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Three, Two, One, Blast Off!
Deb Johnson
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The focus of this lesson is Space Exploration in the 1960s and 1970s and local ties to this community. Students will participate in an Internet Scavenger Hunt, and then use local documents to find out about LaGrange's connections to NASA. This lesson may be used as a springboard for an entire unit on space exploration.
pencil and paper for Bell Ringer
Copies of Handout A (Anticipation/Reaction Guide) for each student
Questions written ahead of time on sticky notes, taped under randomly selected students' seats. (See Activating Strategy activity for list of questions.)
Access to the Computer Lab
Copies of Handout B (Internet Scavenger Hunt) for each student
Copies of LaGrange Daily News articles about local astronaut visits, etc.
Copies of Handout C (Using Local Documents To Learn More About Astronauts) for each student
Timer for use with Handout C
one 90 minute block
1S3
What was the importance of space exploration to the United States and to local history?
CONTENT SPECIFIC: What connections did the city of LaGrange, Georgia, have with space exploration in the 1960s, 1970s and beyond?
Students will brainstorm to compile a list of words that relate to the space program, and catagorize them by "common nouns," "proper nouns" or "verbs." (Put an example on the board with a drawing of a piece of paper divided into sections, with some sample words in each section. Common nouns might include rocket, space shuttle, astronaut, moon, etc. Proper nouns might include Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Apollo, Saturn V, Atlantis, Kennedy Space Center, etc., and verbs could include words such as launch, train, countdown, orbit, etc.)
In the Hot Seat:
(Questions are taped to bottom of randomly selected student seats, and if student has a question, he has to attempt to give an answer.)
List of questions:
1. How many astronauts can you name?
2. What kind of spacecraft were used before the space shuttle?
3. Why do you think the United States invests money on the space program?
4. Would you like to travel to the moon or beyond? Why or why not?
5. How do you think astronauts returned to the earth before space shuttles were used?
6. What kind of training do you think is necessary before going into space?
7. What are some risks or dangers that astronauts face?
8. What character traits do you think an astronaut should possess?
Before completing the Activating Strategy activity, "In the Hot Seat," students will complete an Anticipation/Reaction Guide to activate and evaluate prior knowledge. (See Handout A, Anticipation/Reaction Guide.)
Students will then proceed to the Computer Lab where they will complete an Internet Scavenger Hunt activity to learn more about the topic. (See Handout B, Internet Scavenger Hunt.)
Upon completion of Lab Activity, students should return to classroom to share their findings and turn in their work.
Next, the teacher will divide the class into small groups (perhaps named for NASA missions, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttles; or names of Space Shuttles, Endeavor, Discovery, Atlantis, Challenger, etc.). The teacher will distribute copies of Handout C (Using Local Documents to Learn More about Astronauts) and distribute copies of linked local newspaper articles to each group.
Challenge students to be the first group to complete all EIGHT questions first or to be the team to have the most correct answers when the timer goes off.
Distribute Anticipation/Reaction Guides that students responded on at the beginning of the lesson. Allow them time to complete the "Reaction" column of the handout. Then lead a class discussion about what students learned and how their opinions changed after studying the lesson.
Additional activities could be done to summarize the lesson. Students could work in small groups to create posters sharing information about the various space programs (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, etc.), Famous Astronauts, After the Space Shuttle: What's Next?, etc.
For further information or questions regarding this lesson plan, please feel free to contact Deborah Johnson at johnsondf@troup.org. Have fun!
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Local Articles_Johnson LP313
Using Local Documents to Learn More about Astronau
Scavenger Hunt 1S3_Johnson
Anticipation_Reaction Guide 1S3_Johnson