Download The Hubble Space Telescope

PASSAGE 2
Week 1
Nonfiction
Grades 7/8 • Level V • Word Count 977
Summer
Achievement
Program
The Hubble Space Telescope
1
The work of Edwin Hubble was of great importance. In the 1920s, Dr.
Hubble discovered that our galaxy, the Milky Way, is just one of many in the
universe. He also showed that the universe is expanding.
2
Scientists still had many questions. For instance, what’s the shape of the
universe? How do planets, stars, and galaxies evolve? And how many
galaxies are there? The Hubble Space Telescope was created to help answer
those and other important questions.
3
Hubble could help scientists answer such questions because it orbits above
Earth’s atmosphere—the blanket of gases surrounding our planet. Even on
clear nights, those gases block and distort light from the stars. In fact, it is
the atmosphere that causes stars to appear as if they are twinkling.
4
As early as the 1920s, scientists had dreamed of placing a telescope in orbit
above the atmosphere. Such a telescope would be able to see images ten
times sharper than the biggest telescope on the ground. It would also see
different types of light—like ultraviolet light—that are blocked out by Earth’s
atmosphere. After years of study by astronomers, the U.S. Congress approved
funding in 1977. The Hubble Space Telescope was about to be born.
Hubble Enters Space
5
Many telescopes besides Hubble have been sent into space. But so far,
Hubble is the largest, and therefore has the keenest eye. At its heart is a
system of mirrors that reflect light into several cameras and instruments. The
largest of those mirrors is the primary mirror, which has a diameter of about
two meters.
6
While Hubble was being built in the 1980s, engineers knew the primary
mirror had to be ground exactly right. It had to be curved perfectly so that it
focused light into a clear image.
Summer Achievement Program/Passages
7
GRADES 7/8 | The Hubble Space Telescope • Passage 2, Level V
7 Despite their extreme care, an error crept into the engineers’ calculations.
No one knew it yet, but they were off by about two microns—about onefiftieth the thickness of a human hair. That seemingly tiny error would have
a big impact on Hubble’s future.
8 About 10,000 people took part in Hubble’s design and construction.
Hubble’s designers packed it with sensitive instruments that would be able
to see things the naked eye cannot. As the telescope took shape, it began
to look like a tin can covered with aluminum foil. That is because Hubble is
coated with blankets of Teflon, aluminum, and other protective layers that
help keep its temperature steady in space.
9 Hubble was supposed to be launched into space in 1983, but technical
problems held it up until 1986. Then in 1986, the space shuttle Challenger
blew up, causing all shuttle flights to be postponed. It wasn’t until 1990 that
Hubble rode up into orbit on the space shuttle Discovery. Scientists all over
the world were excited. They believed that decades of work were about to
pay off.
10 The first pictures that Hubble took looked encouraging. But astronomers
noticed that they looked fuzzy, and efforts to clear them up failed. Soon it
was discovered that the flawed primary mirror was the problem. Hubble
could be fixed, but it would take millions of dollars and eat up valuable
time. Gloom settled over the entire Hubble project. The gloom would not lift
for another three years.
Fixing Hubble
11 When Hubble’s problems became public, the telescope became the object
of jokes. Newspapers ran headlines like “Pix Nixed as Hubble Sees Double.”
Comedians poked fun at Hubble’s creators for spending $2.2 billion on
a nearsighted telescope. But despite the jokes, the situation was serious.
Though Hubble still gathered valuable scientific data, Congress threatened
to cut off the money for further space research.
12 There was only one chance to silence the critics. It came on December 2,
1993, when the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off on a complex rescue
mission. For eleven days, the crew of the Endeavour struggled to repair the
Hubble. Wearing bulky space suits and battling zero gravity, astronauts
made five space walks, a record number, to do repairs. Millions of television
viewers tuned in to watch.
8
Summer Achievement Program/Passages
Passage 2, Level V • The Hubble Space Telescope | GRADES 7/8
13 Endeavour’s astronauts had to practice long and hard for this mission.
The zero gravity of space cannot be duplicated well here on Earth. So the
astronauts practiced by working in water tanks and using virtual reality
machines that gave them a sense of weightlessness. Each of the astronauts
was trained to do a specific job. But all of them learned how to do one
another’s jobs as well. That way the mission could go on even if one of the
astronauts became ill or was injured.
14 Once in space, Endeavour had to catch Hubble. That was not easy since the
telescope was whizzing around Earth at 17,500 miles per hour. Once that
was accomplished, the astronauts had to bring Hubble into Endeavour’s
shuttle bay. Hubble’s mirror was not the only thing that had to be fixed. The
solar panels had become wobbly, making it difficult to point the telescope
at one spot and hold it steady. New panels needed to be installed. In all, the
astronauts had eleven major repairs or changes to make.
