The worlds within our oceans and in space are looked at in this theme. Through selections from the books The Adventures of Sojourner: The Mission to Mars That Thrilled the World, Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, Beneath Blue Waters, and Out There, students will work with the skills of cause and effect, following directions, categorize and classify, and drawing conclusions.
Students are responsible for knowing the following vocabulary at the end of this theme:
Key Vocabulary: New Frontiers: Ocean and Space
descent: instance of going down
analysis: separation of a substance into its parts in order to study each one
interpret: determine or explain the meaning of something
predicament: a situation, especially an unpleasant or troubling one, from which it is difficult to remove one’s self
perilous: dangerous
simulate: to pretend in an imitation of something
qualification: skill or other trait that suits a person for a particualr job or activity
menagerie: a miscellaneous group; a collection of wild animals
unfathomable: impossible to measure or to understand
visibility: greatest distance over which it is possible to see
inquiries: requests for information
discount: to doubt the truth of something or regard it as wild exaggeration
evaluate: form an opinion of what has been read
analogy: comparison between words that show a specific relationship
classify: sort similar things into groups
categorize: name the classified groups
impartial: not favoring one side or person more than another
persuasive essay: to convince a particular audience to agree with you about a specific topic through an essay