The Hubble Space Telescope
Transcription
The Hubble Space Telescope
PASSAGE 2 Week 1 Nonfiction Grades 7/8 • Level V • Word Count 977 Summer Achievement Program The Hubble Space Telescope 1 The work of Edwin Hubble was of great importance. In the 1920s, Dr. Hubble discovered that our galaxy, the Milky Way, is just one of many in the universe. He also showed that the universe is expanding. 2 Scientists still had many questions. For instance, what’s the shape of the universe? How do planets, stars, and galaxies evolve? And how many galaxies are there? The Hubble Space Telescope was created to help answer those and other important questions. 3 Hubble could help scientists answer such questions because it orbits above Earth’s atmosphere—the blanket of gases surrounding our planet. Even on clear nights, those gases block and distort light from the stars. In fact, it is the atmosphere that causes stars to appear as if they are twinkling. 4 As early as the 1920s, scientists had dreamed of placing a telescope in orbit above the atmosphere. Such a telescope would be able to see images ten times sharper than the biggest telescope on the ground. It would also see different types of light—like ultraviolet light—that are blocked out by Earth’s atmosphere. After years of study by astronomers, the U.S. Congress approved funding in 1977. The Hubble Space Telescope was about to be born. Hubble Enters Space 5 Many telescopes besides Hubble have been sent into space. But so far, Hubble is the largest, and therefore has the keenest eye. At its heart is a system of mirrors that reflect light into several cameras and instruments. The largest of those mirrors is the primary mirror, which has a diameter of about two meters. 6 While Hubble was being built in the 1980s, engineers knew the primary mirror had to be ground exactly right. It had to be curved perfectly so that it focused light into a clear image. Summer Achievement Program/Passages 7 GRADES 7/8 | The Hubble Space Telescope • Passage 2, Level V 7 Despite their extreme care, an error crept into the engineers’ calculations. No one knew it yet, but they were off by about two microns—about onefiftieth the thickness of a human hair. That seemingly tiny error would have a big impact on Hubble’s future. 8 About 10,000 people took part in Hubble’s design and construction. Hubble’s designers packed it with sensitive instruments that would be able to see things the naked eye cannot. As the telescope took shape, it began to look like a tin can covered with aluminum foil. That is because Hubble is coated with blankets of Teflon, aluminum, and other protective layers that help keep its temperature steady in space. 9 Hubble was supposed to be launched into space in 1983, but technical problems held it up until 1986. Then in 1986, the space shuttle Challenger blew up, causing all shuttle flights to be postponed. It wasn’t until 1990 that Hubble rode up into orbit on the space shuttle Discovery. Scientists all over the world were excited. They believed that decades of work were about to pay off. 10 The first pictures that Hubble took looked encouraging. But astronomers noticed that they looked fuzzy, and efforts to clear them up failed. Soon it was discovered that the flawed primary mirror was the problem. Hubble could be fixed, but it would take millions of dollars and eat up valuable time. Gloom settled over the entire Hubble project. The gloom would not lift for another three years. Fixing Hubble 11 When Hubble’s problems became public, the telescope became the object of jokes. Newspapers ran headlines like “Pix Nixed as Hubble Sees Double.” Comedians poked fun at Hubble’s creators for spending $2.2 billion on a nearsighted telescope. But despite the jokes, the situation was serious. Though Hubble still gathered valuable scientific data, Congress threatened to cut off the money for further space research. 12 There was only one chance to silence the critics. It came on December 2, 1993, when the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off on a complex rescue mission. For eleven days, the crew of the Endeavour struggled to repair the Hubble. Wearing bulky space suits and battling zero gravity, astronauts made five space walks, a record number, to do repairs. Millions of television viewers tuned in to watch. 8 Summer Achievement Program/Passages Passage 2, Level V • The Hubble Space Telescope | GRADES 7/8 13 Endeavour’s astronauts had to practice long and hard for this mission. The zero gravity of space cannot be duplicated well here on Earth. So the astronauts practiced by working in water tanks and using virtual reality machines that gave them a sense of weightlessness. Each of the astronauts was trained to do a specific job. But all of them learned how to do one another’s jobs as well. That way the mission could go on even if one of the astronauts became ill or was injured. 