Why do the stars come out at night?

Why do the stars come out at night?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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Stars in the country vs city

Why`do`you`think
stars`come`out`at
night?`Why`can’t
you`see`them`during
the`day?

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Search for Big Dipper

Big Dipper revealed

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Slide Image
Slide Image

day


1 of 11

the time when the Sun is in the sky
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night


2 of 11

the time when the Sun is not in the sky
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Moon


3 of 11

a large, round object that you can usually see in the night sky
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star


4 of 11

a bright light that can be seen in the night sky
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astronomy


5 of 11

the study of outer space
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constellation


6 of 11

a group of stars that form a pattern
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observe


7 of 11

to pay close attention to something
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telescope


8 of 11

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


9 of 11

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with

sunrise


10 of 11

when the Sun appears in the morning
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sunset


11 of 11

when the Sun disappears in the evening
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Featured Reviews

“This was a favorite for my first graders! They loved the activity and were making great connections to prior knowledge. ”
· Amanda · Teacher
“My kiddos loved the star maker and sunshine activity! They've been spotting the big dipper every night and reporting back the next day. So engaging and relevant for my class! Thank you!”
· Amanda · Teacher
“The students loved it. I appreciate the step by step instructions. We love mystery science!”
· Kristen · Teacher
“The kids really enjoyed figuring out how to make the constellations work by moving the cup and flashlight into different positions. They also liked the extension that I gave them to try it at home and send a photo to share with the class!”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“The students loved the videos and were very engaged in doing the flashlight activities. Great learning experience. ”
· Jean · Teacher
“The children were very enthusiastic about the hands-on experiment! Their hypotheses and discoveries were exciting!”
· Lisa · Teacher
“The videos and questions were great and students loved the experiment too. I used two small paper cups with holes punched for my young students. Finger flashlights were the bomb for this one! Thank you!”
· · Teacher
“The flashlight exploration was very engaging and fun for my students. It was a great way to explain the phenomena.”
· Lisa · Teacher
“The best part of the lesson is when my students did the assessment by answering the question, "Why can't we see stars during the day?" The picture they drew along with their writing made it the best part!”
· Filomena · Teacher
“We love all of the lessons. They're so easy to teach and my kids love them and learn a lot!!”
· Meagan · Homeschooler
“Lesson was engaging and informative. It led to great discussions with my class and they were eager to learn more!”
· Ashley · Teacher
“This was such a fantastic lesson. My students were engaged in the process of discovery and interested in the learning experience. I have recommended it to several colleagues.”
· Diane · Teacher
“It was a great way for the students to interact and investigate on their own. It also generated many new questions that the students would like to explore.”
· Alexis · Teacher
“The interactive piece! The children enjoyed going to their stations and using the flashlights to discover the fact that the stars are out all day and night. ”
· Nicole · Admin
“Concrete model to show that the stars don't go anyway. Great discussion. Very age-apporpriate.”
· Sam · Teacher
“My students loved the star making activity. It was a great hands on activity to learn about the movement of the sun.”
· Lucia · Teacher
“Students really enjoyed being starmakers! The assessment piece at the end was just right for Grade 1.”
· Patty · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students use a model to investigate why the stars are visible at night but disappear when the Sun comes out during the day. In the activity, Star Projector, students use paper cups to project stars onto a sky picture, and observe what happens to these stars when a flashlight acts as a model of the Sun.
Preview activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Big Dipper Star Pictures printout 1 per 12 students
Sky Sheet printout 1 per pair
Scissors
1 pair per student
Dot Stickers
We prefer stickers because they are easier to distribute in a classroom. Tape will also work.
Details
1 sticker per student
Paper Cups (8 oz)
1 cup per student
Push Pins
1 pin per student
LED Flashlights
2 flashlights per pair
Prep Instructions

You will need to do part of this activity in the dark with the lights off and curtains drawn.

We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students will need two flashlights and a partner to help with a few steps.

Prepare Big Dipper Star Pictures

Each printout has 12 Big Dipper pictures. Cut up enough Big Dipper sheets to provide each student with one star picture.

Set Up Activity Stations

Set up activity stations by posting Sky Sheets on walls that will be dark or dimly lit when you pull the shades and turn out the lights. We recommend that each pair of students works at an activity station. If classroom space is limited, we’ve found that one station can comfortably accommodate up to 8 students taking turns.

Exploration

11 mins

Hands-On Activity

25 mins

Wrap-Up

4 mins

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish

Video

Video

This video from National Geographic shows how the night sky looks from places with different levels of light pollution.

What gets hidden by light pollution? In this video, a professional astronomy photographer takes you out of the city to see the stars.

This news report from The Today Show shows how a small mountain town redesigned its lights to cut down on light pollution.

Activity

Activity

Create your own star clock with these instructions so you can tell the time at night and predict when different constellations will be visible!

Note: This star clock was designed for use in the Northern Hemisphere. It uses Standard Time, so you should subtract 1 hour if you are on Daylight Savings Time. If you live in a country farther north or south than the United States, you may need to adjust the star clock based on your location.

Mini-lessons

Mini-lessons

You can elaborate student learning and engagement with Mystery Science mini-lessons.

If you are in an NGSS state, this mini-lesson supports the DCI ESS1.A: The Universe and its Stars

Transcripts

Download this Lesson to your device so you can play it offline:
Credits
 
Sky Lesson 6: Why do the stars come out at night?

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