We Dream of Space

We Dream of Space

Common Core State Standard:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g. their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

During reading:

• Cover essential vocabulary:

  • Mission: an important assignment, typically involving travel

  • Curriculum: a collection of subjects to eventually study and learn from

  • NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  • Shuttle: a form of transportation

  • Schematics: a diagram of an electric circuit

  • Foreign: unfamiliar

  • Ingenious: clever or original

  • Galaxy: the solar system filled with planets and stars that make up space

• Example discussion questions to drive comprehension: 

  • What is the purpose of starting the story on January 1st (the first day of a new year)? What could this date symbolize?

  • How would you describe the relationships between the different characters in the story? 

  • How would you describe the overall dynamic of the Nelson Thomas family? How do their relationships and interactions with one another evolve over the course of the story?

  • Who are the dynamic characters in the story and how do their traits, motivations, and or feelings evolve throughout the story?

  • The title of the story, We Dream of Space, is indicative of characters who have the desire to explore. What characters in the story long to explore space? What characters in the story long to explore some other aspects of the world around them?

After reading: 

• Students will be given the task of researching and writing a small synopsis of a scientific topic of their choosing that they "dream" or learning more about

  • These small pieces of writing can be displayed on a bulletin board labeled "We Dream of Science" and students can present their findings, relating their ideas, feelings, and motivations behind their scientific topic to the characters ideas, feelings, and motivations towards space in the story