Space Flight Lesson Plan: Engineering Design

*Click to open and customize your own copy of the Space Flight Lesson Plan. 

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Space Flight, and supports the standard of describing the types of equipment and transportation necessary for space travel. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Display an image of a rocket about to launch, like this one:

Ask students:

• What do you notice? 
• What does this picture tell you about how rockets work?

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

• Read the description on the Space Flight topic page.
• Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding. 
• Have students read one of the three Related Reading articles. Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.
  

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Students take the Space Flight Challenge and Quiz, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: EXTEND and DEEPEN

Students express what they learned about space flight while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs. 

• Make-a-Movie: Produce an interview with a rocket scientist where they answer this question: How does a spacecraft overcome different challenges in order to leave Earth’s atmosphere?
• Make-a-Map: Identify each part of a spacecraft and describe its role. 
• Creative Coding: Code a meme representing the challenges involved in launching spacecraft. 
• Primary Source Activity: Analyze the footage of a space shuttle launch, and cite details to answer the accompanying questions. 

More to Explore

Sortify: Space Exploration: This game challenges players to sort by attributes, such as discoveries & missions, astronauts, planets, and more.

Time Zone X: International Space Station: This interactive timeline game challenges players to put historical events in chronological order.

Teacher Support Resources:

• Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how Pause Points actively engage students  to stop, think, and express ideas. 
• Learning Activities Modifications: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
• Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.