Blog of the Greek Team

http://starsineurope.co.education/wp/

Stars in Europe

Our projects runs from 2016 to 2018 and unites four schools all over Europe - in Lithuania, in Italy, in Greece and in Germany.

Stars stand for celestial bodies that have always been closely and intensely watched by human beings as we can see with monuments like Stonehenge, Carnac or the Nebra Sky Disk or our celebration of Easter on the Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. Stars are observable everywhere. Students can see how large the differences in the rise and setting of stars are. They will investigate the mythology of constellations, they world views that were related to the explanation of star movements, they can apply their knowledge by setting up a precise sun dial that works according to the geographical position or by breating a planisphere. So this topic offers both, a practical and a cross-curricular approach to learning.

Moreover, with the image of the nightly sky in mind and the simple tool of a smart phone with its camera in hand, we have an opportunity to check the light pollution in various surroundings to make parameters of “night” measurable. Biological, artistic and social aspects can be taken into consideration.

Finally, we will venture in the metaphorical idea of stars as model characters: stars change over the times and they are different from culture to culture. Who are and what makes them stars? Students will find out about present or former stars, they will collect and analyze biographies, find criteria and try to establish cultural patterns. All this requires a lot of communication in a language foreign to all of us, questioning general beliefs and relying upon each other. We are looking forward to working together!