The Space Race Unit: Lessons, Projects, and Activities
The Space Race was an exciting time when the United States and the Soviet Union competed to explore space and achieve amazing firsts. It has always been a fascinating topic to me because it is one of the few subjects where science and history truly come together. The Space Race Unit allows students to learn about that time through reading, watching, building, and creating. From launching rockets to designing space patches, students explore how science, teamwork, and determination have helped humans reach beyond Earth.
This was always a favorite part of our astronomy studies, and now that I’ve had the chance to go through this Space Race Unit with my own children, I can say it continues to be just as engaging and meaningful. I look forward to the discussions it sparks as we learn about the “race to space” between great minds. If your students enjoy this topic, be sure to explore our other science resources , including our Solar and Lunar Eclipses Unit Study.
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How to Use the Space Race Unit
These activities are designed to be used in a flexible way depending on your students and schedule. You can work through the unit in order, beginning with the Space Race articles and video to build background knowledge, then move into the timeline activity to understand the sequence of events. From there, students can explore hands-on learning with the multi-stage rocket lab, followed by deeper thinking with the Apollo 13 movie and discussion questions. Finally, the space patch project gives students a creative way to apply what they have learned. Feel free to adjust the pace, skip activities, or revisit sections based on your students’ needs and interests.
- Introduce Key Vocabulary
- Read about the Space Race
- Watch and Learn about the Space Race
- Engage in a Multi-Stage Rocket Lab
- Review the Timeline of the Space Race
- Apollo 13 Movie and Movie Notes
- Design Your Own Space Patch
Key Vocabulary Covered in the Space Race Unit Study
The Space Race vocabulary activity is designed to help students better understand important terms related to the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Space Race. Before diving into the Space Race Unit Study, students will first review a reference sheet that includes 15 key vocabulary words and their definitions. Some of the words included are satellite, orbit, astronaut, and rocket. After reviewing the meanings, students will complete a matching worksheet where they connect each term to its correct definition. This activity helps reinforce understanding of scientific and historical concepts while clearly building vocabulary skills.
What was the Space Race?
The Space Race began during the Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union were trying to prove they were the most advanced country in the world. It started in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first satellite to orbit Earth. Soon after, they sent the first human into space, Yuri Gagarin.
In response, the United States created NASA and set a bold goal. President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to land a man on the Moon. This led to the Apollo missions, including the famous Apollo 11 Moon Landing, when humans first walked on the Moon. Students will read all about what led up to the Space Race, what happened during it, and what was accomplished during it.
Read Space Race Articles with Multiple Choice Questions
To learn more, students will read three articles that explore different parts of the Space Race. The first article explains the early competition between the United States and the Soviet Union and how the race to space began. The second article focuses on the Apollo missions and how the United States worked to land astronauts on the Moon. The third article dives deeper into the spacecraft that made the Moon landing possible, including the Saturn V rocket, the Command Module, and the Lunar Module.
After reading each article, students can check their understanding by answering multiple-choice questions. These questions will help them remember important events, people, and inventions from this exciting period in history and prepare them for discussions, projects, and other hands-on activities about the Space Race.
The Space Race Article by History.com
This Space Race Article was written by the editors at History.com. You can link to the article here where you will also find video clips and photos. For those of you wanting a hard copy, I copied the article to a PDF. There you will also find 9 Comprehension/Discussion questions which are likely to spark an intellectual conversation about what was going on in history and science at that time.
Man on the moon: Kennedy speech ignited the dream
Article & Comprehension Questions
Man on the Moon: Kennedy speech ignited the dream highlights key dialogue spoken by Kennedy during a speech that fueled support for space exploration. CNN reporter, Richard Stenger, is the author of the article. I found this article years ago and saved it. Even though I made some attempts to find it online, I am unable to at this time. The article provides some historical reference for the time period. There are 4 comprehension questions that could serve as independent work for your student or fuel a discussion. This is an appropriate addition to any Space Race Unit.
Watch and Learn in the Space Race Unit
The Space Race
The Space Race video clip is less than 5 minutes long. I would definitely add this one to my space race unit study. If you are looking for a visual that hits only the high points, then this may be it. For me, I would suggest watching this video clip at the beginning of your study and then the documentary throughout your study.
Neil Armstrong- First Moon Landing 1969
Neil Armstrong and the first steps on the moon are presented here in a short video. Over the years, I have heard on countless occasions that Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon was faked. That the whole thing was an elaborate movie set. Whatever you believe, it is an important enough event for students to know about and understand whether you believe it happened or not.
Space Race to the Moon Documentary
This documentary is an entertaining and educational one to watch over a couple of days. It may not be for the younger crowd, but your middle school students will definitely get into it if they are science minded. Visually appealing and real… great footage. I enjoyed watching this one.
Space Exploration Timeline
The Space Exploration Timeline allows your student to compare and contrast the United States and Soviet Union in terms of accomplishments during the space race. It focuses on the years 1957-1969. To create a hands-on activity, tape the timelines together to create a long vertical timeline. Other than looking over the timelines and discussing key events, the timeline helped us see the time period as an actual race with two competitors sprinting to the finish line.
Build a Multi-Stage Rocket
This multi-stage rocket lab is one of the most fun activities I do with my students. I have been known to use this when studying chemical reactions, states of matter, and in this case, multi-stage rockets like Saturn V. Including a lab into your Space Race Unit Study is ideal and highly recommended. The Saturn V is the rocket that took the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. There is a short article included that explains what multi-stage rockets are and how the Saturn V and Space Shuttle are similar and different. Read more about Multi-Stage Rockets here!
Apollo 13 Movie & Movie Notes
Apollo 13 is an awesome dramatic movie depicting the events that took place during the Apollo 13 mission to the moon. In the end, the mission was considered a successful failure. For years, my students watched this film while answering key questions about the Space Race and important facts in regards to the Apollo mission.
I would suggest watching it over the course of 2-3 days. It is a long movie, but when cut into smaller pieces is completely doable for middle school or high school students.
The Apollo 13 movie questions are an effective way to take advantage of the educational value of the movie. It also encourages listening and comprehension skills. These notes help students to pay attention and focus on the content. Help the students to read through the questions prior to the movie so that they will be better equipped to hear the answers. Be aware of the opening scene… there is a verbal sexual reference with Kevin Bacon talking to a woman during the party scene. You can fast-forward over it pretty easily. Other than that, I can’t remember anything else to warn you about. The movie is worth watching! Check out the Apollo 13 Movie Questions to download.
Design your own Space Patch Project
This slideshow leads students into a Space Patch Project. The guidelines for the project include creating and designing a patch. On the back of the patch, the students are required to write at least 5 sentences explaining their design and how it represents their country and mission.
More Space and Science Resources
Food for thought...
Looking for a more permanent science curriculum? Even though we pursue various science units that encompass labs and such, we also use a science textbook each year. Some might say that our science units supplement our textbook, while others would say the opposite to be true. The labs, experiments, graphic organizers, videos, and other activities bring the textbook information to life.
We use Abeka Science textbooks. I love that they incorporate God and His sovereignty into their curriculum. When I taught in the public school system, I noticed that many of my students were lacking in vocabulary. This made it difficult for them to understand the why behind many of our investigations. Unfortunately, they were deficient in their background knowledge. Our science time would be lacking too if it weren’t for the rich vocabulary and science language that we find in our science textbook and readers. If you are interested in shopping for a full-time science curriculum or even just a textbook to guide you, click on the following link! Happy homeschooling!
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