Space Savers

Learning intention

I am learning to use a range of strategies to respond to non-fiction texts and understand their content, purpose and structure.

Success criteria

I can:

• read and respond to the structure, content and purpose of a non-fiction text
• use a range of strategies to investigate the ideas presented in a text
• explore different perspectives when reading and responding to a text
• think creatively about a problem outlined in a text

Essential knowledge

This lesson loosely follows the structure of de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. To find out more about the Six Thinking Hats view the Perspectives (Previously Six Thinking Hats)ungroup resource on the Digital Learning Selector website. Further details about a range of questioning techniques for teachers can be found in the resource Key Questioning Strategiesungroup on the NSW Department of Education website. 

Introduction

Prior to reading the article, explain to students that they will be reading a non-fiction text about what it is like to be an astronaut. Engage the class in a discussion about the text type. Explain to students that when they are completing the activities in this lesson, they will be using six different coloured thinking hats. This first hat is the blue hat. When wearing the blue hat students are thinking about how things work and about processes. Use the following prompts:

• What is the purpose of a non-fiction text, such as an article? (Suggested answer: To inform readers about a particular topic)
• What are the special textual features of a non-fiction text, such as an article? (Suggested answers: headline, subheadings, information grouped, technical language, quotes from real people, facts, photographs or diagrams – or both)
• Why do you think articles need to have these features? (Suggested answers: These features help the reader to find the information they need quickly and easily. As the text is factual, the author will need to use technical language connected with the topic. Photographs and diagrams help readers visualise the information provided in the article.)
• If you were looking for information about a specific idea or topic in the article, what strategies could you use to find that information quickly? (Suggested answers: Skim reading, scanning the text for a specific word, reading the subheadings to narrow down the location of the information needed.)

Students are now ready to read the article. Read as a class or listen to the audio file if you have a digital subscription.

Teacher modelling – 10 minutes

After reading the text explain to students that they will be changing hats, and that they will be wearing the white hat. The white hat is about facts and information. 

Engage the class in a broad discussion about the article using the following prompts:

• What new information did you learn from reading the article? (Students will offer a range of different answers for this, depending on their knowledge of space)
• If you could summarise the main topics covered in the article, what would they be? (Suggested answer: Life as an astronaut in space, food options in space, the International Space Station)

Display the following words down the left-hand side of the board as follows:

• Who
• What
• Where
• When
• How
• Why

Read the section under the subheading ‘What is the International Space Station?’ (page 20).  Verbally go through the W and H questions written down the left-hand side of the board, filling in the answer.

• Who – Astronauts from participating countries
• What – The biggest human-made object to orbit Earth. A hub for astronauts, which orbits the earth
• Where – in space – orbiting Earth
• When – built between 1984 and 1993, has been orbiting the earth for 25 years
• How – separate parts were built in the USA, Canada, Japan and Europe, then pieced together in space
• Why – To host astronauts from around the world as they work in space

Inform students that they will apply these same questions to a different topic in the article. Read the section of text under the sub-heading ‘High dining’. (pages 20-22). As students read, encourage them to use a pencil to mark where they see that relate to the W and H questions. Complete the same task again, this time releasing responsibility to students by encouraging them to actively participate in offering ideas for each W or H question. Explain to students that they are going to change hats again, this time they are wearing the red hat. The red hat is all about feelings. Use the think-aloud strategy to explain your emotional response to the information presented in the article. Some suggestions for the think-aloud are:

• When I read that there are lots of health risks for astronauts in space, I felt concerned and worried about them
• When I read about the food that astronauts ate, I was amazed and a little bit disgusted by the different things they had to eat – like the freeze dried meat. I was relieved when I heard that they could have fresh fruit every 90 days.
• I felt really excited when I heard about how astronauts can use VR (virtual reality) to imagine themselves back on Earth, in nature. I thought it was pretty cool that technology can help people in space stay connected to their home.

Instruct students to turn to the person next to them and say one feeling they had when they were reading the article.

Guided practice – 15 minutes

Place students into four groups with an equal number of students in each. Each group will be given one of the following topics to discuss:

• Health
• Food
• Gardening
• Socialising

Explain that in their groups they are going to be putting on their Black Thinking Hat and then their Yellow Thinking Hat. Provide students with the following information and discussion questions for each hat. Each student must pay attention as they will need to become and ‘expert’ in their topic. See below:

Black Thinking Hat  – the black thinking hat is all about the challenges, risks and negative aspects of a topic.

For your group’s topic, discuss the following:

• What are the negative aspects of (your topic) in space?
• What are the risks?
• Are the risks worth it?

Yellow Thinking Hat  – the yellow thinking hat is all about the positive aspects of a topic.

For your group’s topic, discuss the following:

• What are the benefits of (your topic) in space
• Why is this a good thing?
• Why can this be done?

Re-organise the class into new groups. The new groups should have four students in each – one from the health group, one from the food group, one from the gardening group and one from the socializing group. Instruct students to take turns sharing their responses to the discussion questions regarding their space topic. Once everybody has had the opportunity to share, have students in this new group write a group answer to the following question:

• Do the benefits of space travel outweigh the negative aspects?

Independent activity – 15 minutes

The final hat that students will wear as they respond to the article is the green hat. The green hat is all about thinking creatively. Inform students that they are to work in pairs to create their own ‘space solution’ for one of the problems experienced by people on the International Space Station. They can complete the following proforma as they plan their solution:

After students have had time to complete their solution, conduct a gallery walk so that students can view and discuss the ideas created by their peers.

Differentiation

Students requiring more structure regarding the six thinking hats can be provided with slide 9 - slide 14 of the Department of Education’s resource: Six Thinking Hatsungroup. They can use this scaffold to help them explore the text ‘Space Savers.’

Students requiring extension can read ‘Sylphie’s Squizzes – Spacecraft Cemetery’ are apply the Six Thinking Hatsungroup strategy to engage with the text and consider the ideas, purpose and structure of the new text.

Assessment

Ask students to complete a lesson reflection by answering the following question:

• Which of the thinking hats did you find the most useful when reading and responding to ‘Space Savers?’
• Which of thinking hats was the most challenging for you when reading and responding to ‘Space Savers?’
• What do you think about using the Six Thinking Hats to read, understand and respond to a non-fiction text