Stars can be sorted a number of ways, but only by playing the part of an astronomer can you figure out what works best for you. Register to explore the whole course here: https://school.bighistoryproject.com/bhplive?WT.mc_id=Slideshare12202017

1. TEACHER MATERIALS
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STAR CLASS WORKSHEET
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.3 ACTIVITY
Purpose
This activity will give students the opportunity to reenact some of the work done by the astronomers they have learned about in this lesson. You’ll give them a number of stars with a
variety of properties, and they’ll arrange the stars by different criteria. They will then make observations and notice any trends that form as a result of their arrangements.
Process
Ask students to get into small groups, and then distribute the sets of stars from the Sample Stars handout. Tell students to imagine they are astronomers working together to sort
these stars by color, temperature, and luminosity. They will then write their observations about the stars in each grouping, looking for trends and patterns.
When they are done grouping the stars and writing down their observations, project or display the printout of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, and then direct students to indicate
where each star would go on the diagram. Some of the stars from this activity are already labeled on the HR diagram and some are not. Ask students to say which stars among the
sample stars they’ve been working with are supergiants, giants, white dwarfs, and on the main sequence.

2. TEACHER MATERIALS
Page 1
STAR CLASS WORKSHEET
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.3 ACTIVITY
Hertzsprung–Russell diagram showing many well known stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
Image Credit: https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0728c/

3. STUDENT MATERIALS
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SAMPLE STARS HANDOUT
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.3 ACTIVITY

4. STUDENT MATERIALS
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SAMPLE STARS HANDOUT
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.3 ACTIVITY

5. STUDENT MATERIALS
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SAMPLE STARS HANDOUT
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.3 ACTIVITY

6. STUDENT MATERIALS
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SAMPLE STARS HANDOUT
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.3 ACTIVITY

7. STUDENT MATERIALS
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SAMPLE STARS HANDOUT
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.3 ACTIVITY

8. STUDENT MATERIALS
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SAMPLE STARS HANDOUT
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.3 ACTIVITY

9. STUDENT MATERIALS
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SAMPLE STARS HANDOUT
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.3 ACTIVITY

10. STUDENT MATERIALS
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SAMPLE STARS HANDOUT
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.3 ACTIVITY

11. Name: Group:
STUDENT MATERIALS
Page 1
STAR CLASS WORKSHEET
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.3 ACTIVITY
Directions
Your group will receive a set of Sample Stars from your teacher. Imagine that you are astronomers working together to sort the stars by color, temperature and luminosity. Look for
trends and patterns each time you sort your stars. Be prepared to share what you notice about each arrangement with the class.
Sort the stars by color. List your observations about this arrangement:
Sort the stars by temperature. List your observations about this arrangement:
Sort the stars by luminosity. Notice that some stars have a luminosity of less than 1 - this means that the star has a lower luminosity than our Sun. List your observations about this arrangement:
Sort the stars by size. List your observations about this arrangement:
Are there any other ways you can think of to arrange these stars?
What does a star’s temperature tell us about its luminosity?
What does a star’s color tell us about its temperature?
What other trends and relationships do you notice about these stars?