Exploring & Living in Space Expedition 44 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly seen inside the Cupola, a special module which provides a 360-degree viewing of the Earth and the International Space Station. Kelly is one of two crew members [who spent] an entire year in space. Recommended Books - Non-Fiction Dream Jobs in Science Series: Cutting-Edge Careers in STEAM by Chris Oxlade Grades 4-8. This series uncovers the exciting and sometime surprising careers that STEM fields can open doors to in the 21st century. Readers will learn how the study of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math can lead to thrilling and meaningful careers. Welcome to Mars By Buzz Aldrin (grades 3-6) "Astronaut Buzz Aldrin challenges curious kids to think about Mars as not just a faraway red planet but as a possible future home for Earthlings! What will your new home be like? How will you get there? What will you eat for breakfast? Find out what life might be like far, far from Earth as you navigate your way through this fun and fascinating book"--Amazon.com. Mission to Mars By F. Branley (K-2) “Written in narrative style, the text imparts a good deal of information along the way. Illustrations help children picture life on Mars. Combining adventure, technology, and certain homey comforts, her vision of the Mars explorers and their habitat is as likely as the text to recruit the astronauts of tomorrow.” Astrophysicist and space advocate Neil deGrasse Tyson (Gr 3-6) “As a kid, Neil deGrasse Tyson was star-struck when he first visited a planetarium. The universe was calling him. Tyson pursued his interest in astronomy and studied to be an astrophysicist. Known for making science fun and easy to understand...Follow his path from fascinated kid to popular space expert.” (From the publisher)
Transcript
Exploring & Living in Space
Expedition 44 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly seen inside the Cupola, a special module which provides a 360-degree viewing of the Earth and the International Space Station. Kelly is one of two crew members [who spent] an entire year in space.
Recommended Books - Non-Fiction
Dream Jobs in Science Series: Cutting-Edge Careers in STEAM by Chris Oxlade Grades 4-8. This series uncovers the exciting and sometime surprising careers that STEM fields can open doors to in the 21st century. Readers will learn how the study of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math can lead to thrilling and meaningful careers.
Welcome to Mars By Buzz Aldrin (grades 3-6) "Astronaut Buzz Aldrin challenges curious kids to think about Mars as not just a faraway red planet but as a possible future home for Earthlings! What will your new home be like? How will you get there? What will you eat for breakfast? Find out what life might be like far, far from Earth as you navigate your way through this fun and fascinating book"--Amazon.com.
Mission to Mars By F. Branley (K-2) “Written in narrative style, the text imparts a good deal of information along the way. Illustrations help children picture life on Mars. Combining adventure, technology, and certain homey comforts, her vision of the Mars explorers and their habitat is as likely as the text to recruit the astronauts of tomorrow.”
Astrophysicist and space advocate Neil deGrasse Tyson (Gr 3-6) “As a kid, Neil deGrasse Tyson was star-struck when he first visited a planetarium. The universe was calling him. Tyson pursued his interest in astronomy and studied to be an astrophysicist. Known for making science fun and easy to understand...Follow his path from fascinated kid to popular space expert.” (From the publisher)
Team Moon : how 400,000 people landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Thimmesh, Catherine. Gr 3-6 Chronicles the Apollo 11 mission, the spaceflight that landed the first man on Earth's moon on July 20, 1969, emphasizing the contributions and reactions of the thousands of people who made the mission successful.
Space exploration : it is rocket science! (Basher Basics) By Dan Green (Gr 3-6) “The comprehensive coverage of space exploration introduces readers to missions (both historic and recent), their scientific or technical goals, and a few related science concepts. ...field guide-like entries are informative, the stylized illustrations, in which concepts and spacecraft are transformed into manga characters, keep it a lighthearted read.” (Horn Book Guide)
Find Your Way: In Space By Paul Boston (Gr K-3) Choose your mode of transport and set off on an adventure that will take you all the way across space. Can you navigate huge roundabouts with space shuttles, or cross bridges guarded aliens? Negotiate pesky road obstructions by solving the math problems correctly. Pick up hidden objects, collect bonus points, and use your mapping skills to zoom backwards and forwards through the book. Incredibly busy and colorful artwork will delight young children, and once they reach their objective, readers can absorb themselves in all sorts of bonus math activities. From the Publisher
Ask the Astronaut: a galaxy of astonishing answers to your questions on spaceflight by Tom Jones (Grades 3-6) “A... blend of wit, personal experience, and technical expertise shines in each answer, and together all the answers illuminate the true space experience from start to finish. ...engaging and informative..." -- Provided by publisher.
Extreme Jobs in Extreme Places: Life on the International Space Station
By Maria Nelson
Hidden figures : the true story of four black women and the space race by Margot Lee Shetterly ”Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as -human computers- used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. This book brings to life the stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, four African-American women who lived through the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the movement for gender equality, and whose work forever changed the face of NASA and the country"--Amazon.com.
Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Moon Landing, by Dean Robbins
Space engineer and scientist Margaret Hamilton
By Domenica. DiPiazza
Science Fiction, Space Fiction Recommended Books
Science meets science fiction in this smart and silly new series from Jon Scieszka, one of the most important, iconic, and well-loved voices in children's literature! Scieszka integrates real science into the story. Combining adventure and humor, this series taps into the two most popular genres for middle-grade readers, encouraging them to question the way things work and how they, too, can experiment with science. Gr3-6
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Gr 5-8 Meg Murry, her brother Charles, and their friend Calvin, embark on a journey through space and time, assisted by three otherworldly women, when they set out to find Meg's father, a physicist who disappeared while experimenting with time travel.
Original text Graphic novel
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator By Roal Dahl (Gr 2-6) “A sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the book begins right after Wonka and Charlie burst through the roof of the chocolate factory in the Elevator. They pick up Grandma and Grandpa and, through an accident, heads into orbit to rendezvous with the Space Hotel. There, they meet up with...the Vermicious Knids, who are waiting in the hotel to consume the guests and staff.”
Hilo (Books 1-4) by Judd Winick (Gr 2-6) Dog Man meets Big Nate in HILO-the hilarious, intergalactic, action-packed New York Times Bestselling GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES kids love! BOOM! CLANG! CRASH! D.J. and Gina are totally ordinary kids. But Hilo isn't! Hilo just fell out of the sky and doesn't know where he came from, or what he's doing on Earth. . . But UH-OH, what if Hilo wasn't the only thing to fall to our planet? Can the trio unlock the secrets of Hilo's past? Can Hilo SURVIVE a day at school? Find out in HILO-a laugh-out-loud, epic story of friendship! Adventure! (And the occasionaly mutant space robot). * Children's Choice 5th-6th Grade Book of the Year! * Nominated for multiple State Awards--including the Pennsylvania's Young Reader's Choice Award! * "A wholeheartedly weird and wonderful tale of friendship, acceptance, and robots."--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review "A story that can be enjoyed by the entire family."--The New York Times
If You Decide to Go to the Moon By Faith McNulty (Gr K-3) Written in the second person, the text allows the reader to participate in every aspect of the journey, from packing ("don't forget your diary and plenty of food") to liftoff (at first you'll feel heavy; don't worry") to traveling thorugh space (where "the moon glows like a pearl in the black, black sky").
Gr 3-6 “In their bestselling book[s] for young readers, noted physicist Stephen Hawking and his daughter, Lucy, provide a grand and funny adventure that explains fascinating information about our universe, including Dr. Hawking's latest ideas about black holes. It's the story of George, who's taken through the vastness of space by a scientist, his daughter, and their super-computer named Cosmos. George's Secret Key to the Universe was a
New York Times bestseller…” (amazon.com)
Recommended Websites & Apps
https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html Find out who is on the Space Station...Topics to read about, missions, galleries, NASA TV, test your Mars Rover driving skills, build your own space mission game, and lots more. “These games support national education standards in STEM. The Picture Show image gallery
of some of NASA's coolest and most interesting pictures may be used as conversation starters or writing prompts.
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/
https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html a learning center for young astronomers ages 5-13 to learn about the solar system, the Milky Way galaxy, and the universe beyond.
http://amazingspace.org/ Home of the Hubble and James Webb Space Science Missions Space telescope education program; online explorations
https://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/ Amazing photography and videos provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit
http://www.seasky.org/sky.html Space news, exploration, quotes, gallery, astronomy reference, more.
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/space/passport-to-space/ “With a rather astounding interactive 3D model of our solar system, Solar Walk also has short movies and facts and shows planets and satellites in their positions in real time. "This 3D solar system model lets you navigate between planets, see their positions on a specific date, explore how they move and why. You will see the entire Milky Way galaxy from a far and zoom in to study all the planets and satellites in close-up, learn their trajectories, inner structures, history of their exploration, and
geography." $4.49 in the AppStore US$3.62 at Google Play
Skyview “This deeply-engaging app has kids pointing their iPads at the sky with the app then providing notes on what they are seeing with their very own eyes under the night sky. There's hours of fun and fascination in working out the constellations, finding out their names and reading facts, along with being able to track movements. Get notifications for stargazing events! Free in the AppStore and Free at Google Play”
Board games with a space theme
Outset Media Professor Noggin Card Game: Outer Space Each of the thirty game cards combines trivia, true or false, and multiple choice questions. Easy and hard levels keep kids interested and challenged while of course having fun. A special three-numbered die is included which adds an element of unpredictability. For 2-8 players ages 7 and up.
LUPO: The Space Adventure, a light-hearted creative storytelling game, which takes you and your friends; 3 to 25 players, 8-years-old or more, for 45 minutes or more of cooperative game play on a ridiculous sci-fi adventure. With 4096 different game scenarios, LUPO has enormous replay ability.
