The Moon

The Moon
By: Seymour Simon
Non-Fiction/Science

Ever wonder what the Moon looks like up close? Well, now you have the chance. Seymour Simon lets the reader get up close and personal with our Moon and explains many of its unique features in his book The Moon. In this book you can find stunning NASA photos and the answers to common questions about the moon such as, why there is no weather or sound on the moon, and why astronauts bounce. Scientifically accurate and informative, this book should be on every aspiring astronomers book shelf.

Classroom Application:
This book can be used to introduce students to some features of the Moon and facts, to prepare them for a more extensive Moon study unit. One suggestion for a Moon study activity would involve the students studying the topography of the Moon and its special features in order to design a suitable space craft to travel to the moon, and to choose an appropriate lunar landing site.(see link below) The students may use the book above, or other resources provided by the teacher such as other books, maps, photographs, or websites. Students will be placed in groups of four. Each team will have a Chief Engineer, Scientist, Lunar Geologist and a Public Relations Manager. Students will research features of spacecrafts,(perhaps by studying the Apollo shuttle mentioned in Seymour Simon's book)and study the topography of the Moon in order to choose a landing spot. Together the group will create PowerPoint presentation showing the design of their spacecraft, reasons for their design, landing location, and why they chose that spot. Students may choose to include photos, video clips, and text in their presentations.

Ideas for this lesson were borrowed from NASA.gov. Additional resources and a complete lesson plan can be found at: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/180575main_ETM.Lunar.Land.Sites.pdf