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Enriching students with quality worksheets, lesson plans, and materials for teaching science. Life Science | Space Science | Earth Science | Physical Science
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Navigation By the North Star: A Lesson Plan in Four Parts
For some historical background to this unit please read the Teacher's Notes for Navigating by the North Star. The goal of
this lesson is to teach students 4 things: (1) Why the North Star was important for
navigation. Early mariners used recognizable landmarks to
navigate by. This approach worked fine if they hugged the coast and stayed in
known waters. But if they ventured into the open ocean or to unknown waters,
there were no recognizable landmarks. The stars and the sun, however, were
fixed in the heavens and could be seen wherever sailors ventured and, hence,
the stars and sun became the navigators’ most reliable tool. (2) How stars move across the night sky
and how to locate the North Star. Because of the Earth’s spin, the stars appear
to travel across the night sky in circular arcs. Only the North Star remains
fixed. This makes the North Star an ideal point of reference to navigate from. (3) How to Make a Crude Sextant and How
a Sextant Works It is possible to make a crude sextant (capable
of detecting to the nearest degree) using classroom materials such as a
protractor, fishing line, and a weight. (4) How to Determine Latitude Using a
Sextant and the North Star The sextant that students made in part three
can be used to determine the angle of elevation relative to the horizon of the
North Star. This angle is in fact equal to the latitude that they are on. Other
Resources: Unit Comprehension and Activity Pack This student
activity pack can be used to test
comprehension and review the materials covered in this unit. All four sections are covered. Teachers' Aid: Power Point Slide Show This slide show covers most of the basic points and diagrams in the unit Navigating by the North Star. Discussion Forum Comment, criticize, and offer
suggestions on this unit.
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