Teachers can use galaxy trading cards, available for download at the Amazing Space website, to help students develop information-processing skills and compare similar items. Divide students into groups and instruct each group to make a colorful Venn diagram on poster board comparing and contrasting the properties of different galaxies. Schedule a presentation time for each group to share its findings with the rest of the class.
Teachers should give students a map of stars in the night sky and help them identify commonly known constellations such as Orion's belt and both dipper patterns. Dispel common misconceptions fourth-grade students may have, such as the belief that stars appear in the same position every night and that a star's brightness is determined only by its distance from Earth. Set the star map on a sheet of black construction paper and tape the corners of both sheets together to prevent slipping. Students should use a small, sharp tip, such as a sewing needle, to poke through each star in the constellations. When students separate the two pages, they will have their own star maps that will shine in the daytime when taped to a window.
Discuss the craters on the face of the moon and how they are formed. Ask children for theories on what factors affect the size of the craters. Test the theories by filling a large cake pan with wet plaster and wet plaster blobs of different sizes to use for space debris. Drop the blobs in from various heights to form craters in the plaster surface. Be sure to measure the size of each blob and the height from which it was dropped. Discuss whether the experiment supports or opposes the hypothesis posed by the students.
Discuss famous scientists who made major discoveries in the field of astronomy, including Galileo, Copernicus and Archimedes. Group students together and assign each one a different astronomer to research. Provide grading criteria that include the astronomer's date of birth and death, where he lived and his discoveries in astronomy. Teach students the basic process of writing a research paper and have them complete a two-page report on their astronomers. Students should also create a poster about their scientists and present their research to the class.