Before During and After Reading Activities Before Reading Building Background Knowledge and Academic Vocabulary Before Reading strategies activate prior knowledge and set a purpose for reading Before reading a book it is important to tap into what your child or students already know about the topic This will help them develop their vocabulary and increase their reading comprehension Questions and activities to build background knowledge 1 Look at the cover of the book What will this book be about 2 What do you already know about the topic 3 Let's study the Table of Contents What will you learn about in the book's chapters 4 What would you like to learn about this topic Do you think you might learn about it from this book Why or why not Building Academic Vocabulary Building academic vocabulary is critical to understanding subject content Assist your child or students to gain meaning of the following vocabulary words Content Area Vocabulary Read the list What do these words mean asteroids commanders galaxy atmosphere force kerosene cargos friction probes radiation satellites vacuum During Reading Writing Component During Reading strategies help to make connections monitor understanding generate questions and stay focused 1 While reading write in your reading journal any questions you have or anything you do not understand 2 After completing each chapter write a summary of the chapter in your reading journal 3 While reading make connections with the text and write them in your reading journal a Text to Self What does this remind me of in my life What were my feelings when I read this b Text to Text What does this remind me of in another book I've read How is this different from other books I've read c Text to World What does this remind me of in the real world Have I heard about this before News current events school etc After Reading Comprehension and Extension Activity After Reading strategies provide an opportunity to summarize question reflect discuss and respond to text After reading the book work on the following questions with your child or students to check their level of reading comprehension and content mastery 1 What are the things a crewed spacecraft must do to keep its crew alive Summarize 2 Why did the governments of countries put the first astronauts in space rather than private companies Infer 3 How do rockets work in the vacuum of space Asking Questions 4 If you could ride in a spacecraft to any place in the galaxy where would you go Text to Self Connection Extension Activity Build a rocket balloon You'll need a deflated balloon a plastic straw and a rubber band Push part of the straw into the mouth of the balloon Use the rubber band to hold the straw in place If you blow up the balloon through the straw and let go air will rush back out of the straw pushing the balloon in the opposite direction How does it move differently along the ground than a balloon without a straw Try moving a toy boat by attaching your rocket balloon to it with tape
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 11 The Final Frontier History of Spacecraft Lift Off Space Travel Working in Space 32 The Future of Spacecraft 19 24 38 Timeline 44 Glossary 46 Index 47 Show What You Know 47 Further Reading About the Author 47 48 First flown in 1985 the space shuttle Atlantis was 122 feet 37 meters long with a 78 foot 24 meter wingspan
4 THE FINAL FRONTIER On On May 11 2009 space shuttle Atlantis sat on a launchpad at Cape Canaveral Florida Inside a crew of seven astronauts strapped down tight The rockets started Flames and clouds of smoke poured from the craft as it lifted off from Earth Space Shuttles NASA built five space shuttles which flew a total of 135 missions Each held seven crew members They carried satellites and parts of the International Space Station into space Two shuttles were destroyed In 2011 NASA grounded the remaining shuttles
5 The ship sailed through the air shedding its two rockets and fuel tank when they were no longer needed It left the atmosphere and entered space Atlantis began to orbit Earth The crew had an important mission They needed to repair the Hubble Space Telescope which had been in space for almost 30 years
