Stars Lesson Plans

Eighth graders differentiate apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude scales. In this astronomy lesson, 8th graders rank stars in terms of its brightness as observed from Earth. They explain what a light year is in their own words.

Twelfth graders examine the stars and constellations. In this Seven Stars lesson, 12th graders manipulate logarithmic formulas to discover star properties.  Students read the story of the Seven Stars in the Crow culture and discuss the brightest stars as viewed from Earth.

What a terrific way to discuss racism in the 1920's. Learners read a story called The Star Fisher by Laurence Yep. It is about a Chinese American girl who experiences racism and prejudice after moving from Ohio to West Virginia. Learners read this story, discuss important concepts, identify Latin and Greek roots in words, sequence events, and analyze story elements. Excellent!

Learners examine the distance from Earth to stars. They create a model to show the arrangement of constellations. They also identify the importance of the parallax effect.

Students recognize the acronym STAR for stop, think, act, review.  In this STAR lesson plan, students learn to use the STAR acronym when trying to solve situations.  Students take apart the words and see how each word will help them.

Students analyze the literary element mood in Chapter 10 of the novel Number the Stars. They explain why the literary element mood is a feeling that a story creates in readers. Students share their thoughts on the topic of mood and its implications.

Students complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book Stars and Galaxies. In this reading lesson plan, students complete journal entries, go over vocabulary, answer short answer questions, have discussions, and more.  

Students identify patterns in the stars. In this constellation lesson, students simulate constellations using black canisters and patterns. Students discuss the points on the constellations and how to draw imaginary lines to see the image. Students discuss the mythological connection to the stars.

Interview the 'star of the week' student using questioning techniques to find out more about them. The 'star of the week' will bring in a bag of items and explain how it relates to them. The class will ask questions to clarify as they learn about each other. Each writer will write a sentence that tells something about that person in an informational passage.

Students explore the characteristics of stars. In this space science lesson, students use the Microsoft WorldWide Telescope program to identify the properties of stars and identify the stars in the galaxy.