Mainely Stars Program List
Submitted by mhadwen on Fri, 02/02/2007 - 8:28am.
News and Information
MAINELY STARS PLANETARIUM
“Helping children reach for the stars…”
Program List for 2006-2007 School Year
Scott Negley, Director 4 Penfield Drive Kennebunk, ME 04043 (207) 967-1993
TITLE |
GRADE |
DESCRIPTION |
| DAY AND NIGHT | (K-2) | The repeating cycle of day and night is presented and explained as the spinning earth produces a daily progression of the sun, moon and stars across the sky. Also included is an introduction to star patterns including the Big and Little Dippers. |
| THE SUN'S FAMILY | (1-2) | Characteristics of the sun and its nine orbiting planets are studied in a tour of our solar system. Comets, meteors and the constellations of the current night sky are also presented. |
| DIRECTIONS | (1-2) | The principal directions north, east, south and west are discussed, explained and then determined during the lesson by using the sun’s location at sunrise, noon and sunset and the north star at night. The program concludes with a review of the current constellations. |
| FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD | (1-4) | This lesson is an effective blend of astronomy and social studies that describes how escaping slaves were able to make their way north along the underground railroad by using the Big Dipper (“The Drinking Gourd”) as a stellar landmark. |
| DIRECTIONS AND EARLY NAVIGATION | (3-6) | Explained how the early explorers used the sky's to navigate and discover the new worlds. Determined during the lesson where you are in the world by using the time away from the Greenwich meridian and determining the latitude by the north star at night. The program concludes with a review of the current constellations. |
| THE MOON | (3-6) | The appearance and origin of our nearest neighbor are considered with particular emphasis on the role played by impacting asteroids, comets and meteoroids onto the moon’s surface. Using NASA’s Apollo missions as a guide, students consider the challenges of a visit to the moon. |
| SKY LEGENDS | (3-6) | This program features legends and myths of the sky that have been passed down to us through the ages. Special attention is given to Native American and classical mythologies. |
| THE SOLAR SYSTEM | (3-8) | Using results from NASA space probes, characteristics of planets and their major moons are studied to determine feasibility as sites for future manned exploration. Required conditions for possible past or present primitive life forms are discussed with special focus on planet Mars. |
| THE CHANGING MOON | (4-8) | This lesson explores the cause of the moon’s changing appearance during its monthly cycle of phases. Students follow the moon’s nightly progression, using observations to predict its next stage. Using hands-on moon model and lamp, each child demonstrates the cause of the phases and shows how lunar and solar eclipses occur when the sun and moon are perfectly aligned. |
| COMETS, METEORS & ASTEROIDS | (4-8) | The appearance, motion and origin of the solar system’s minor members are studied with special focus given to meteor showers, comets and the consequences of comet and asteroid impacts with the earth. The program concludes with a hands-on meteorite activity. |
| SEASONS | (5-8) | By observing the changing positions of sunrise, sunset and the height of the noontime sun during each of the four seasons, students learn how the earth’s axial tilt causes seasonal change in climate and hours of daylight. Ancient structures such as Stonehenge are also considered. |
| STARS | (5-8) | This program considers the characteristics and life cycles of stars. We study a star’s features and how its temperature affects its color and brightness. Learn how stars evolve from their creation from gas clouds to their final stage as either white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes. |
| THE UNIVERSE | (5-8) | This program features the structure and dynamics of the universe beginning with our home galaxy and extending outward for billions of light years to super clusters of galaxies. Cosmology, the future of our expanding universe, is also discussed. |
The approximate length of most programs is 50-55 minutes.