Astronauts train for years to go to space. Now people can pay to fly there. Is it fun or foolish to go?
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Illustration by Carolyn Ridsdale; NicoElNino/Alamy Stock Photo (Earth)
Going to space can be exciting.
3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF!
SpaceX
It is amazing to be up in space. You can see our planet from far away.
Going to space is risky. The rocket ship could break, and there is no air in space.
Inside the rocket ship, there is not a lot of room to move around.
NASA
Astronauts floating in space
You float around in space. You must strap yourself down to sleep.
Shutterstock.com
A space trip costs a lot.
It can cost millions of dollars!
What does your class think?
Would you go on vacation in space?
Would you go on vacation in space?
Would you go on vacation in space?
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More About the Article
English Language Arts Focus
Opinion writing
Science Focus
Science and technology
Vocabulary
foolish, risky, train
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Essential Question
The essential question of this issue is Why do we go on adventures? The articles below connect to this theme.
- Big Read-Aloud: “The Great Octopus Escape,” p. 10
- Fiction: “Mouse on the Moon,” p. 22
- What Do You Think?: “Vacation in Space: Fun or Foolish?,” p. 28
- Poetry: “What Do You Need?,” p. 32
Through the above genres, students will discuss:
- What is an adventure?
- Where do we go on adventures?
- How can we travel to faraway places?
Implementation Suggestions
Whole Class
- Our What Do You Think? feature introduces a high-interest topic and asks students their opinions. Students can back up their opinions with facts from the article and observations of the photos. This feature works well in a whole-class read-aloud and discussion.
Writing Block
- After reading and discussing the article, you can return to it later for your writing block. Have children write opinion pieces using our skills pages.
1. BEFORE READING
Preview Vocabulary (3-5 minutes)
- Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue features rich vocabulary, including foolish, risky, and train.
Opinion Mini Lesson (7-10 minutes)
- Remind students that a fact is something that is true. It is true for everyone and can be proven. An opinion is what someone thinks or feels. It is not the same for everyone. Give students some statements orally and ask them to say whether each is an opinion. (Chocolate ice cream is the best. Ice cream is made from milk.) Tell them they will use their Storyworks 1 magazine to give their opinions on whether or not it would be fun to go on a vacation in space.
Preview Visuals/Text Features (7-10 minutes)
- Preview the photos and headline: “Vacation in Space: Fun or Foolish?” Children will be excited to answer the question right away. Take a vote.
- Tell children that they still have facts to read about going to space for a vacation. Will their opinions stay the same? Remind them that they can use the pictures and the facts to give reasons for their answers.
2. READ THE MINI ARTICLE (15-30 minutes)
- Gauge the readability of this text for your class. You may choose to invite individual students to read each froggy fact.
- After reading all the facts, consider the question again. Do students think a vacation in space would be fun or foolish? Have them back up their opinions with reasons. They can use the sentence frame “I think a vacation in space would be fun/foolish because ____________.”
3. AFTER READING: FOCUS ON SKILLS
Writing Focus: Opinion Writing (15 minutes)
- Have children share their opinions and practice their writing skills with the Write What You Think skills page. After they write their opinion pieces using our skills pages, you can have them create a picture of what they would look like in space.
ELA Focus: Opinion Writing (15 minutes)
- This version of the Write What You Think page will allow you to give the same content at a lower skill level.
Text-to-Speech