Blog Post 3: Disciplinary Text Set

My imaginary classroom I will be preparing readings and materials to view is a class of 6th graders. This is a science class, and I am in the midst of the Astronomy unit on Constellations. Students have looked at what constellations are, what constellations are in the zodiac and what the zodiac is, other constellations in the night sky, constellation mythology, and how to use the stars as navigation. The materials I have found will help in building background knowledge, reinforce concepts learned, check on understanding, and aid in researching a constellation. 

Print: 

1: Ganeri, A., & Wilx, A. (2019). Star Stories: Constellation Tales From Around the World. RP Kids. 

 

 

2: Rey, H. A. (2016). The stars: A new way to see them. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 

 
 
 

3: Scagell, R. (2004). Children's Night Sky Atlas. DK. 

 

Brief Summary: This book takes out on an active journey to learn all about the night sky. You can learn about planets, galaxies, and stars. There are beautiful space photographs, maps, and illustrations throughout this book. Some pages also show the constellations on a clear page and when put up against the night sky you can see the stars that make up the constellation. This book covers major areas of the field astronomy and cosmology. 

 
 

Quantitative data: I used Story Toolz to get my quantitative data and it places this piece at a 9.4 grade level. This text has a lot of data but is not something that is read start to finish. It is used to learn about certain topics. I do agree with this measure as when I looked through the book it was full of facts and scientific information on each topic. The pages I would be using with my students are actually less filled and easier to follow and understand. It gives some background information on the constellation, gives some facts about the stars that make up the constellation, and gives a fact about a person who discovered something. 

Qualitative data: I used the Text Complexity: Qualitative Measure Text Rubic. I placed this text at Very Complex. This piece scored the most X’s in this column. It was pretty close with Moderately Complex. Text structure scored exceedingly complex, language features scored moderately complex, purpose scored slightly complex, and knowledge demands scored very complex. The use of organization, vocabulary, subject matter knowledge and intertextuality made this piece very complex. When I analyzed this text, I noticed there are a lot of captions, charts, diagrams, pictures on each page. As I read some paragraphs it would reference some of these features by saying, “(below), (left, top), (see top left and right diagrams), and (yellow line in the diagram).” This is a discipline specific trait you need to have to understand the text. I do think because of the visuals and guidance from the text it can be easily understood, especially if you have background knowledge on the topic that this book can be used for younger grades with guidance. Students will mainly be using the pages on the constellations. As I reviewed these pages, they had less information and graphic features making it easier to read and understand. Students will be doing a constellation project. This piece will help them in identifying what their constellation looks like and major stars that make it up. Students may need these words reviewed; celestial sphere, hemisphere, ecliptic, and the types of stars.  

Task and Reader Complexity: Students would be using this text after they already have been exposed to all the content of the unit. Students would be using this text to help them research a constellation of their choice. They will not be reading the whole book as they will find the page using the table of contents that pertains to their topic. This piece they will be using to identify what the constellation looks like and what major stars are a part of it. The pages on the topics of constellations are less filled and easy to follow. The motivation and interest would be there because they get to do research on a constellation that they are interested in learning more about. This is also a very eye appealing book that will capture their interests. Students will be able to learn more about the stars that make up their constellations in this text and what stars form their constellations. When looking at the culturally relent rubrics I do not think this text is culturally relevant. I scored it mostly with no’s. This is a nonfiction piece, and it is hard to make this culturally relevant. The only way it could be is if students have an interest in this subject area already. Also, this text could relate to and build upon the knowledge my students bring with them if this is something they are passionate about. I am assuming students may have heard about or seen the constellations in the night sky but may not know much about them.  

 

Media: 

1: Zorn, S., & Graham, B. (2021, February 22). The Universe: Constellations & The 13th Zodiac Sign. Episode 10, Season 2, History Channel. 

The Universe: Constellations & The 13th Zodiac Sign (S2, E10) | Full Episode | History 

2: https://timeandnavigation.si.edu/navigating-at-sea/challenges/navigate-the-sea-activity 

 
 

3: Google. (n.d.). Google earth Activity. Google earth. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://earth.google.com/web/data=MkEKPwo9CiExY0syeDlWeGlsanRJaG8wUHpFdFBTQVdXX3drWkhjTFASFgoUMDAwQ0YzRDk2OTE4Mjg1NzBDNTUgAQ?authuser=0  

 
 

4: Space hopper: Identify the constellations in the sky. Free Online Learning & Education For Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2022, from https://www.funbrain.com/games/space-hopper  

 

 

 

 

Brief Summary: This is an online activity to check on learning. It gives pictures of the constellation and the Mythological background of a constellation. Students either have to fill in the blank or choose from the choices to answer the question of what constellation is being described. The fill in the blank choice is set for a harder difficulty and the multiple choice is an easier difficulty. There are options to choose from for this activity such as major constellations or zodiac constellations. If students, choose the wrong answer it will show the clue again with the correct answer. In the box under the activity, it will show how many correct and incorrect answers they have gotten.  

