What Is a Star?

Stars are giant balls of hot, glowing gas that make their own light. The sun is a star; the moon and planets are not.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 1

Look up on a clear night, and you can see stars. A star is a giant ball of hot, glowing gas. Stars make their own light.
The sun is a star, too! It's the star closest to Earth. Its light and heat reach us every day.
Stars look like tiny dots because they are very, very far away. Up close, they're giant!
The moon is not a star. It's a ball of rock. The moon shines because sunlight bounces off it.
Planets, like Mars and Jupiter, aren't stars either. They shine because sunlight bounces off them, too.
Your turn! Sort these into stars and things that are not stars.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Science:

S2E1.a — Ask questions to describe the physical attributes (size and brightness) of stars.