Learning Curiosity from a Nonfiction Text
Grade
Grade 4
UNIT
4
•
Curiosity
In Unit 4, Lesson 2, “Learning Curiosity from a Nonfiction Text,” students will learn an example of curiosity from the life of a real person. By independently reading a nonfiction text, students will develop their reading comprehension skills. Finally, students will create their own sentences that demonstrate their reading comprehension and share their sentences with a partner.
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SUGGESTED TIME:
20 minutes
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Read a nonfiction text independently to develop reading comprehension skills
- Demonstrate understanding of the main idea of a nonfiction text
- Compose sentences that demonstrate comprehension of the word curiosity
- Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar
- Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Video: George Carruthers - 2011 National Medal of Technology & Innovation by National Science and Technology Medals Foundation (NSTMF) (~2 min)
- Prohuman Grade 4 Unit 4 Worksheet 2: Learning Curiosity from a Nonfiction Text
VOCABULARY:
- Curiosity: I want to learn new things.
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
- Without providing any context, show students the first image of this article from NASA, “Remembering the First Moon-Based Telescope.”
- Ask the students what they see.
- Ask the students what they wonder about.
- Explain that this image was taken in 1972 of Apollo 16 astronaut John Young using a telescope to photograph star clouds, nebulae, and Earth’s outermost atmosphere from the Moon. It was the first telescope used to make astronomical observations from the surface of another planetary body.
- Tell students that this scientist who received a patent for this telescope is named George Carruthers.
- Play the video: George Carruthers - 2011 National Medal of Technology & Innovation by National Science and Technology Medals Foundation (NSTMF) (~2 min)
- Have students read the nonfiction text on the worksheet, quietly to themselves. Circle the room to support the students.
- Have students write the answers to the worksheet questions.
- Have students share their answers with a partner.
GRADE 4 UNIT 4 WORKSHEET 2: LEARNING CURIOSITY FROM A NONFICTION TEXT
Curiosity: I want to learn new things.
NONFICTION TEXT: DR. GEORGE CARRUTHER’S CURIOSITY
George Carruthers was born in Ohio in 1939. As a kid, he was very interested in space. When he was 10, he built his first telescope from lenses he saw for sale in an astronomy magazine. In 1964, he earned a PhD in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. George then worked for the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).
In the 1960s, George designed, built, tested, and patented a compact and powerful telescope, which became the first (and still the only) astronomical instrument sent to the Moon. It was placed on the lunar surface on Apollo 16 in 1972, and it performed very well, leading to better knowledge of the Earth’s outermost atmosphere and the vast spaces between the stars and galaxies invisible to the eye.
George became famous and helped young people get involved in science, technology, and engineering. He mentored many students and brought students into his laboratory to experience research. In the 1980s, he took part in creating the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP), which supports students in working and being mentored by NRL scientists to experience and appreciate science firsthand.
Over the years, Carruthers has received many awards and honors for his work. In 2013, he was awarded the 2011 National Medal for Technology and Innovation by President Barack Obama.
Source: https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/george-carruthers-astronautical-engineer-astronomer
ACTIVITY:
- How did George Carruthers show curiosity?
- What did George invent that made him famous?
- How did George help others?
- What is something you are curious about and why?
Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/