Author:
School:
SOL Unit:
Primary Source Activity
Hannah Oberlander
Grade Level:
4th Grade
Lowes Island
Lesson Duration:
12:00-12:40pm
Elementary School
40 minutes
Skills
VS.1 The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical
analysis and responsible citizenship, including the ability to
a) identify and interpret artifacts and primary and secondary source
documents to understand events in history;
b) determine cause-and-effect relationships;
c)
compare and contrast historical events;
d) draw conclusions and make generalizations;
e) make connections between past and present;
g) interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives;
h) evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing;
4th and 5th Grade Science 4.7 – Historical Contributions to Space
Exploration
1. Activity Title: Comparing Speeches
2. Brief Overview of the Lesson:
Students will compare and contrast the speech given by Yuri Gagarin before his successful launch into
space with President Kennedy’s Rice University moon speech. Students will be given background
information on why the space race began, and why this race was between the Soviet Union and the
United States. Students will also be given background knowledge on why the Soviet Union was the first
into space, and why the United States delayed. The students will view a teacher made power point for 20
minutes on Alan Shepard and the United States’ space program along with the Soviet’s space program
and Yuri Gagarin. Students will then see two short YouTube clips, one of Alan Shepard’s take off and the
other of Gagarin’s. Students will then be given a copy of Yuri’s speech and a written copy of President
Kennedy’s speech as they watch an excerpt given on YouTube. They will work in groups of 3-4 and
answer the questions “What do you know/What do you notice/ and what questions do you have?” about
the two speeches.
3. Historical Background
In 1961, the United States was at “war” with the Soviet Union between government
ideologies against the spread of communism. After the US exerted its prowess with the detonation
of the atomic bomb at the end of WWII, it showed to be a super power. The Soviets went to work
building their own arsenal of atomic weaponry in an effort to exert their own superiority to
further promote their ideology of communist’s spread over the countries of the world. These hot
tensions between the two super powers: the Soviet Union and the United States became known as
the Cold War. With both countries vying for global supremacy, they launched a race using their
technology and advancements to send a man into space and eventually to the moon. This became
known as the “Space Race.”
The Communists had the first claim of success with Sputnik. Sputnik was the first
successful satellite launched into space. In response, the United States government forms their
own space program under the newly-created NASA.
The Communists claim another
groundbreaking victory when they send the first human being into space, Cosmonaut Yuri
Gagarin, on April 12, 1961 aboard the rocket Vostok 1. Yuri Gagarin gives a speech addressed to
the people’s of the world inviting them to celebrate in the technological advancements and
successes that his launch represents. Less than a month later, the US responded by launching
their own American astronaut into space, Alan Shepard, aboard Mercury rocket, Freedom 7.
Differences between the Soviet and American rockets, capsules, landings, and engine boosters all
point toward design benefits and disadvantages that led the US to developing a consistently more
effective spacecraft, which led them to victory over the Soviets with more space missions.
President John F. Kennedy gives a motivational speech at Rice University on September 12,
1962 urging the United States to further proceed with the space program to accomplish the
victory of putting a man on the moon. This speech capstones the achievements the United States
promised the world in winning the Space Race over the Soviets and claiming their own mark on
history in support of their war against communism.
4. Essential Question: What is the main difference between President Kennedy’s speech and Yuri
Gagarin’s? What stands out in Yuri’s speech?
5. Primary Sources and Materials:
a. Primary Sources
“Yuri Gagarin’s Speech to the Soviet State Commission on Space Flight.” Space Race: Racing to the
Moon. http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/gal114/SpaceRace/sec300/sec313.htm (accessed
10/13/2012)
“Yuri Gagarin's First Speech About His Flight Into Space.” The Atlantic.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/04/yuri-gagarins-first-speech-about-hisflight-into-space/237134/ (accessed 10/13/2012)
“Text of President John Kennedy’s Rice Stadium Moon Speech.” John F. Kennedy Moon Speech Rice Stadium. http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm (accessed 10/13/2012)
“John F. Kennedy Rice University Moon Speech.” YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RaRC6YuYCQ (accessed 10/13/2012)
b. Materials:
1. Photo Print Outs of Yuri Gagarin’s hand-written speech paired with English transcript
2. Print Out of John F. Kennedy’s Rice University Moon speech paired with a photo of President
giving this speech
3. Graphic Organizers: What do you notice? What do you know? What questions do you have?”
6. Lesson Procedure
Hook/Preview:
Students will watch a Youtube video of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s rocket launch into
space April 12, 1961.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4nA52qyVDY
Discussion Questions (review from earlier in the week):
 Who is this?
 What is he called?
 What is his rocket called?
 What year is this?
 What city is this rocket being launched from?
