7th grade 'Perspectives' (Unit 2 overview)

Highlights of Unit 2: A Starry Home

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

As a class, in small groups, and independently, students will work to answer the question Should we make a home in space? Give your student the opportunity to continue the discussion at home.

TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR CHILD

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question Should we make a home in space?

• What do these texts say about space exploration? What obstacles do we need to overcome before we explore further?

• Why do you think outer space is so popular in the media and in books and film?

UNIT 2 SELECTION TITLES, AUTHORS, GENRES

Whole-Class Learning

“Dark They Were,

and Golden-Eyed”

Ray Bradbury

short story

“Dark They Were,

and Golden-Eyed”

Ray Bradbury

media: radio play

“Danger! This Mission

to Mars Could Bore

You to Death!”

Maggie Koerth-Baker

news article

SMALL-GROUP Learning

“Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien Planets”	Nola Taylor Redd	news article
“The Last Dog”	Katherine Paterson	short story
“Ellen Ochoa: Director, Johnson Space Center”	Ellen Ochoa	media: video
“*Neil deGrasse Tyson on the Future of U.S. Space Exploration After Curiosity”*	Keith Wagstaff	interview

ADDITIONAL READING

Your child can choose one or more of the following to read independently.

“Science Fiction Cradlesong”	C. S. Lewis	poetry
“UFO Sightings and News”	Benjamin Radford	Web article
from “Packing for Mars”	Mary Roach	persuasive essay
“Trip to Mars Could Damage Astronauts’ Brains”	Laura Sanders	science article

Whole-Class Learning Performance Task 45%

After completing the Whole-Class section of the unit, your student will learn how to put together an argument in the form of an editorial. He or she will then write an editorial answering the question

Do the benefits of exploring Mars outweigh the risks?

Small-Group Learning Performance Task 25%

Debate: Should space exploration be a priority for our country?

Editorial Research: Research an example of an editorial and annotate its features and stylistic structure.

Activities and assignments in Unit 2 will help your student meet the following Common Core State Standards for reading literature and informational texts, writing, and speaking and listening. Here are some key standards students will work toward mastering in this unit.

Reading

• Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

• Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.

Writing

• Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

• Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

• Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

Speaking and Listening

• Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own views.

• Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.