Stars Unit

Starting Off/Day One:

Start the unit with a video about the sun

Day Two:

Read How Much is a Million by Steven

Kellogg.
Have the students make an estimate of

and stars. Have the students learn a

song about the sun and stars with little

dance moves.
Discuss that there are many

misconceptions about stars.

During this unit they will learn many of
the misconceptions, and it will be

how many stars are in the sky. When

they go home have them go out with an
adult and try to count how many they

see.
Do a math activity where they would

expected of them to self-monitor in a

guess if there were 100 objects whether

way that will create an environment of

they would be greater than or less than

research and learning.

Start with an agenda: Go over all of the

a certain container. (Skittles, cotton

things that they will be learning

throughout the next ten days (That
there are stars in the sky, the sun is a
star, that we can only see them at night,
there are too many stars in the sky for
them to count, stars are not evenly
spaced out, and are just scattered; there
are different types of stars, the sun is
not the biggest star, just the closest,

balls, etc.) They will test it out, then

hypothesize what would happen if there
were one million of the objects and
how it would fit in the room. This will
help them have a visual representation
of how there are too many to count, and
the immensity of the universe when
such miniscule things can take up so
much space. This will tie into the visual
representation that they will be doing

stars have names, shooting stars are not

on day three about how there are too

stars, stars die, different stars have

many stars to count and they are

different temperatures, stars make up

scattered randomly.
Have them rate their participation and

constellations, people used to use stars

effort in their journals and write the

to help them navigate)

Let them know that they will be doing a

favorite thing they learned. Have them

project where they will be teaching the

work on their personal KWL chart.

o Differentiation:

class about the sun and stars, and will

ELL students and struggling

use all of that knowledge to take an end

students are to write one thing

of unit test.
Each student will create a large KWL

in their KWL chart, and

chart in their journals and have them

advanced students will write

fill it out on their knowledge and

two.

inquiries about stars.

As a class make a KWL anchor chart
where you will go over what the
students know and want to know based

on their own chart.

Day Three:

Go over the class KWL chart and do

Day Four:

Go over the class KWL chart, do class

research.
Read chapter one of The Sun and Stars.
Have the students think-pair-share

class research on inquiries not covered

in the unit. Adjust the KWL chart

accordingly.
Review the number of stars the students
counted the previous night. Discuss
how the number varies greatly, and how

about how the sun is a light source, and

why it is the only star we can see
during the day time. Have students

they were not able to count all of them.

Discuss how there are really millions of

share their predictions.

Have the students explore this idea by

star in the sky, and you cant just count

providing many flashlights, turn the

them by going outside and counting.

Read Stars by Justin McCory Martin
Go over the different types of stars (red,

lights off, aim the flashlights at the

represent the stars. Note what happens

blue giants, white dwarfs)

Have the students scatter red, white,
and blue glitter on a piece of black

when the light turns on.

Have the students write in their journal

paper with glue. The colors

why they believe this happened. How

representing the types of stars. Have

can that compare to the sun and stars?

them try to count the stars. Use this

Model your own journal entry by

as a visual representation on a small

asking a student that may need extra

scale of how it is impossible to count

help to share their thoughts with the

the stars and how they are scattered

class, and reword it to make a solid

randomly.
Have a class discussion about what

sentence out of it to show the class as a

their glitter visual represents, and how

they were unable to count the stars, and
they were spread unevenly, like they

ceiling, and have the flashlights

journal entry. (I believe that the lights

were so bright, that they covered up
with little lights.) The struggling
student can then use it as their entry,

are in the sky.

Have them rate their participation and

and others can use it as a sentence

effort in their journals and write the

starter.
o ELL/struggling students: Have a

favorite thing they learned. Have them

work on their personal KWL chart.
o Differentiation:
ELL students and struggling

conference with them to go over

their thoughts, and scaffold their
understanding.

students are to write one thing

Have the students share what they

in their KWL chart, and

wrote in their journals. Facilitate the

advanced students will write

discussion and have them talk about

two.

how the flashlights were not turned off,

just as stars do not go away when it is
day time, they are just not as easy to

see.
Have them rate their participation and
effort in their journals and write the
favorite thing they learned. Have them
work on their personal KWL chart.

Day Five:

Day Six:

Review class KWL and do research.

Have students turn and talk about what
makes the sun different from the rest of
the stars? Is it the biggest? Hottest?

