The North Star changes — it was previously Thuban but now is Polaris, and in the future, it will be Vega. The video discusses the cycles observed in the sky with only your eyes. It focuses on the zodiac constellations and why they are unique. It also details why we have seasons and the importance of Earth's axis.

Concepts

the zodiac, stars, orbiting, planets, seasonal change

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Host a star party and invite local astronomers to join and discuss what they know about stars
• Encourage pupils to go outside at night and look up; they can keep a journal of their observations over time

Classroom Considerations

• Video points out a flaw with astrology, which some may question and need to understand better as they have been raised to believe in astrology

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Includes subtitles in 20 languages for the benefit of ELLs
• Simple graphics enhance the concepts

Cons

• None

Common Core

RST.6-8.4 RST.9-10.4 RST.11-12.4