Finding the Big Dipper

And now it’s really late at night, but this is a special night when you wake up and look up and see all the stars of the night sky. It’s fun to look for pictures in the stars. Sometimes certain groups of stars look like a connect-the-dots puzzle making a picture. Look around the sky for a group of stars that look like a cooking pot or a dipper with a long handle. You might be able to see more than one, because there are a lot of dipper shapes out there.

Point out the Big Dipper with the light pointer. Have the class count with you as you point out the seven bright stars that make up the dipper.

DIGITAL EFFECT: Ursa Major Outline
Show outlines for Ursa Major as needed – Big Dipper Pot, 5 Wolf Brothers, Navajo Man, 3 Hunters, Plough.

Optional
Tell a story related to the Big Dipper, the Great Bear, etc. See PASS Constellations Tonight show for examples of stories.