Constellation Mythology

or

What would you do if the only entertainment at night was to stare at the sky?

A Problem-Based Lesson for High School Astronomy

Compiled by

Vince Santo Pietro

Standards | Question | Scenario | Task | Resources | Assessment

Standards

WashingtonState EALRs :

  • Science 1.2 recognize the components, structure, and organization of systems and the interconnections within and among them
  • Science 3.2 know that science and technology are human endeavors, interrelated to each other, to society, and to the workplace
  • Social Studies 2.1 Compare and contrast ideas in different places, time periods, and cultures, and examine the interrelationships between ideas, change, and conflict
  • Social Studies 2.2 Understand how ideas and technological developments influence people, culture, and environment

ISTE Technology Standards:

  • Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
  • Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.

Essential Question

How do constellations represent a culture?

Scenario

The constellations we use today to map the sky are some 2000 years old and represent ancient Greek culture. The International Astronomy Constellation Registry (IACR) has decided that it would be more appropriate to have constellations that reflect today’s culture. You have been hired by IACR to develop constellations that reflect your culture.

Task

  1. Use the websites listed below (under Resources) to research constellation mythology we use today (ancient Greece) and that of other cultures. Make some notes of how the cultures view the sky and the similarities and differences.
  2. Brainstorm with a partner what is representative of your own culture. What are the things that you most associate with as being part of you and the part of the world you personally live in? Write these on the cultural icon form.
  3. Discuss with your partner what you have discovered in your web research. Take notes on each other’s research. Why do we have constellations? What are constellations used for today? How have constellations been significant to various cultures?
  4. Pick three constellations from your research and copy the star patterns into your notebook. If you prefer you can copy and paste from a star chart. These links may help:
  5. The Stars of Summer
  6. Seattle Sky Chart maker (Seattle Astronomical Society)
  7. Using the three star patterns, develop your own constellations and write a myth around the star patterns that reflects your own culture here and now.
  8. Final product: Write the myth (including sketches of your constellations) in MS Word (or create a single webpage) and put it on the class server. All the pages will be posted to the class website when the project is over.

[Teacher note: possible extension to this would be to teach how to build a basic web page in the lab and have the students submit exclusively as web pages. Here is a simplified sample of how this lesson might go.]

Resources

Sky maps

Constellation Mythology

Japanese star mythology

Japanese star Mythology

Mayan Star mythology

Constellation information

Ancient astronomy

Aboriginal Astronomy

Seattle Astronomical Society

AssessmentCriteria

CATEGORY / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
Point of View - Awareness of Culture / Strong awareness of culture in the design. Students can clearly explain why they felt the story chosen fit the culture. / Some awareness of culture in the design. Students can partially explain why they felt the story fit culture. / Some awareness of culture in the design. Students find it difficult to explain how the story chosen fit culture. / Limited awareness of the needs and interests of the culture.
Voice - Consistency / Voice quality is clear and consistent throughout the story. / Voice quality is clear and consistent throughout 85-95% of the story. / Voice quality is clear and consistent throughout 70-84% of the story. / Voice quality needs more attention.
Constellation Images / Images create a distinct atmosphere or tone that matches the story. The images may communicate symbolism and/or metaphors. / Images create an atmosphere or tone that matches some parts of the story. The images may communicate symbolism and/or metaphors. / An attempt was made to use images to create an atmosphere/tone but it needed more work. Image choice is logical. / Little or no attempt to use images to create an appropriate atmosphere/tone.
Economy / The story is told with exactly the right amount of detail throughout. It does not seem too short nor does it seem too long. / The story composition is typically good, though it seems to drag somewhat OR need slightly more detail in one or two sections. / The story seems to need more editing. It is noticeably too long or too short in more than one section. / The story needs extensive editing. It is too long or too short to be interesting.
Grammar / Grammar and usage were correct (for the dialect chosen) and contributed to clarity, style and character development. / Grammar and usage were typically correct (for the dialect chosen) and errors did not detract from the story. / Grammar and usage were typically correct but errors detracted from story. / Repeated errors in grammar and usage distracted greatly from the story.
Point of View - Purpose / Establishes a purpose early on and maintains a clear focus throughout. / Establishes a purpose early on and maintains focus for most of the presentation. / There are a few lapses in focus, but the purpose is fairly clear. / It is difficult to figure out the purpose of the presentation.