Download Voyager Thorugh Space - Open Court Resources.com

Voyager to the Planets
by Necia Apfel
Genre: Nonfiction
Reading Strategies
• Use your strategy cards to remind
you the usage for each of the focus
strategies:
• Clarifying
• Asking Questions
• Summarizing
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
Word Knowledge
• umbrella-shaped
half-billion
blue-green
• smart
big
smarter
bigger
smartest
biggest
• black
cloud
slope
• Neptune is a beautiful blue-green color.
• Jupiter is the biggest planet visited by Voyager 2.
• Thick clouds cover the planet Uranus.
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
Selection Vocabulary
• space probe
• shepherd satellites
• retrograde
• gravitational attraction
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
space probe
• The space probe explored the planets.
• Context clues
• Def. n. spacecraft sent out to explore
other planets (pg.157)
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
shepherd satellites
• The tiny moons on the outer edge of
Jupiter’s ring are called shepherd
satellites.
• Context clues
• Def. n.pl. tiny moons that orbit rapidly
around a planet (pg.162)
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
retrograde
• Counterclockwise can be considered
retrograde motion.
• Context clues
• Def. adj. moving backwards or opposite
to the usual direction (pg.170)
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
gravitational attraction
• The gravitational attraction between two
very large distant objects can be strong
enough to pull them toward each other.
• word structure; apposition; context clues
• Def. n. a force that pulls two free bodies
or objects toward each other (pg.171)
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
Background Information
• In 1976, Viking I and Viking II
actually landed on Mars and sent
back information.
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
Scientists wanted more..
• ..information about the outer
planets, but because of the
enormous distance, it would take 30
years or more to reach Neptune.
• In 1977, Voyager 2 made a “grand
tour” of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune.
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
By observing asteroids..
• ..and comets, scientists discovered a
way to use Jupiter’s gravity to boost
the space probe in the right direction
and use each planet’s gravity in
succession to speed the space probe
along.
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
Graphic Organizers
• Using tables or
charts to compare
and contrast
information helps
for better
understanding.
• Venn Diagrams are
useful when
comparing
differences and
similarities.
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
Make a Chart
Information from Voyager 2’s Journey
Planet
Date
Earth
August 1977
Jupiter
July 1979
Saturn
August 1981
Uranus
January 1986
Neptune
August 1989
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
moons
rings
Use a Venn Diagram to COMPARE and
CONTRAST the different planets
Jupiter
Earth
Many
moons
November 2008
One moon
Both
have
moons
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
Think About It
• Why do scientists on Earth want to
gather as much information as
possible about the other planets?
• Advances in technology have greatly
increased our knowledge of the solar
system. What will be the next step in
exploring the planets?
• Would you spend 12 years of your
life traveling to and exploring other
planets? Why or why not?
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5
Research
• Find out more about the experiments
conducted with space probes.
• Investigate the challenges of
communicating with a space probe
from Earth.
November 2008
G.Renswick Humphreys Ave
ES LAUSD#5