Get a free trial until June 30, 2026!
New members get full access to our science units, hands-on activities, mini-lessons, & more!

New members get a full, free trial through June 2026!
Back > Share
Why do the stars come out at night?
Moon & Stars Unit | Lesson 2 of 3
Back > Share

Why do the stars come out at night?

Moon & Stars Unit | Lesson 2 of 3
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
Video trouble?

Stars in the country vs city

Why`do`you`think
stars`come`out`at
night?`Why`can’t
you`see`them`during
the`day?

Video trouble?

Search for Big Dipper

Big Dipper revealed

Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Slide Image
Slide Image

day


1 of 11

the time when the Sun is in the sky
Slide Image

night


2 of 11

the time when the Sun is not in the sky
Slide Image

Moon


3 of 11

a large, round object that you can usually see in the night sky
Slide Image

star


4 of 11

a bright light that can be seen in the night sky
Slide Image

astronomy


5 of 11

the study of outer space
Slide Image

constellation


6 of 11

a group of stars that form a pattern
Slide Image

observe


7 of 11

to pay close attention to something
Slide Image

telescope


8 of 11

a tool used to make very distant objects look closer, often used to look at outer space
Slide Image

model


9 of 11

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with

sunrise


10 of 11

when the Sun appears in the morning
Video trouble?

sunset


11 of 11

when the Sun disappears in the evening
Video trouble?
🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Assessments

Video

View all extensions
Sign up now for more great lessons!
Sign up

Featured Reviews

“This was a favorite for my first graders! They loved the activity and were making great connections to prior knowledge. ”
· Amanda · Teacher
“My kiddos loved the star maker and sunshine activity! They've been spotting the big dipper every night and reporting back the next day. So engaging and relevant for my class! Thank you!”
· Amanda · Teacher
“The students loved it. I appreciate the step by step instructions. We love mystery science!”
· Kristen · Teacher
“The kids really enjoyed figuring out how to make the constellations work by moving the cup and flashlight into different positions. They also liked the extension that I gave them to try it at home and send a photo to share with the class!”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“The students loved the videos and were very engaged in doing the flashlight activities. Great learning experience. ”
· Jean · Teacher
“The children were very enthusiastic about the hands-on experiment! Their hypotheses and discoveries were exciting!”
· Lisa · Teacher
“The videos and questions were great and students loved the experiment too. I used two small paper cups with holes punched for my young students. Finger flashlights were the bomb for this one! Thank you!”
· · Teacher
“The flashlight exploration was very engaging and fun for my students. It was a great way to explain the phenomena.”
· Lisa · Teacher
“The best part of the lesson is when my students did the assessment by answering the question, "Why can't we see stars during the day?" The picture they drew along with their writing made it the best part!”
· Filomena · Teacher
“We love all of the lessons. They're so easy to teach and my kids love them and learn a lot!!”
· Meagan · Homeschooler
“Lesson was engaging and informative. It led to great discussions with my class and they were eager to learn more!”
· Ashley · Teacher
“This was such a fantastic lesson. My students were engaged in the process of discovery and interested in the learning experience. I have recommended it to several colleagues.”
· Diane · Teacher
“It was a great way for the students to interact and investigate on their own. It also generated many new questions that the students would like to explore.”
· Alexis · Teacher
“The interactive piece! The children enjoyed going to their stations and using the flashlights to discover the fact that the stars are out all day and night. ”
· Nicole · Admin
“Concrete model to show that the stars don't go anyway. Great discussion. Very age-apporpriate.”
· Sam · Teacher
“My students loved the star making activity. It was a great hands on activity to learn about the movement of the sun.”
· Lucia · Teacher
“Students really enjoyed being starmakers! The assessment piece at the end was just right for Grade 1.”
· Patty · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Lesson details

Grade 1

Night Patterns

Stars & Daily Patterns

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students use a model to investigate why the stars are visible at night but disappear when the Sun comes out during the day. In the activity, Star Projector, students use paper cups to project stars onto a sky picture, and observe what happens to these stars when a flashlight acts as a model of the Sun.
Preview activity

Vocabulary

Assessments

I don't have a Mystery Pack
In your Mystery Pack Lesson Bag
Dot Stickers

We prefer stickers because they are easier to distribute in a classroom.

 1 sticker per student
Cups (Paper, 8 oz) 1 cup per student
In your Mystery Pack Shared Supplies
LED Flashlights 2 flashlights per pair
Not included in your Mystery Pack
Big Dipper Star Pictures printout 1 per 12 students
Sky Sheet printout 1 per pair
Push Pins 30 pins per class
Scissors 1 pair per student
Prep Instructions

You will need to do part of this activity in the dark with the lights off and curtains drawn.

We suggest students work in pairs.

Prepare Big Dipper Star Pictures

Each printout has 12 Big Dipper pictures. Cut up enough Big Dipper sheets to provide each student with one star picture.

Set Up Activity Stations

Set up activity stations by posting Sky Sheets on walls that will be dark or dimly lit when you pull the shades and turn out the lights. We recommend that each pair of students works at an activity station. If classroom space is limited, we’ve found that one station can comfortably accommodate up to 8 students taking turns.

Standards

Jump to

Exploration

11 mins

Hands-On Activity

25 mins

Wrap-Up

4 mins

Lesson details

Grade 1

Night Patterns

Stars & Daily Patterns

Share this lesson

Student link

Google Classroom

Email parents

Slow internet or video problems?
Credits
 
Moon Stars Lesson 2: Why do the stars come out at night?

How did the lesson go?
Terrible OK Good Great Terrific!

How can we improve it?

If you'd like our team to reply to you, please Contact Support instead.

Thanks for your feedback! If you have a question or need help, please contact us. Please consider sharing your review:

Sorry the lesson didn't go well. We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Thanks for letting us know. We’ll wait to ask you for feedback until after you've actually taught it.

Thanks for the feedback! We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Is the video not playing properly?

Please follow these steps:

  1. Very rarely a video will fail to completely load in your browser. Try to reload this page to see if that fixes the problem.
  2. If reloading does not help, try our other video player .
  3. If the video still fails to play, open this video in a new tab and please let us know you’re having trouble. We want to fix this issue for you.

How can we help you?

💡For purchasing info, see our Pricing Page

This episode is locked

This lesson is not included in your limited access.

View pricing

This episode is locked

Your membership is expired. The archive of past Mini Lessons is not included in your limited access.

View pricing