Amy Ramirez

April 26, 2016

READ 366
Literacy Prop Box
Role: Astronaut
Objectives:

Students will be able to understand the role and responsibilities of an astronaut

Students will be able to understand the concept of astronomy
Students will be able to identify different parts of the solar system
Students will be able to understand vocabulary terms that are associated with astronomy
and the role of an astronaut.

Vocabulary:
1. Star
2. Planet
3. Meteor
4. Astronaut
5. NASA
6. Sun
7. Orbit
8. Astronomer
9. Crater
10. Solar (system)
11. The Moon
12. Neil Armstrong
Materials:

A sticker sheet full of gold stars

Earth stress ball
A packet of freeze-dried ice cream sandwich
Action figure of astronaut
Mini plastic toy rocket
American flag
Sun plush toy
Round grey rock
Small bag with tiny pieces of rocks (should be significantly smaller than the round grey
rock)
Printed picture of Neil Armstrong (preferably the one where he is walking on the moon)

Book List:
Branley, F. M., & Kelley, T. (1998). Floating in space. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Brown, D. (1998). One giant leap: The story of Neil Armstrong. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Kelly, M. E., & Payne, C. F. (2012). Mousetronaut: Based on a (partially) true story. New York:
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
McCarthy, M. (2008). Astronaut handbook. New York, NY: Knopf Books for Young Readers.
McNulty, F., & Kellogg, S. (2005). If you decide to go to the moon. New York: Scholastic.
Sisson, S. R. (2014). Star stuff: Carl Sagan and the mysteries of the cosmos. New York, NY:
Roaring Brook Press.
Open-Ended Questions:

What are some examples of planets in our solar system?

What will be the first thing you want to see when you go to space?
What are some examples of famous astronauts?
What are some things that you would see in outer space?

Songs & Fingerplays:

Climb aboard the Spaceship! Sung to: "itsy bitsy spider"
Climb aboard the spaceship,
We're going to the moon.
hurry and get ready,
We're going to blast off soon.
Put on your helmets
And buckle up real tight.
Here comes the countdown,
Let's count with all our might.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1---BLAST OFF!!
From: http://www.preschooleducation.com/sspace.shtml
Countdown Fingerplay
Come on, everybody! Let's go to the moon
(Motion "come one" with one hand)
Hurry, hurry! We're leaving soon!
(Pretend to tap watch)
Put up your hand and let's all count.
(Hold up 5 fingers)
We're going to lift off and zoom about!
(Sweep other hand upward from hip)
Ready? 5...4...3...2...1...
(Show each number of fingers)
Blast off!
(Jump up and raise both hands in the air)

From: http://preschool.colonial.net/Teachers/Brown/songsPDFs/spacesongs2010.pdf
Extension Activities

A field trip to the National Air and Space Museum where the student would be able to see
how the information they have learned is applied. The students will be able to see
different things related to astronomy and the role of an astronaut and be able to ask
questions. As the students and the teacher go through the museum, the teacher can ask
students questions about the exhibits (Who remembers what this big hot ball of fire is
called? (the Sun)). This way the teacher is able to relate the items in the museum to what
the students have learned through their literacy prop box activity.
The teacher can connect the topic to art and writing. The teacher will have the students
draw a picture of themselves as astronauts. The picture should include at least 3 things on
the vocabulary list. However, the student is encouraged to be as creative as possible and
can include other things that they know about space (such as a meteor shower). After the
picture is complete, the student will write a brief description of the picture. The
description should be at least 3 sentences.
Works Cited
Preschool Education Music & Songs: Space. (1998, February 19). Retrieved April 20,
2016, from http://www.preschooleducation.com/sspace.shtml
Space songs and fingerplays. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2016, from
http://preschool.colonial.net/Teachers/Brown/songsPDFs/spacesongs2010.pdf