Scott Foresman Reading Street

Science in Reading

Examine features of
expository nonfiction.
Practice a test-taking
strategy.
Compare and contrast
across texts.

PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES

As students preview "A Walk on the Moon," have them look at the article's introduction, subheads, photographs, and chart. After they preview, ask:

Why do you think there are small inset photographs in the text? (Possible response: They make the article more appealing by letting us see some of the actions in space and objects found on the moon.)
What information is in the chart on p. 629? (It gives information about the manned moon missions—the name, date, landing site, and names of astronauts who walked on the moon.)

Link to Science

Have students brainstorm a list of physical activities and then discuss how the moon's lack of air, extreme temperatures, or low gravity would change these activities.

Partner Reading, 629a

Writing

Grammar

Fluency

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases, 629f

Review Word List, 629j

Draft and Revise, 629h

Spelling

Fluency and Language Arts

EXPOSITORY NONFICTION

Use the sidebar on p. 626 to guide discussion.

Explain that expository nonfiction gives realworld information, and can include interpretation and opinions.
Nonfiction articles like "A Walk on the Moon" may include small inset photos and facts to get the reader interested.
Discuss the kind of information students think they will find in this article. Ask which inset photo most interests them.

AudioText

Students might link facts about the moon's gravity to the astronauts' experiences walking on the moon to draw conclusions about how gravity affects walking.

Build Background Review the subheads and link them to the inset photos. Discuss what students already know about the U.S. manned moon missions.

The astronauts could not have walked on the moon without
wearing special spacesuits. The moon has no air, so a
backpack supplies oxygen for the astronaut to breathe. The
spacesuit’s many layers protect the astronaut from extreme
temperatures—+250˚F in the sun and -250˚F in the shade—and
cool water pumped through tubes inside the suit keeps the
astronaut’s body temperature constant. The suit and helmet
protect the astronaut from the sun’s harmful rays and from
flying particles hurtling through space. There is also a
headset and a microphone in the helmet so that astronauts
can talk to one another.

Name some activities, other
than jumping, whose effect
when done on the moon
would be different from
what it is on Earth.

Link to Science

A chart gives facts about
astronauts on the moon.

Text Features

Small inset photos add
interest to the article.

Expository nonfiction
might give serious
thoughts and opinions
as well as factual
information.

Expository nonfiction
gives information
about topics the reader
might never be able to
experience directly.

Genre

Expository
Nonfiction

When the astronauts walked on the moon, each step was a
leap that threw off clouds of fine dust. In order to land in the right
place, they had to think a few steps ahead instead of just putting
one foot in front of the other. They also had to be careful not to
lose their balance.

What was it like for Neil Armstrong and
Buzz Aldrin to walk on the moon? The
moon’s lower gravity had a big effect.
Gravity is the force that pulls things
toward the center of the Earth and keeps
them from floating away. The Earth’s
metallic core has a lot to do with gravity.
The moon is only one quarter the size of the
Earth, and it has only a tiny metallic core,
about 15 times smaller than the Earth’s. The
result is that the moon has only one-sixth the gravity of Earth.
The moon’s weaker gravity means that the astronauts feel
lighter—and they can float!

On July 16, 1969, millions
of people watched on television
as the Apollo 11 spacecraft was
launched and began its journey
to the moon. Four days later, first
astronaut Neil Armstrong and then
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin stepped onto
the surface of the moon for the
biggest adventure of their lives.
It was the first time in history
that human beings had walked
on another world.

Link facts with experiences to draw conclusions.

Draw Conclusions