GUEST BLOGGER ANN MCCALLUM STAATS
Setting the stage
A great way to introduce perspective is to study an optical illusion such as Rubin’s Vase. Ask students what they see. Some may see two people facing each other; others might see a single vase. It’s all about perspective!
Perspective? What’s that?
Perspective has more than one definition. First, it can relate to a physical viewpoint. Place a small object such as a crayon on the floor. Invite students to stand up and examine the crayon from above and then as they step farther away. Next, move the crayon to a desk and have students crouch down to look at the crayon from the side. Hand them a magnifying glass and have them look at that same crayon up close. How does each view differ?
The next type of perspective has to do with how one interprets something. A person’s attitude is influenced by their background, culture, and personality. This type of perspective is internal. For example, while one person loves cooked carrots, another’s perspective might be that mushy vegetables taste awful.
Perspective in A Quilt of Stars
A Quilt of Stars, co-written by astronaut Karen Nyberg and Ann McCallum Staats, provides kids with another opportunity to investigate perspective. Read the story and discuss what Karen might be thinking about when she’s first gazing up at the stars and unfathomable space. Provide a visual reminder of the night sky. What words and phrases come to mind when students look at it?
As a young girl, Karen wanted to travel to space. It was a mysterious and intriguing frontier. She believed that if she studied hard enough and practiced and trained for years, perhaps she would have a chance to leave the earth’s atmosphere. She told herself “Set your mind on success. Engineer a way to solve the problem, and don’t give up until you do.”
Karen’s hard work paid off. She was selected for the astronaut program and became the fiftieth woman to visit space. First she flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery. Next she lived on the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly six months. There she gazed at Earth from the outside, a mesmerizing perspective that few are fortunate enough to experience firsthand.
Connecting perspectives
Karen’s stay on the ISS gave her a different physical and internal perspective of Earth. She saw a great patchwork of land and water below her. What wasn’t visible were country borders or the immense variety of people and cultures that make up our world. Karen thought of a way to bring people together. She invited people from everywhere to participate in the Astronomical Quilt Challenge. People from 30 countries sent in more than 2,400 star-themed quilt blocks, each unique and representing one person’s personal perspective.
Pick a theme such as favorite foods, favorite books, or what students want to be when they grow up. Have each child design a paper quilt square to depict their choice. Glue or tape the squares together to make a class-sized paper quilt. Discuss the result. How did one central theme elicit such variety?
by Karen Nyberg and Ann McCallum Staats, illustrated by Alida Massari (Familius, 2026)
Wrapping up perspective
Finally, bring the conversation back to personal perspective. Each person has different wants, needs, and ways of looking at the world. But, just like the class quilt demonstrates, we are all connected in important ways. Wrap up the lesson by discussing some of the similar (and different) perspectives that students share.
Bonus: For fun, end the lesson with the book trailer for A Quilt of Stars: Astronaut Karen Nyberg Stitches a Dream. You can find it HERE.
Featured image credit: “They have a NASA display with dozens of quilts made from 2,260 star blocks sent in to Astronaut Karen Nyberg from all over the world. This is the kids submission quilt.” by gina pina is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
A former teacher with a master’s degree in education, Ann McCallum Staats has taught in 3 countries and at 3 different levels—high school ESL, overseas college, and elementary math. She is a prolific author who writes across genres and grade levels. Her newest title, A Quilt of Stars, is co-written with astronaut Dr. Karen Nyberg and is illustrated by Alida Massari (Releasing Sept. 29, 2026). Originally from British Columbia, Canada, Ann loves to travel, engage with audiences, and follow her curiosity. Find out more at www.annmccallumbooks.com. She can also be found online at @annmsbooks (Instagram) or https://www.facebook.com/annmccallumstaats/ (Facebook).
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