Quill worker of the Night Sky

Ava Simnitt

North County R-1

OBJECTIVES:

 Polaris stands still during the earth’s rotation.  Other stars (seasonal and circumpolar) move in patterns.  Seasonal stars rise and set.  Circumpolar stars do not rise and set.  Circumpolar stars move in circular patterns around Polaris.  Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky.  Different cultures have legends associated with the stars and constellations.  The Native American Indians are one of these cultures.

RELATION TO MISSOURI FRAMEWORKS: 

K-4  VA2   The sun, moon, and stars have recurring patterns.

K-4  VA3   Constellations are patterns of stars.

K-4  VB3   Patterns of movement of some objects in the sky are cyclic.

CONTEXT:

Grade Level 2-6

Group of 15-25 for StarLab presentation.

PREREQUISITE:

                Students should have some knowledge of moon phases, earth rotation and revolution, and constellations.

MATERIALS:

              Chrysalis Dreams (Native American Flute music by John MacEnulty)

              Native American Folklore of the Stars (from website)

              Native American Indian Books:

  Thirteen Moon on a Turtle’s Back

  Quillworker

  Keepers of the Earth

  A Comprehensive Curriculum and User’s Guide for the StarLab and

  Other Planetaria         

              StarLab Portable Planetarium

              Starfield Cylinder

            Native American Indian Cylinder

              Arrow pointers

            Red flashlights for reading

PROCEDURE:

1.          Turn on background music for the presentation.

2.          Before entering the StarLab, begin by telling the students that we have been discussing Native American Indian folklore pertaining to the solar system.  Review with them that we have read and discussed some of the Indian legends concerning the thirteen new moons that we have each year.  This book may be placed on display with other materials that you are using during your presentation.

3.          Introduce that Indians also have legends concerning the constellations.  Tell the short story of Walks All Over the Sky (from the website) as a prelude to the Indian legend of Quillworker.

4.          Read  the book  Quillworker.

5.          Tell the students that we will now go into the StarLab and observe the location of the North Star (Polaris).  Prior to this go over the rules for the StarLab.

6.          Students enter the StarLab.  After the students are seated, quiet, and ready, the Starfield cylinder is turned on.  (At this point, do not turn on the rotator.)    Students are given several celestial moments so that they may gaze in wonder and astonishment at the stars.

7.          Using the arrow pointer, point to Wihio (Polaris).  Put the pointer on Quillworker and the other stars that make up the Big Dipper. 

8.          Turn on the rotator and give the students a minute to study the movement.

9.          Ask if anyone can describe the motion.  (Stars move around the dome in arched or circular patterns.)

10.      Place the pointer on the North Star and ask the students to watch this star as the cylinder rotates.  (The North Star remains relatively motionless.)

11.      Place the pointer on Quillworker and the other stars that make up the Big Dipper.  Focus their attention to the movement of this constellation.  Ask them to describe the pattern that this constellation makes over a period of time.  (It revolves counterclockwise around Polaris.)

12.      Inform students that stars that make a circle around Polaris are called circumpolar stars.  The constellations that are made up of such stars are called circumpolar constellations.  Ask the students if they can locate other stars or constellations that are circumpolar.  Inform the students that these stars make a complete revolution around the North Star in about 24 hours.

13.      Focus now on the lower part of the cylinder.  Have the students watch these stars.  Ask them if they can describe the movement of these stars.  (These stars rise and set.  They are different from the circumpolar stars.)

14.      These stars are found in the southern sky.  The stars move from east to west very much like the sun.  They appear to rise in the east and set in the west.  These stars are called  seasonal stars.  Constellations composed of stars such as these are called seasonal constellations.

15.      Allow the students to watch the movements of both the circumpolar stars and constellations and the seasonal stars and constellations.

16.      Remind the students that the movement of the stars and constellations is not due to the movement of the stars themselves.  The rotation of the earth makes the stars appear to move when in all actuality the stars are not moving.

17.      Dim the lights.  Change the cylinder to the Native American Cylinder.  While doing this review the story of Quillworker.

18.      Turn the lights up and introduce the Native American Indian constellations.

19.      Tell the students that these are constellations that Quillworker used to decorate the night sky.

20.      Point to the Camp Fire of the North (Polaris).  Tell the students that this is another name for the North Star.  Also,  point out the Revolving Male, Revolving Woman, Black God, Lizard, Butterfly, Great Bear, Long Sash, Dog Star, Rabbit Tracks, the Twins, Coyote, Porcupine, Horned Rattler, Thunderbird, Bear, Male with Legs Apart, The First Great in Size, Spider God, and the Milky Way Trail.  As you point to these constellations, tell the legend that is associated with each.

21.      Ask the students to point to the constellations using the arrow pointer.  Have the student tell the legend associated with the constellation.

22.      Dim the lights on the cylinder;  turn on the entrance lights.

23.      Students carefully exit the StarLab.    

REFERENCE:

            Books:

            Thirteen Moons on a Turtle’s Back   composed by Joseph Burchac.

            Quillworker (A Cheyenne Legend)  written and adapted by Terri Cohlene.

            Native American Constellation Stories from Astronomy and More:

            A Comprehensive Curriculum and User’s Guide for the StarLab and Other

            Planetaria

            Keepers of the Earth  by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac. 

            http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~skywise/legends.html

            Chrysalis Dreams (Native American flute music)  performed by John

            MacEnulty

EXTENSIONS AND/OR ADAPTATIONS:

            After exiting the dome, draw an illustration of the North Star, Big Dipper, and several of the other constellations on the board.  Discuss the movement of circumpolar stars and constellations and seasonal stars and constellations.  Students will be later be given black construction paper and rice.  They will be asked to make one of the constellations that they observed using the materials supplied. 

CONTENT BACKGROUND:

            Because the earth revolves around the sun and the moon revolves around the earth, the moon does not always appear in the same place.  It also does not appear to look the same.  It takes the moon approximately 28 days to revolve around the earth.  It takes the earth 365 ¼ days to revolve around the sun.

            The Earth spins on its axis.  The axis is an imaginary line that goes through the north and south poles.  It takes the Earth 24 hours to make a complete rotation on its axis.  This causes day and night.  It is also the reason why the stars do not always appear in the same place in the sky.  In the northern hemisphere there is one star that stays in the same place.  This is Polaris, the North Star.  It is located almost directly above the North Pole.  Polaris forms the end of the handle of the Little Dipper.

            Stars appear to move in the night sky due to the rotation of the Earth.  There are two types of movement associated with the stars.  The stars that are always visible and that revolve around Polaris are called circumpolar stars.  These stars make up several circumpolar constellations.  Circumpolar stars revolve counterclockwise around Polaris.  It takes about 24 hours for these stars to make a complete revolution. 

            Stars in the southern part of the sky appear to rise and set.  These stars are called seasonal stars.  These stars make up various seasonal constellations.  We cannot observe their complete rotation around Polaris because the Earth is covering part of their path.  This is the reason that they seem to rise and set.

            Different cultures have legends associated with the stars and constellations.  Native American Indians are one of the cultures that have a wealth of folklore  surrounding the origins of the universe and the constellations.

APPENDIX:

            Students will be given black construction paper and rice.  They will use this material to make one or more of the constellations that they have observed during their study of Native American Indian legends.

WEB SITES:

            http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~skywise/legends.html