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Stars Die

Driving Question: Why is the death of stars important?

The birth of stars created new sources of light, energy, and complexity in the Universe. But they can’t live forever, right? New chemical elements exploded from dying stars, often in the form of huge supernovas that scattered these elements throughout the Universe.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe the creation of new elements.
  2. Apply the historical thinking skill of causation to investigate the birth and death of stars.
  3. Explain how the death of stars increased the Universe’s complexity.

Vocab Terms:

  • complexity
  • element
  • gravity
  • nuclear fusion
  • star
  • supernova
  • temperature
STEP 1

Opener: Stars Die

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 2 of the Lesson 2.4 Teaching Guide Locked .

Don’t forget to consider how to adapt, modify, or differentiate this lesson for your students—use this guide Locked  to get you started.

STEP 2

New Chemical Elements

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 2.4 Teaching Guide Locked .

What do you want your student to learn about new chemical elements? Check out what these teachers had to say about this in the OER Project Teacher Community External link .

Threshold by Threshold, the Universe grows more complex. See what effects all those supernovas had on their surroundings.

Threshold 3: New Chemical Elements External link

Dying and exploding stars scattered almost all the elements of the periodic table throughout the Universe. The result? New complexity!
STEP 3

The Death of Stars

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 4 of the Lesson 2.4 Teaching Guide Locked .

Learn more about OER Project’s approach to teaching causation on this page.

Aging and dying stars generate extremely hot temperatures, hot enough to create entirely new elements. Learn what star stuff gave us as you think more about cause and effect.

STEP 4

Closer: Stars Die

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 5 of the Lesson 2.4 Teaching Guide Locked .

Remember that Closers are a great opportunity to informally assess student understanding. Read more about that in the OER Project Assessment Guide.

Let’s bring the focus back to you. How does thinking about the Big History story of stars and elements make you feel? Where do you fit in?

Extension Materials
Checkmark Alert Banner
Want to learn more about the elements that stars gave us? Check out the following activity, graphic biography, and article.
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Chemical Reactions

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 5 of the Lesson 2.4 Teaching Guide Locked .

In comics, chemical elements often transform normal people into superheroes. But what if those chemical elements themselves are the real superheroes?

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The Evolving Star

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 6 of the Lesson 2.4 Teaching Guide Locked .

It wasn’t until relatively recently that we learned more about how stars die, and what causes it. We have this Indian physicist to thank for a major breakthrough.

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Pure Metal

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 7 of the Lesson 2.4 Teaching Guide Locked .

Modern chemistry provides many of the technologies and comforts we enjoy today. But it didn’t come from nowhere! Learn how the science evolved over centuries of experimentation.