Strategies
To teach this unit, I will create a visual timeline of the goals, astronaut heroes, and outcomes of select missions. I will use nonfiction literature as the springboard of my lessons on the technology and science of the Apollo Space Program. I will use the "5 E's" to teach my unit. Students will be engaged, will explore the Apollo Space Program history, will be able to explain the manned missions' history, will extend their understanding and will evaluate what they have learned about the unit. I will use differentiated instruction strategies because the ESL students are in different English proficiency levels. These levels are beginners, intermediate, advanced and advanced high. That means they will be divided according to their proficiency level. I will teach my ESL students how to work on reading, writing, science and math stations while I work with one level. First I will teach the beginning ESL students and the rest of the group will work on their assigned stations. I will rotate the groups. I will integrate vocabulary words in science and reading.
My ESL students like doing puzzle search. That is why I will create daily science vocabulary word puzzles for this unit. The puzzle search will take about 5-10 minute of class time. This strategy will be applicable to my ESL students in the intermediate and advanced level. This will also include the vocabulary chart that will enhance both reading, and writing skills. Another strategy is to let the students choose their favorite vocabulary words and create a chant or a poem. In order to do that I will first model the activity and do it for the whole class. Beginner ESL students will need help. Therefore, I will group my class heterogeneously for this activity, and then I will assist the beginning students more than the other groups.
I will teach the students how to use word cognates in Spanish and in English. I will use the verbal visual word association. I will divide a piece of note book paper into 4 parts. The first part will be the vocabulary term, the second part will be the personal association, the third part will be the definition of the science word and the last part will be a non-example of the vocabulary word. On a piece of paper, students will write the vocabulary term. The word cognates will also be used for space poems. Students will match the Spanish poems with English
Another ESL strategy that I will use is the window-paning strategy. The students will divide a piece of notebook paper into 9 parts. Each part will contain a vocabulary word. For example, I will select 9 vocabulary words (Space, Earth, Sun, Moon, orbit, speed, velocity, and Space Shuttle).The students will write the word on each box, draw and color the illustration of each vocabulary word. I will use the language experience approach to introduce vocabulary, dictate a paragraph from the non fiction book, write my ESL students responses on a chart, read and write about the newly created text.
A good ESL teaching strategy is the CLOZE procedure. I will give the students a reading passage about an astronaut for instance with 275 to 300 words. I will keep the first sentence intact. I will select a word in the second sentence to omit and replace it with a fifteen space blank. Then, I will omit every fifth word in the passage. ESL students will work independently. I will use the causality strategy by asking questions. For example "Why did President Kennedy send the astronauts to the Moon"?
I will introduce students to the concept of the rocket power with a simple outdoor experiment. My ESL students will work in groups of four. I will ask one group to describe what happened while the other groups perform the experiment. Students will discover that as they throw one object, they will begin to move backward. They will move faster when students throw the second object. For those students who throw both objects at the same time will experience one thrust. Explain to them that this is similar to the way rockets work Also explain to them that rockets that launch spacecrafts are made of different stages. After the explanation ask volunteers to repeat their discovery (science talk). On chart paper, ask each group to write down the concept of rocket power.
The students in the advanced and advanced high levels will pretend that they are astronauts. They will have an imaginary space mission and will write a diary of their space travel. One of my activities will be an Apollo Astronauts fashion show. Students will work in groups to research the different space suit designs used during the manned missions. Upon completion of their research they will create the space suits made of craft paper that were used by the different astronauts.
Another fun activity for writing is Book Beginnings. Explain to the students that "If you were an astronaut. . ." is a sentence starter. They will change the pronoun I to you, for a class book. First have the students copy the sentence starter from the board or overhead. Next, have the students complete the sentence by writing or dictating their thoughts. When the students have completed their sentences correctly, have them copy the words on construction paper and illustrate. Collate the pages to make a class book.
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