Resource and Activity Pack Discussion questions Comprehension exercise Lesson plans Activities
Discussion Questions 1. The ISS (International Space Station) is operated by fifteen different countries, all collaborating together to construct and run the station. - Why do you think space exploration is a collaborative effort? - Who do you think owns space? - What might we gain from working together on space programs? 2. Tim Peake took a feather and a coin into space, and dropped them at the same time in an environment with no gravity. - What do you think happened to the feather and coin? - Which would fall fastest? Why? 3. To become an astronaut there are many things you have to train up in. You have to speak Russian, train underwater, be good with science and engineering, and be in excellent physical shape. - Out of all these skills and characteristics, which do you think you would be best at? - Are there any you would struggle with? 4. Communication, teamwork, decision-making, leadership/followership and the ability to work under stress to solve problems. (page 55) - Which of these skills do you think are most important to an astronaut? - What other roles or jobs could they apply to?
Comprehension Exercise Extract - how can I become an astronaut? Just as the Apollo mission in the 1960s took a giant leap for mankind, so we are now on the cusp of a new golden age of space exploration. In the coming decades we can expect to colonise the Moon, set foot on Mars and travel deeper into our solar system than ever before. These dreams of human endeavour are now within touching distance, and we can all be part of this remarkable journey. A total of 545 people from 37 different nations had reached Earth s orbit before me, since Yuri Gagarin s first intrepid launch on 12 April 1961. As a small cadre of space explorers, we hail from a wide range of careers and backgrounds - school teachers, pilots, engineers, scientists and doctors - and from every corner of the globe. The one thing we all share is a love of exploration and a passion for human spaceflight. Of course there are certain skills and characteristics that you need to possess as an astronaut, or acquire during training, and I m confident that by the end of this book you ll have a clear idea of what is the right stuff for today s astronauts. Some of these attributes may surprise you - being good at languages, for instance, is extremely useful. Equally important is what you do before you become and astronaut. It s key to find a career that you re passionate about, and to be as good as you can be in that field. As we can see, academic requirements only get you so far. It is your drive, your enthusiasm and, above all, your personality and character that will enable you to succeed. Comprehension questions 1. How many people have gone to space before Tim Peake? 2. When was the first space mission? 3. What helps to make a good astronaut? 4. Do astronauts start out as astronauts? What kind of careers might they have beforehand? 5. What personality traits will enable you to succeed?
Lesson One: Fact Files Lesson objective: to understand how to work together in groups and research a topic Lesson outcome: group work and a research fact file Lead in questions: 1. What do you think would be the best things about being an astronaut? 2. Is this a job you have ever considered? Do you think it would be difficult to achieve? 3. What do you think an average day would look like for an astronaut? Activity one: Organise your class into seven space groups. Each group should be given one of the labels from the next page, and should select a team captain. Each chapter is structured in a Q&A style, and each group needs to choose three or four of the most interesting questions that they would like to focus on. These are all listed in the beginning pages of the book. It is the role of the team captain to make sure that everyone gets to have a say! Activity two: Using their chosen questions and all the information Tim Peake has packed into his replies, students should make a fact file full of juicy information about their topic. This could take the form of a mind-map, be written up on the computer, made as a poster or even recorded on tape!
Lesson Two: Space suits! Lesson objective: to understand the role of a space suit Lesson outcome: a design for a space suit Activity one: Look at the picture on the next page and think about: 1. Are there any parts of this space suit that surprise you? 2. What do you think is in the tool bag? 3. Why might an astronaut need a hard upper torso section? 4. What do you think might be the liquid cooling and ventilation garment? 5. What would you guess the maximum absorbency garment is for? Activity two: Students should read from the bottom of page 151 to the bottom of page 153 and discuss what unusual or surprising things they have learnt from Tim Peake s account. Activity three: Working in their space groups, students should design their very own space suit for Tim Peake s next mission. They might choose to base it on the old design and add extra gadgets, or they might like to create a completely new design. Bonus points for creativity! Will it be colourful? Will it be a different shape? Will it have extra technology? Or be designed for extra comfort?
Lesson Three: Ask an Expert Lesson objective: to understand how to deliver information in a creative way Lesson outcome: hot seating and presentations Activity one: class discussion What is creative about the way Tim Peake has presented his book? Do you like the use of photos, drawings and the Q&A structure? How could you use some of these presentation methods in your own work? Activity two: Students should now have a fabulous fact file, a beautiful design for a brand new space suit and loads of brilliant information about Tim Peake and how he experienced space. Working in their original space groups, students now need to plan their very own presentation, to teach the rest of the class what they have discovered! Students should present their information in an interesting way. They could sing it, act it, read it or even draw it! Whilst presenting they need to act in role as astronauts - speaking with authority and like they have really been to space. After each presentation, the rest of the class will have a chance to ask the experts questions. Activity three: After the presentations are complete, students should choose one member of the class who they believe would make a really excellent astronaut. The teacher or librarian should pick a few students to volunteer their answers. They should try to link the skills and characteristics they now know an astronaut will need to the person in their class they have chosen.
Activity Pack
Design your own Space Suit What do you think a space suit should look like? Draw your design under the helmet below! #AskAnAstronaut
Design your own book cover What would you put on the cover of Ask an Astronaut? #AskAnAstronaut
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Design your own bookmark Make your own Tim Peake bookmark so you never lose your place, just cut out the shape below and decorate it. Be as creative as you can! This book belongs to #AskAnAstronaut
Wordsearch answers T S L K T G H S A P G R Y R L H T P H N T I M P E A K E F O B A I A H A V C T Y Q S L E P G D K E C P S H I D A A O A A A V H P T E P W B E S P P R Q S I S S C O S I L E D O A T S E H Q O E N T U G V F L S H D R N D T A D O K I C T L D X F F K F D I R U L T T B O F E F H L G S H O L J R S N R T T G Y M A R S T K G E S H E G K H U P H Q A B T P D P G S B J G J O A W N E F O X R F M T X J K A R D D A Q Z T W O F X Q N L S S H F R A O M N T C V A B O F P N R O R M R O F S K T D P D L J T L X V T O K T N E S A J A S T R O N A U T B M J T S V N X U T N E F S E G L U D C T E P F D Z U A R L Y K T F G H T L R X A J J Y O A Q Y O B R S T A R S K G H K C E O B J C L Q D H E P H P L S Y T P K V I A K J T S L A U N C H Q #AskAnAstronaut