Great Bear in the Sky: How the Big Dipper Helps Us Find Our Way

Seven bright stars. Two very different stories. One pattern that has helped people navigate the night for generations.

In this episode of Faithfully Explore!, we look up at one of the most recognizable patterns in the sky: the Big Dipper. Children will discover that the Big Dipper is not a constellation by itself—it is part of the larger constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear.

Travel to ancient Greece to hear the story of Callisto, then explore a Haudenosaunee tradition in which hunters pursue a great bear across the changing seasonal sky. Although both traditions connect these stars with a bear, each tells its own distinct story shaped by the people and culture from which it comes.

Then, become a sky navigator! Learn how the Big Dipper’s two pointer stars lead toward Polaris, the North Star, and discover how people have used this familiar pattern to find north.

In This Episode, Children Will:

• Identify the seven stars that form the Big Dipper.
• Learn the difference between an asterism and a constellation.
• Explore Greek and Haudenosaunee stories connected with the Great Bear.
• Compare how different cultures interpreted the same stars.
• Discover how the sky changes with the seasons.
• Practice using the Big Dipper to locate Polaris and find north.
• Consider how stars can help us understand both direction and belonging.

Belief Backpack Takeaway

The stars can help us find our direction, while the stories people share can help us understand where they come from and what matters to them.

Continue Exploring

Pair the episode with the Great Bear in the Sky Learning Companion for listening activities, cultural comparisons, navigation practice, night-sky observations, and hands-on learning.

You can also continue your stargazing adventure with our recommended books, planispheres, observation journals, and constellation activities on FaithfullyExplore.com.

Look up, stay curious, and remember: the same stars can hold many stories.

Explorers, picture a clear night sky.

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The air is cool, the stars are sparkling,

and high above you, seven bright stars

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make a shape that many people recognize.

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Four stars make a bowl.

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Three stars make a handle.

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It looks like a giant spoon

or a ladle or a dipper.

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That star pattern is called the

Big Dipper, and here's the twist.

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The Big Dipper is part of an even

bigger constellation called Ursa

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Major, which means Great Bear.

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I'm Laura, and today, in our

Faithfully Explore series, Sky Stories:

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Wonder Written in the Stars, we are

exploring the Great Bear in the sky.

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Faithfully Explore! Intro:

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Faithfully Explore!

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is the name.

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Learning together is our aim.

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Beliefs around the globe we'll track,

filling up our Belief Backpack.

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Laura: All right, explorers.

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First, let's find the shape.

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The Big Dipper is made

of seven bright stars.

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Four stars make the bowl, and

three stars make the handle.

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But here's a little astronomy surprise.

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The Big Dipper is not

officially its own constellation

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The Big Dipper is an asterism.

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That means it is a recognizable star

pattern inside a larger constellation.

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The Big Dipper is part of

Ursa Major, the Great Bear.

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Think of it like this.

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If Ursa Major is the whole teddy bear,

the Big Dipper is its strangely long tail.

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If you look at drawings of Ursa Major,

the bear often has a very long tail.

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Real bears do not have long tails.

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A real bear's tail is more tiny.

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So why does a sky bear

have such a long tail?

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Stories, of course.

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Now that we've found the shape,

let's travel to ancient Greece, where

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storytellers saw a bear in the sky.

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In Greek mythology, the Great Bear is

connected to a woman named Callisto.

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Callisto was a beautiful young woman

who loved the forests and wild places.

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Callisto spent her days in nature,

walking beneath trees, listening to birds,

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and moving quietly through the woods.

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But Hera, the queen of the gods,

became angry and jealous of Callisto.

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Hera transformed Callisto into a bear.

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Imagine that.

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One moment, Callisto had hands.

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The next moment, paws.

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One moment she could speak.

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The next moment, grrr.

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Callisto wandered through the forest as

a bear, but inside she was still herself.

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She still had her same memories.

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She still had her heart.

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Years later, Callisto's son,

Arcas, grew up to be a hunter.

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One day, he saw a bear in the forest.

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He did not know it was his mother.

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Callisto saw Arcas and rushed

toward him because she loved

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him and wanted to be near him.

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But Arcas only saw a bear running at him.

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Uh-oh.

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Just before something terrible

could happen, Zeus stepped in.

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To protect them both, he placed

Callisto and Arcas in the sky as stars.

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Callisto became Ursa

Major, the Great Bear.

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Arcas became connected with a nearby

starry figure, often linked to

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Ursa Minor, called the Little Bear.

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And that is one way Greek storytellers

explained the Great Bear constellation.

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It is a story about love,

misunderstanding, protection,

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and transformation.

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It also explains that strange long tail.

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In some versions, Zeus lifted

the bears into the sky by their

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tails, stretching them longer as

he swung them into the heavens.

