You Wouldn�t Want to Be on Apollo 13

							                  You Wouldn’t Want to Be on Apollo 13!

                                                         OVERVIEW: Preview book and vocabulary,
DATE:     [Insert Day/Date Here]                         read, write diary entries, draw or make a
SESSION 1                                                rocket

MATERIALS LIST:
Books, paper, pencils, My Astronaut Diary reproducible (one for each student), markers, crayons, colored
pencils
Alternate activities: Paper towel or toilet paper cylinder, markers, paint, construction paper; OR Space
Exploration reproducible

          PREVIEW BOOK
          Pass out You Wouldn’t Want to Be on Apollo 13 to each student. Tell students they will be
          learning many interesting facts about an ill-fated space flight.
         DISCUSSION
10 - 15   Some students may have seen the 1995 movie, Apollo 13. Help students make connections
 min.     between what they already know about spaceflight to the text. Explain that in addition to
          telling the story, this book provides detailed background on the training and team efforts
          involved in Apollo spaceflight.

             What do you know about the Apollo 13 mission?
             What was the goal of the mission?
             What problems did the astronauts and scientists at Mission Control face?
             How could this mission have become a disaster?
             What do you expect to learn from this book?


         VOCABULARY
5 - 10     Cape Canaveral (KAYP Ka-NAV-ur-ahl) a place in Florida, where the John F. Kennedy
min.         Space Center is located; Many space flights are launched from there. Spacecrafts are
              hoisted on top of rockets in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Cape Canaveral.

           Command Module (kah-MAND MAH-duhl) The cone-shaped part of an Apollo spacecraft
            where the crew lived; After taking an elevator to the top of the launch tower, astronauts
              take their seats in the Command Module.

           Lunar Module (LOON-er MAH-duhl) The part of an Apollo spacecraft designed to land on
            the Moon; Once in space, astronauts use thrusters to dock the command and service with
              the Lunar Module.

           Mission Control (MISH-on kon-TROHL) The building where space flights are monitored
            and managed; As it leaves the launch pad, pictures of a rocket and its flight path appear
              on a big display screen at Mission Control.

           orbit (OR-bit) To travel in a circle around a planet or moon; A journey to the moon begins
              with a trip into orbit around the Earth.
          Service Module (SER-vis MAH-duhl) The part of the Apollo spacecraft that supplies the
           Command Module with oxygen, water, electricity, and rocket power; The Service Module
             contains the fuel, oxygen, and rocket engine that blasts the spacecraft back from the
             Moon to Earth.

          stage (STAYJ) Part of a larger rocket with its own engine that falls off when its fuel is used
           up; During liftoff, the empty first stage of the rocket falls off and seconds later the second-
             stage engines fire.

          thruster (THRUHS-ter) A small rocket engine used to adjust the position of a spacecraft
           while in space; Astronauts steer the spacecraft by using hand controllers to fire rocket
             thrusters on the Service Module.

        PARTS OF THE BOOK
5 - 10    Show students the front cover of the book as you introduce the title. Introduce the mood of
min.        the book by having students look at the cover illustration and title. Ask a volunteer to read
            aloud the blurb on the back cover of the book. You may wish to ask students if anyone is
            superstitious about the number 13. Emphasize the author’s purpose in using humor to
            write about a dangerous space mission.

          Draw students’ attention to the glossary on pages 30-31. Ask students to find words that
           describe the parts and movement of a spacecraft, and that relate to the earth and its
           atmosphere.

          Look at the contents page with students and read the headings. Explain that this book tells
           the story of the Apollo 13 mission.

          Take a picture walk through the book to point out that each spread contains a paragraph
           of text. The pictures and captions provide the reader with more detail. The handy hint,
           captions, and illustrations provide a great deal of information in a humorous way.

          Using the index on the last page of the book, ask students to refer to the page indexed for
           “Vomit Comet” and tell what they learned about weightlessness training.

