Our Place in Space - 4th Grade
This unit is interdisciplinary in nature and uses advanced-level reading and writing instruction to explore humanity's "place in space" over the centuries, from ancient times to future space exploration.
"The Beckoning"
We tested our advanced vocabulary and interpretation skills to understand the message in "The Beckoning," a poem written by a Skylab astronaut.
Look to the Stars:
Starting with an animated movie about Galileo, we began our research on several astronomers to understand the next, after ancient mythology, in finding "our place in space." With our research, we each created an astronomer trading card, which we got to trade with others so we ended up with a collection.
Let the Race BEGIN!:
The historic Space Race was our next area for research. After examining a detailed timeline of Space Race events and acting them out by taking small steps or leaps for either U.S. or U.S.S.R., we looked deeply into the formative years of NASA, studying several early missions.
A Space History Timeline of Artifacts:
Each of us chose a different time in history to research. After our research, we created artifacts from our chosen times and presented them to the class. Projects were on display in the media center for all to enjoy.
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A Visit From an Expert:
Mr. Schmidt, Associate Division Chief aerospace engineer at NASA Goddard, was a special guest visitor during CEU. He shared with us all the interesting things about his job - and had neat gifts to share as well!
Reflecting on How Far We'd Come:
When all was said and done, it was time to look back and reflect upon how far we had come - not just in space history, but in our learning as well. We revisited an intro activity to see how much we had learned.