I will incorporate Earth and Space Science into my unit. Our school has chosen reading and writing as one of our School Improvement Action Plan goals. This goal states: All students will increase in reading and writing across the curriculum. Data used in determining this goal came from the North Dakota State Assessment, in which students in our school and district performed low in English Language Arts Content Standard 4: Student engage in the writing process and Standard 5: Students write for a variety of purposes and audiences. Based on my personal student assessment, our School Improvement Action Plan goal, and the North Dakota State Assessment results, I will create and implement a unit in which students will use the writing process to write a myth based on research of the mythology behind the origination of the constellations.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: I want my students to:be able to identify, gather, and effectively use a variety of accurate sources when researching a topic, to be able to recall the various stages of a star and recognize certain constellations and the history behind their creation, become familiar with and appreciate a variety of celestial myths, know how to use the writing process in order to create a written work and know how to create a slide show presentation. Goal(s):Identify the stages in the life cycle of a star. Identify a variety of constellations and recall the mythology behind their creation. Research the various pieces of mythology behind constellations. Create an original piece of mythology using the writing process. Create a slideshow presentation on stars and constellations.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: What is a star? What is the life cycle of a star? How did constellations get their names? What is a myth and how can I write my own? How can I present information in the form of a slideshow? Objectives: When asked to describe the life cycle of a star, students will be able to correctly identify and illustrate each stage. When shown pictures, students will be able to recognize various well-known constellations. Students will correctly identify the reliable sources when presented with a variety of accurate and inaccurate sources. Students will collect information from 3 accurate sources regarding the mythology of a particular constellation. Using the writing process, students will compose an original myth on the origination of a constellation containing no grammatical, mechanical, usage, or spelling errors. Using gathered and researched information, students will construct a slideshow which contains the life cycle of a star, a drawing of a specific constellation, a summary of its mythology, and the student-composed constellation myth. Students will be able to demonstrate that they are able to locate three constellations/stars in the sky during a star gazing field trip.

Assessment

What quiz and test items e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding? Students will be given a star life cycle quiz and a constellation identification quiz. What academic prompts e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? What is a star? What is the life cycle of a star? What is a constellation? How did constellations get their names? What is a myth and how can I write my own? How can I present the information I have gathered in the form of a slideshow? What performance tasks and projects e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding? Students will write an original myth explaining the origination of a constellation using the writing process. Students will work collaboratively to create a presentation in the form of slide show in which they demonstrate their understanding of the life cycle of a star, the formation of a constellation by stars. They will also publish their myth in the slide show. What other evidence e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? Both the written work and slide show will be evaluated by the students and teacher through student/teacher created rubrics. I will observe student work ethic, cooperation, and progress throughout the project. During a star gazing field trip, students will be asked to locate and identify constellations and specific stars in the night-time sky.

Instructional Strategies

Students will learn primarily through inquiry-based and project-based strategies. Once students are posed the academic prompt questions, they will work in cooperative groups in identifying accurate sources and collecting the information about stars and constellations. When writing a myth, they will provide one another with feedback during the writing process. After the students have gathered information on stars and constellations and written a myth, they will design and create the final product, a slide show. The requirements for the end-product will be determined by the students and teacher in the form of a rubric. The teacher’s role will be to serve as a facilitator.