Have students use a highlighter to mark key concepts and challenging words as they listen to the compact disc. Have students search for information in a focused manner by creating their own research charts with comments about what they learned and a list of their future research goals. Management Tips For both whole class and small group instruction, discuss with students a purpose for listening before they work with the compact disc. If several groups are researching the same topic, have one member from each group meet at a listening station to gather information from the compact disc. You can use StarDate magazine to introduce, develop, or extend classroom lessons.
Students practice cross-curricular skills while working with the magazine.
As an introductory activity, have students list and discuss possible answers to a question from the Merlin column. Ask students to evaluate the answers listed and decide as a group which answer makes the most sense. Encourage students to state and support their reasons for picking a particular answer. Then have students read and discuss Merlin's answer. Encourage students to practice their letter-writing skills by composing and sending letters to Merlin asking their astronomy questions.