Contest
Students write a news article explaining what went wrong with Apollo 13 and how the astronauts got back safely, using details from the story.
GARY HANNA
Disaster in Space
The incredible true story of three astronauts fighting for survival 240,000 miles from Earth
By Lauren Tarshis
From the May / June 2018 Issue
Learning Objective: Students will learn how an explosion damaged the Apollo 13 spacecraft in 1970 and how the astronauts got home. The story will introduce domain-specific vocabulary and problem-and-solution structures.
Lexiles: Starter, 530L, 630L, 880L
Guided Reading Level: P
DRA Level: 38
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
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Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Not Very Diverse
For further context, explain to students that in the time of Apollo 13, astronauts were exclusively white men. Towards the end of the 1970s, people of color and women started to join NASA.
Hidden Figures
Along these lines, read aloud Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race, the kids’ version of the story about the women who played an integral role in NASA’s history.
We Love Tod!
Our contest prize is a book by Tod Olson called Lost in Outer Space. Tod is a writer for Storyworks Jr. Check out his story “Volcano of Doom” in our March/April issue—and have your students practice their writing by entering our contest!
Animals in Space
Do your students know that many animals—including mice and monkeys—have been launched into space? Show them this infographic!
Change of Perspective
To see the world from an astronaut’s point of view, check out these beautiful photos from astronaut Scott Kelly.
Headquarters All Over
The space center in Houston is just one of several NASA space centers and research facilities throughout the U.S. Show your students this map, which links to sites for each facility.
More About the Article
Content-Area Connections
social studies: U.S. history
science: space exploration, engineering, astronomy
social-emotional learning: self-management, responsible decision-making
Key Skills
problem and solution, cause and effect, key details, drawing conclusions, text features, inference, vocabulary
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
1. PREPARING TO READ
Watch a Video/Preview Text Features (25 minutes)
- This story is accompanied by a Video Read-Aloud narrated by author Lauren Tarshis. Exciting photos and footage help students imagine what it was like to be on board Apollo 13. The video can be used as a “first read.”
- Look at pages 4-5 with the class. Direct students to the title, subhead, and illustration. Ask them what they think the story is about. Ask: What key words in the title and subhead tell you important information about the story? How does the picture connect to the title? Does the title make you want to read the story? Why or why not?
- Point to the images and captions on the next two spreads. Call on students to read aloud the titles and captions. Ask: What do the titles and captions tell you about each image? Which image would you like to learn more about? Why?
- Direct students to the diagram on page 8. Read aloud the title with the class. Help students identify the three parts of Apollo 13 and the corresponding labels. Choose students to read aloud the descriptions.
Introduce Domain-Specific Vocabulary (15 minutes, activity sheet online)
- We have highlighted in bold seven words; most of them are domain-specific words about space. Preview these words by projecting or distributing our vocabulary activity and completing it as a class. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow.
- Highlighted words: modules, gravity, engineers, catastrophe, meteoroid, atmosphere, agonizing
Set a Purpose for Reading (5 minutes)
- Both the Think and Read and Think and Write boxes on pages 5 and 9 support the story’s featured skill, problem and solution. Ask students to look for the details the author shares as she describes the story’s events.
2. CLOSE READING
Reading and Unpacking the Text
- First read: Read the story as a class. Use the Pause and Think questions at the end of each section to check comprehension.
- Second read: Distribute Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions to the class. Preview them together. Ask students to read the article again and answer the questions as a class or in small groups.
Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)
- Read the first section. How did the force of Apollo 13 shooting into space affect the astronauts? (cause and effect) The force was so great that it stretched back the skin on the astronauts’ faces. They felt as if their bones would break.
- Read “No Sign of Trouble.” Which details help you imagine what it was like to fly in Odyssey? (key details) The space was small. Astronauts ate dried food mixed with water. There were no showers, sinks, or toilets. Without gravity, the men floated around in Odyssey.
- Read “The Disaster.” Why did Jim Lovell say, “Houston, we’ve had a problem”? (key detail) After he flipped a switch, there was a loud bang and the spacecraft shook.
- In “Scanning the Sky,” why did staying in the LM solve the astronauts’ problem? (problem and solution) The LM had its own power, oxygen, and water.
- How does the diagram of Apollo 13 on page 8 help you understand this section? (text features) The diagram shows the different parts of the spacecraft, so you can see where Odyssey and the LM are located.
- Read “Back to Earth.” How do you think the astronauts felt as they climbed into Odyssey? Why might they feel this way? (inference) The astronauts were probably worried because they didn’t know whether their parachutes were damaged or whether the heat shield would work.
- Read “Home Again.” The Apollo 13 mission failed to reach the moon, but it’s still considered one of the space program’s greatest successes. Why? (drawing conclusions) Despite all of the problems with the spaceship, the three astronauts returned to Earth safely
Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)
- Why do you think the astronauts and the engineer team in Houston both came up with the same solution to the serious problem facing Apollo 13? (problem and solution) Answers may vary but might include: The engineers were the people responsible for designing and building the spacecraft. The astronauts had trained for the mission. Both groups understood how the parts of the spacecraft were affected by the explosion and the best way to deal with the problem.
3. SKILL BUILDING
Distribute our Problem and Solution activity sheet. Have students work in pairs to complete the activity.
Call on a volunteer to read the Think and Write box on page 9. Have students write their paragraphs in class or as homework, and share them in small groups.
Differentiate and Customize
For Independent Readers
Have students look for descriptive details that describe the astronauts’ journey before and after the explosion. Students can then write three questions a newspaper reporter might have asked the astronauts after their rescue.
For Struggling Readers
Read the lower-Lexile article aloud as students follow along. Ask them to use sticky notes to identify details about the three parts of Apollo 13. Have them point to each part in the diagram of the spacecraft on page 8 and read its description.
For Reading Partners
Assign pairs to look for key details about the Apollo 13 mission as they read silently. Then ask each pair to come up with questions and answers for each section of the story.
For Advanced Readers
After reading the article, have students write a diary entry about the story events from the point of view of an Apollo 13 astronaut or from the flight director, Gene Kranz. Students can share their writing in small groups.
For On Level Readers
Pretend it's 1970. Write a news article explaining what went wrong with Apollo 13 and how the astronauts got back safely, using details from the story.
Text-to-Speech