Magnificent Desolation: NASA IMAX Movie

I first saw this movie at Kennedy Space Center in the IMAX theater. It. Was. Amazing. My dad, being the biggest supporter of my classroom and a huge space nerd to boot, decided I  needed to have this for the students. After seeing the movie, who was I to argue?? It really is amazing.

We have one lonely benchmark on space exploration in Florida - SC.4.E.5.5. I like to show this movie around this time. It ties in with the Apollo missions and the what-ifs of what could have happened if things had gone wrong.

I like to pose a question to my students: Would you go to the  moon? - and then have them make a t-chart of pros & cons in their notebooks. Their final writing assignment is to make a decision...would they go to the moon? And write their thoughts based on the evidence from the movie.

This is a great way to tie writing in with the science curriculum - and I'm talking about writing that will actually  help them prepare for the 4th grade FSA Writing test. (And if you hang these in the hallway you'll look really good when your principal takes a peek at the writing expectations of your science class!)