Lesson Plan - What's Out There?

Watch a Video: Are We Alone?

After students watch, have them turn and talk with a partner and discuss the following question: How are people trying to investigate the possibiliity of extraterrestrial life?

Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• phenomena 
• extraterrestrial

Set a Purpose for Reading

As students read, have them think about why it might be difficult to explain UFO sightings.

1. What is this article mostly about? It is mostly about how the U.S. government has investigated and explained some UFO sightings. But it can’t explain all of them.

^{(RI.4.2 MAIN IDEA)}

2. According to the article, what event contributed to the spread of “UFO fever” in 1948? In 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold reported that he saw nine glowing objects speed past his plane while he was flying over the mountains in Washington State.

^{(RI.4.3 CAUSE AND EFFECT)}

3. What explanations are given for some of the UFO sightings? Cite text evidence. The article says, “Some UFOs turned out to be shadows caused by sunlight or clouds. Others were drones or military planes.”

^{(RI.4.1 TEXT EVIDENCE)}

FEATURED SKILL: Reflect on Reading

“Three Big Questions” is based on a questioning strategy from Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst’s book Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters. 

^{(RI.4.3 IDEAS AND CONCEPTS)}