Constellations


 * Topic:** Constellations
 * Content Area:** Science
 * Grade:** 4th

__**Instruction Objectives**__ Student will be able to: name at least three constellations pick out and name at least two constellations in a simulated night sky identify the season and hemisphere five constellations are found

__**Describe the Learning Activity**__ For this activity students will be assigned a constellation or will be able to chose his or her own constellation, but only one student can research each constellation. The student is then responsible for researching this constellation in the computer lab using the Google custom search I have created. The student is responsible for finding information such as the location in the sky, a picture, the season and hemisphere in which it is visible, the origin of the name and if there is a story to go along with the name to summarize it, the stars included in the constellation, the rise and set time of the constellation, and any other information they think is pertinent. The teacher will assist students when creating their voicethreads and Zoho book. The students will then create an entry in a constellation book that is being created in Zoho. Each student will follow the template found below. media type="custom" key="6756919" The students will also be responsible for creating a short presentation using a voicethread that will be played for the class upon completion of the unit. A sample voicethread can be found [|here].

__**Rationale for Tool(s) use:**__ I chose to use a Google custom search in order to allow students to find pertainant information about their constellations without having to weed through massive amounts of useless information. I also chose to use Zoho to create the constellation book so that the students could all work on it collaboratively, thus allowing it to be accessible to all students. I decided to have the students create a presentation using a voicethread because I think it would be a good change from what the students are used to doing for classroom presentations. This would allow them to insert music possibly coordinating with the origin of the constellation, add their voices to narrate the presentations, and instead of having the students stand in front of the class and present, the students are able to watch "movie" presentations instead.

__**Evaluation**__ The students will be evaluated based on their completion of the task. As a whole group, I may quiz them on some of the constellations to see if the students were paying attention during the presentations. I will also set-up a simulated night sky and have students identify what constellations they see. I will them where and when the sky is set-up so that they can recall what constellations they should be prepared for in class. The tools used will be evaluated based on the students' successes with them. I will observe the students during their work time and monitor the ease of use with the various tools. I will also ask the students for feedback on the tools and what they liked and/or did not like about the lesson and tools.

Students will use the following search to find their information: media type="custom" key="6720459"