STARLAB Programs
Constellations Students will learn how to identify the most prominent stars and constellations including Polaris, Ursa Major, Sirius, Procyon, Orion, Betelguise, and more. Students will discuss the current conditions in their night and day skies, including any visible planets, the moon, scheduled meteor showers, and other activity. Older students may discuss cardinal points and direction, the ecliptic, zodiac signs and Greek Mythology.
Seasons Learn about the reasons for the seasons: Students look at the earth’s spin, axis, distance from the sun, rotation and revolution, and how the sun affects the earth. Students may also be introduced to the Chinese seasons, as well as the solstices and equinoxes.
Phases of the Moon In this lesson students will be able to see all of the phases of the moon. They will learn the names and order of each phase, the relative locations of the phases in the sky, and why these phases occur.
Solar System Students will discuss characteristics of all of the planets in our solar system. General topics include: physical properties of planets including our Earth and our sun, distance of planets from the sun, moons, galaxies, solar system activity, and the classification of Pluto.
African Mythology Learn how constellation figures as seen by many African cultures the Dogon, Bushmen, Masai and Egyptians — marked key events, such as the beginning of the planting season, and signified important moral lessons.
Native American Mythology See the night sky through the eyes of various Native American tribes— Navajo, Shoshoni, Cherokee, Hopi, and others— and learn how the stars ushered in the seasons and how they explained the various phenomena of nature.
Weather Students will learn about Earth’s atmospheric circulation patterns, including location of wind systems, jet streams, and high and low air pressure masses. They also will explore storm and pressure systems, longitude and latitude coordinate plotting and other global weather phenomena.
Continents Adrift Investigate Earth’s crustal plates, trenches, rift zones, volcanic activity and more for evidence of the theories of continental drift, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics.
|