edHelper.com Ancient Greece Space and Stars

Pictures in the Stars, Legends in the Sky

---

Pictures in the Stars, Legends in the Sky
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 5 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		circumpolar, star-gazing, supergiant, supernova, orbit, faithful, legend, directly, galaxy, summertime, constellation, nighttime, subject, appear, diameter, extend
	content words:		Big Dipper, Ursa Major, Big Bear, North Star, Little Dipper, Ursa Minor, North Pole, Canis Major, North America, Because Polaris

---

Print Pictures in the Stars, Legends in the Sky

Print Pictures in the Stars, Legends in the Sky  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)

Quickly Print - PDF format

	Quickly Print: PDF (2 columns per page)
	Quickly Print: PDF (full page)

Quickly Print - HTML format

Quickly Print: HTML

Proofreading Activity

Print a proofreading activity

---

Feedback on Pictures in the Stars, Legends in the Sky

Leave your feedback on Pictures in the Stars, Legends in the Sky  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

---

Pictures in the Stars, Legends in the Sky By Cindy Grigg

---

¹     Have you ever watched the clouds float by? Did you ever think that one looked like an elephant or a clown? It's fun to think that the clouds are shaped like some familiar animal or person. People long ago did the same thing with the stars at night. Some groups of stars were named after animals. Some were named for people in myths or legends. Some were even named for familiar objects.
 
²     Today, astronomers say there are 88 constellations. Each constellation is an area in the sky. Each area has boundaries. You may already know some constellations. The Big Dipper (not a constellation) is part of the constellation Ursa Major, or the Big Bear. The two front stars of the dipper point to Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is located at the end of the Little Dipper, part of the constellation Ursa Minor. Polaris is almost directly over Earth's North Pole. It has been used by sailors to find their way on the sea at night.
 
³     The bright star Betelgeuse (BEET ul juice) is part of the constellation of Orion, the Hunter. Orion's faithful dog is by his side, the constellation Canis Major. The word "canine" comes from the word canis, the Latin word for dog. The brightest sky in the winter sky is Sirius, a star in the constellation Canis Major.
 
⁴     Orion and Canis Major can be seen in the evening winter sky. During other seasons, they are not visible in North America. All the constellations look like they move because the Earth is moving.
 
⁵     As Earth rotates, you can watch Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, and other constellations circle around Polaris, the North Star. They are called circumpolar constellations. Because Polaris is almost directly over the North Pole (or the Earth's axis), it doesn't appear to move much as the Earth rotates. The stars look like they complete one full circle in the sky in just under twenty-four hours as the Earth rotates on its axis.

Paragraphs 6 to 11:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

---

Weekly Reading Books

Create Weekly Reading Books Prepare for an entire week at once!

---

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece

---

Space and Stars

Space and Stars

---

Science

Science

Careers in Science         Caring for Earth         Clouds         Dinosaurs         Earth's Land         Earth         Earthquakes         Electricity         Energy         Erosion         Food Pyramid         Food Webs and Food Chain         Forces and Motion         Fossils         Health and Nutrition         How Things Work         Landforms         Life Science         Light

Magnets         Matter         Natural Disasters         Photosynthesis         Plant and Animal Cells         Plants         Rocks and Minerals         Science Process Skills         Seasons         Simple Machines         Solar System         Sound         Space and Stars         Tsunami         Volcanoes         Water Cycle         Water         Weather

---

Social Studies

Social Studies

2004 Elections         2008 Elections         United States History and Theme Units         American Government         Ancient America         Ancient China         Ancient Egypt         Ancient Greece         Ancient India         Ancient Mesopotamia         Ancient Rome         Biographies         Canadian Theme Unit         Country Theme Units         Crime and Terrorism         Economics

European History: 1600s-1800s         Explorers         Famous Educators         Geography         Grades 2-3 Social Studies Wendy's World Series         History of Books and Writing         History of Mathematics         How Can I Help?         Inventors and Inventions         Middle Ages         Renaissance         World Religion         World War I         World War II         World Wonders

---

More Activities, Lesson Plans, and Worksheets

Back to School Graphic Organizers Alphabet Worksheets Sight Words Math Worksheets Mazes 50 States Monthly Themes January February March April May June July August September October November December

Fractions Place Value Time and Calendar Money Earth Day Solar System Analogies Nouns Following Directions Listening Capitalization Cursive Writing Patterns and Sequencing Dinosaurs All About Me Kindergarten First Grade Second Grade Third Grade Fourth Grade Fifth Grade Sixth Grade

Multiplication Division Main Idea Cause and Effect Measurement Decimals Rounding Order of Operations Verbs Community Helpers Adjectives Plants Grammar Addition and Subtraction Contractions Bulletin Board Ideas Word Searches Crossword Puzzles Printable Puzzles Reading Comprehension Reading Skills English Language Arts

Copyright © 2011 edHelper