What is the main idea?

What do you get when you cross a robot and an astronaut? A Robonaut! Robonauts are robot helpers designed to work side-by-side with astronauts. In 2002, Robonaut B featured interchangeable lower bodies, like four-wheel mode or hydraulic legs. Yet scientists and engineers continued to improve Robonaut. In 2010, Robonaut 2 moved four times faster than the first Robonaut. In 2011, an advanced version of Robonaut 2 was tested in outer space.

•  Robonauts have improved over the years.
•  Robonauts are trash!
•  Robonauts no longer exist.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

My grandma may not look very strong, but with the help of hydraulic power, she can stop a car with her foot. How does hydraulic power work? First, fluid is rapidly released into a chamber through a valve. As the fluid collects, the valve is slammed shut. This causes a pressure spike, but since the chamber is sealed, the pressure has nowhere to go. The hydraulic mechanism channels the pressure and provides great power. And that's how, with the help of hydraulics, my grandma can stop a speeding car with one foot.

•  This paragraph is about how hydraulics work.
•  This paragraph is about someone's grandma's big foot.
•  This paragraph is about how strong grandma's can be after they lift weights.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

Many people use the words cyborg and android interchangeably, but these words have different meanings. Both refer to beings powered by robotics, but an android is powered entirely by machinery. Cyborgs are partly powered by a living organism. They also look different.  So you see, though the terms cyborg and android seem similar, they refer to different things.

•  This paragraph compares and contrasts androids and cyborgs.
•  This paragraph compares and contrasts androids and computers.
•  This paragraph compares and contrasts android phones and cyborgs.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Sir Isaac Newton was contemplating the universe in his garden one day in 1665 when he noticed an apple fall from a tree. Newton wondered to himself, “Why should the apple always fall to the ground? Why does it not go sideways or upwards but directly toward the Earth’s center?” After much contemplation Newton concluded that objects are pulled to the Earth through a force that he called gravity, which means heaviness in Latin. 

• A falling apple inspired Newton to think about gravity.
• A falling tree inspired Newton to think about gravity.
• A falling apple inspired Newton to think about energy.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

In the summer of 1939, Albert Einstein and a group of scientists wrote to President Roosevelt. They warned Roosevelt that the Nazi’s were conducting atomic research and that the consequences would be dire if the Nazis were to win the race to build an atom bomb. They recommended that U.S. become involved in uranium research. The U.S. joined the atomic race and poured billions of dollars into the development of weaponry. The U.S. won the race and became the first country to build an atomic bomb. The bomb was then used in Japan, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians. 

• Albert Einstein recommended that the U.S. develop atomic bombs.
  
• A falling apple inspired Albert Einstein recommended that the U.S. build airplanes for war.
• Albert Einstein recommended that the U.S. develop a military troop for war.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.7.1