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How can stars help you if you get lost?

How can stars help you if you get lost?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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Optional Activity: Where Is North?

Your teacher has labeled the walls of the classroom with North, South, East, and West. Discuss:

  • To go to the front of the room, which direction would you walk: North, South, East, or West?
  • Which direction would you walk to go toward the clock?
  • What is closest to the west wall of the classroom?

Suppose you could walk through the wall labeled North and keep on walking in a straight line. Discuss:

  • Where would you end up if you kept walking North?
  • Where would you end up if you kept walking South?

Look at a globe of the Earth.

  • Find where you are on the globe.
  • Find the North Pole and the South Pole on the globe. If you walked North, you’d end up at the North Pole. What places would you go through on your way there?
Slide Image
Slide Image

star


1 of 7

a bright light that can be seen in the night sky
Slide Image

telescope


2 of 7

a tool used to make very distant objects look closer, often used to look at outer space
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north


3 of 7

one of four main directions; when you face north, west is to the left and east is to the right
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east


4 of 7

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the right
Slide Image

south


5 of 7

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is the direction behind you
Slide Image

west


6 of 7

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the left
Slide Image

pattern


7 of 7

something that happens again and again and again in a way that can be predicted

Featured Reviews

“This was the best Read-Along Mystery yet. The kids were just really engaged in the story. They loved the matching big dipper t-shirts.”
· Kathi · Teacher
“The kids really enjoyed this activity!”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“I have loved my experiences teaching mystery science. The activities are fun and educational and they are easy to prep for. My 1st graders are learning a lot. Thanks for this great program.”
· Connie · Teacher
“Students enjoyed the read-aloud and follow-up lesson from NatGeo on cardinal directions. My students now regularly refer to cardinal directions in the school (e.g. "You mean my place in line is north of where I'm at now?" -actual student quote). So great!”
· Sarah · Teacher
“The students liked learning about how to find out the direction they are moving and help themselves if they ever get lost.”
· Valerie · Teacher
“It went very well! The students enjoyed it!”
· Marlene · Teacher
“The students were very engaged!”
· Maryanne · Teacher
“Students loved learning about the north star ”
· Michele · Teacher
“The students enjoyed the book, and could explain how to find and use the north star after we read the book. ”
· Donna · Teacher
“They found the Big Dipper and North star that same night when they went home!! :)”
· Sharla · Teacher
“The students made good connections with the material. ”
· Darcy · Teacher
“The activity where the students looked around the classroom with their hand-formed telescopes was very fun. :) I also really liked the optional worksheet where the students draw the north star using the location of the Big Dipper, and writing a sentence about the Big Dipper's name. This helped me assess whether or not the students understood which two stars in the Big Dipper to reference when determining the location of the North Star. ”
· Mallory · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep

Switch to non-narrated version

In this Read-Along lesson, Ryan’s camping trip with his dad includes a night of stargazing, and a mystery to solve. The lesson includes a short exercise where students imagine what they might see looking through a telescope. You can extend the lesson with the optional activity, Where Is North?, that helps students learn the cardinal directions.
Preview optional activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Blank Paper (8.5 x 11")
Used to make Cardinal Direction signs for the classroom. Recycled is fine.
Details
4 sheets per class
Globe
1 globe per class
Compass
1 compass per class
Prep Instructions

We suggest an optional activity that helps students gain a better understanding of the cardinal directions (north, south, east, west).

For this activity, you will need to make four signs:

  • North
  • South
  • East
  • West

You will use these signs to label your classroom walls with the appropriate cardinal direction. To identify which sign goes where, you can use a compass or Google Maps.

Here’s how to identify the directions using Google Maps:

  1. Open Google Maps and enter your school’s street address.
  2. Zoom in on your school and look at the surrounding streets and landmarks.
  3. North is always up on Google Maps. Find a landmark that’s to the north of your school.
  4. Put North on the wall that’s closest to that landmark.
  5. Face North. Put West on the wall to your left, East on the wall to your right, and South on the wall behind you.

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish

Transcripts

Credits
 
Moon Stars Tx Read-Along Lesson 3: How can stars help you if you get lost?

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