Astronauts and exploring space
Objectives:
Materials:
Events of Instruction:
Resources:
References:
Objectives:
- Define astronaut: a person who travels into space
- Apollo 11: spaceship that took the 1st men to the moon in 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
- Sally Ride: 1st American woman to go into space
- Spacesuit: like a small spacecraft, protects the astronaut from the dangers of being outside in space
Materials:
- Book: Neil Armstrong: Meet the Famous Astronaut, by Barbara Kramer
- Book: The Third Planet, by Sally Ride
- Image of Apollo 11 and a spacesuit for overhead projector or computer
- Journals
- Colored pencils, markers, or crayons
Events of Instruction:
- Ask the students to get out their clipboards and journals. Begin by reading the book Neil Armstrong: Meet the Famous Astronaut, by Barbara Kramer. Explain that Neil Armstrong was one of the 1st men to go to the moon. Write this on the board (Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men on the moon). Ask students to write this information on a new page in their journals.
- Next, show the class The Third Planet, by Sally Ride. Explain that Sally Ride was the 1st American woman to go into space. Write this on the board as well. Ask the students to write this information in their journals under the information on Neil Armstrong.
- Show students a picture of Apollo 11 on the computer or overhead projector. Ask them what special features they see. Call on students at random to. Next, ask what they think its mission was and why it was important. Continue calling on students at random.
- Write on the board what Apollo 11 was: spaceship that took the 1st men to the moon in 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Ask students to write this information in their journals under the information on Sally Ride.
- Ask the class what they they think astronauts wore when they go into space. Call on students at random to get many opinions. Write the word spacesuit on the board and ask the class what they think this is, also show a picture of a spacesuit on the overhead projector or on the computer. Call on students at random. Next write the definition of a spacesuit (like a small spacecraft, protects the astronaut from the dangers of being outside in space) on the board and ask the class to write this term down in their journals under the information on Apollo 11.
- Assessment: Ask the class to turn to a new page in their journal and draw an outline of their hand. Ask the class to write three things they learned and one or two questions they have about the material they learned today. Ask the students to draw a picture of the most important thing they learned today under their hand print. This will serve as the summative assessment for this lesson.
- Ask the class what they think it would be like to wear a spacesuit and ride in a spaceship. Ask the class who would like to go into space. Ask the class which planet they would visit and why. For all these questions, call on students at random.
Resources:
- Websites with more information for curious students:
- http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/first-person-on-moon.html
- http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/what-is-a-spacesuit-k4.html#.UqDEk2TF3gU
References:
- http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/first-person-on-moon.html
- http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/what-is-a-spacesuit-k4.html#.UqDEk2TF3gU