LESSON 15 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Who Can Be an Astronaut?
by Vincent Jacobs
Fountas-Pinnell Level U
Nonfiction
Selection Summary
The doors to space are wide open, but it takes a special person
to “step through.” Astronauts, originally only white military men,
today come from all walks of life. However, they have many things
in common: knowledge, courage, team spirit, a strong work ethic,
physical fitness, patience, and the desire to explore the unknown.
Interested? Learn more at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center!
Number of Words: 1,484
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Nonfiction
• Introduction followed by 12 pages of text divided into 8 chapters
• Narrator directly addresses the reader
• Space exploration
• Characteristics and training of astronauts
• History of astronaut program
• Astronauts need specific traits, training, and knowledge.
• Nowadays, people of all races, genders, and occupations can apply to be astronauts.
• Space exploration is exciting, but also dangerous.
• Friendly and engaging conversational language
• Idiomatic language: believe it or not, wait a minute, for real
• Statements, commands, questions, and exclamations
• Multiple items in series
• Dashes
• Many science and space-related terms: spacecraft, NASA, lunar, gravity
• Some multisyllable words, which may be challenging, such as voyages, administration,
barriers, specialists, technology, virtual
• Color photos, chart, graph, and checklist
• Illustrations on most pages
• Table of contents, sidebars, and glossary
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly
permitted by federal copyright law.
Permission is hereby granted to individual teachers using the corresponding (discipline) Leveled Readers to photocopy student worksheets from this publication
in classroom quantities for instructional use and not for resale. Requests for information on other matters regarding duplication of this work should be
addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Contracts, Copyrights, and Licensing, 9400 SouthPark Center Loop, Orlando, Florida 32819.
Printed in the U.S.A.
978-0-547-30870-8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0940 15 14 13 12 11 10 09
If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and
they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited.
Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.
6_308708_BL_VRTG_L15_whocanbeastronaut.indd 1
11/5/09 8:00:28 PM
Who Can Be an Astronaut?
by Vincent Jacobs
Build Background
Help students use their knowledge of the NASA space program to visualize the selection.
Build interest by asking questions such as the following: What would it feel like to travel
in space? What planet would you like to visit? Read the title and author and talk about the
cover illustration. Explain that America’s space explorers, or astronauts, work for NASA,
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, noting important ideas and nonfiction features. Help with
unfamiliar language so they can read the text successfully. Give special attention to target
vocabulary. Here are some suggestions:
Page 3: Explain that the introduction to this selection invites the reader to
imagine traveling to the moon. Suggested language: Turn to the page headed
“Introduction,” and locate the highlighted word lunar. If you are going on a
“lunar voyage,” where are you going?
Pages 4–5: Have students look at the photo. The text tells us that the first
astronauts were “used to facing impending danger.” Ask: What do you see in the
picture that tells you that NASA knows these men will face danger?
Page 9: Point out the illustration and the caption. Ask: How does this photo and
caption give you a hint about the unpredictability of space travel?
Page 13: Have students locate the words ascent and hovering. The first paragraph
on this page describes how the astronauts train in a special plane that climbs high
in the sky and then stays at the highest point for a short time before coming down.
Show with your hand how the special plane might make its ascent and then spend
a few seconds hovering.
Now turn back to the beginning of the book to find out what it takes to be an
American astronaut.
Target Vocabulary
ascent – the act of rising higher,
p. 13
likelihood – the possibility that
something will occur, p. 13
perilous – full of danger, risk, and
hazard, p. 11
hovering – staying in one place in
the air, p. 13
lunar – associated with the
moon, p. 3
presumably – probably, p. 4
impending – about to take place,
p. 4
option – a choice between two or
more things, p. 10
Grade 6
2
random – in no particular order,
p. 4
unpredictability – the state in
which the outcome or result
cannot be guessed or foretold,
p. 9
Lesson 15: Who Can Be an Astronaut?
