Space Flight Lesson Plan: Engineering Design
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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 BACKGROUND
- 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: ENGAGE
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 you discuss how spacecraft overcome different challenges in order to leave Earth’s atmosphere. (Essential Literacy Skill: Summarize key ideas)
- Make-a-Map: Identify each part of a spacecraft and describe its role. (Essential Literacy Skill: Acquire and use domain-specific vocabulary)
- Creative Coding: Code a meme representing the challenges involved in launching spacecraft. (Essential Skill: Determine central ideas)
- Primary Source Activity: Analyze the footage of a space shuttle launch, and cite details to answer the accompanying questions. (Essential Literacy Skill: Make logical inferences from specific details)
Step 4: APPLY & ASSESS
Apply: Students take the Space Flight Challenge, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.
Assess: Wrap up the lesson with the Space Flight Quiz.
Step 5: EXTEND LEARNING
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.
Additional Support Resources:
- Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how BrainPOP Pause Points actively engage students to stop, think, and express ideas.
- Modifications for BrainPOP Tools and Features: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
- BrainPOP Tools and Features Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.
