Constructing Flag Star Books

As the Kennedy Center residency comes to a close, 5th graders construct a flag book illustrated with drawings from the zodiac constellation. 

It's In The Stars: Our Personal Constellation

My personal constellation star book

Students writing their star stories

My 5th grade students in a S.W. DC school are finishing up their accordion books during my Kennedy Center bookmaking residency this fall. In ten sessions I led students in creating their own personal constellations based on their lives and values. Students created three star patterns, choosing an object and animal to illustrate and outline for the first two. The third star pattern was created from individual photos I took of them striking a pose. Each object was traced and outlined.

Students had to identify character traits that resonated with who they were inside. Words had to be translated into Latin. The objects and animals they chose had to be researched and students had to justify their choices in writing. Finally, after hearing stories about how ancient cultures created myths about the stars, they wrote their own star stories based on the animals, objects and characters in their constellations.