Here's the big guy, and generally the second-most recognizable constellation (after Ursa Major), Orion the hunter. And you can actually see the shape of Orion. There is the funny named star Betelgeuse, a red supergiant. This star is rapidly approaching the end of its life and could die at any minute. The other very bright star, Rigel, is a very bluish-white star, sort of the exact opposite of Betelgeuse.

There is also the well defined Belt of Orion, the thing that holds up his pants. The stars that make up the belt are of about equal brightness and are fairly evenly spaced. And right below the belt is one of the easiest to see regions of star formation, the Orion Nebula. With even a small telescope, you should be able to see the hot stars at the center of the nebula as well as the faint, wispy gas clouds. Sometimes you can see this stuff with just binoculars.