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
6_308708_BL_VRTG_L15_whocanbeastronaut.indd 2
7/29/09 3:39:50 PM
Read
Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their
understanding of the text as needed.
Remind students to use the Analyze/Evaluate Strategy
and to use text details to form an opinion about an astronaut’s life.
as they read,
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the selection.
Suggested language: Would you like to be an astronaut? Why or why not? What do you
think are the most important qualifications for an astronaut?
Ways of Thinking
As you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text
Thinking Beyond the Text
Thinking About the Text
• NASA’s first astronauts were
white military men, but later
people of all races, genders,
and occupations could become
astronauts.
• Some jobs require lots of
training, knowledge, patience,
and courage.
• The captions explain the photos
and clarify or summarize the
text.
• Teamwork skills are sometimes
important for survival.
• The chart and graph provide
quick, easy-to-read ways to get
information.
• Astronauts must study, learn
new skills, and train for a long
time before they are ready.
• Astronauts depend on
themselves and each other for
survival.
• Jobs should be open to all
qualified people, regardless of
race, gender, or background.
• The glossary explains some
difficult space-related words.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Further Support
• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text to read aloud with a
partner. Suggest that they choose a passage that has questions from the narrator.
Encourage students to read with an expression that would be appropriate if they were
really asking the audience questions and giving them the answers.
• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion,
revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go
back to the text to support their ideas.
• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using
examples from the text. Remind students that many English words come from Latin
root words. For example, the vocabulary word ascent (page 13) comes from the Latin
root word scandere, which means “climb.”
Grade 6
3
Lesson 15: Who Can Be an Astronaut?
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
6_308708_BL_VRTG_L15_whocanbeastronaut.indd 3
11/5/09 8:00:41 PM
Writing about Reading
Vocabulary Practice
Have students complete the Vocabulary questions on BLM 15.1.
Responding
Have students use their Reader’s Notebook to complete the vocabulary activities on page
15. Remind them to answer the Word Teaser on page 16. (Answer: lunar)
Reading Nonfiction
Nonfiction Features: Table of Contents and Glossary Remind students that nonfiction
has many features to help readers find and understand important information. Tables
of contents and glossaries are two of these features. Explain that tables of contents list
chapter headings. These tables list information in the order that it appears in the text.
Studying the table of contents in a nonfiction book is a quick way to determine what the
book will be about. Have students choose one chapter from the table of contents and write
a new title for it. Tell them to make sure that the new title would still help a reader predict
the contents of the chapter.
Glossaries are another important tool for the reader. Glossaries give definitions for words
that the reader may not know. Have students look again at the glossary on page 14. Ask
them to explain the letters in parentheses (pronunciation guide) and the italicized letter
following the parentheses (part of speech—n for noun and v for verb). Then have students
choose another challenging word in the book and write a definition for it.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text
Have students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they
think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
Assessment Prompts
• Which sentence on page 4 explains the word random?
• Which word in the first paragraph on page 13 means the same as ascent?
• After reading the selection, the reader can conclude that astronauts
________________________________________________________________.
Grade 6
4
Lesson 15: Who Can Be an Astronaut?
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
6_308708_BL_VRTG_L15_whocanbeastronaut.indd 4
11/5/09 8:00:48 PM
English Language Development
Reading Support Pair beginning and intermediate readers to read the text softly
aloud, or use the audio or online text. Or have beginning speakers read the captions.
Idioms The book includes many idioms that might be unfamiliar. Explain the meaning
of expressions such as figure it out (page 4) and know-how (page 8).
Oral Language Development
Check student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’
English proficiency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.
Beginning/Early Intermediate
Intermediate
Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: What is the short name for
the American space agency?
Speaker 1: How was Guion S. Bluford,
Jr. a barrier breaker?
Speaker 2: NASA
Speaker 2: He broke barriers by
becoming the first African American
astronaut.
Speaker 1: How do astronauts
learn to fly the space shuttle
before they go into space?
Speaker 1: Who were the first
astronauts?
