What are Voyager 1 & 2? | Astronomy Reading Comprehension 2 Passage & Questions

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, along with their famous Golden Record, open a powerful window into space exploration, planetary science and humanity’s place in the universe, making them an ideal hook for middle and high school science. This resource uses two carefully structured science reading passages with questions, one higher level and more complex and one lower level and more accessible, so you can differentiate easily while keeping the whole class focused on the same engaging topic. Students explore what the Voyager missions discovered about our solar system, why the spacecraft are now in interstellar space, and what messages were chosen for the Golden Record, building core knowledge in astronomy, physics and scientific inquiry.

The paired reading passages with comprehension questions, vocabulary prompts and critical thinking tasks help students practice close reading of informational text, interpret data, and connect space science to real world issues like technology, communication and the search for life beyond Earth, turning an iconic NASA mission into a flexible and ready to use lesson that fits smoothly into your existing curriculum.

The accessible version is geared towards approximately 5th / 6th / 7th grade science students, while the more advanced version is geared towards approximately 8th / 9th / 10th grade science students. This range for both could be extended with prep work or additional materials.

THIS WHAT ARE VOYAGER 1 & 2? ARTICLE CAN BE USED SO MANY WAYS:

• Useful for substitute (sub) teaching
• To extend students
• To increase scientific literacy in your class
• A weekly reading task
• Great as a lesson filler when class goes too fast
• To inspire students on a particular topic
• Give a selection of these articles for students to choose from

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THIS WHAT ARE VOYAGER 1 & 2? READING PASSAGE WITH QUESTIONS:

• 2 - 3 page Word doc image - textboxes teacher version with answers
• 2 - 2 page Word doc image - textboxes student version with room to fill in answers (text boxes)
• 2 - 3 page PDF teacher version with answers
• 2 - 2 page PDF student version without answers (but space left to do so)
• 2 - 3 page Google doc image - textboxes teacher version with answers
• 2 - 2 page Google doc image - textboxes student version with room to fill answers (text boxes)

Please note: That the Doc versions are images with editable text boxes overlayed on top and this is the most effective way to keep the article sleek and well-designed and also that students cannot change things significantly.