Space Race Teaching Episode
Space Race Teaching Episode
3
Instructional Techniques
Teaching Episode
Lesson
Maura Doyle
3
Instructional Techniques
Teaching Episode
Lesson
Students will be able to identify and sequence key Space Race events.
Students will be able to describe two ways that Space Exploration was expedited
by political tension.
Students will be able to critique primary source documents to identify political
and social biases.
Materials
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
SmartBoard
Projector
Letters to the Editor
Prezi
Primary Source Excerpts
Document Analysis Worksheet
Exit Journals
Anticipatory Set:
Students will imagine they are watching a morning news segment (short clip) on the
Soviet Unions Sputnik Launch that occurred the prior day. Students will then view a
political cartoon that they will read in the next mornings paper. Students will write a
spirited letter to the editor of that newspaper expressing their feelings about both the
cartoon and about Sputnik given their prior knowledge of United States, Soviet relations.
Instruction:
Prezi:
The Prezi will be used as a tool to deliver material about Space Exploration.
The following major topics will be covered in this short presentation
I.
The History of Space Exploration
II.
The Science of Space Exploration (Video)
III.
The Conflict of Space Exploration (Video)
Activity: Primary Source Human Timeline:
Maura Doyle
3
Instructional Techniques
Teaching Episode
Lesson
Assessment (s)
Primary Source Document Analysis: Each student will submit the worksheet used to
analyze their Primary Source Document. This will allow me to determine if they were
able to obtain bias from the documents, and if that objective was fully met.
Take Off Journal (described below)
Closure: (5 minutes)
Take Off Journal
This closing activity will follow the primary source activity. Students will reflect on the
lesson by answering the following question:
How do you think growing political tension between the United States and the
Soviet Union affected the competition during the age of Space Exploration.
Evaluation:
This unit represents part three of a four part unit on The Cold War. Evaluation will occur
at the close of the fourth unit and will contain an exam that is partly definitions and partly
short answer questions. The exam is included in the unit plan accompanied by a scoring
guide.