Lesson 9 - Day 1 - Brainstorming | Exploring Mars | 5th Grade Language Arts

Lesson Map

Identify and explain the goal of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission and why it was important.

The Mighty... pp. 1–7

Standards

RI.5.3RI.5.8

Explain how Steve's proposals for missions were different from previous missions to Mars and what problem he was trying to solve.

Materials

The Mighty... pp. 8–13

Standards

RI.5.3

Lesson

Explain why it took three years for Steve's team to create the rovers, and describe the steps the team took to ensure the rover was ready for a trip to Mars.

Materials

The Mighty... pp. 14–19

Standards

RI.5.3

Lesson

Explain what the team did to prepare the rovers for the trip and why they were worried.

Materials

The Mighty... pp. 20–23

Standards

RI.5.3

Lesson

Language

Use the perfect verb tense to show when events occurred.

Materials

The Mighty...
Editing Checklist 1 (G5, Alt U4)
Caption This! Worksheet (G5, Alt U4, L5)

Standards

L.5.1.bL.5.1.c

Lesson

Explain the steps necessary for Spirit's landing and why each step was important.

Materials

The Mighty... — pp. 24–27, 29

Standards

L.5.1.bRI.5.3

Lesson

Use details from the sidebars to revise and add additional information about the steps necessary for Spirit’s landing and operation.

Materials

The Mighty... — pages 28 and 30
Editing Checklist 1 (G5, Alt U4)

Standards

L.5.1.bRI.5.2RI.5.3SL.5.2W.5.9

Lesson

Describe where Opportunity landed, what Opportunity found, and how the team responded to Opportunity's findings.

Materials

The Mighty... pp. 31–33
Editing Checklist 1 (G5, Alt U4)

Standards

L.5.1.bRI.5.3

Lesson

Writing

2 days

Overview

Write informational paragraphs that include a topic sentence and direct quotations to show understanding of a topic.

Materials

The Mighty...
Informational Writing Rubric (G5)
Brainstorming Page 1 (G5, Alt U4, L9)
Two Paragraph Outline
Brainstorming Page 1 Sample Response (G5, Alt U4, L9)
Two Paragraph Outline Sample Response (G5, Alt U4, L9)

Day 1 - Brainstorming

Use different sentence types to craft engaging topic sentences.

Materials

The Mighty...
Brainstorming Page 1 (G5, Alt U4, L9)
Two Paragraph Outline
Brainstorming Page 1 Sample Response (G5, Alt U4, L9)
Two Paragraph Outline Sample Response (G5, Alt U4, L9)

Standards

SL.5.1W.5.2W.5.2.aW.5.2.bW.5.2.eW.5.5

Day 2 - Drafting

Support main ideas by including relevant direct quotations.

Materials

The Mighty...
Informational Writing Rubric (G5)
Brainstorming Page 1 (G5, Alt U4, L9) — Completed on Day 1
Two Paragraph Outline — Completed on Day 1

Standards

SL.5.1W.5.2W.5.2.aW.5.2.bW.5.2.eW.5.5

Lesson

Describe the different accomplishments made by Spirit and Opportunity and what made the accomplishments possible.

Materials

The Mighty... — pp. 34–37, 39
Editing Checklist 1 (G5, Alt U4)

Standards

L.5.1.bRI.5.3

Lesson

Use details from the sidebars to revise and add additional information about the different accomplishments made by Spirit and Opportunity and what made the accomplishments possible.

Materials

The Mighty... — page 38 and sidebar on page 39
Editing Checklist 1 (G5, Alt U4)

Standards

L.5.1.bRI.5.3

Lesson

Writing

4 days

Overview

Write a poem that tells the story of exploring another planet from the perspective of one of the rovers, using details from the unit text.

Materials

The Mighty...
“Comet Hunter”
“Uh Oh, Pluto”
“Go There”
Narrative Writing Rubric (G5)
Single Point Narrative Writing Rubric (G5, Alt U4)
Poetry Brainstorming Template (G5, Alt U4, L12)
Poetry Brainstorming Sample Response (G5, Alt U4, L12)
Poetry Brainstorming Mentor Response (G5, Alt U4, L12)

Standards

Standards

Standards

Standards

Explain what evidence the author includes to support the idea that math is a critical component of space exploration and engineering.

Materials

The Mighty... pp. 40–44

Standards

RI.5.3RI.5.8

Lesson

Explain what initial discovery Opportunity makes inside Endurance Crater and the tools and techniques scientists used.

Materials

The Mighty... pp. 44–45

Standards

RI.5.3

Lesson

Discussion

Debate and analyze unit essential questions.

Standards

RI.5.9SL.5.1SL.5.3

Lesson

Writing

2 days

Write a multiple-paragraph essay to answer a unit Essential Question.

Standards

W.5.2.bW.5.2.cW.5.2.dW.5.2.eW.5.9

Lesson

Narrative Writing

4 days

Write a narrative from the perspective of one of the Mars rovers about what it was like to land on Mars using descriptive details from the unit.

Materials

The Mighty...
Narrative Brainstorming Graphic Organizer

Standards

L.5.1.cL.5.1.dL.5.2W.5.3W.5.3.aW.5.3.bW.5.3.dW.5.5W.5.8

Lesson

Analyze the importance of the sun for Spirit’s survival and the steps scientists take to ensure Spirit has access to the sun.

Materials

The Mighty... pp. 46–51

Standards

RI.5.3

Lesson

Summarize “Mars Rovers Advance Understanding of the Red Planet”.

Materials

“NASA Press Release 1”

Standards

RI.5.2RI.5.3

Lesson

Summarize what happened with Opportunity on his way to Victoria Crater and the steps the team at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) took to remedy the situation, by explaining the relationship between two or more scientific and technical ideas.

Materials

The Mighty... pp. 52–55

Standards

RI.5.2RI.5.3

Lesson

Use details from the articles to revise and add additional information about the challenges Opportunity faced when approaching Victoria Crater.

Materials

“NASA Press Release 2”
“NASA Press Release 3”

Standards

RI.5.3RI.5.9

Lesson

Compare and contrast the points of view from which the Mighty Mars Rovers and the press releases are written, by analyzing multiple accounts of the same topic.

Materials

The Mighty... pp. 52–55
“NASA Press Release 2”
“NASA Press Release 3”

Standards

RI.5.3

Lesson

Analyze the strategies Elizabeth Rusch uses to make science feel like an adventure, by explaining how authors use word choice, language, and point of view to support particular points in a text.

Materials