Дата: 30/04
Тема: Вивчення про метеори та сузір'я.
Today we are going to learn some facts about constellations and meteors. We are going to do some
1. Reading
Pre-reading task
T.: In order to learn new items we start to work with lexical cards. (cards #1) Here you can see some new words:
- a constellation – a group of stars
- a cluster – a small group
- a flashlight – a handheld lamp
- galaxy – an immense system of stars
- a hemisphere – one half of the Earth
- Orion – a constellation
- Pleiades – a constellation
- a pinwheel – a toy with a wheel that rotates in the wind
Reading
T.: Now we are going to read the text.
Constellations
People, even in ancient times, had a natural curiosity about the heavens. Long ago when people observed the sky, they studied the arrangement of the stars as God had placed them in the sky. They gave names to individual star patterns. These star patterns, or star clusters, are called constellations.
The first thing a person has to do in order to find a constellation is to concentrate on learning how to see a constellation. Concentrate means to fix one's attention on something. If your eyesight is extremely good, you may experience some difficulty seeing a star constellation because you may see more stars than others do. Also, when we are away from city lights, more stars are visible.
In ancient times the stars looked brighter. There were no bright city lights. The skies overhead seemed filled with many bright stars. How then did people in ancient days identify constellations so that they stood out from other stars around them? Ancient people who studied the stars identified and concentrated on only 500 bright stars. They did not concentrate on the thousands of other less bright stars. The ancient astronomers named only 48 constellations.
How can we learn to find certain constellations? If an observer is shown a picture that has an object hidden in it, he usually has difficulty identifying the hidden object. However, if he is shown an outline of the hidden object, then it is easier to identify.
The Big Dipper
On a globe a line is drawn at the equator to divide Earth into two hemispheres. The part of Earth north of the equator is called the Northern Hemisphere, and the part of Earth south of the equator is called the Southern Hemisphere.
The ancient astronomers left records of the stars seen only in the sky of the Northern Hemisphere. They did not live in the Southern Hemisphere, and they were not able to see the star constellations of the southern sky. For this reason the constellations of the southern sky are not as well known.
Of all the stars in the northern sky, one individual star seems to remain in its place. The other stars turn around it. This star is not seen by those living in the Southern Hemisphere. It is only seen in the northern sky. It is called the North Star.
Orion
In wintertime in the northern sky, it is easier to see the constellation of Orion and Pleiades than other constellations. There are three larger stars in a straight line that are described as the belt of Orion.
The Pleiades
The Pleiades is a well-known group of seven stars. However, the average person can see only six of the stars in the Pleiades.
The Pleiades and Orion, are certainly the most outstanding sights found in the winter sky of the Northern Hemisphere.
Our sun and moon, the planets, comets, asteroids, and meteors all belong to our solar system. Our solar system belongs to a larger star system called a galaxy. A galaxy is an enormous group of stars held together by gravity. There are millions of other galaxies in the universe besides the galaxy to which our solar system belongs.
Our solar system belongs to the Milky Way galaxy. You have played with a toy pinwheel. Well, the Milky Way galaxy is shaped like a pinwheel. Our solar system is inside the pinwheel-shaped Milky Way. On a clear night, the Milky Way appears to have a milky glow about it. A side view of the Milky Way would show it to have somewhat of an oval shape. Here is a picture of how our pinwheel-shaped Milky Way galaxy would look if we could look at it from the side. From above, the Milky Way looks something like a pinwheel, but from the side it is somewhat oval-shaped.
Side View Top View
While – reading task
T.: While reading the text, be ready to answer such questions as:
- What is a constellation?
- What constellations do you know?
- What is a galaxy?
- What galaxy do you know?
Post – reading task
2. Writing
T.: You have got the cards with the task. We have just read the text and now let’s complete the sentences. (card #2)
The lesson is over.
Card #1
Read and translate the words:
- a constellation – a group of stars
- a cluster – a small group
- a flashlight – a handheld lamp
- galaxy – an immense system of stars
- a hemisphere – one half of Earth
- Orion – a constellation
- Pleiades – a constellation
- a pinwheel – a toy with a wheel that rotates in the wind
Card #2.
Task: Fill in the blanks with the right answers.
Star patterns or star clusters are called …………….
The part of earth north of the equator is called the ……………. Hemisphere.
The part of earth south of the equator is called the ……………. Hemisphere.
We can more easily find the ……………….. if we find the Big Dipper first.
The ……………. is part of the constellation called the Great Bear.
…………………. means great Bear.
…………………..means Seven Stars.
The ………….is a well-known group of seven stars.
The ……….….., ………………, ………………, …………………, ………………. and ……………. all belong to our solar system.
Our solar system belongs to the ………………..galaxy.
