SCED 320: Peer Teaching Assignment Lesson Plan
Title: Beginning Celestial Navigation
By: Neetu Dhaliwal and Sabine Tamm
Grade: 6
Objective:
To build a navigational instrument and use it to find out latitude.
Activity
Introduction
‘Hook’
Body
Conclusion
Teacher (T.) will
Students will
Time
Materials
Teacher 1: Stands at front
of class with protractor
‘invention’ plus assortment
of odd materials on nearby
table.
Brief intro to navigation
before GPS, using stars etc.
Informs class that they will
be making a functional
compass with basic athome materials
Teacher 2: Hands out
worksheets. Tells students
that they will be working in
pairs to create compass.
Draws class’ attention to
materials table. Informs
them they have 5 minutes
to create their compass.
Teachers 1 & 2: Facilitates
activity. Time check.
Informs students when time
up to be seated.
Look and listen
3 min
1 pre-made
navigational
compass
Look and listen
3 min
Straws, glue
sticks, nuts,
string, scissors,
tacks,
protractors,
worksheets
Find a partner.
Review worksheet.
Get materials.
Build instrument.
Return to seats
9 min
Teachers 1 & 2:
Debrief activity with class.
How did it go? Did it
work? Why/not? Age
appropriate? Etc.
5 min.
max.
SCED 320: Peer Teaching Assignment Feedback
Beginning Celestial Navigation
By: Neetu Dhaliwal and Sabine Tamm
UBC Teacher Education Program
Middle Years Cohort, 2005/2006
We found this lesson interesting and engaging for both the peer group we taught it to, and
for ourselves. However, there are a number of small changes we would make to it, as well as
additional observations that would help the teacher and engage the students more fully.
Teachers would benefit by knowing the level of experience students are expected to have
before this lesson. For example, adding a couple lines at the start of the lesson that indicate that
students are expected to have basic map-reading down, know what Polaris is, how to find it, and
why they would choose to. Also, this experiment is for the northern hemisphere only (good to add
in case someone from Australia etc looks this up – you never know). The teacher needs to be clear
on what s/he will do if the North Star is not present at the time of the lesson (e.g. if it’s done in the
day, which of course almost always is the case). The teacher should have a sense of the range of
answers students will come up with (and why) when they state their latitude (i.e. to be one step
ahead of them as well as to troubleshoot). For example, if they are at 60 degrees lat, is a 70
incorrect, or a 66 or a 55? What margin of error is acceptable for this exercise? The teacher can
then expand the exercise by discussing how being ‘x’ degrees ‘off’ has implications if you are: a)
looking for an island if you are short on fuel crossing the ocean in your small plane and you can’t
doubleback if you are wrong, or; b) you are looking for a bomb in a subway system and you only
have 10 minutes to find it, etc.
Regarding the particulars of the lesson write-up, we have a few suggestions:
In the image of the instrument you cannot clearly identify the materials used nor their
orientation. For example, one of us thought the cardboard was the white square of the photo
edges. We also could not figure out what was hanging from the protractor – it looked like an
essential geometry tool, when in face it was just a basic weight (any kind will do). We
recommend using a picture of someone holding up the instrument or overlay labels and arrows on
the photo. Finally, creating the instrument takes very little time; too little almost. Hence there
should be a suggested time for completing this lesson so that teachers know this lesson is a
framework only for a detailed lesson on the stars, latitude/longitude or navigation, ocean explorers,
etc, and that the more substantial content must be added by the teacher in order to more fully
explain the structure and function of this instrument.
Student Worksheet
Beginning Celestial Navigation
Your Mission: To Build a Navigational Instrument that You can Use to Find Your Latitude
How to Do It: Collect your materials: A piece of cardboard (cut one that is just a bit bigger than
your protractor); protractor; glue stick, drinking straw; string; weight (a walnut); tack or a small
nail.
Glue the protractor (flat) onto the cardboard. Find the middle of the straight edge of the protractor.
Push the tack or nail in at exactly this point. Tie one end of the string to the tack and the other to
the weight. Finally, glue the straw carefully to the cardboard, right along the line edge of the
protractor.
You are now holding the simplest navigational instrument possible. Look through the straw at the
North Star (or at the person in the role of the North Star) while holding the cardboard vertical (i.e.
the up and down direction). The weight (i.e. nut) should hang straight down, and the string should
cross the protractor at some angle. Have your partner read off the angle while you look at the
North Star.
This number is your latitude! Now confirm your results with your Teacher.
Explanation: The instrument works because there is a nice bright star directly above Earth's North
Pole. Because we spin on an axis, the sun, moon, and stars seem to rotate above us. But not the
North Star, because it is also in line with our axis. If Polaris (i.e. the North Star) is directly
overhead, then you are at the North Pole. If you are on the Equator, the North Star will be right on
the horizon. At the South Pole, it would be lying right under your feet. How convenient for
Northern Hemisphere sailors to have a perfect navigation tool every night!
Extension: This instrument can be called an astrolabe or even a sextant. But it is very inaccurate,
because of shaking hands, the instrument not being vertical, etc. It can be improved by making a
solid base out of wood and mounting it on a vertical board. Of course, a vertical board doesn't stay
vertical very long at sea. If you're really keen try http://www.tecepe.com.br/nav/XTantProject.htm