Recognizing we see patterns with sun ourselves, we also recognized that these patterns haven't just been noticed by us. They've been occurring for a long time! We turned to two interviews with different Native American tribes--Navajo Nation and Paiute to see that not only do they see patterns with the Sun, but with another star as well...the North Star!
Both these tribes share a common theme that many students have heard of: the North Star is directly above us!
So we turned to this idea to begin collecting data on what happens as the Earth is pointed northwards towards the North Star and the amount of daylight changes over the course of a year.
Both these tribes share a common theme that many students have heard of: the North Star is directly above us!
So we turned to this idea to begin collecting data on what happens as the Earth is pointed northwards towards the North Star and the amount of daylight changes over the course of a year.
As a class we agreed on the following things from watching a simulator based on what we see with the Sun:
1. The sun and moon move across the sky from E to W.
2. The N. Star is always pointed upwards.
3. The Sun is higher in the sky in summer months and takes a longer path across sunrise to sunset.
4. The Sun is lower in the sky in winter months and takes a shorter path across sunrise to sunset.
1. The sun and moon move across the sky from E to W.
2. The N. Star is always pointed upwards.
3. The Sun is higher in the sky in summer months and takes a longer path across sunrise to sunset.
4. The Sun is lower in the sky in winter months and takes a shorter path across sunrise to sunset.
 | We had unanimous agreement that this simulator video was hard to watch, and building some 3D models to physically help us understand why these patterns occur would be important to us! |
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