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Greek people were not the only

ones to see a bear in these stars.

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Let's cross to Indigenous

North American star stories.

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Before we begin, let's put on

our respectful explorer hats.

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Native American stories does

not mean one single story.

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Indigenous peoples include many

different nations, languages,

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homelands, and traditions.

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We do not wanna scoop them

all into one bowl like cereal.

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A respectful explorer asks, "Which people?

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Which place?

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Which story?"

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Today, we'll talk about an example

from the Haudenosaunee tradition

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connected with the Great Bear.

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Among some Haudenosaunee people, including

the Oneida, there is a story about

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a great bear and hunters in the sky.

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In one Oneida version, long ago,

a huge bear troubled the people.

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The bear was powerful, and many

tried to stop it, but they could not.

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Then three brothers dreamed

that they could track the bear.

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The brothers followed the

bear's tracks for many days.

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They tracked it all the way

to the end of the earth.

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Then the bear leapt into the

sky, and the brothers followed.

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The bear became the bowl of the Big

Dipper, and the three stars in the handle

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became the hunters chasing the bear.

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In the autumn, when the bear is close to

the horizon, the story says the hunters'

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arrows wound the bear, and drops of

blood color the leaves red and yellow.

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That is a powerful way to connect

the stars with the changing seasons.

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Why do the leaves change?

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One story says because the Great

Bear's story is happening in the sky.

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People watched the stars

move through the seasons.

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They noticed where the bear

appeared in winter, in spring,

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in summer, and in the fall.

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They connected the sky with the land,

the animals, and the colors of autumn.

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So the Big Dipper was not just a

shape, it was a seasonal story,

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a calendar, a reminder that

Earth and sky belong together.

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Now, we have seen the Big Dipper

as a bear, but some people look

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at it and see something else.

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A spoon, a ladle, a bowl

with a handle, a dipper.

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The name Big Dipper comes from

the way the seven stars look

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like a big ladle or scoop.

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A dipper can be used to scoop water.

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So some people looked up

and said, "I see a bear."

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Others said, "I see a giant spoon."

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Both are reasonable.

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The Big Dipper is one of the

most recognizable star patterns

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in the Northern Hemisphere.

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Many people learn it first because it

is bright and easy to spot, and this

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is where it becomes more than a story.

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It becomes a tool.

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The Big Dipper can help you find

the North Star, also called Polaris.

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Polaris is special because it stays in

roughly the same spot in the northern sky.

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As Earth spins, many stars

seem to circle around the sky.

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But Polaris is very close to the

point above Earth's North Pole.

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That makes it a helpful

guide for finding north.

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Here's how the Big Dipper helps.

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Look at the bowl of the Big Dipper.

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The two stars on the outer edge of

the bowl are called pointer stars.

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If you draw an imaginary line from

those two stars and keep going, they

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point toward Polaris, the North Star.

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Then once you are facing

Polaris, you are facing north.

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That is very useful if you

are trying to find your way.

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Of course, today we have

phones, maps, and GPS.

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But long ago, and even still today for

outdoor navigation, people used the sky.

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Travelers, sailors, and explorers

learned to read the stars like a map.

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The Big Dipper was like a giant

arrow saying, "North is this way."

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Let's try it.

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Hold one arm up like

the Big Dipper's bowl.

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Now point two fingers out from

the edge of your arm bowl.

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Those are the pointer stars.

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Now slowly move your fingers

across the imaginary sky.

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Say, "There's Polaris."

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Now turn your whole body

towards your pretend Polaris.

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Say, "North."

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Excellent.

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You have just navigated

using pretend stars.

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let's cross our friendship bridge.

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Today, our friendship bridge is shaped

like the handle of the Big Dipper.

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On one side, we have stories.

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Greek storytellers say Callisto,

a mother, transformed into a

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bear and was placed into the sky.

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Haudenosaunee stories tell of

a great bear moving through

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the sky, followed by hunters.

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Helping explain the seasons

and the changing autumn leaves.

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On the other side, we have navigation.

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The Big Dipper points to Polaris, the

North Star, helping people find North.

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Story and direction.

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A bear and a map.

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That is pretty amazing.

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Stories can help us find our way.

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Sometimes they help us find North.

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Sometimes they help us understand

winter, spring, summer, and fall.

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Sometimes they help us remember family,

courage, caution, respect, or love.

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Sometimes stories help us

understand ourself because when

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life feels dark or confusing, a

good story can be like a star.

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It might not answer every question,

but it can give you a direction.

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And now that we have crossed our

friendship bridge, it is time for a game.

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It's game time.

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Welcome to the Sky Detective

Case: Who is the Great Bear?

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Sky detectives, we have a mystery tonight.

