Life on Earth--and Beyond: An Astrobiologist's Quest by Pamela S. Turner

Life on Earth--and Beyond: An Astrobiologist's Quest (2008)
Written by: Pamela S. Turner
Photographs by: individual copyright holders
Charlesbridge, Watertown, MA
Lexile: 890L
Accelerated Reader: 2.0

Eye Opening, Informative, Exploratory, Expansive, Invigorating

Suggested Delivery: whole class read aloud

Electronic Resources to Support Reading:

     1.  Astrobiology Magazine

          This website is Astrobiology Magazine, which provides a wealth of information on outer space and the galaxy.  It includes featured, current stories and new information that is constantly surfacing, as well as factual information on the solar system, exploration, highly read articles, videos, and much more.  

     2.  Mars Funzone

          Students can have fun learning about Mars with interactive games and coloring, such as computing your weight on Mars and experiencing what it would be like to drive on Mars, and making a spacecraft model.

Key Vocabulary:

• biology - the study of life on Earth
• astrobiology - the study of life in the universe
• Antarctica's Dry Valleys - the largest ice-free areas in Antarctica 
• microbes - the tiniest of all living things, also called microorganisms
• Mars - a cold, dry planet; called the Red Planet because of its rust-colored dirt and rocks
• Europa - a moon of Jupiter
• Venus - the planet closest to Earth
• permafrost - a frozen mix of soil and ice
• genetic code - carried in every cell of every living thing, it is the "recipe" for making that organism
• cyanobacteria - a type of bacteria that obtain energy through photosynthesis, are blue-green algae

Before Reading:  Being a nonfiction book, it is essential to preview important terminology and new vocabulary words with students.  Before beginning the read aloud, present the key vocabulary to students, one by one, on a big poster paper.  With each word, ask students what they already know about the word.  What predictions do they have for what the book will be about?  As each new word is introduced and what students know about that word is recorded, see if students can add any other information to the previously discussed words.  As the book is being read, refer back to the poster board to compare the terminology with the students' definitions and knowledge.  How are they different, or are the same?  Can new information be added to the list?  

During Reading:  Students will be divided into groups to create a Blabberize on an assigned section of the book.  Students will work in groups of four and each have a speaking part on the Blabberize.  These sections include: The Dry Valleys of Antarctica, Mars, Atacama Desert in Chile, Siberia, Northern Russia, the Sahara Desert, and Lake Hoare, Antarctica.  Students should include factual information about their location and new, interesting facts they learned.  Blabberize

After Reading: Students will complete an exit slip on completion of reading and listening to the book.  They must write one interesting and new piece of information they learned from reading the book.  They must also write a topic they would like to learn more about.  This will provide the teacher with a quick, informal assessment of what students gained from reading Life on Earth.  

Writing Activity:  Using students' responses to exit slips on what topic they would like to learn more about, students will research further on this topic.  Then, they will construct a short composition (1-2 pages) on that idea and share their compositions with a classmate.  Students will peer revise and make any necessary revisions, then we will compile all entries into a spiral bound classroom book.