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Friday, March 16, 2012

Outer Space Unity Study

This summer we are going places with our lessons. I asked the kiddo to come up with three places anywhere in time and space and I would create our lesson plans around it with two weeks per place and one week of holiday. She chose Outer Space, Mexico, and the 1849 Gold Rush.

Our normal routine is to do Math and Language Arts Monday through Thursday, Science on Mondays and Wednesdays,History/Social Studies on Tuesdays and Thursday. On Fridays we do electives. I just finished planning out our space weeks, I am really thankful to NASA for all of their wonderfully free teaching materials. I only had to create a couple worksheets and prompts.

Here is the unit in action!

June 4th-15th Out Space Lesson Plan


Day 1
  Math
        Workbook 1 Comparing size and distance
Virtual field trip homepage, software and workbook downloads: http://quest.nasa.gov/vft/
         1-3 
          Additional conversion examples

Language Arts
·         Creative writing: My Trip to Outer Space
-What items would you need to take and why?
- What would you bring back?

Science
·         Lesson on the effects of space travel on the human body http://education.jsc.nasa.gov/explorers/p3.html
·         Leg Up work sheet/activity
Day 2
Math
·         Workbook pages 4-7

LA
·         4 panel comic about landing on another planet.
-Which planet?
- What do you see and what do you think about it?
-Dialogue between self and space creatures using complete and correct sentences.

History/
Social Studies
·          Discuss previous knowledge of the first moon walk. Who, when, etc
·         Watch lunar landing  http://youtu.be/sTBIr65cL_E
·         Discuss the purpose and significance of Apollo XI http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo11/index.html
·         Study lunar map and discuss latitude and longitude.
Day 3
Math
·         Workbook pages 8-11

LA
·         Root Words Worksheet and chart

Science
·         Discuss the purpose of  mining in outer space
·         Moon mining activity
Day 4
Math
·         Workbook pages 12-15

LA
·         Compose a puppet play from alien perspective landing on Earth.
       Three to five characters

History
·         Archeoastronomy- Discuss how people have studied space throughout time
Day 5
Art Project
·         Galex Galaxies
·         Puppets to be used next week

Movie
·         Carl Sagan- Cosmos Episode 9
Day 6
Math
·         Workbook pages 16-20

LA
·         Creative writing: Newly Inhabitable Planet Discovered!
-Tell where it is
-Describe planetary features
-Describe life forms!
-Tell about its star(s) and other neighborhood planets/moons, if any.

Science
·         Comets vs. Meteors worksheet  and web activity
Day 7
Math
·         Workbook pages 21-26

LA
·         Perform puppet play

History
·         Medieval astronomy
Day 8
Math
·         Workbook pages 27-31

LA
·         Diamante space poem

Science
·         Tide worksheet
Day 9
Math
·         Workbook pages  32-39

LA
·         Proofreading exercise
·         Word play worksheet

History
Search for current space events and discuss
Day 10
Movie
·         Steven Hawking

End party
·         Star gaze  from our space ship (tent) using the SkyMap application.
·         Themed food and drinks
·         Astronaut ice cream and tang
·         Asteroid mashed potatoes http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/asteroid-potatoes/en/
·         Black hole board game http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/black-hole-boardgame/