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Seven bright stars have been

seen in the northern sky.

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Your job is to collect

clues and solve the case.

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When you hear an important clue,

tap your detective notebook.

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When you solve part of the

mystery, whisper, "Star clue."

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Ready?

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Let's open the case file.

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Case file clue one: the shape.

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The first clue is about

the stars themselves.

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There are seven bright

stars in the Big Dipper.

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Four stars make a scoop shape.

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Three stars stretch out like a handle.

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Sky detectives, use one finger

to draw that shape in the air.

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Start with a boxy scoop.

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Now, draw a handle out to the side.

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You found the shape.

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Whisper, "Star clue."

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Case file clue two.

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The bowl.

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Now let's look closer at the scoop.

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Four stars make the

bowl of the Big Dipper.

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Cup your hands together like you are

holding a tiny bowl of starlight.

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Now gently tip the bowl to one side.

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In the sky, the star bowl looks

like it is turning through the year.

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Whisper, "Star clue."

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File three: the pointer stars.

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Now we need the most useful clue.

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Two stars on the outer edge of

the bowl are called pointer stars.

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They point toward Polaris, the North Star.

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Hold up two fingers.

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Now slowly move those two fingers in a

straight line away from a pretend bowl.

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That invisible line

helps people find North.

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Whisper, "Star clue."

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Case file clue four: the bear.

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But wait, the Big Dipper

is not the whole mystery.

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It is part of something bigger.

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In Greek mythology, these stars are

connected with Ursa Major, the Great Bear.

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Make two bear paws.

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Whisper, "Star clue."

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Case file clue five: the hunters.

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Now another clue comes from

different storytelling traditions.

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In some Haudenosaunee stories, people

tell of a great bear moving through the

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sky with hunters following after it.

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So the stars are not just a shape, they

become a moving story across the seasons.

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Take three quiet hunter steps in place.

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Step, step, step.

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Now freeze, look up, and

whisper, "Star clue."

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Case file clue six: the name.

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Here is the trickiest clue.

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The Big Dipper is famous, but it is not

officially a constellation by itself.

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It is a smaller star pattern inside

the constellation Ursa Major.

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A smaller star pattern

is called an asterism.

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Say it slowly.

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Asterism.

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Now say it like a proud detective.

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Asterism.

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Excellent.

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Final case review.

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Let's see if we solved the

mystery of Who is the Great Bear?

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i'll say the clue, you finish the idea.

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Seven bright stars make the…

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Big Dipper.

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Four stars make the…

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bowl.

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Three stars make the…

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handle.

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Two stars on the outside

of the bowl point toward…

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Polaris, the North Star.

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The Big Dipper is part of a

bigger constellation called…

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Ursa Major, the Great Bear,

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And a smaller star pattern inside

a constellation is called an…

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asterism.

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Case closed, sky detectives.

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The Great Bear mystery is solved.

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Give yourself seven quiet star

taps for the seven bright stars.

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Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

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What's inside our belief

backpack this week?

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Today, we explored the

Great Bear in the sky.

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We learned that the Big Dipper is

an asterism, a star pattern inside

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the constellation Ursa Major.

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We heard the Greek story of

Callisto transformed into a

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bear and placed among the stars.

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We listened respectfully to

Haudenosaunee stories where a

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great bear is followed across the

sky and connected to the seasons.

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And we discovered that the Big Dipper

can help people find Polaris, the

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North Star, which helps us find north.

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So what goes into our Belief Backpack?

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Stories can help us find our way.

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That means stories are

not only for bedtime.

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They are not only for libraries.

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Stories can guide us.

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A story about a bear can help

people remember the seasons.

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A story about stars can help

people remember where north is.

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Stories are like little

maps we carry inside us.

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This week's challenge is called

Find Your North Star Story.

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Ask a grown-up, teacher, or family

member, " What is a story that helps you

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when you feel lost, worried, or unsure?"

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Maybe they'll tell you a family

story, maybe a religious story,

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maybe a folktale, maybe a story about

something hard they went through.

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Then ask, "What direction does

that story point you toward?

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Courage?

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Patience?

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Hope?

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Trying again?"

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That direction can become

your North Star for the week.

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Thank you for joining me for

another episode of Sky Stories:

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Wonder Written in the Stars.

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The next time you see the Big

Dipper, maybe you'll see a bowl, a

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spoon, a bear, a season story, or

a sky arrow pointing towards north.

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And maybe you'll remember that

stories, like stars, can shine

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when the path feels dark.

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I'm Laura, and this has

been Faithfully Explore.

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Until next time, stay curious,

stay kind, and keep exploring

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that wonderful world around you.

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Faithfully Explore! Outro:

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Faithfully Explore!

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is about you.

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Let's grow kinder together it's true!