Arno’s passion for space, his “Deep Thoughts” and the fun facts scattered throughout the book are excellent creative prompts for engaging student interest in learning about space and its impact on human history.
- Encourage students to pay attention to Arno’s “Deep Thoughts” and the accompanying images. Remember, these ideas are very complex and it will take time for your students to achieve a full understanding of them.
- Discuss what these journal entries tell the reader about Arno as well as what they tell the reader about science.
- “When we finally get to see what Earth looks like from the Moon, I imagine that our perspective will change forever. Only then will we understand just how small and fragile our planet is and that each of us need to do our part to protect it” (138).
- Make sure you have the images “The Blue Marble” and “Earth Rise” available in your classroom. “The Blue Marble” was taken on the way to the Moon in 1972. “Earth Rise” is the photograph taken from the Moon in 1968.
- After showing these images to students, have them discuss what “The Blue Marble,” taken in 1972 when Arno would have been twenty-two, might mean to him.
- Have students discuss what makes them want to be part of looking after the planet.