Unseen Passage for Class 5 - Passage 08

Mrs. Thompson was the beloved teacher at Washington Elementary School. She was renowned for her engaging teaching methods. One day, she entered the classroom and announced to the students that they would be exploring the wonders of the night sky. She asked if anyone knew what astronomy was.

Emily raised her hand and replied, "It's about stars and planets, right?"

Mrs. Thompson nodded and explained that while astrology and astronomy both involve celestial bodies, they are different. Astrology focuses on how the location and movement of stars and planets supposedly influence events on Earth, leading to horoscopes based on astrological signs. On the other hand, astronomy is a scientific field that studies celestial bodies, the universe, and space. She informed the class that they would be diving into astronomy in the upcoming unit.

"I love stargazing at night," exclaimed Emily.

As Mrs. Thompson inquired who else enjoyed stargazing, every student eagerly raised their hand. She distributed star charts and instructed them to observe the visible constellations in the night sky and record their findings.

The following day, the class was brimming with excitement to share their observations.

"I spotted Ursa Minor!" Andrew exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I saw it too," added Emily. "It looks like a ladle in a dot-to-dot puzzle."

Mrs. Thompson acknowledged their findings and informed them that Ursa Minor is also known as the Little Dipper because it resembles a ladle. Tim then asked about the Big Dipper.

"Yes, there is a Big Dipper as well, and it's called Ursa Major," Mrs. Thompson replied.

Mrs. Thompson then proposed a unique idea to the class: becoming part of the galaxy. The students eagerly agreed and wondered how it would work. She revealed that she would assign each student a constellation, and they would create a poster board illustration of their assigned constellation over the weekend. It would remain a surprise until then. Each student received a poster board and a glow-in-the-dark marker, and Mrs. Thompson wished them a great weekend.

On Monday morning, the students arrived at school filled with anticipation. Mrs. Thompson demonstrated how to punch two holes at the top of the poster boards and thread a string through them, creating necklaces to wear their constellations.

Once the students finished making their wearable constellations, they put them on and waited for the next step. Mrs. Thompson arranged the students in a manner that mirrored the constellations on the chart. She closed the blinds and turned off the lights. As they circled the classroom, each student mimicked the motions associated with their assigned constellation. They became the dancing constellations in the night sky.

"This is amazing! We can see each other glowing and moving just like the stars," the students exclaimed together.

All the students agreed that it was their favorite lesson of the year so far. They particularly appreciated Mrs. Thompson's recording of their constellation dance, which they could rewatch and share with their parents.