Sky's Seasonal Secrets Script

Warm-Up: Starry Night Thoughts (5 minutes)

"Good morning/afternoon, everyone! Today, we're going to be space explorers, figuring out a cool secret about our planet: why the night sky looks different when it's winter compared to when it's summer."

"To start, I've handed out a quick Sky's Seasonal Warm-Up activity. Please take about 3-4 minutes to complete it. Think about the stars and patterns you see. Have you ever noticed new stars pop up, or old ones disappear, depending on the time of year?"

(Allow students time to complete the warm-up.)

"Alright, let's hear some of your thoughts! Who can share something they wrote down or something they've seen in the night sky?"

(Listen to student responses and facilitate a brief discussion, guiding them towards the idea of change in the night sky.)

Introduction: Earth's Journey (7 minutes)

"Great observations! It sounds like many of you have already noticed that the night sky isn't always the same. It's like a big, moving picture! And today, we're going to find out why it changes."

"Look at our first slide, 'Our Earth's Journey'. Our Earth is always moving! The main movement we're focusing on today is our orbit around the Sun."

"Who can remind us how long it takes for Earth to make one complete trip around the Sun?"

"That's right, about 365 days, which gives us our year! As we travel in this big circle around the Sun, our view of space changes. Think of it like being in a car on a long road trip. As the car moves, the scenery outside your window keeps changing, right? The same thing happens with Earth and the stars."

"Take a look at the slide: 'Starry Views From Our Trip'. As Earth travels around the Sun, we are looking out at different parts of space. This means some stars and constellations are visible to us at night, while others are actually 'behind' the Sun from where we are, hidden by its bright light during the day. As Earth moves, those stars come into view, and others move out of view."

Activity: Our Changing View (10 minutes)

"Now it's your turn to explore this! We're going to do the Sky's Seasonal Activity."

"I'm going to divide you into small groups. Each group will receive a copy of the activity. Your task is to pretend you are Earth and orbit around a 'Sun' to see how your view of 'constellations' changes. Read the instructions carefully, discuss with your group, and work together to complete the activity."

"I'll be circulating around the room to answer any questions and provide assistance. Remember to think about how your game relates to the real Earth and stars. You have about 10 minutes for this activity. Let's get started!"

(Circulate, assist groups, and prompt deeper thinking with questions like: 'If this is the Sun, and you are Earth, which stars would you see at night?')

Discussion & Wrap-Up (8 minutes)

"Alright everyone, let's bring it back together! What did you notice during the activity? Did your view of the 'constellations' change as you 'orbited' the 'Sun'?"

(Listen to student responses and guide the discussion to reinforce the main concept.)

"Great job! So, remember, the biggest secret to our changing night sky, as shown on our slide 'Our Changing Sky', is that Earth is always on a journey, orbiting around the Sun. This big trip changes which stars we can see at night."

"Any final questions about our amazing, changing night sky?"

"To finish up, please take a moment to complete the Sky's Seasonal Cool Down exit ticket. It will help me see what you learned today!"

Sky's Seasonal Warm-Up

Instructions: Take a few minutes to answer the questions below based on what you have seen in the sky.

1. When you look up at the night sky, what are some stars or patterns (like shapes made of stars) that you recognize?
   
   
   

2. Have you ever noticed that some stars or star patterns seem to be in the sky during winter, but then they are gone in summer? What about other stars you see in summer that aren't there in winter?
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. What do you think makes the night sky look different at different times of the year?
   
   
   
   
   
   

Sky's Seasonal Activity: Our Changing View of Stars

Objective: To see how Earth's trip around the Sun makes us see different stars at different times of the year.

Materials:

• One flashlight (this will be the Sun)
• Set of 4-6 'Constellation Cards' (simple drawings or names of stars/patterns, one per card) - Teacher will provide or students can quickly draw these
• A clear space on desks or on the floor for your group

Instructions:

1. Set Up Your 'Space': Place the flashlight (your 'Sun') in the middle of your space. Put your 'Constellation Cards' in a big circle around the 'Sun'. Make sure there's enough room for one person to walk around the 'Sun'.

2. Be the Earth: One student will be 'Earth'. This student will stand and face the 'Sun' (flashlight) at one spot in its circle.

3. Nighttime View: Remember, we can only see stars at night! So, as 'Earth' faces the 'Sun', the 'Constellation Cards' behind 'Earth' (away from the Sun) are the ones you would see in the night sky. The stars close to the 'Sun' would be visible during the day, so we wouldn't see them.

4. First Look: From your starting 'Earth' spot, look at the 'Constellation Cards' that are in your 'night sky' (away from the Sun). Write down which ones you see.
   
   
   
   

5. Travel Around the Sun: Slowly walk 'Earth' a little bit (like a quarter of the way) around the 'Sun'. Always keep facing the 'Sun' as you move. This is like Earth moving for a few months.

6. Second Look: From this new spot, look again at your 'night sky'. Which 'constellations' do you see now? Are they the same as before? Why do you think they changed?
   
   
   
   
   
   

7. Keep Traveling: Keep moving 'Earth' another quarter of the way around the 'Sun'.

8. Third Look: What 'constellations' do you see this time? What new ones appeared or disappeared?
   
   
   
   

9. Finish the Trip: Move for the last part, completing a full circle around the 'Sun' (a full 'year').

10. Final Look: What 'constellations' are visible now? How does this compare to your very first look?
    
    
    
    

Thinking Questions:

1. In our game, what did the flashlight pretend to be? What did the student walking around pretend to be?
   
   
   

2. Why did the 'stars' you saw change as 'Earth' walked around the 'Sun'?
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. How does this game help us understand why we see different stars in the night sky during different seasons?
   
   
   
   
   
   

Sky's Seasonal Cool Down

Instructions: Please answer these questions about what you learned today.

1. Tell me one big reason why we see different stars in the night sky during different seasons.
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. How does Earth's trip around the Sun (its orbit) change what stars we can see?
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. What is one new thing you learned or found cool about the changing night sky?