15 However, the main problem was still how to fix the primary mirror. It was
too difficult to replace, so engineers did the next best thing: They invented
a contact lens for Hubble. The contact lens came in the form of a box about
the size of a telephone booth. This device took the light coming in from
space and refocused it in a way that would allow Hubble to see clearly.
16 Endeavour’s mission went flawlessly. Just over two weeks after the astronauts
returned to Earth, scientists gathered to see if the repairs had worked. As the
first images appeared, cheers went up. The fuzzy-looking blobs that Hubble
had once produced were now crystal-clear images of galaxies and stars.
Hubble was fixed, and our view of the universe has not been the same since.
Copyright © 2014 Sundance/Newbridge Publishing, LLC.
Excerpted from the Newbridge title Eye on the Universe by Sean Price, Level V
Summer Achievement Program/Passages
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GRADES 7/8 | The Hubble Space Telescope • Passage 2, Level V
Name ___________________________________________________________________
Selected Responses
Mark the letter of the correct answer.
1. What was the author’s purpose for writing this passage?
A. to persuade readers to pay attention to images that the Hubble Telescope sends
B. to inform readers about how a small mistake can have huge consequences
C. to persuade readers about how much Edwin Hubble changed space exploration
D. to inform readers about the history and uses of the Hubble Telescope
2. W
hy would a telescope in space allow the images to be ten times sharper than one
on Earth?
A. The telescope would be much closer to the object.
B. Since there is zero gravity, the telescope can focus better.
C. The telescope in space would be above Earth’s atmosphere.
D. The telescope in space could be much bigger.
3. H
ow long did it take for the Hubble Telescope to go from being funded to actually
working?
A. about 4 years
B. about 16 years
C. about 56 years
D. about 72 years
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Summer Achievement Program/Passages
© Sundance/Newbridge, LLC
Passage 2, Level V • The Hubble Space Telescope | GRADES 7/8
Name ___________________________________________________________________
Constructed Responses
4. Explain what is meant by the last sentence, “…our view of the universe has not been
the same since.”
5. Explain why the repair of the Hubble Telescope was such a difficult task. Use details
from the passage in your answer.
© Sundance/Newbridge, LLC
Summer Achievement Program/Passages
11
GRADES 7/8 | The Hubble Space Telescope • Passage 2, Level V
Name ___________________________________________________________________
Writing Activity
Fill in the chart about “The Hubble Space Telescope.” Write what the passage is mostly
about in the Central Idea box. Write an important piece of information you learned from
the passage in each Detail box.
Central Idea
Detail
12
Detail
Summer Achievement Program/Passages
Detail
© Sundance/Newbridge, LLC
Benefits of the Sundance/Newbridge
Summer Achievement Program
For Students:
Offers a range of high quality, carefully leveled informational and
literary passages covering a wide range of captivating stories and
topics.
Promotes effective test-taking practices through selected-response and
constructed-response assessment items.
Provides a consistent format and multiple opportunities to practice
reading succinct passages, establishing a solid foundation for reading
comprehension.
Supplies practice with written responses allowing for an improved
connection between reading and writing.
Fosters practical comprehension and test-taking skills that can be
applied to texts from any subject.
For Teachers:
Supplies standard-specific questions to assess students’ comprehension.
Presents explicit instruction for using the gradual release of
responsibility model to promote collaborative learning.
Includes a flexible pacing guide to meet the needs of each individual
class.
Integrates diagnostic assessment into each week’s lesson plan for
evaluating and monitoring students’ progress.
Gives detailed scoring points and sample answers to each constructedresponse item.
Uses a consistent instructional format from week to week that allows
for ease of implementation in any summer school classroom setting.
Summer Achievement Program/Passages TEACHER GUIDE
3
Using This Teacher Guide
Use the Pacing Guide on the following pages along with the following steps for each week’s
instruction to implement this program in your classroom.
Diagnostic Pre-Test: Begin the week by having students read and respond to the week’s
first passage. Use their work to diagnose students’ reading comprehension skills at this
Guided Reading Level.
Model: Use the week’s second passage to model for the whole class how to read and
respond to a nonfiction text. First, read aloud the entire passage, stopping to reread
difficult sections. Then, complete each selected response question as a class by first
reading the question and answer choices aloud and showing students how to go back to
the passage to locate or find evidence to support the correct answer. Finally, work with
the class to write answers to the constructed response questions and complete the writing
activity, again referring back to the passage often.
Repeat the above process with the week’s third passage, which is a fiction passage.
Guided Practice: Have students work in pairs or small groups to read and respond to the
week’s fourth passage. Provide support to students, reminding them to reread sections of
the text and to review their answers after they have finished.