14 Once in space, Endeavour had to catch Hubble. That was not easy since the telescope was whizzing around Earth at 17,500 miles per hour. Once that was accomplished, the astronauts had to bring Hubble into Endeavour’s shuttle bay. Hubble’s mirror was not the only thing that had to be fixed. The solar panels had become wobbly, making it difficult to point the telescope at one spot and hold it steady. New panels needed to be installed. In all, the astronauts had eleven major repairs or changes to make. 15 However, the main problem was still how to fix the primary mirror. It was too difficult to replace, so engineers did the next best thing: They invented a contact lens for Hubble. The contact lens came in the form of a box about the size of a telephone booth. This device took the light coming in from space and refocused it in a way that would allow Hubble to see clearly. 16 Endeavour’s mission went flawlessly. Just over two weeks after the astronauts returned to Earth, scientists gathered to see if the repairs had worked. As the first images appeared, cheers went up. The fuzzy-looking blobs that Hubble had once produced were now crystal-clear images of galaxies and stars. Hubble was fixed, and our view of the universe has not been the same since. Copyright © 2014 Sundance/Newbridge Publishing, LLC. Excerpted from the Newbridge title Eye on the Universe by Sean Price, Level V Summer Achievement Program/Passages 9 GRADES 7/8 | The Hubble Space Telescope • Passage 2, Level V Name ___________________________________________________________________ Selected Responses Mark the letter of the correct answer. 1. What was the author’s purpose for writing this passage? A. to persuade readers to pay attention to images that the Hubble Telescope sends B. to inform readers about how a small mistake can have huge consequences C. to persuade readers about how much Edwin Hubble changed space exploration D. to inform readers about the history and uses of the Hubble Telescope 2. W hy would a telescope in space allow the images to be ten times sharper than one on Earth? A. The telescope would be much closer to the object. B. Since there is zero gravity, the telescope can focus better. C. The telescope in space would be above Earth’s atmosphere. D. The telescope in space could be much bigger. 3. H ow long did it take for the Hubble Telescope to go from being funded to actually working? A. about 4 years B. about 16 years C. about 56 years D. about 72 years 10 Summer Achievement Program/Passages © Sundance/Newbridge, LLC Passage 2, Level V • The Hubble Space Telescope | GRADES 7/8 Name ___________________________________________________________________ Constructed Responses 4. Explain what is meant by the last sentence, “…our view of the universe has not been the same since.” 5. Explain why the repair of the Hubble Telescope was such a difficult task. Use details from the passage in your answer. © Sundance/Newbridge, LLC Summer Achievement Program/Passages 11 GRADES 7/8 | The Hubble Space Telescope • Passage 2, Level V Name ___________________________________________________________________ Writing Activity Fill in the chart about “The Hubble Space Telescope.” Write what the passage is mostly about in the Central Idea box. Write an important piece of information you learned from the passage in each Detail box. Central Idea Detail 12 Detail Summer Achievement Program/Passages Detail © Sundance/Newbridge, LLC Benefits of the Sundance/Newbridge Summer Achievement Program For Students: Offers a range of high quality, carefully leveled informational and literary passages covering a wide range of captivating stories and topics. Promotes effective test-taking practices through selected-response and constructed-response assessment items. Provides a consistent format and multiple opportunities to practice reading succinct passages, establishing a solid foundation for reading comprehension. Supplies practice with written responses allowing for an improved connection between reading and writing. Fosters practical comprehension and test-taking skills that can be applied to texts from any subject. For Teachers: Supplies standard-specific questions to assess students’ comprehension. Presents explicit instruction for using the gradual release of responsibility model to promote collaborative learning. Includes a flexible pacing guide to meet the needs of each individual class. Integrates diagnostic assessment into each week’s lesson plan for evaluating and monitoring students’ progress. Gives detailed scoring points and sample answers to each constructedresponse item. Uses a consistent instructional format from week to week that allows for ease of implementation in any summer school classroom setting. Summer Achievement