       READING
20 – 25 PAGES 6-13
 min.    Read aloud to students the introduction on page 5. Ask students to try to imagine
           themselves as astronauts James A. Lovell, John L. Swigert, and Fred W. Haise as they
           read. What would they find exciting, challenging, frightening, or funny about their
           mission?

          Have students alternate reading and listening roles with a partner. Ask students to take
           turns reading the main text, captions, and handy hints for each spread. Encourage
           partners to talk about their reading to share new information they learned. Have partners
           keep a list of interesting new facts about spaceflight they discover in their reading.

       ACTIVITY – WRITE DIARY ENTRIES
15 – 20  Provide a copy of the My Astronaut Diary reproducible to each student. Have students
 min.      complete diary entries based on the information in the text and students’ background
           knowledge and imaginations. Encourage students to illustrate one of the journal entries.
           Hold onto the diaries for students to make additional entries in future sessions.
       ACTIVITY – DRAW A ROCKET
20 – 30    On a sheet of drawing paper, draw and label the sections of the Saturn V rocket and the
 min.         Apollo spacecraft as shown on pages 8 and 9. Add details to include the measurements
              and weight of the rocket and spacecraft. Label the launch escape system, boost
              protective cover, command module, service module, adaptor, lunar module. Name the
              Command Module, Odyssey, and the Lunar Module, Aquarius.


         ALTERNATE ACTIVITY – MAKE A ROCKET
20 – 30      Provide students with a variety of arts and crafts materials to construct model rockets.
 min.          Using an empty paper towel or toilet paper cylinder, students can attach fins and a
               nose, and apply details with markers or paint.


       ALTERNATE ONLINE ACTIVITY
20 – 30  If online resources are available, have students follow the path below to visit Grolier
 min.      Online’s Space Exploration feature showcase. Provide each student with a copy of the
           Space Exploration reproducible to record information. (Instructions for navigating
           website are included on the reproducible.)

             Go to: http://goafterschool.grolier.com.
             Click on the Space Exploration button under Explore!
             Click on Begin to view the introductory video.
             Click on Countdown to learn about the race for space exploration.
             Read about the Apollo 13 mission by clicking on 1970.
             Visit Space Stars to find information about individual astronauts and record it. Ask
             students to visit Test Yourself to test their knowledge of the planets and record their
             scores. Ask students to visit What Would You Weigh to find out how much they would
             weigh on each planet.
                 You Wouldn’t Want to Be on Apollo 13!
                                                       OVERVIEW: Review, read, write diary
DATE:     [Insert Day/Date Here]                       entries, make a top ten list, make paper
SESSION 2                                              rockets

MATERIALS LIST:
Books, paper, pencils, My Astronaut Diary from previous session, downloaded rocket instructions (one for each
student)


         DISCUSSION
10 – 15   Review what was already covered in the book. Ask the following, adding additional questions
 min.     based on students answers.
            How did the Apollo 13 crew prepare for its mission? (They practiced in different
             simulators.)
            What did the Saturn V rocket do? What were the different parts of Apollo 13? (The rocket
             launched the Apollo 13 spacecraft into space. Apollo 13 had a service module, lunar
             module, and command module.)
            How would you feel on the morning of a launch if you were an astronaut preparing to go
             into space?
            What was Apollo 13’s first stroke of bad luck? (One of the engines shut down two minutes
             early.)

       READING
20 – 25 PAGES 14-21
 min.    Have students alternate reading and listening roles with a partner. Ask students to take
           turns reading the main text, captions, and handy hints for each spread. Encourage
           partners to talk about their reading to share new information they learned. Have partners
           keep a list of interesting new facts about spaceflight they discover in their reading.

       ACTIVITY – WRITE DIARY ENTRIES
15 – 20  Redistribute My Astronaut Diary to students. Have students continue to write diary entries
 min.      based on the information in today’s text and students’ background knowledge and
           imaginations. Encourage students to illustrate one of the journal entries. Hold onto the
           diaries for students to make additional entries in the next session.


