A. Engage the Learner - RI.6.1 (5 minutes)

• Direct students' attention to the posted learning target, and select a volunteer to read it aloud:

"I can infer the topic of this module from resources."

• Remind students that they have seen the same learning target in previous modules. Explain that today's lesson is the first of a new module.

• Tell students that they are going to watch a video from July 20, 1969. Invite students to calculate how many years ago that was, or how old their parents or grandparents were at that time. Tell students that the video will show an important event that took place that year. If productive, invite them to make guesses about what that event might be, but do not provide any context or additional information yet.

• Display the Website: Apollo 11 Moonwalk video. If time allows, play the video twice, and encourage students to look for new details during the second viewing.

• Turn and Talk:

"What important event does this video depict?" (The video shows human beings walking on the moon for the first time.)

"What do you notice or wonder about this video?" (Responses will vary.)

"How do you think these men felt to be the first human beings to step onto the moon?" (Responses will vary.)

• Remind students that imagining how other people feel is related to the habit of character empathy.

• Tell students they are now going to participate in the Infer the Topic protocol in order to make an educated guess about what the module topic will be.

• Turn and Talk:

"Based on this video, what kinds of photos or texts do you think you might see during the Infer the Topic protocol?" (Responses will vary, but may include: other photos of the moon or texts that describe how the United States reached the moon.)

• Direct students to the Work to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart, and focus on the habit of character I take care of and improve our shared spaces and the environment. Tell students that, as they participate in the Infer the Topic protocol, they will be expected to take care of the resources that they examine with a partner, so that every pair has a chance to see them.

A. Infer the Topic – RI.6.1, SL.6.2 (15 minutes)

• Display the Directions for Infer the Topic and Infer the Topic resources.

• Remind students that they have launched the past three modules using the Infer the Topic protocol. Explain that students will follow similar directions as they did in Module 1. Students may notice, however, that this time there are more multimedia resources, but these should be utilized the same way as the traditional paper resources. Demonstrate how to use the necessary device for listening to the sound clip Website: Armstrong Small Step.

• Strategically group students into pairs. Distribute the Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher or the optional Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher ▲ to each pair. Explain that, just as in previous modules, students will record their notices and wonderings about each resource on the note-catcher, as well as the number of their resource.

• Focus students on the question at the top of the note-catcher, and read it aloud:

“What do you think you will be learning about in this module?”

• Tell students that the purpose of the note-catcher, is to take notes to help them remember their thinking. It isn’t something they will hand in for assessment, so they can record in pictures or words. They do not need to write in full sentences.

• Invite students to begin the protocol. Circulate and monitor, encouraging students to agree or disagree with one another about what the resource means using sentence frames. Examples: “I agree because _____.” “I disagree because_____.”

• With a few minutes remaining, refocus whole group.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

During Work Time A, invite students who need heavier support to use the Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher ▲. This resource features images and sentence frames to guide students’ answers.

• Think-Pair-Share:

“Now that you have looked at some resources, what do you think this module might be about?” (Responses will vary, but could include: the moon, space travel and racial discrimination.)

• Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target, using a checking for understanding technique. Scan student responses, and make a note of students who might need support. Check in with them moving forward.

B. Introduce the Performance Task (10 minutes)

• Direct students' attention to the Performance Task anchor chart, and read the task aloud.

• As students may be overwhelmed by the Performance Task anchor chart, assure them that they will continue to explore the meaning of the chart in subsequent lessons and units.

• Move students into a circle. Explain that they will reflect on the Performance Task using an activity called "Brain Ball." Explain the rules:

1. 1. Students will gently and carefully toss the ball around the circle while one student closes their eyes and counts to ten.

   2. Whoever has the ball when the counter gets to ten answers the question. That person then tosses the ball, closes their eyes, and starts counting.

   3. The process continues until all questions are answered.

   4. Consider asking each of the questions more than once to include more voices and perspectives.

• Conduct the Brain Ball activity, using the questions below to elicit reflective responses about the performance task:

"What do you notice?" (We will be making a collaborative picture book for young children about hidden figures in space science.)

"What excites you about this task?" (Responses will vary.)

"What might be challenging about this task?" (Responses will vary.)

"What habits of character will be important for creating a high-quality children's picture book?" (Responses will vary, but may include: collaborating with others just as real authors, illustrators, and editors do when creating a children's picture book.)

"Now that you have analyzed the performance task, has your inference of what this module might be about changed? How?" (Responses will vary.)

• Clarify anything pertinent to this specific performance task. Consider displaying a model performance task from a former student. Ask students to make connections between the model and the performance task. Refer to the Performance Task Overview for more detailed explanations.

C. Review the Module Guiding Questions – L.6.4 (10 minutes)

• Direct students’ attention to the Module Guiding Questions anchor chart, and invite a student to read the questions aloud.

