2022 Volume 62 Issue 3 Pages 681-693
Elementary school students learn how to use a planisphere for the first time in Grade 4. From previous research, for children to further understand the correspondence between the star map drawn on the planisphere and the appearance of the constellations in the actual starry sky, it is recognized that, beyond basic guidance, pupils require a general skill of the basic usage of the planisphere, specifically: (1) The shape of the planisphere window (horizon) changes depending on the location (latitude). (2) The shape of the constellation drawn in the planisphere is distorted as it moves away from the celestial pole (the center of the star chart). I therefore conducted in-class practice to foster the students’ understanding of these two points. The purpose of this study was thus to examine how much 4th grade students understand “the window of the constellation” and “the distortion of the constellation ”. As a result of examining the three materials of the pre-survey, the remarks and behavior recorded during the lesson, and the post-survey, as well as verifying in the lesson practice, the following points were clarified: (1) The degree of the Grade 4 students’ understanding of the “planisphere window” was that “It can be seen that the planisphere window changes depending on the place of observation,” and (2) The degree of understanding of “constellation distortion” was “It can be seen that the constellations in the lower part of the south of the planisphere are horizontally longer than the actual shape of the starry sky.”
