Date: December 22, 2011
Title: The Constellations and Mythology
Podcasters: Lisa Rencher’s 6th grade class
Organization: Thomas E. Bowe Elementary School, Glassboro New Jersey
Description: Our class was learning about the solar system and discovered during research for planet power points that the planets were mentioned in mythology. As we continued with our study, the question then arose as to how else mythology and our universe are connected. The result of their research is our Podcast on the constellations and mythology. The students worked in four groups to research a particular constellation they liked. They were to include information about the mythological background, who and when it was discovered. Some of the groups decided to present their information as if they were having a conversation.
Bio: Our class is a sixth grade inclusion room at Thomas E. Bowe Elementary School in Glassboro New Jersey. We have a total of 26 students in our room. The students can be placed into the following sub-groups academically: 8 classified 8 Basic Skills, 1 English as A Second Language, and 6 Advanced Math. Since my sixth grade classroom is an inclusion room, my co-teacher and I work closely to develop as many cross-curricular units as possible. While I was teaching about the solar system, she was teaching about mythology. We had our students work in heterogeneous groups for their research and presentation.
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Transcript:
MYTHOLOGY OF THE CONSTELLATIONS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to our podcast all about the Mythology of the Constellations. Sit back and relax as the students of Mrs. LoCastro and Mrs. Rencher’s 6th grade class regal you with the stories behind Centaurus, Phoenix, Perseus, Draco, and Pegasus.
Phoenix
TOMMIE: How you doing, Ryan?
RYAN: Good, how about yourself?
TOMMIE: I’m okay, but I can’t seem to find information for this Astronomy podcast I need to write!!
RYAN: Really? I love astronomy. What is it all about?
TOMMIE: Well, it’s about the mythology of the Phoenix constellation. All I’ve been able to find out is that it was introduced by Dutch navigators sometime between 1595 and 1597.
RYAN: Cool!!! That is my favorite constellation…and my favorite mythological creature! You know, Dumbledore in Harry Potter had a Phoenix.
TOMMIE: No, I didn’t know that…I’ve never read Harry Potter…..
RYAN: Really? You poor kid…..Well, let me tell you all about the Phoenix then…
TOMMIE: Wait!! Let me get my pen…….Okay, go!!
RYAN: According to mythology, the Phoenix was a bird of incredible beauty that would live for 500 years. The bird would build a nest of twigs and leaves that would be lit by the noon sun. The Phoenix would then be consumed by the fire, but a small worm would emerge from the fire and grow into another Phoenix creating a perpetual cycle of life, death and rebirth.
TOMMIE: Wow! You really know a lot. This is pretty cool….I never realized it.
RYAN: Yup! Hey, so you want to head on over to my house. I have a telescope and we can try to find the Phoenix once it gets dark?
TOMMIE: Definitely! I’m in….and hey, do you think I could borrow your Harry Potter book?
RYAN: (laughing) Sure, come on!
Centaurus
STEVEN: Hey, Connor! What are you doing on the computer?
CONNOR: I’m looking up this constellation called Centaurus. It was discovered on August 4th 1826 by James Dunlop – he was from Australia. It looks really cool!!
STEVEN: What’s so cool about it?
CONNOR: Well, first of all, it is shaped like a centaur, which is a creature from Greek Mythology.
STEVEN: What makes it mythological?
CONNOR: That’s the really cool part….centaurs have the torso of a man, but the body of a horse.
STEVEN: But I don’t see the point of making all of that up for a constellation?
CONNOR: All I know so far is that they were brutal, yet cunning and they battled with other mythological creatures.
CINQUE: Hey guys! Who’re “they”?
CONNOR: They are centaurs from Greek Mythology which were hybrids of a man and a horse.
STEVEN: Yeah, and it’s a constellation that you can see in the night sky.
CONNOR: Speaking of that, I have to get home and set up my telescope!
STEVEN: I’m coming over to check that out!!!
CINQUE: Cool, me too!!! I can’t wait to see it!!!
Perseus
ERICA: Hey Colin, how’s it going with your research? Which constellation are you studying again?
COLIN: Hey Erica! I’m researching Perseus and it’s pretty cool stuff!
ERICA: Perseus? Who discovered that constellation?
COLIN: Perseus, located in the Northern Hemisphere, was discovered in the 2nd century by a Greek astronomer named Ptolemy. But it is the Greek Mythology that I find fascinating!
ERICA: What does this constellation have to do with Greek Mythology?
COLIN: Well, let me tell you….Perseus was the son of the god Zeus and the mortal Danae. When he grew older, he was tricked into killing the Gorgon Medusa by chopping off her head. He also had a helmet which made him invisible…pretty cool stuff, huh?
ERICA: Sounds really exciting! I love mythology! But what does the constellation look like?
COLIN: Perseus isn’t very clear; some forms of the constellation have a straight line indicating Perseus’ sword or sickle that he used to kill the Medusa.
However, as far back as Ptolemy’s time, Perseus was seen as holding the head of Medusa, with Algol, a brighter star, being the “evil eye” of the Gorgon.
Perseus’ stars are fairly bright. Several are notable binaries. There are also a few fine deep sky objects.
ERICA: Wow, you’ve really done your homework!!! Great info, I can’t wait to learn more….
Pegasus
Selena: Hey, Juliana what you working on?
Juliana: Just a worksheet for the constellation Pegasus.
Haley: Oh, do you need help on it?
Juliana: Yeah, sure, well I haven’t started it yet, but you guys can tell me what you know so far.
Selena: Oh okay – Well, first of all, the actual Pegasus is a winged divine horse, usually white in color.
Haley: It was also said that Pegasus was born from the blood of Medusa when Perseus beheaded her.
Selena: Right! And the gods gave Pegasus to Bellerophon for killing the monster Chimera, but when he attempted to mount the horse it threw him off and rose to the heavens, where it became a constellation. Oh, and the constellation Pegasus wasn’t discovered it was more like invented.
Juliana: Wow, what does that mean?
Haley: Well, the person who invented it was named Claudius Ptolemy. People like Ptolemy actually studied the stars and came up with these constellations by arranging the points of the stars into a design.
Noel: Oh, and this was all the way back in 3000 B.C
Juliana: Great information, guys! Now I have more than I need to finish my assignment.
Selena, Noel, Haley: Cool!! Do you want to come with us to the planetarium? It’s open until 5.
Juliana: Absolutely! I can’t wait to see Pegasus!!
Draco
Anna: Hey Jack, Quadiya, Elizabeth what are you looking at?
Quadiya: It’s the constellation Draco! It’s a dragon!
Anna: Oh, who discovered it?
Jack: It was James Bradly! You remember him right, an English astronomer.
Anna: Oh yeah! So when was it discovered then?
Elizabeth: 1729! During the meteor shower! Draco was the center of attention during that shower.
Anna: Really?! Cool! Then, how did it get up there? I heard it was by Athena.
Jack: Yup!
Quadiya: Athena threw him up there during the Titan War.
Jack: Yeah because he tried to attack her! But instead she threw him up there and he got stuck on a pole.
Elizabeth: You can still see him, look!
Anna, Quadiya and Jack: Oh, cool!!
End of podcast:
365 Days of Astronomy
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