Spotting Constellations
Recognise a few star patterns (constellations) in the night sky, starting with the Big Dipper (the Plough), and understand that the North Star (Polaris) can be found using the Big Dipper
What a learner can do afterwards
- Identify or draw the Big Dipper (the Plough) as a pattern of seven stars
- Explain that the two end stars of the Big Dipper's bowl point towards the North Star
- State that constellations are patterns of stars that people have named
The lesson
A constellation is a pattern of stars. Long ago, people named these patterns.
Zara looks up at night. She sees seven stars shaped like a big spoon. That is the Big Dipper.
Find the two stars at the end of the bowl. They point straight to the North Star.
The Big Dipper's seven stars help you find the North Star.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.