Program/Passages TEACHER GUIDE 3 Using This Teacher Guide Use the Pacing Guide on the following pages along with the following steps for each week’s instruction to implement this program in your classroom. Diagnostic Pre-Test: Begin the week by having students read and respond to the week’s first passage. Use their work to diagnose students’ reading comprehension skills at this Guided Reading Level. Model: Use the week’s second passage to model for the whole class how to read and respond to a nonfiction text. First, read aloud the entire passage, stopping to reread difficult sections. Then, complete each selected response question as a class by first reading the question and answer choices aloud and showing students how to go back to the passage to locate or find evidence to support the correct answer. Finally, work with the class to write answers to the constructed response questions and complete the writing activity, again referring back to the passage often. Repeat the above process with the week’s third passage, which is a fiction passage. Guided Practice: Have students work in pairs or small groups to read and respond to the week’s fourth passage. Provide support to students, reminding them to reread sections of the text and to review their answers after they have finished. Repeat for the week’s fifth passage. Provide support to student pairs as needed. Independent Application: Have students read the week’s seventh passage independently. When students have finished, review the answers with them using the answers and scoring points in this Teacher Guide. Have any students who finish early read one of the week’s leveled readers for additional close reading practice with a longer text. Provide support to students who may be struggling. Guide them to locate the text that helps them answer each question. Remind them that good readers reread sections or the entire text to improve their understanding. Repeat the above process with the week’s eighth and ninth passages. Diagnostic Posttest: End the week by evaluating students’ progress by having students read and respond to the week’s tenth passage posttest. Assign leveled readers to students who have shown improvement and allow them to read independently. Continue to work closely with students who may still be struggling. Reread the week’s tenth passage with them and work together to respond to the questions. As time allows, repeat with other passages that were read earlier in the week. 8 TEACHER GUIDE Summer Achievement Program/Passages Grades 7/8 Pacing Guide DAY 4 DAY 3 DAY 2 DAY 1 Week 1 Guided Reading Level V Task Classroom Organization Estimated Time Diagnostic Pretest Passage 1 “Test-Subject Klang” (Fiction) Individual assessment 30–45 mins Model Passage 2 “The Hubble Space Telescope” (Nonfiction) Teacher-led whole class instruction 60–75 mins Model Passage 3 “The Villainous Inventor” (Fiction) Teacher-led whole class instruction 60–75 mins Guided Practice Passage 4 “Journey to Jupiter” (Nonfiction) Student pairs with teacher support 30–45 mins Guided Practice Passage 5 “The Beginnings of Plastic” (Nonfiction) Student pairs 30–45 mins Independent Application Passage 6 “The Competition” (Fiction) Independent work with teacher support as needed 60–75 mins Independent Application Passage 7 “Algae, Algae Everywhere!” (Nonfiction) Independent work 40–60 mins Independent work 40–60 mins Independent work 60–75 mins Individual assessment 30–45 mins Additional Practice: Amusement Park Science (Nonfiction) Independent Application Passage 8 “Exploring the Galapagos Islands” (Nonfiction) Additional Practice: Egypt (Nonfiction) DAY 5 Independent Application Passage 9 “Two Ocean Explorers” (Nonfiction) Additional Practice: The Harlem Renaissance: Profiles in Creativity (Nonfiction) Posttest Passage 10 “Science at the Amusement Park” (Nonfiction) Summer Achievement Program/Passages TEACHER GUIDE 9 DAY 9 DAY 8 DAY 7 DAY 6 Week 2 Guided Reading Level W Task Classroom Organization Estimated Time Diagnostic Pretest Passage 11 “Gold in the Hills” (Fiction) Individual assessment 30–45 mins Model Passage 12 “Newton’s Laws of Motion” (Nonfiction) Teacher-led whole class instruction 60–75 mins Model Passage 13 “Television” (Fiction) Teacher-led whole class instruction 60–75 mins Guided Practice Passage 14 “Using Force and Motion” (Nonfiction) Student pairs with teacher support 30–45 mins Guided Practice Passage 15 “Friction” (Nonfiction) Student pairs 30–45 mins Independent Application Passage 16 “Fourth Quarter” (Fiction) Independent work with teacher support as needed 60–75 mins Independent Application Passage 17 “Building with Air” (Nonfiction) Independent work 40–60 mins Independent work 40–60 mins Independent work 60–75 mins Individual assessment 30–45 mins Additional Practice: Greece (Nonfiction) Independent