1. Preview the students with the lesson goal:

Essential Question: What is the main difference between President Kennedy’s speech
and Yuri Gagarin’s? What stands out in Yuri’s speech?
2. Students will analyze Yuri Gagarin’s Speech, April 12, 1961
 Pass out Photo Print Outs of Yuri Gagarin’s hand-written speech paired with English
transcript
 Pass out Graphic Organizers: What do you notice? What do you know? What questions
do you have?”
Partner Activity Goal and Formative Assessment: With a partner complete a “What do
you know” “What do you notice?” and “What questions do you have?” graphic organizer.
Whole Group Activity Discussion and Share: Student groups will share aloud with the
whole class their favorite thing they noticed, they knew, or a question they formulated with
the class to contribute to the class discussion.
3. Students will analyze President Kennedy’s Rice University Moon Speech, September 12,
1962
 Students will preview questions before watching the YouTube archive clip of
President Kennedy’s speech.
 Pass out the print out of John F. Kennedy’s Rice University Moon speech paired with
a photo of President giving this speech.


Steps for analyzing the
Graphic Organizers: What do you notice? What do you know? What questions do
you have?”
Partner Activity Goal and Formative Assessment: With a partner complete a “What do
you know” “What do you notice?” and “What questions do you have?” graphic organizer.
Whole Group Activity Discussion and Share: Student groups will share aloud with the
whole class their favorite thing they noticed, they knew, or a question they formulated with
the class to contribute to the class discussion.
Learning Progression For Formative Assessment Graphic Organizer Partner Activity
*See Attached
7. Primary Source Analysis
Source #1-Yuri Gagarin’s Speech
Question 1: What do you notice? (close reading)
Answer: humble speech (not arrogant); addressed the world not just his country; he realizes the
great responsibility he has in a successful mission; he gives the speech before he launches; it’s hard
for him to express how he is feeling; he recognizes that he will be the first man in outer space if he
succeeds.
Question 2: What do you know? (contextualization)
Answer: He gives the speech April 12, 1961. His mission was successful. He is proving Soviet
super power prowess to the world. The Soviet Union’s success is a great victory for communism.
The Soviets launch a man into outer space before the U.S. The mission was secret in case it failed.
Those in mission control knew that they would lose their lives if the space mission was
unsuccessful per Soviet policy.
Question 3: What questions do you have?
Answers may vary.
Source #2-Kennedy’s Speech
Question 1: What do you notice? (close reading)
Answer: Kennedy says that “we choose to go to the moon” three times in a row. It’s hot outside,
because the people in the back keep wiping sweat off of them. He is outside in a stadium
surrounded by people. American flag and presidential podium. Kennedy does not want the moon
to be “owned” by a hostile power. Peace is what requires us to make the effort of going to the
moon. We have to go to the moon to be leaders in the world in science and industry. This has to
be done for the progress of all people. He refers to going to the moon as setting sail on a sea.
Question 2: What do you know? (contextualization)
Answer: Kennedy was the President of the United States in 1961. The speech was given at Rice
University in Texas. Vice President Johnson is sitting behind him. The presidential seal is on his
podium. The speech was given September 1962, a year after Alan Shepard’s first American space
mission. Kennedy’s speech shows that the United States is at war with the Soviet Union.
Question 3: What questions do you have?
Answers may vary.
Corroboration of the Two Speeches:
Question 1: What is SIMILAR about both speeches? (corroborating)
Answer: Both speeches address mankind as a whole. Both speeches talk about the success of
their country. Both speeches were given during the Space Race and the Cold War.
Question 2: What is DIFFERENT about both speeches? (corroborating)
Answer: One speech was given by a cosmonaut, and one speech was given by a President. One
speech is more hostile or threatening than the other. One speech was given before any space
success, and the other was given after several space successes. One speech was more confident in
nature than the other.
7. Date You Will Teach This Lesson: Friday, October 19, 2012
*Learning Progression Attached
4 points
The student will work with their partner to formulate 3 responses for each of
the 3 graphic organizer sections: 3 things that the students notice about the
speeches, 3 things that they know about the speeches, and 3 questions they
have about the speeches.
3 points
The student will work with their partner to formulate 2 responses for each of
the 3 graphic organizer sections: 2 things that the students notice about the
speeches, 2 things that they know about the speeches, and 2 questions they
have about the speeches.
2 points
The student will work with their partner to formulate 1 response for each of
the 3 graphic organizer sections: 1 thing that the students notice about the
speeches, 1 thing that they know about the speeches, and 1 question they
have about the speeches.
1 point
The student will work with their partner to formulate a response for at least
2 of the 3 graphic organizer sections: something that the students notice
about the speeches, something that they know about the speeches, or a
question they have about the speeches.
0 points
The student cannot work with their partner to formulate a response for at
least 1 of the 3 graphic organizer sections.