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JASON Expedition : Mysteries of
Earth and Mars
Literature Connections
JASON literature selections, in conjunction
with JASON’s other language arts components, align well
with the language arts requirements of most schools and the national standards
for the English language
arts. Several titles have been selected to enhance the Expedition curriculum.
IMPORTANT: The reading level information given here is
intended as an initial guide. Before
assigning reading to your class, preview the selection to determine whether
reading level and
subject matter are appropriate for your students.
Download
the Complete Novel Teaching Packet Here!
For Primary Grades
Mission to Mars
by Franklyn
Branley with Forward by N. Armstrong
-
Readers imagine themselves as
crew members on the first manned mission to Mars. Once on the planet’s
surface, they drill for water, watch for dust storms, experience decreased
gravity, endure severe cold, and explore this new world.
For Younger Readers
One Day in the Desert
by Jean Craighead George
-
A wounded mountain lion makes his
way from his mountain habitat to a
Papago Indian hut in Arizona’s Sonoran
desert during a record-breaking July day. A young Papago Indian girl, her
mother, and an array of desert animals play out
the drama of a blistering
heat wave, a violent cloudburst, and a flash flood. Story includes vivid
descriptions of desert ecology.
For Main JASON Audience:
Mars Year One
Trilogy by Brad Strickland and Thomas
E. Fuller
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The Mars Year One series
follows the lives and experiences of twenty teenagers (the Asimov Project)
who join Marsport colonists in the hostile environment of Mars. The Asimov
Project teens soon learn that Mars has a millions ways to kill them. Can
Marsport survive and become self-sufficient? Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks,
2004-2005 AR Level: 5.3-5.8; AR Interest Level: MG
-
Match for Unit 1: Mars Year
One: Marooned!* ISBN: 0-689-86400-0
After a difficult childhood on Earth, fifteen-year old Sean joins his foster
mother
as an Asimov Project teen on Mars. It soon becomes evident that each Marsport
member is part of a team effort for survival. As conditions on
Earth deteriorate,
colonists must decide whether to return to Earth or stay.
-
Match for Unit 2: Mars Year
One: Missing!* ISBN: 0-689-86401-9 Landslides, a
deadly climate,
dwindling water supplies, and the unpredictable weather on Mars
make
survival nearly impossible for the colonists of Marsport. Teen leader Sean
defies orders to remain at Marsport and leads a search party to save water
pipeline workers who are isolated and lost during a fierce storm.
-
Match for Unit 3: Mars Year
One: Marsquake!* ISBN: 0-689-86402-7 While racing to complete its
deep-drilling project to tap Olympus Mons geothermal energy, a quake
strikes, damaging Marsport. As colonists scramble to repair the damage and
save
vital food sources, a team sets out to determine if lava tubes could
serve as
emergency shelters. The team is surprised to learn that the lava
tubes provide unexpected water and life form clues.
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Social Studies/History Connection
& a Classic: Available
in many versions to
match various reading and interest levels: This story
appeared at the turn of
the 20th century, when the existence of intelligent
life on Mars was believed
to be possible. The story describes a 12-day siege
by Martian invaders on Earth.
Well's narrative captured popular imagination
and pioneered the alien invaders
subset of the science-fiction genre. AR
Level: 2.9-9.1; AR Interest Level: MG-UG.
For Advanced Mature Readers:
Robot Visions
by Isaac Asimov*
Teacher and Classroom Resources
The Mystery of Mars
by Sally Ride & Tam O’Shaughnessy
A Traveler’s Guide to Mars
by William Hartman
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Hartmann, who participated in the
Mars Global Surveyor mission, provides a
thorough overview of the planet,
using photos and data. The most exciting
topic is water—whether it ever
flowed on Mars, where it may have gone, why it's
hard to find. Sidebars,
maps, and chronologies keep the regions and geology
of Mars organized.
The Real Mars
by Michael Hanlon and Jim Garvin
-
In January 2004, NASA rovers
Spirit and Opportunity landed on the rocky surface
of Mars and began their
historic exploration. Using spectacular orbital and surface images, The
Real Mars presents the story of a planet humans have long been
curious
about.
Accelerated Reading (AR) Source:
www.renlearning.com.
Grade levels: Lower,
Middle, and Upper
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