Speaker 2: white military men
Speaker 1: Why must astronauts learn
to swim wearing a space suit?
Speaker 2: They must know how to
swim wearing a space suit in case they
crash into the ocean.
Speaker 2: To learn to fly the
shuttle, first astronauts train with
the SST, single system trainer.
When they master that, they
move up to the SMS (shuttle
mission simulator), where
they learn to control all shuttle
systems at once. Then they
are ready to fly the real space
shuttle.
Lesson 15
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 15.1
Date
Target Vocabulary
Who Can Be
an Astronaut?
Target Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with Target Vocabulary words. Then finish the
Idea-Support Map with sentences that support the idea shown. Use
at least two of the remaining Target Vocabulary words. Then draw
your own Idea-Support Map. Write an idea sentence of your own and
sentences containing two other Target Vocabulary words. Possible responses shown.
Vocabulary
lunar
likelihood
option
random
hovering
impending
presumably
ascent
perilous
unpredictability
Exploring space is both exciting and challenging.
The U.S. success in landing on the moon was a big
step in lunar
science.
The ascent
for the astronauts.
to the stars was exhilarating
A journey to space can be perilous, but the
potential for discovery is endless.
There is unpredictability in space travel, but it is
overshadowed by the joy of landing on the moon.
3
Target Vocabulary
Grade 6, Unit 3: Going the Distance
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
12/14/09 6:54:44 PM
15.01_6_246260RNLEAN_Target VocaSec1:3 Sec1:3
Grade 6
5
Lesson 15: Who Can Be an Astronaut?
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
First Pass
6_308708_BL_VRTG_L15_whocanbeastronaut.indd 5
1/12/10 5:26:04 PM
Name
Date
Who Can Be an Astronaut?
Thinking Beyond the Text
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two
paragraphs.
Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal
knowledge to reach new understandings.
On page 5, the narrator states: “NASA set high standards for its astronauts.”
What does the narrator mean? Why do you think the standards are so high?
What might happen if the standards were not high?
Grade 6
6
Lesson 15: Who Can Be an Astronaut?
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
6_308708_BL_VRTG_L15_whocanbeastronaut.indd 6
11/5/09 8:01:18 PM
Lesson 15
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 15.1
Date
Target Vocabulary
Who Can Be
an Astronaut?
Target Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with Target Vocabulary words. Then finish the
Idea-Support Map with sentences that support the idea shown. Use
at least two of the remaining Target Vocabulary words. Then draw
your own Idea-Support Map. Write an idea sentence of your own and
sentences containing two other Target Vocabulary words.
Vocabulary
lunar
likelihood
option
random
hovering
impending
presumably
ascent
perilous
unpredictability
Exploring space is both exciting and challenging.
The U.S. success in landing on the moon was a big
step in
science.
The
for the astronauts.
Grade 6
to the stars was exhilarating
7
Lesson 15: Who Can Be an Astronaut?
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
6_308708_BL_VRTG_L15_whocanbeastronaut.indd 7
1/12/10 5:28:44 PM
Student
Lesson 15
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 15.24
Who Can Be an Astronaut?
• LEVEL U
page
Who Can Be an
Astronaut?
Running Record Form
Selection Text
3
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
Imagine you are going on a long trip. You’d like to take
some people along. How would you go about choosing them?
Before you pick your best friends, think about what skills
they have. Is anyone good at reading maps? This person could
keep you from getting lost. Do you have a friend who can fix
things? Fix-it skills come in handy if anything breaks. And
does one of your friends know first aid? You never know when
someone might get hurt.
There’s one more thing you should know. This journey is a
bit unusual. You will be flying to the moon!
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/102 ×
100)
%
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 6
Behavior
Error
0
0
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
cat
Error
1414266
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
Lesson 15: Who Can Be an Astronaut?
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
6_308708_BL_VRTG_L15_whocanbeastronaut.indd 8
7/29/09 3:39:53 PM