Quantitative data: I used Story Toolz to get my quantitative data and it places this piece at a 9.2 grade level for the easier setting and a 10.5 for a harder setting. I do agree with this measurement of this piece. There is discipline specific vocabulary and background knowledge in this game that can make it difficult. The visual of the constellation though does make it easier only if you can recognize the constellation it shows.  

Qualitative data: I used the Text Complexity: Qualitative Measure Text Rubric. I placed this text at moderately complex. This piece scored almost all of the X’s in this column. Text structure scored moderately complex, language features scored moderately complex, purpose scored moderately complex, and knowledge demands scored moderately complex and slightly complex. The use of organization, text features, use of graphics, sentence structure, purpose, and subject matter made this piece moderately complex. When I previewed this activity, I noticed the use of vocabulary students may need to review such as; slew, planetary, nebula, eclipsing, and binary. Students will need background information on Greek mythology on the constellations along with scientific background information on the zodiac constellations before they do this activity. This activity will help them reflect on what they have learned and what constellations they may need to review.  

Task and Reader Complexity: This activity will be done after all the material has been taught. It will be an activity they engage in to reflect on learning. It will show me what constellations they may need to review. To make this task easier I could pair it with notes taken during class or do it in pairs. We could even make this activity into an interactive class game to get their motivation and interest in this activity higher. When looking at the culturally relent rubrics I do not think this text is culturally relevant. I scored it mostly with no’s. This is a nonfiction activity piece, and it is hard to make this culturally relevant. The only way it could be is if students have an interest in this subject area already. Also, this text could relate to and build upon the knowledge my students bring with them if this is something they are passionate about. I am assuming students may have heard about or seen the constellations in the night sky but may not know much about them. 

Culturally Relevant:  

I think it would be a fun activity for students to figure out their Zodiac Sign and read about their horoscope and see if they agree or disagree with what it says. This website students can explore both. 

1: Calculate your rising sign - ascendant. astrosofa.com. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://www.astrosofa.com/horoscope/ascendant 

2: Peacock, T. D., & Lee, A. S. (2019). The forever sky. Minnesota Historical Society Press. 

 
 

Brief Summary: This is a story about two boys who have lost their grandmother and miss her very much. Their uncle helps them find comfort by explaining to the boys that her spirit is up in the night sky. The two boys observe the night sky because the stars have many stories. They spend multiple nights observing and sharing constellations that are significant to the Ojibwe people they see the night sky. One night they see the northern lights and are told the lights are the spirits of relatives who have passed on. They imagine different relatives dancing in the sky and see their grandmother who has a message for them.  

Quantitative data: I used Story Toolz to get my quantitative data and it places this piece at a 5.6 grade level. I do agree with this measurement of this piece. It is a simple story to follow with amazing text features and illustrations to keep you interested. 

Qualitative data: I used the Text Complexity: Qualitative Measure Text Rubic. I placed this text at slightly complex. This piece scored all but one x in slightly complex column. The text structure, language features, and meaning all scored in slightly complex. Knowledge demands scored in slightly complex and moderately complex. I chose moderately complex for intertextuality and cultural knowledge because of the reference of the Ojibwe culture and traditions. When I previewed this text, I noticed the use of unfamiliar names. Students would need to be introduced to the characters and how to pronunciation their names before they read the story. They may also need some background information on the Ojibwe culture. I do not see any complex words or vocabulary students would need to know ahead of time.  

Task and Reader Complexity: This book would be read before we go into the mythology of the constellations. To make the text complexity harder this would be a reading students would analyze deeper to understand the authors purpose of use of text, illustrations, ect. The author is doing so much in this story, from the use of text features to illustrations to the theme of the story. I like this book because it introduces how the stars are used to create stories that are important to people such as how the Greeks did with different constellations in the night sky. When looking at the culturally relevant rubrics I would say this is culturally relevant. Although students may not be of the same culture as the characters they could still connect to the story if they have lost a relative or someone close to them. They could relate to the characters who comfort each other, and they may think about who comforts them in time of need. They may relate to their own traditions they have when they lose someone close to them.