Pearson Reading Street Grade 2
Unit 1/ Week 2
Title: Exploring Space with an Astronaut
Suggested Time: 5 days (45 minutes per day)
Common Core ELA Standards: RI.2.1, RI.2.2, RI.2.5, RI.2.6, RI.2.7; W.2.2, W.2.8; SL.2.1, SL.2.2, SL.2.6; L.2.1, L.2.2, L.2.6
Teacher Instructions
Refer to the Introduction for further details.
Before Teaching
1. Read the Big Ideas and Key Understandings and the Synopsis. Please do not read this to the students. This is a description for teachers, about the big ideas and key understanding that students should take away after completing this task.
Big Ideas and Key Understandings
Living and working on the Space Shuttle is very different from living on Earth.
Synopsis
Astronauts are people who live and work on the Space Shuttle. In space, the astronauts live without gravity, so they do things differently. For example, they have to tie their sleeping bags to the walls and use a seat belt to stay on the toilet. They do experiments, and bring special equipment to put in space, such as an x-ray telescope. They also work on the Space Shuttle itself, to make it safer and work better.
2. Read entire main selection text, keeping in mind the Big Ideas and Key Understandings.
3. Re-read the main selection text while noting the stopping points for the Text Dependent Questions and teaching Vocabulary.
During Teaching
1. Students read the entire main selection text independently.
2. Teacher reads the main selection text aloud with students following along. (Depending on how complex the text is and the amount of support needed by students, the teacher may choose to reverse the order of steps 1 and 2.)
3. Students and teacher re-read the text while stopping to respond to and discuss the questions and returning to the text. A variety of methods can be used to structure the reading and discussion (i.e.: whole class discussion, think-pair-share, independent written response, group work, etc.)
Text-dependent Questions
Text-dependent Questions / Evidence-based AnswersPages 58 - 69
What text features does the author use in this nonfiction book? / The author uses textboxes and headings over the boxes. The headings are questions, exclamations, and statements.
Pages 58-69
Why does the author organize the text into boxes with headings? / The author wants to break the information in the text into smaller parts to make it easier to understand. The headings tell the reader the main idea of the text inside the boxes. For example, on page 58, the text box is titled Lift Off! and it tells about the shuttle lifting off the ground to go into space.
Pages 58-59
On page 59, the text says that the space shuttle “takes off like a rocket” and “lands like an airplane.” Using the illustration on page 58, describe how the space shuttle takes off like a rocket. / On page 58, the illustration shows the space shuttle standing straight up. It is attached to/supported by/leaning against an orange tower. The illustration also shows fire coming out of the bottom. The engine is burning fuel/gas to send the space shuttle up into space.
Page 59
The heading over the text box on page 59 asks the question, “What is an astronaut?” What does the author tell us about astronauts? / On page 59, the author tells us that an astronaut is a person who goes into space. They live on the space shuttle.
Page 61
There is no gravity in space. How do the astronauts adapt to no gravity? Use the text and picture illustrations to answer the question. / The astronauts adapt by changing what they do on the space shuttle. On page 61, one picture shows that the astronauts change how they sleep. Instead of lying in a bed, they sleep standing up. One astronaut sleeps sideways. They sleep in sleeping bags, but the text on page 61 says that they have to tie their sleeping bags to the wall to keep them from floating. Another change is that they have to use a seat belt to stay on the toilet.
Page 62, 67
What are two of the experiments the astronauts do on the space shuttle? / On page 62, the author tells us that the astronauts look for problems on the space shuttle and solve them to make space travel safer.
On page 67, the text tells about experiments with plants and exercise machines. The illustration shows us a wall of machines with a caption pointing to a plant experiment, although you can only see the cover and not the plants.
Page 65
What tools do astronauts use on the space shuttle? / They use computers to help the shuttle fly. They use robot arms to move things and people outside the shuttle. When they walk outside, they wear space suits so they can breathe and stay warm. The illustration on page 65 shows ropes and wires and a big white light.
Page 66
What was the special job Eileen Collins and her crew did? / On page 66, the heading says “The crew’s special job.” The text in the box tells about an x-ray telescope that the crew brought into space. They tested the telescope and then put it out into space.
Page 69
What does the author tell us about becoming an astronaut? / On page 69, the author describes some of the characteristics of astronauts. They like math and science. They like to visit new places. They like to ride fast roller coasters. The author says if you like these things, you could become an astronaut.
Pages 56-67
What was the author’s purpose for writing the book, Exploring Space? / The author of Exploring Space wrote the book so that kids would know about being an astronaut on the space station.
Vocabulary
KEY WORDS ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTANDING / WORDS WORTH KNOWINGGeneral teaching suggestions are provided in the Introduction
TEACHER PROVIDES DEFINITION
not enough contextual clues provided in the text / Page 60 - experiment– [a test to find out something]
Page 66 – telescope [something you look through to make things nearer and larger]
Page 67 - gravity [the force that pulls everything down to the ground; the natural force that pulls objects down towards the center of the earth] / Page 59 - take off [when an airplane or rocket leaves the ground and starts flying]
Page 59 – land [when something or someone comes down onto the ground from the air]
Page 61 – sponge bath [use a sponge or washcloth to clean yourself]
STUDENTS FIGURE OUT THE MEANING
sufficient context clues are provided in the text
Culminating Task
· In the book, Exploring Space, the author describes how astronauts live and work on the space shuttle. Write a paragraph telling how the astronauts adapt to no gravity by changing what they do. Use at least two examples from the text in your answer. Name the book’s title and author, and end your paragraph with a concluding sentence.
o Sample answer: In the book, Exploring Space, the author, Patricia J. Murphy, tells readers about how the astronauts adapt to no gravity by changing what they do on the space shuttle. One thing they change is how they sleep. They sleep standing up in sleeping bags. On page 61, the author says that astronauts have to tie their sleeping bags to the wall to keep them from floating around. In the picture on page 61, one of the astronauts is sleeping sideways. The picture on page 61 shows that when astronauts do exercises in space, they need to wear a belt and hold on to the exercise machine to keep from floating. On page 62, when the astronauts are reading or writing, the picture shows that they have to hook their feet through straps on the floor or hold on to the wall. They do not have to work right side up. The picture also shows one astronaut working upside down. Life is different on the space shuttle, but it would be very interesting to try it.
Additional Task
o Reading Street Leveled Reader, An Astronaut Space Walk, Grade 2, 2.1.2
§ Read the book, An Astronaut Space Walk. Reread pages 6-8 and then write about how space suits help astronauts when they take space walks. Use at least four examples from the book, include the name of the book, the pages you found the examples, and end with a concluding sentence.
§ Example information to include:
· In space, there is no air, no water, and “space junk,” rocks, and ice might hit you, page 5
· Space suits have air, so astronauts can breathe, page 6
· They have tubes which carry cold water to keep them cool, page 7
· Space gloves have heaters to keep astronauts’ hands warm, page 7
· They have many layers of protection to keep astronauts safe, page 7
· Space suits have rocket packs to help astronauts move around, page 8
· Astronauts need space suits to help them on space walks. Without a space suit, astronauts would not survive on space walks.