Constellations Check

5th Grade ScienceConstellations3 pages

About this worksheet

This 3-page 5th grade science check has three parts. Students name the Big Dipper, Orion and Cassiopeia from three star patterns, answer five multiple choice questions with three options each, and write a short answer on why we see different constellations in winter and summer. The questions cover what a constellation is, why stars seem to move in one night, Polaris, how far apart the stars in a pattern are and why the Sun looks brighter than other stars. Page 3 is the answer key.

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Constellations Check: Constellations - page 1

Constellations Check: Constellations - page 2

Constellations Check: Constellations - page 3

Curriculum objectives covered

5-ESS1-1

“Support an argument that differences in the apparent brightness of the sun compared to other stars is due to their relative distances from the Earth.”

Question 5 asks why the Sun looks brighter than other stars, and the key gives distance as the reason.

5-ESS1-2

“Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.”

The short answer asks why winter and summer show different constellations, and question 2 asks why stars seem to move in one night.

What's inside this worksheet

Name the Star Patterns

Three dot-and-line patterns numbered 1 to 3, a word bank of Orion, Big Dipper and Cassiopeia, and a box under each pattern for the name.

Multiple Choice

Five questions with three options each: what a constellation is, why stars appear to move across the sky in a night, which star stays in the same spot, how the stars in a constellation relate in space, and why the Sun looks brighter than other stars.

Short Answer

Four lines for students to write why different constellations show up in winter and summer.

Answers

The three pattern names, a letter for each question and a model answer that ties the seasons to Earth's orbit around the Sun.

How teachers use it

End of a unit

Give it as a 15-minute check after your constellations lessons. Part 1 shows who can name the patterns unaided, and the short answer shows who can link the seasons to Earth's orbit.

Question 4 follow-up

Spend a minute on question 4 afterward. Many students picture the stars in a pattern as close neighbors, so a quick sketch of different distances helps.

Warm-up

Use page 1 alone as a five-minute warm-up before a night sky watch. It needs only the three names in the word bank.

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