In this unit, students explore the anchor phenomenon of falling stars in order to learn about astronomy and the solar system.

In Cluster 1, students are introduced to the phenomenon by watching videos of falling stars. They observe patterns and share wonderings, which will guide their investigations. The class investigates actual samples of falling stars to determine their properties and how they are different from other Earth materials. To answer the question, “Are falling stars actually stars?”, they learn about stars through videos, a planetarium software, and text. Finally, they use evidence from the investigations and reading to engage in a science talk about whether a falling star is a star.

In Cluster 2, to learn about the properties of stars, students examine data about different stars’ size, temperature, color, and distance from Earth. They discover that even though other stars are bigger and hotter than the sun, the sun looks brighter, which leads to the question, “Why is the sun brighter than other stars?” They create a physical model of the distance between the Earth and different stars and use a light meter to investigate whether distance affects brightness. The cluster ends with a science talk, in which students apply evidence from their investigations to construct arguments about why the sun is brighter than other stars.

In Cluster 3, students investigate why falling stars are only visible at night. They create initial models of why they think day and night occur, and then collect and analyze three different types of data to understand the relationship between the Earth, sun, and falling stars:

1. The length and direction of shadows throughout a day
2. The position of the sun in the sky throughout the day
3. The position of constellations in the sky at different times in the night

As they make sense of the data, students create physical models of the solar system and read an article about Earth’s rotation. Finally, they create revised models and participate in a science talk about why falling stars are only visible at night.

In Cluster 4, the class launches the cluster by using the Stellarium software to observe specific stars and discover that falling stars and the constellations they emanate from are only visible at certain times of year. Students use a physical model to explore how the Earth and sun might move to create this pattern, and read an article about Earth’s orbit. Students revise their space models from previous clusters to explain why we only see certain falling stars at particular times of the year and participate in a science talk.

To launch Cluster 5, students watch a video of a meteor falling to Earth and read an article about the event. To understand why falling stars fall to Earth, the class investigates gravity. Students design and conduct investigations to prove that gravity pulls objects down toward the Earth’s center. They revise their models to explain why falling stars fall to Earth and engage in a science talk, using evidence from their investigations. To close the unit, students create final models addressing the different questions they’ve investigated over the course of the unit and share their learning with others.

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