Kolton Krein

Learning Activity: Gravity and Astronauts

Teacher: Kolton Krein

First Book Title: To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to
Your Body in Space

Author: Dr. Dave Williams

Author: Loredana Cunti
Illustrator: Theo Krynauw
Date: 2016
Publisher: Annick Press
Second Book Title: An Astronauts Guide to Life on
Earth

Author: Chris Hadfield

Date: 2015
Publisher: Vintage Canada
Grade: 9
Background Knowledge: Prior to this activity, students should be able to categorize and name
the planets of the solar system. Students should also recall that planets orbit stars.
Alberta Program of Studies: English Language Arts and Science.
English Language Arts:

GLO #1: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts, ideas,
feelings and experiences.
Discover and explore (SLO 1.1).
Clarify and extend (SLO 1.2).
GLO #3: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and
information.
Plan and focus (SLO 3.1).
Organize, record and evaluate (SLO 3.3).
Science (Unit E):

GLO #2: Identify problems in developing technologies for space exploration, describe
technologies developed for life in space, and explain the scientific principles involved.
Analyze space environments, and identify challenges that must be met in developing life-
supporting systems (e.g., analyze implications of variations in gravity, temperature,
availability of water, atmospheric pressure and atmospheric composition) (SLO 2.1).
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Learning Objective: The students will be able to describe what gravity is. Furthermore, students
will read and organize information from two astronaut focused texts, then write about the
various challenges that astronauts face due to gravity.
Resources Required:

Balls of varying size and weight (i.e. basketball, baseball, golf ball).
Two averages sized blankets (a larger blanket can still work though).
Class set of To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space by Dr. Dave Williams
and Loredana Cunti.
Class set of An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield.
Description:

To begin the activity, the teacher will pose the following questions to the students: what

is gravity? What are the effects of gravity? Is there gravity in space? The students, in groups or

individually, will then be given approximately 5 minutes to explore possible answers to these

questions and write them down. Throughout this inquiry, the teacher will move around the

room to check for participation and act as a facilitator in these discussions.

After the five minute inquiry is complete, the teacher will then grab two blankets and

split the class into two equal groups. The teacher will instruct students to pick up their blankets

at the edges and move back far enough so that the blanket is pulled tight. The teacher will place

the heaviest ball in the middle of both blankets, wait until the ball and students settle

(anticipating some bouncing shenanigans), then roll a second lighter ball onto the blanket and

have students watch as it circles (orbits) around the larger ball. At this point, the teacher should

hint at the analogy being made: the balls represent planets and stars, while the blanket

represents the fabric of space time. Next, the teacher will let students in their groups take turns

rolling different balls. Students should be encouraged to experiment, for example, by rolling
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two balls at the same time or rolling the balls in different ways. The teacher should also have

students verbally describe what they are observing. This part of the activity should take

approximately 15 minutes.

Following the 15 minutes of experimentation, the teacher will have students return to

their seats and he or she will read pages 6 and 7 from To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your

Body in Space. By way of this, students will come to diagnose a more apt definition of gravity.

Students will then adjust their previous descriptions of gravity and extend this knowledge to

personal experience in order to clarify understanding. During this process, as a means of

formative assessment, the teacher will go around and ask students questions about gravity. The

teacher should feel confident that the majority of students recognize the following concepts

before moving on: gravity is just an attraction between masses; planets that are more massive

have a stronger gravitational pull than less massive planets; we are attracted to the centre of

the earth (down) because of the large mass of earths core; zero gravity is a misnomer

(microgravity); and astronauts are in a slow free fall towards earth. This should take

approximately 15 minutes.

The teacher will then explain that students are going to further investigate the

challenges and implications of gravity on astronauts. Using both To Burp or Not To Burp: A

Guide to Your Body in Space and An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth (mainly chapter 10),

students will construct a short paper of approximately 500-750 words in length. In this paper,

students will describe what they know about gravity, apply that information to the context of

astronauts, and select key impacts and challenges that astronauts may face due to gravity.

Students will be given the rest of class time to read the books and plan their paper. Teachers
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will review the students planning and use this as a means of formative assessment, giving

feedback and correcting student errors before allowing the student to move onto the formal

writing of the paper. Students will then be given the next full class to work on this paper. The

final draft will be used as a means for summative assessment, whereby the students will receive

a letter grade based on their demonstration of knowledge and understanding of gravity (i.e.

ability to define and relate) and capacity to successfully organize key concepts and ideas from

the written texts (i.e. accurate information sorted in a logical way).

Justification for Books used and Learning Outcomes Being Achieved:

To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space and An Astronauts Guide to Life

on Earth both help achieve the learning outcome in the Science and English Language Arts

program of studies. Starting with English specifically, students will listen to the teacher read To

Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space (GLO #1 and #3), then write down that

information (GLO #1 and #3), integrating their own experiences with this new information to

enhance understanding (SLO 1.2). The students will also read these books, finding key ideas and

information to write about from them (GLO #3). In this process, students will plan a rough draft

for a paper (SLO 3.1), then write their formal draft of the paper that summarizes the material

and records the significant ideas in a logical way (SLO 3.3). Lastly, in relation to the Science

program of studies, both books provide accurate information pertaining to the challenges that

astronauts face in space due to the difference of gravity (GLO #2, SLO 2.1). By reading these

books and having the students meet the formative and summative assessments I have put in

place, I feel confident that the General Learning Outcomes and Specific Learning Outcomes I

have chosen will be successfully accomplished.