“What was the Apollo 11 mission, and in what scientific, political, and social context did it take place?”

“What were the accomplishments of the ‘Hidden Figures’ at NACA, and why were they remarkable?”

“Why is it important to study the accomplishments of the Hidden Figures and of others whose stories have gone unrecognized?”

• Underline both instances of the word figures. Turn and Talk:

“What does figures mean in this context?” (a person, especially one who is important or distinctive in some way)

• If helpful, invite students to use dictionaries to select the best definition among those available. Alternatively, provide or display three definitions of the word figures (e.g., A–C, below), from which students can select the most appropriate choice.

A. a number, or a symbol that represents a number

B. a person, especially one who is important or distinctive in some way

C. the shape or outline of someone’s body

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

One of the primary challenges of this module will be the complexity of the domain-specific vocabulary. After students learn the module topic in Work Time C, students who need lighter support can develop a word map of English words related to space science. At the center of the word map, students can draw a bubble with Space Science written in the middle. From there, students can draw other bubbles to create a map of related scientific concepts. Students can draw from their background knowledge of the topic, or they can use space-related websites or textbooks to locate new words or ideas that may be relevant. As students work, they can use learners' dictionaries to clarify the meanings of technical terms related to space science. Students can return to this word map, adding to or refining it, over the course of the semester. This exercise reinforces work with L.6.4.

• Ask:

“If the word figures describes people who are important or distinctive, who do you think ‘hidden figures’ are? Why might they be hidden?” (Responses will vary, but may include: hidden figures are important people whose stories aren’t well known. They might not be well known because they are of a race or gender that generally does not receive as much attention for their accomplishments as others.)

• Explain that students will return to this question throughout the module; they do not need to have a complete answer yet.

• Add the new word, figures, to the academic word wall, including translations in home languages. ▲ Direct students to add this word to their vocabulary logs.

• Tell students that these module guiding questions will support their thinking and learning throughout the module. Turn and Talk:

“What do you notice?” (Responses will vary, but may include: it seems like there is some sort of relationship between science and society.)

“What do you wonder?” (Responses will vary, but may include the question: is NACA the same as NASA?)

“Now that you have analyzed the guiding questions and performance task, has your inference of what this module might be about changed?” (Responses will vary.)

• Use strategic combinations of Conversation Cues to help students listen to one another and expand the conversation:

  • “Who can repeat what your classmate said?” (Goal 2)

  • “So, do you mean ____?” (Goal 1)

  • “Do you agree or disagree with what your classmate said? Why?” (Goal 4)

  • “Who can explain why your classmate came up with that response?” (Goal 4)

• Clarify that this module will be about Remarkable Accomplishments in Space Science. Students will learn more about key events in space science, specifically the Space Race that led to the first man landing on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Then, students will study the stories of the hidden figures who helped send Apollo 11 to the moon but whose stories were given less attention. Students will explore the remarkable achievements of these and other hidden figures, who advanced the field of space science in the face of adversity and discrimination.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

One of the primary challenges of this module will be the complexity of the domain-specific vocabulary. After students learn the module topic in Work Time C, consider creating home-language groups of students who need heavier support and inviting them to develop a word map using words from their home language. At the center of the word map, students can draw a bubble with Space Science written in the middle. From there, students can draw other bubbles to create a map of related scientific concepts. After designing this map in their home languages, students can use translation dictionaries to find the English translations. Students can return to this word map, adding to or refining it, over the course of the semester.

• Turn and Talk:

“What does this topic mean to you at this point? Why might it be meaningful to study this topic?” (Responses will vary, but may include: the term hidden figures suggests that these people might not often be prominently featured in stories about this time.)

“From what you know so far, what are you looking forward to about this topic?” (Responses will vary, but may include: learning more about the Apollo 11 mission or about how this connects to ideas of social justice.)

• Acknowledge that some students may already know something about this topic. Explain that for homework, they will reflect on the guiding questions and how they feel about them based on their own experiences, and that this will be discussed more at the beginning of the next lesson. And note that some students may know nothing about the topic—it will be fun to dig in together!

A. Exit Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 – L.6.5c (5 minutes)

• Distribute Exit Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 or the optional Exit Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 ▲. Tell students that they will be examining the connotation of the phrase hidden figures. Point out that students have done connotation work in past modules. If necessary, remind them that the connotation of a word refers to the feeling or idea it evokes. Connotations are slightly different from denotations, which refer to the literal meaning of the word.

• Refer to Exit Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 (example for teacher reference) as needed to support students as they complete the exit ticket.

• Refocus groups after 4 minutes.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

During Closing and Assessment A, invite students who need heavier support to use the Exit Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 ▲. This resource features definitions of key words to support students’ analysis of their connotations.

• Scan student responses, and make a note of students who might need support. Check in with them moving forward.

• Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.