Repeat for the week’s fifth passage. Provide support to student pairs as needed.
Independent Application: Have students read the week’s seventh passage
independently. When students have finished, review the answers with them using the
answers and scoring points in this Teacher Guide. Have any students who finish early read
one of the week’s leveled readers for additional close reading practice with a longer text.
Provide support to students who may be struggling. Guide them to locate the text that
helps them answer each question. Remind them that good readers reread sections or the
entire text to improve their understanding.
Repeat the above process with the week’s eighth and ninth passages.
Diagnostic Posttest: End the week by evaluating students’ progress by having students
read and respond to the week’s tenth passage posttest. Assign leveled readers to students
who have shown improvement and allow them to read independently. Continue to work
closely with students who may still be struggling. Reread the week’s tenth passage with
them and work together to respond to the questions. As time allows, repeat with other
passages that were read earlier in the week.
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TEACHER GUIDE
Summer Achievement Program/Passages
Grades 7/8 Pacing Guide
DAY 4
DAY 3
DAY 2
DAY 1
Week 1
Guided Reading Level V
Task
Classroom Organization
Estimated Time
Diagnostic Pretest
Passage 1 “Test-Subject Klang” (Fiction)
Individual assessment
30–45 mins
Model
Passage 2 “The Hubble Space Telescope”
(Nonfiction)
Teacher-led whole class instruction
60–75 mins
Model
Passage 3 “The Villainous Inventor” (Fiction)
Teacher-led whole class instruction
60–75 mins
Guided Practice
Passage 4 “Journey to Jupiter” (Nonfiction)
Student pairs with teacher support
30–45 mins
Guided Practice
Passage 5 “The Beginnings of Plastic” (Nonfiction)
Student pairs
30–45 mins
Independent Application
Passage 6 “The Competition” (Fiction)
Independent work with teacher support
as needed
60–75 mins
Independent Application
Passage 7 “Algae, Algae Everywhere!”
(Nonfiction)
Independent work
40–60 mins
Independent work
40–60 mins
Independent work
60–75 mins
Individual assessment
30–45 mins
Additional Practice: Amusement Park Science
(Nonfiction)
Independent Application
Passage 8 “Exploring the Galapagos Islands”
(Nonfiction)
Additional Practice: Egypt (Nonfiction)
DAY 5
Independent Application
Passage 9 “Two Ocean Explorers” (Nonfiction)
Additional Practice: The Harlem Renaissance:
Profiles in Creativity (Nonfiction)
Posttest
Passage 10 “Science at the Amusement Park”
(Nonfiction)
Summer Achievement Program/Passages TEACHER GUIDE
9
DAY 9
DAY 8
DAY 7
DAY 6
Week 2
Guided Reading Level W
Task
Classroom Organization
Estimated Time
Diagnostic Pretest
Passage 11 “Gold in the Hills” (Fiction)
Individual assessment
30–45 mins
Model
Passage 12 “Newton’s Laws of Motion”
(Nonfiction)
Teacher-led whole class instruction
60–75 mins
Model
Passage 13 “Television” (Fiction)
Teacher-led whole class instruction
60–75 mins
Guided Practice
Passage 14 “Using Force and Motion” (Nonfiction)
Student pairs with teacher support
30–45 mins
Guided Practice
Passage 15 “Friction” (Nonfiction)
Student pairs
30–45 mins
Independent Application
Passage 16 “Fourth Quarter” (Fiction)
Independent work with teacher support
as needed
60–75 mins
Independent Application
Passage 17 “Building with Air” (Nonfiction)
Independent work
40–60 mins
Independent work
40–60 mins
Independent work
60–75 mins
Individual assessment
30–45 mins
Additional Practice: Greece (Nonfiction)
Independent Application
Passage 18 “Weathering the Wind”
(Nonfiction)
DAY 10
Additional Practice: Forces in Motion
(Nonfiction)
10
Independent Application
Passage 19 “Obeying the Laws of Gravity”
(Nonfiction)
Additional Practice: Gold in the Hills (Fiction)
Posttest
Passage 20 “Technology to the Rescue”
(Nonfiction)
TEACHER GUIDE
Summer Achievement Program/Passages
DAY 14
DAY 13
DAY 12
DAY 11
Week 3
Guided Reading Level X
Task
Classroom Organization
Estimated Time
Diagnostic Pretest
Passage 21 “Letters from the Frontier” (Fiction)
Individual assessment
30–45 mins
Model
Passage 22 “A Bright Idea” (Nonfiction)
Teacher-led whole class instruction
60–75 mins
