This is a storytelling website where the picture books are read by astronauts on the International Space Station. The focus here is on 1 picture book, 'Rosie Revere, engineer' by Andrea Beatty, but you can explore all the books on the website. All the titles have links to the Science curriculum, and younger children as well as upper primary students can explore the wonders of space and follow their curiosity.
Structure and features
Prereading
Allow the child to tell you what they already know about the job of an engineer, and about what we can learn from our mistakes.
Listening
Go to Rosie Revere, engineer to listen to the astronaut Kate Rubins reading the story. There is also a version on YouTube that shows the book pages so that the student can follow the text and pictures while listening.
Making connections
You can make connections between a story about extraordinary people and their adventures, and the student's own life and experience. In this case, the lesson is about accepting first attempts and failures as opportunities to learn and grow.
There are also connections between the different picture books on the Storytime from space website.
Watch and listen
Watch and listen to a new story every day.
Build vocabulary
There are new words for students that they could use in talking or writing, or that they might see in other books.
Teacher notes
Focus areas
- reading
- literacy
- vocabulary
- science
- the universe
- the International Space Station
Curriculum linking
- English
- Science
Assessment
Students could video themselves reading a picture book to the family.
Students can 'engineer’ an invention to use at home. They could use drawings or photos and describe their success or failure and how they felt about the process.
They can write a letter to the astronauts on the space station thanking them and telling them how planet Earth is at the moment. Sadly, letters and emails do not reach them, but the exercise might still be productive.