Application Passage 18 “Weathering the Wind” (Nonfiction) DAY 10 Additional Practice: Forces in Motion (Nonfiction) 10 Independent Application Passage 19 “Obeying the Laws of Gravity” (Nonfiction) Additional Practice: Gold in the Hills (Fiction) Posttest Passage 20 “Technology to the Rescue” (Nonfiction) TEACHER GUIDE Summer Achievement Program/Passages DAY 14 DAY 13 DAY 12 DAY 11 Week 3 Guided Reading Level X Task Classroom Organization Estimated Time Diagnostic Pretest Passage 21 “Letters from the Frontier” (Fiction) Individual assessment 30–45 mins Model Passage 22 “A Bright Idea” (Nonfiction) Teacher-led whole class instruction 60–75 mins Model Passage 23 “Let There Be Rock!” (Fiction) Teacher-led whole class instruction 60–75 mins Guided Practice Passage 24 “An Adventure in Space” (Nonfiction) Student pairs with teacher support 30–45 mins Guided Practice Passage 25 “Space Travel: Problems and Solutions” (Nonfiction) Student pairs 30–45 mins Independent Application Passage 26 “The Pet Show: My Turn” (Fiction) Independent work with teacher support as needed 60–75 mins Independent Application Passage 27 “Using the Power of Lasers” (Nonfiction) Independent work 40–60 mins Independent work 40–60 mins Independent work 60–75 mins Individual assessment 30–45 mins Additional Practice: Extreme Flight: Rocket Science (Nonfiction) Independent Application Passage 28 “Nanoworld” (Nonfiction) DAY 15 Additional Practice: Lasers: Taking Light to Extremes (Nonfiction) Independent Application Passage 29 “Nanotechnology at Work” (Nonfiction) Additional Practice: Nanotechnology: A Giant Leap for Science (Nonfiction) Posttest Passage 30 “The Dead Sea” (Nonfiction) Summer Achievement Program/Passages TEACHER GUIDE 11 DAY 19 DAY 18 DAY 17 DAY 16 Week 4 Guided Reading Level Y/Z Task Classroom Organization Estimated Time Diagnostic Pretest Passage 31 “Wearable Art Fashion Show Finals” (Fiction) Individual assessment 30–45 mins Model Passage 32 “The Life of Layer Hens” (Nonfiction) Teacher-led whole class instruction 60–75 mins Model Passage 33 “Deluxe Pups” (Fiction) Teacher-led whole class instruction 60–75 mins Guided Practice Passage 34 “Women’s Rights” (Nonfiction) Student pairs with teacher support 30–45 mins Guided Practice Passage 35 “Who Is Banksy?” (Nonfiction) Student pairs 30–45 mins Independent Application Passage 36 “In Flanders Fields” (Fiction) Independent work with teacher support as needed 60–75 mins Independent Application Passage 37 “The Last Two States” (Nonfiction) Independent work 40–60 mins Independent work 40–60 mins Independent work 60–75 mins Individual assessment 30–45 mins Additional Practice: The History of Looking Cool (Nonfiction) Independent Application Passage 38 “Toxic Soup” (Nonfiction) DAY 20 Additional Practice: Animal Issues (Nonfiction) 12 Independent Application Passage 39 “Your Health” (Nonfiction) Additional Practice: Women’s Rights (Nonfiction) Posttest Passage 40 “Rain Forests at Risk” (Nonfiction) TEACHER GUIDE Summer Achievement Program/Passages Grades 7/8 | Passage 2 | Level V “The Hubble Space Telescope” Selected Responses 1. D (RI.7.8, RI.7.10, RI.8.8, RI.8.10) 2. C (RI.7.1, RI.7.10, RI.8.1, RI.8.10) 3. B (RI.7.1, RI.7.10, RI.8.1, RI.8.10) Constructed Responses 4. Scoring Points 1 point—explains the meaning of the phrase; Sample answer: “Our view of the universe has not been the same since” means that the Hubble Telescope has changed our view of the universe so it is much better than it ever was before. 0 points—does not give a logical answer (RI.7.4, RI.7.10, L.7.5, RI.8.4, RI.8.10, L.8.5) 5. Scoring Points 2 points—explains why the repair was so difficult using details from the passage; Sample answers: The repair of the Hubble Telescope was such a difficult task because it was moving at 17,500 miles an hour, 11 different repairs needed to be made, astronauts had to do five spacewalks, everything was weightless, astronauts had to practice but zero gravity conditions could not be duplicated, and astronauts had to learn more than one job in case another astronaut became sick or injured. 1 point—partially answers the question, such as gives an explanation but is missing details from the passage 0 points—does not give a logical answer (RI.7.1, RI.7.10, W.7.9b, W.7.10, RI.8.1, RI.8.10, W.8.9b, W.8.10) Writing Activity Scoring Points Sample 2-Point Answer Central Idea: The passage is mostly about how the Hubble Space Telescope was built and repaired in space. Details (three such as the following): The Hubble Telescope was launched in 1990. The first pictures looked fuzzy, and scientists found an error in the curve of the primary mirror. Engineers invented a lens to put onto the Hubble, and it worked perfectly. (RI.7.2, RI.7.10, W.7.4, W.7.10, RI.8.2, RI.8.10, W.8.4, W.8.10) 14 TEACHER GUIDE Summer Achievement Program/Passages