Teacher's Guide for:
Teacher's Guide for:
Teddy's Quest
"Teddy's Quest" is the first "family show" offered by the Staerkel Planetarium. Though it is aimed at a younger audience, Teddy's adventures will be enjoyed by family members of all ages. The story centers around Teddy, a teddy bear born in outer space. He searches far and wide for a friend, beginning with the stars and constellations, finally ending up on the Moon and, eventually, the Earth. Of course we're not going to give away the surprise ending! Though "Teddy's Quest" is a lively and entertaining story, there are many concepts sprinkled throughout the program that can be discussed in more detail within the classroom.
This show conforms to the following state science standards: 12.F.1a, 12.F.1b, 12.F.2b, 12.F.2c
PRIMARY CONCEPTS:
1) Stars give off heat and light, and come in a variety of sizes. Stars,
like our Sun, shine by their own light.
2) Planets are smaller bodies that orbit, or revolve around stars. They
shine by reflected light. Moons, or satellites, orbit planets.
3) Stars are very far apart in space.
4) Constellations are areas of the sky containing patterns of stars.
Eighty-eight constellations cover the entire sky, though we cannot see all of
them from Illinois. (Students are shown how to locate Ursa Major (Great
Bear), Ursa Minor (Little Bear), Cassiopeia (the Queen), and Cepheus (the King),
and how to locate directions using these patterns. Emphasis is made on the
fact that they do not look like their corresponding figures in the sky.)
5) The stars appear to move in the sky at night because our planet Earth is
rotating on its axis. Most stars will appear to rise in the East and
set in the West, except those in the North, which will appear to revolve
around the North Star, Polaris. The concept of a "Circumpolar
Constellation," one that never appears to set below the horizon, is
introduced.
6) Our Moon is explored, both through a telescope and on the surface. The
Moon's surface is covered by a thick layer of lunar soil, or dirt. Mention
is made of the Apollo landings that occurred between July, 1969 and December,
1972.
SECONDARY CONCEPTS:
1) Stars are born is giant clouds of gas and dust called "nebulae."
2) Many stars are born in pairs
3) Gravity is a force that attracts objects to each other. It is gravity
that holds the Moon in orbit around the Earth and the Earth in its orbit around
the Sun. Gravity also holds us the Earth's surface.
4) The Big and Little Dippers are actually part of larger constellations called
Ursa Major (the Great Bear) and Ursa Minor (the Lessor Bear) respectively.
5) The Milky Way is a hazy band of light which traverses the sky. A
telescope will reveal that is consists of countless, faint stars.
6) Life is more enjoyable when you have a friend(s) to share it with!
Teacher's Note: In Teddy's quest for a friend, he encounters creatures and people who shun him, sending him on his way to meet someone else. Though we teach our students to be nice to everyone, look at these tendencies not as a flaw in the show, but as an opportunity for discussion.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
1) Have students bring a stuffed animal to class and write a story, or possibly
a legend about it. If you have access to a star map, students may invent
their own constellations to supplement their stories.
2) Allow students to select a picture from a magazine that interests them. It may be a fashion model, sports figure, or even an object, such as an automobile advertisement. Mount the picture on construction paper. Students then punch holes in the picture to make a star pattern which can be seen as the paper is held up to a light source. If the teacher wishes, stories may be written by the student on their particular picture/constellation.
3) Poke holes out of black construction paper to depict some of the major constellations, projecting them on a wall with an overhead projector. This is an easy way to learn the patterns in the sky where there are no lines! Be sure to note that the "Big Dipper" is actually part of a larger constellation called "Ursa Major," the Greater Bear. (A good, inexpensive reference is the Golden Book written by Herbert Zim entitled The Stars.
4) Using a Moon map, try to locate the "Man in the Moon." The dark areas called "seas" are actually flat plains of volcanic lava from an earlier lunar age. Research other figures that may appear by looking at the Moon. You may see a rabbit, a woman's profile, and even Jack and Jill from the popular nursury rhyme, which, incidentally, has its origins in a legend involving the Moon.