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How can stars help you if you get lost?

Moon & Stars Unit
Lesson 3 of 3
Stars & Seasonal Patterns
4.6 (2524 reviews)
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
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Optional Activity: Where Is North?

Your teacher has labeled the walls of the classroom with North, South, East, and West. Discuss:

  • To go to the front of the room, which direction would you walk: North, South, East, or West?
  • Which direction would you walk to go toward the clock?
  • What is closest to the west wall of the classroom?

Suppose you could walk through the wall labeled North and keep on walking in a straight line. Discuss:

  • Where would you end up if you kept walking North?
  • Where would you end up if you kept walking South?

Look at a globe of the Earth.

  • Find where you are on the globe.
  • Find the North Pole and the South Pole on the globe. If you walked North, you’d end up at the North Pole. What places would you go through on your way there?
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star


1 of 6

a bright light that can be seen in the night sky
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telescope


2 of 6

a tool used to make very distant objects look closer, often used to look at outer space
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north


3 of 6

one of four main directions; when you face north, west is to the left and east is to the right
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east


4 of 6

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the right
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south


5 of 6

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is the direction behind you
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west


6 of 6

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the left
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How can stars help you if you get lost?
Moon & Stars Unit
Lesson 3 of 3
Stars & Seasonal Patterns
4.6 (2524 reviews)

Featured Reviews

“This was the best Read-Along Mystery yet. The kids were just really engaged in the story. They loved the matching big dipper t-shirts.”
· Kathi · Teacher
“The kids really enjoyed this activity!”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“I have loved my experiences teaching mystery science. The activities are fun and educational and they are easy to prep for. My 1st graders are learning a lot. Thanks for this great program.”
· Connie · Teacher
“Students enjoyed the read-aloud and follow-up lesson from NatGeo on cardinal directions. My students now regularly refer to cardinal directions in the school (e.g. "You mean my place in line is north of where I'm at now?" -actual student quote). So great!”
· Sarah · Teacher
“The students liked learning about how to find out the direction they are moving and help themselves if they ever get lost.”
· Valerie · Teacher
“It went very well! The students enjoyed it!”
· Marlene · Teacher
“The students were very engaged!”
· Maryanne · Teacher
“Students loved learning about the north star ”
· Michele · Teacher
“The students enjoyed the book, and could explain how to find and use the north star after we read the book. ”
· Donna · Teacher
“They found the Big Dipper and North star that same night when they went home!! :)”
· Sharla · Teacher
“The students made good connections with the material. ”
· Darcy · Teacher
“The activity where the students looked around the classroom with their hand-formed telescopes was very fun. :) I also really liked the optional worksheet where the students draw the north star using the location of the Big Dipper, and writing a sentence about the Big Dipper's name. This helped me assess whether or not the students understood which two stars in the Big Dipper to reference when determining the location of the North Star. ”
· Mallory · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep

Switch to non-narrated version

In this Read-Along lesson, Ryan’s camping trip with his dad includes a night of stargazing, and a mystery to solve. The lesson includes a short exercise where students imagine what they might see looking through a telescope. You can extend the lesson with the optional activity, Where Is North?, that helps students learn the cardinal directions.
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In your Mystery Pack Lesson Bag

Compass
1 compass per class

Not included in your Mystery Pack

Blank Paper (8.5 x 11")
Used to make Cardinal Direction signs for the classroom. Recycled is fine.
4 sheets per class
Globe
1 globe per class
Prep Instructions

For the Read-Along lesson, you don’t need any materials.

As an optional activity, we suggest a National Geographic activity that teaches your students the cardinal directions (north, south, east, west).

Label Classroom Walls with Cardinal Directions

Make four signs: North, South, East, and West

Here’s one easy way to figure out where each sign goes:

  1. Open Google Maps and enter your school’s street address.
  2. Zoom in on your school and look at surrounding streets and landmarks.
  3. North is always up on Google Maps. Find a landmark that’s to the north of your school.
  4. Put North on the wall that’s closest to that landmark. Use this compass rose to label the other walls.
  5. Face North. Put West on the wall to your left, East on the wall to your right, and South on the wall behind you.

For most young students, identifying the directions will be enough. If you wish to take the activity further, you will also need a compass and a globe.

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20 mins

Hands-On Activity

25 mins

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Moon Stars Read-Along Lesson 3: How can stars help you if you get lost?

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