Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11

Yes- the book tells the whole process of the mission of Apollo 11. It tells the story of the building process of the rocket, the flight process of it, and everyone involved to make this mission possible.

• Author: Brian Floca
• Illustrator: Brian Floca
• Year Published: 2009
• ISBN: 13: 978-1-4169-5046-2

Science Topics

• Space Science

Minimum Suggested Grade Level

• 3rd Grade

Maximum Suggested Grade Level

• 8th Grade

Summary

This book tells the story of Apollo 11- the astronauts involved, the engineers, civilians, the viewers of the rocket, etc.

Evaluation

• Appropriateness: Medium
• Authority: High
• Accuracy: High
• Liteary Artistry: High
• Appearance: High

Questions

Does the book foster development of processes?

Yes- the book tells the whole process of the mission of Apollo 11. It tells the story of the building process of the rocket, the flight process of it, and everyone involved to make this mission possible.

Does the book provide an opportunity for children to ask and answer their own questions?

Yes. As children read this book they will probably want more background information, or ask questions about the specific astronauts who were in space during the mission (Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin). They can find most answers to their questions within the book because the book goes into a pretty detailed account of the Apollo 11 mission.

Does the book encourage children to think for themselves?

Yes. It's a story told of Apollo 11 and children can make their own connections while reading the book.

Is the science topic addressed in ways that are appropriate to the lesson?

Yes. The science topic is generally the topic of space/astronomy. It relates to elementary and secondary science TEKS.

Is the content based on sound scientific principles? Is it accurate?

Yes. It's an accurate story of a true event that actually happened in U.S. History

Does the book distinguish between fact and fiction?

It's a non-fiction book. The story aligns with the actual Apollo 11 event.

Are the illustrations clear and accurate?

Yes. All of the illustrations follow the text and go hand in hand with the story. The pictures are pretty to look at!!! Lots of colors.

Is the book written at the level of your students?

Yes. I think the book could be introduced to a mid-high elementary level, but also carry onto higher grades, such as middle school. Though it's a picture book the information comes from a true event that happened in history and it's information that everyone should be familiar with. Because of this, I think it's appropriate to use it in secondary grades.

Is there a multicultural component? Is it free from stereotyping?

There aren't really any stereotypes, but as far as multicultural- there isn't much of that. This book can be read by all audiences and all people groups, but every person in the illustrations are White, so it doesn't display multicultural racial groups.

Is the book free from gender bias?

Not really. Every astronaut or engineer involved in Apollo 11 is a male, but that's because this book is based on a true event and in the real event of Apollo 11, mostly male individuals were involved.

Does the book show the close association between science and other disciplines?

Yes. Science and math are integrated in this book because the engineers (mathematicians) in the story are using math to build a science exploration (successfully launch the rocket into space). This book gives a good example of how math, science, and technology are all related and all used together. They're not separate subjects, but rather all integrated.

Does the book present a positive attitude toward science and technology?

Yes. It does this by discussing the process of building the rocket and launching it into space. The reader sees from the illustrations and the text that both science and technology (computers, radios, head sets, etc.) were used to make this mission possible. This book does a good job of integrating science and technology.