“The handle (of the Big Dipper) is made of three stars, and the bowl has four that form a square. The two stars on the side of the bowl not attached to the handle are called the Pointer Stars and point straight towards Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is the tip of Little Dipper’s handle. The Little Dipper (part of Ursa Minor) looks like it pours into the big dipper. This constellation is only visible on a clear night, but you can usually see the two stars at the end of the ladle.”

Here’s a diagram: http://www.astropix.com/HTML/SHOW_DIG/Big_and_Little_Dippers.HTM