Etc.
Read Sun by Ami Tisdale
Have the students write down one
question about the sun vs. stars they

Review class KWL and do research.

Read the childrens poem, I am the Sky.
Have the students write their own poem
about being either a star or our sun.
o Have struggling students
discuss their ideas, and work
with a partner before they start
drafting their poem.
o Have students that finish

want to know and have them use

quickly start editing their poem.
nettrekker.com to research their
Conference with all students
findings.
o Advanced students should
write down what they predict

about their poem, and guide

struggling students thoughts in

their findings will be. Go

around to the struggling and

order to get them written down.

Have them rate their participation and
effort in their journals and write the

ELL students and have them

favorite thing they learned. Have them

explain to you what they want

work on their personal KWL chart.

o Differentiation:

to know, scaffold their

thinking, and help them come

ELL students and struggling

up with keywords they can use

students are to write one thing

for their search, and have them

in their KWL chart, and

write those down.

Have them share their findings with

the class.
They should be writing their research

in their science journals.

Have them rate their participation and

advanced students will write

two.

effort in their journals and write the

favorite thing they learned. Have them
work on their personal KWL chart.
o Differentiation:
ELL students and struggling
students are to write one thing
in their KWL chart, and
advanced students will write
two.
Day Seven:

Review KWL and do research.

Start reading Stars! Stars! Stars!

Day Eight:

Review class KWL and do research.

Finish Reading Stars! Stars! Stars!

Watch a video about the constellations

Begin discussing the project that they

and the North Star.

Have a print out of the map of stars,

will be doing in class.

Go over what will be looked at, and

what is expected of them.

Have them start planning what they

have the students try to make out their

own shapes, and name their

will be teaching the class, and make a

constellations (Almost like a creative

draft of their full poster.

o Have struggling writers make a

connect the dots).

Show them a few pictures of the Big

list of what they have learned.

Dipper, and help them find it on a star

Direct them towards the class

map. Have them try to find it tonight

edit, and publish it. Have a conference

with each student during the editing

and their personal KWL charts

with an adult.
Have the students review their poem,

process.
Have them rate their participation and

to guide their writing.

Have them rate their participation and
effort in their journals and write the
favorite thing they learned. Have them
work on their personal KWL chart.
o Differentiation:

effort in their journals and write the

ELL students and struggling
favorite thing they learned. Have them
students are to write one thing
work on their personal KWL chart.
o Differentiation:

in their KWL chart, and

ELL students and struggling

advanced students will write

students are to write one thing

two.

in their KWL chart, and

advanced students will write
two.

Day Nine:

Day Ten:

Have the students make their actual

poster, and present it to the class.

Have them rate their participation and

students have learned throughout the

unit. Review all of the things their

effort in their journals and write about

the favorite part about presentations.

Have them do a peer review on their

peers taught them during their

peers presentations. Based on content,

based on a star system (1-5

presentation.
Do a quick game of interactive trivia on
the Smart Board to get them excited

not ability.
o Have struggling and ELL
students make their peer review

Go over and review everything the

about answers questions about their

newfound knowledge.
Have them take their unit test.
After the unit test explain to the

stars) and have them write

students what a planetarium is. Give

which presentation they liked

students information about MOSIs

the most.

planetarium, and how they can visit it

with their families. Send home
information as well with the dates of

major events.

Reflection and Self-Assessment:

They will keep a KWL chart in their journals, they will add things to each column on a daily
basis. They will have an exit slip where they will write their favorite thing they learned, and rate
their effort from 1-5 without repercussions if they rate themselves a 1. The class will keep a class
KWL anchor chart where after any big ah-ha moment, a student may go up and place an index
card under the column they find best suited. Each day we can take time to look over the want to
learn column as a class, and things that are not part of the unit plan, can be researched as a class.
Index cards in the want to learn column can then be moved to the learned column.
Differentiation:

On all writing assignments, advanced students will not only write about their
observations or hypotheses, but also justify their reasoning.
Struggling or ELL students will only be expected to write a sentence or two answering
the prompt.
Struggling students will be given extra time during the unit test. Advanced students will
be given a test with bonus questions.

 Struggling students will be given more one on one time during the editing stage of their
poem.
Struggling students will only need to add one thing to each column of their KWL charts,
advanced students will write two.
Technology:
Students will get to use the computers and/or available iPads to do their research.
The books will all be read under the Elmo
The trivia game can be played with the Smart Board