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Written by Stephani Meyen, Jake Hunter and Beth HunterIllustrated by Bella Hunter. Watercolors by Beth Hunter
Teacher Edition
ISBN 978-1-952346-29-3
Student Edition
ISBN 978-1-952346-29-3
STEM Next Generation Science Grade 1
1-ESS1-1 Earth’s Place in the Universe: Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patter ns that can be predicted.
Why, Oh Why, Do We Look At the Sky?
Once upon a time, the twins Atsu and Kai were planning their seventh birthday party. They made invitations and chose what kind of cake they would make. There was only one problem—the twins didn’t know how long they had to wait until it was their birthday.
Atsu and Kai lived a very long time ago— five thousand years ago, to be exact. The people at that time lived in small villages in the wilderness. Things like computers, books, and even calendars did not exist!
Think, Pair, Share!
What month is your birthday?
How do you know when it is your birthday month?
The twins went to ask their grandparents how they could know when their birthday was.
Their grandparents said,“You need to observe the sky. Your birthday will be on the day when you see the constellation Taurus in the morning just before sunrise.”
“What is a constellation?”asked Kai.
Grandpa explained, “Constellations are the pictures we can imagine if we connect the dots using stars in the sky.”
Taurus the Bull
Think, Pair, Share!
What is a constellation?
At night they all went out to see the stars. The twins used their imagination and yes, they could clearly see the constellations! Atsu and Kai got up every morning before sunrise to look for Taurus. Taurus is next to Orion, which is easy to find with its bright stars. One morning, they saw Taurus just before sunrise. It was finally time for their party!
Think, Pair, Share!
How did the twins know it was their birthday month?
Orion the Hunter Taurus the Bull
There was a lot to do to get ready for the party! Everyone from the village would come and it would last all evening and through the starlit night. They would eat whatever they liked! They helped their mother make acorn flour for a cake. Atsu wanted to make star cookies and Kai wanted to make star patties.
Think, Pair, Share!
Can you see stars during the day? Why or why not?
The birthday cake was taken around and shown to the guests. They played party games too! Grandfather held a stone in his hand and Atsu and Kai got to guess which of his hands the stone was in.
After the party was over, the twins kept observing the sky. Although it was still their birthday, they were already excited for another party. They had a lot of stargazing to do to be ready for their next birthday.
Think, Pair, Share!
Why do stars appear to slowly move across the sky each night?
They noticed some interesting patterns happening in the sky. Every month, a new constellation would rise just before sunrise.
When the twins saw a new constellation, they knew it was the next month. Now they could predict everybody’s birthday month! Just like that, they had invented the calendar!
Think, Pair, Share!
What was the pattern of star movement that they noticed?
