After reading about the moon in our weekly story, we explored the surface of the moon using Google Moon
If you are not familiar with this program, it is an extension of Google Earth. ( Never used Google Earth? Download it now! It is FREE and it is A-MAZE-ING! It’s a constantly updated interactive map! There is also a Google Mars!)
We zoomed over the moon’s surface and found where the first moon landing took place. After viewing a few photos of the landing, we watched an actual video of the first moon steps!
Then, we used our new-found knowledge to compare and contrast the moon to our closest star, the sun.
We also learned about the planets and created a “step book” to display what we learned about each planet.
After learning general info about each planet, students chose one planet to research and completed a “Planet Report”.
Now, I had to balance out this nonfiction-heavy unit with some “fun” reads, so we also enjoyed
“Green Wilma- Frog in Space” by Tedd Arnold (affiliate link)
and “Arthur’s First Sleepover“
We used the alien encounter from this book as a launching point for some expository writings on introducing an alien. First, students pretended they met a creature from outer space and answered some interview questions about their alien. Then, they used the answers to create an expository writing, explaining about their alien. After some quick editing, students published their writings,”It Came From Outer Space”
We also read, “Handshake in Space” about the Apollo- Soyuz Test Project. (affiliate link)
We imagined what it would be like to be an astronaut and created these ADORABLE astronauts, complete with 3-d helmets and glitter suits!
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