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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teacher-Astronaut Offers New Lessons

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Learners read about teacher-in-space Barbara Morgan and life in space. In this space science and current event lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a vocabulary activity, then students read the news piece and participate in a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Challenges and Rewards

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students are to research a specific disaster after seeing the Challenger explosion. They are to create a collage for the disaster they are choosing to show.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space: NASA's Frontier

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research the history and accomplishments of the American space program and ponder its role in the future. They gather research on NASA and make small group presentations to the class on their findings and assessments.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Space Quiz

For Students 5th - 6th
In this space learning exercise, students complete a five question multiple choice on-line interactive quiz about the American space program.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Space Exploration - Boom or Bust?

For Students 5th - 8th
In this space exploration worksheet, students will label if 5 statements support space exploration or not. Then students will complete 2 short answer questions giving their opinion about three things that are good and three things that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cape Canaveral: Launchpad to the Stars

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students identify the geographic and climatic characteristics of Florida that made it the best location for the space program. They describe how the space program affected the economy and growth of the eastern coast of Florida.
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Primary
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: John F. Kennedy's Speech to Congress May 25, 1961 [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a four-page PDF of the text to a "Special Message to the Congress on Urgent National Needs" Page 4 of President John F. Kennedy's Speech to Congress on May 25, 1961, asking for more funding for the National Space Program.
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Handout
Digital History

Digital History: The Space Race

For Students 9th - 10th
In October 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite. The 184-pound, 22.5-inch sphere orbited the earth once every 96 minutes. Sputnik transmitted radio signals for 21 days and later burned up in...
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Website
US National Archives

Nara: Space Exploration

For Students 9th - 10th
A comprehensive timeline of the world's programs exploring space since the mid-1900's.
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Website
NASA

Nasa: Space Shuttle Mission Archives: Sts 95

For Students 9th - 10th
A summary of the mission in which John Glenn returned to space 36 years after his 3-orbit Mercury program mission in 1962. A description of the mission is provided. Information on the other six members of the crew is included.
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Website
Other

Historic Wings: John Glenn Friendship 7

For Students 9th - 10th
The story of America's first astronaut to orbit the earth during the Mercury Space program. After launching the program click on continue or on the numbers to learn about the story of the Mercury program and the first American to orbit...
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Website
NASA

Nasa: Sputniks 1, 2, and 3

For Students 9th - 10th
NASA provides a paper that "deals with the politics, planning and technology of the period 1946-1958" in the Sputnik program.
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Primary
NASA

Nasa: This New Ocean

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from NASA contains the text of the book "This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury" by Loyd S. Swenson Jr., James M. Grimwood, and Charles C. Alexander.
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Primary
NASA

Nasa: Project Mercury a Chronology

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides a chronology of Project Mercury, including information on major events leading to Project Mercury, the research and development phase of Project Mercury, and the operational phase of Project Mercury.
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Lesson Plan
White House Historical Association

White House Historical Association: John F. Kennedy and the Space Race

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A look at John F. Kennedy's goal for the United States, which was to send the first man to the Moon and to bring him safely back to Earth. Informational text and lesson plan for students in grades 9-12.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Teaching Math & Science in Age of Sputnik

For Students 9th - 10th
Why did the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik throw the fields of mathematics and science into tremendous demand in the United States? Find the many ways this revolutionary event impacted children from the 1950s to become the...
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Website
US National Archives

Internet Archive: Moonwalk One, Ca. 1970

For Students 9th - 10th
Original film [1:34:43] published ca. 1970 details the 1969 coverage and events of the Apollo 11 launch.
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Website
NASA

Nasa Space Science Data Archive: Chronology of Lunar and Planetary Exploration

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed chronology of all Russian and American attempts at lunar and planetary exploration. Contains links to each individual spacecraft.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: Apollo to the Moon

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource offers an in-depth exploration of the U.S. space program and the role President John F. Kennedy took in setting the agenda for manned space flight to the moon.
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Who Is Katherine Johnson?" by Nasa

For Students 7th - 8th
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
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Website
NASA

Nasa, Human Space Flight: Apollo 11 Mission

For Students 3rd - 8th
The story of the Apollo 11 lunar landing is told with dramatic details, pictures, and mission highlights.
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Website
NASA

Nasa: Project Mercury

For Students 9th - 10th
This site has links to many, many NASA resources about the Mercury program. Detailed information on each of the Mercury missions as well as a large number of images are available from this site.
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Handout
US Department of State

U.s. Department of State: Decades of Change: 1960 1980

For Students 9th - 10th
Summary of the rise of cultural and ethnic pluralism that took place in America between 1960 -1980 causing major social change. Included were such movements as civil rights, women, Latino, Native-American, counterculture,...
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Website
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum: Space Program

For Students 9th - 10th
In 1957 the Soviet Union launched the satellite Sputnik and had an astronaut orbit the moon a few years later. The U.S. was shocked and vowed to not be left behind. Examine how JFK rallied the country and Congress to get behind the race...