       ACTIVITY – MAKE A TOP TEN LIST
20 – 30  Through their reading, students have learned that being an astronaut is not all glory and
 min.      excitement. Some astronaut experiences are messy, uncomfortable, and yucky. Based on
           information in the text, create a Top Ten List of the most disgusting things. Have students
           work together in pairs or groups of three. Provide them with chart paper and have them
           label the chart Top Ten Most Disgusting Things about Spaceflight.
       ACTIVITY – MAKE PAPER ROCKETS
20 – 30  Visit NASA Quest online to print instructions for creating and launching paper rockets.
 min.      Downloadable student sheets are available for paper rocket construction and paper
           rocket testing at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/teachers/rockets
                 You Wouldn’t Want to Be on Apollo 13!
                                                        OVERVIEW: Review, read, discuss and
DATE:   [Insert Day/Date Here]                          summarize, write diary entries, conduct an
SESSION 3                                               interview

MATERIALS LIST:
Books, paper, pencils, My Astronaut Diary from previous sessions
Alternate Activity: posterboard or paper, crayons, markers, colored pencils


       DISCUSSION
10 – 15 Review what was already covered in the book. Ask the following, adding additional questions
 min.   based on students answers.
         How fast did the spacecraft need to go to break away from Earth’s gravity? If an airplane
           goes about 600 mph, approximately how many times faster did Apollo 13 go? (It went
           24,854 mph, about 40 times faster than an airplane.)
         What were some of the challenges of living inside the spacecraft? (It was very small for 3
           people, there was always noise, you have to eat dried food.)
         What disaster occurred on April 13th? (There was an explosion in an oxygen tank, which
           caused the spacecraft to lose oxygen and electricity.)
         What were the two options for rescuing Apollo 13? Which one did controllers choose?
           Why? (The astronauts could turn around immediately or circle around the moon to use its
           gravity for power; they chose the second option because it seemed safer.)

       READING
20 – 25 PAGES 22-29
 min.    Have students alternate reading and listening roles with a partner. Ask students to take
           turns reading the main text, captions, and handy hints for each spread. Encourage
           partners to talk about their reading to share new information they learned. Have partners
           keep a list of interesting new facts about spaceflight they discover in their reading.

       DISCUSS AND SUMMARIZE
20 – 25  Ask reading partners to finalize their lists of interesting new facts about spaceflight and
 min       share their lists with the whole group. Post the lists and discuss the similarities and
           differences between them.

            NOTE: Use the Activity Assessment Grid to record how well students participated with
             their partners and added to discussion.

       ACTIVITY – WRITE DIARY ENTRIES
15 – 20  Redistribute My Astronaut Diary to students. Have students finish their diary entries
 min.      based on the information in today’s text and students’ background knowledge and
           imaginations. Encourage students to illustrate one of the journal entries. Ask students to
           share their diary entries with the group.
         ACTIVITY – CONDUCT A TELEVISION INTERVIEW
20 - 30    Divide students into two groups. Ask students to choose one person in the group to act as
 min.        the interviewer, Rocket Booster. The interviewer should prepare an introduction and
             closing segment for the TV show entitled Liftoff! Other students in the group should
             assume the roles of astronauts, mission control scientists, or flight team members for
             Apollo 13. Each student must write three questions for the interviewer to ask. Each should
             be prepared to answer the questions during the interview. Remind students that on a TV
             interview program, personalities use facial expressions, actions, humor, and props to
             entertain the audience. Allow time for students to rehearse and present their TV
             programs.

              NOTE: Use the Activity Assessment Grid to record students’ effort and participation.

       ALTERNATE ONLINE ACTIVITY
30 – 40  If online resources are available, have students visit the Smithsonian National Air and
 min.      Space Museum to learn more about Apollo 13. Follow the path below:

              Go to: http://goafterschool.grolier.com.
              Click on the Grolier Online Kids button under Look it Up!
              In the Find it fast search box, type Apollo 13 and click the GO button.
              When the search results page is displayed, click on the Websites button at the top.
              Click on the National Air and Space Museum – Apollo Program link.
              Click on Apollo 13.
              Use the links along the left of the page to read facts, view the spacecraft, and view
              photographs.