Model
Passage 23 “Let There Be Rock!” (Fiction)
Teacher-led whole class instruction
60–75 mins
Guided Practice
Passage 24 “An Adventure in Space” (Nonfiction)
Student pairs with teacher support
30–45 mins
Guided Practice
Passage 25 “Space Travel: Problems and
Solutions” (Nonfiction)
Student pairs
30–45 mins
Independent Application
Passage 26 “The Pet Show: My Turn” (Fiction)
Independent work with teacher support
as needed
60–75 mins
Independent Application
Passage 27 “Using the Power of Lasers”
(Nonfiction)
Independent work
40–60 mins
Independent work
40–60 mins
Independent work
60–75 mins
Individual assessment
30–45 mins
Additional Practice: Extreme Flight: Rocket
Science (Nonfiction)
Independent Application
Passage 28 “Nanoworld” (Nonfiction)
DAY 15
Additional Practice: Lasers: Taking Light to
Extremes (Nonfiction)
Independent Application
Passage 29 “Nanotechnology at Work”
(Nonfiction)
Additional Practice: Nanotechnology: A Giant
Leap for Science (Nonfiction)
Posttest
Passage 30 “The Dead Sea” (Nonfiction)
Summer Achievement Program/Passages TEACHER GUIDE
11
DAY 19
DAY 18
DAY 17
DAY 16
Week 4
Guided Reading Level Y/Z
Task
Classroom Organization
Estimated Time
Diagnostic Pretest
Passage 31 “Wearable Art Fashion Show Finals”
(Fiction)
Individual assessment
30–45 mins
Model
Passage 32 “The Life of Layer Hens” (Nonfiction)
Teacher-led whole class instruction
60–75 mins
Model
Passage 33 “Deluxe Pups” (Fiction)
Teacher-led whole class instruction
60–75 mins
Guided Practice
Passage 34 “Women’s Rights” (Nonfiction)
Student pairs with teacher support
30–45 mins
Guided Practice
Passage 35 “Who Is Banksy?” (Nonfiction)
Student pairs
30–45 mins
Independent Application
Passage 36 “In Flanders Fields” (Fiction)
Independent work with teacher support
as needed
60–75 mins
Independent Application
Passage 37 “The Last Two States” (Nonfiction)
Independent work
40–60 mins
Independent work
40–60 mins
Independent work
60–75 mins
Individual assessment
30–45 mins
Additional Practice: The History of Looking Cool
(Nonfiction)
Independent Application
Passage 38 “Toxic Soup” (Nonfiction)
DAY 20
Additional Practice: Animal Issues (Nonfiction)
12
Independent Application
Passage 39 “Your Health” (Nonfiction)
Additional Practice: Women’s Rights
(Nonfiction)
Posttest
Passage 40 “Rain Forests at Risk” (Nonfiction)
TEACHER GUIDE
Summer Achievement Program/Passages
Grades 7/8 | Passage 2 | Level V
“The Hubble Space Telescope”
Selected Responses
1. D (RI.7.8, RI.7.10, RI.8.8, RI.8.10)
2. C (RI.7.1, RI.7.10, RI.8.1, RI.8.10)
3. B (RI.7.1, RI.7.10, RI.8.1, RI.8.10)
Constructed Responses
4. Scoring Points
1 point—explains the meaning of the phrase; Sample answer: “Our view of the
universe has not been the same since” means that the Hubble Telescope has
changed our view of the universe so it is much better than it ever was before.
0 points—does not give a logical answer
(RI.7.4, RI.7.10, L.7.5, RI.8.4, RI.8.10, L.8.5)
5. Scoring Points
2 points—explains why the repair was so difficult using details from the passage;
Sample answers: The repair of the Hubble Telescope was such a difficult task
because it was moving at 17,500 miles an hour, 11 different repairs needed to be
made, astronauts had to do five spacewalks, everything was weightless, astronauts
had to practice but zero gravity conditions could not be duplicated, and astronauts
had to learn more than one job in case another astronaut became sick or injured.
1 point—partially answers the question, such as gives an explanation but is
missing details from the passage
0 points—does not give a logical answer
(RI.7.1, RI.7.10, W.7.9b, W.7.10, RI.8.1, RI.8.10, W.8.9b, W.8.10)
Writing Activity
Scoring Points
Sample 2-Point Answer
Central Idea: The passage is mostly about how the Hubble Space Telescope was
built and repaired in space.
Details (three such as the following): The Hubble Telescope was launched in 1990.
The first pictures looked fuzzy, and scientists found an error in the curve of the
primary mirror. Engineers invented a lens to put onto the Hubble, and it worked
perfectly.
(RI.7.2, RI.7.10, W.7.4, W.7.10, RI.8.2, RI.8.10, W.8.4, W.8.10)
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TEACHER GUIDE
Summer Achievement Program/Passages