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Reading Comprehension Worksheets
The 1950's
NASA

The 1950's
The 1950's

NASA
Print NASA Reading Comprehension


Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 7 to 9
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   8.24

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    Wernher, wake-up, launched, civilian, destruction, experimental, rockets, eisenhower, military, originally, homeland, personnel, widely, aircraft, exploration, direct
     content words:    United States, Soviet Union, President Dwight D., National Aeronautics, Space Act, Space Administration, World War II, Adolf Hitler, Von Braun, Air Force

NASA
By Jane Runyon 		  
1     The events of October 4, 1957, were a wake-up call for the people of the United States. On that day, the Soviet Union launched a man-made satellite into space. Until that day, the moon was the only thing circling the Earth. It surprised scientists in the United States that the Soviet Union had the technology needed for such a feat. American scientists were not nearly ready to accomplish the same mission.
 
2     Leaders in Washington, D.C., were worried about more than who was the first to develop the technology needed to visit space. They felt that the Soviet satellite in space offered a direct threat to the safety of the world. They believed that information gathered from cameras contained in a satellite could be a threat to the security of any country in the world. Both scientists and government leaders agreed that something needed to be done quickly to put the United States on an equal playing field with the Soviet Union.
 
3     After a lot of debate, a plan was set into motion. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into effect on July 29, 1958. This act established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This group was originally made up of 80 workers in four different laboratories. It was their job to conduct research into space exploration. The group would not be connected to the military. It would develop the technology needed to bring the United States into the "Space Race."

Paragraphs 4 to 7:
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The 1950's
             The 1950's

More Lessons
             High School Reading Comprehensions and High School Reading Lessons

United States
             United States


    American Government  
 
    Black History and Blacks in U.S. History  
 
    Children in History  
 
    Government Careers  
 
    Hispanic Heritage  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
 
    Immigration  
 
    National Parks and Monuments  
 
    Native Americans  
 
    Presidents of the United States  
 
    Women's History  
 

United States History
    A Nation Divided
(1840-1861) 		 
 
    A New Nation
(1776-1830) 		 
 
    After the Civil War
(1865-1870) 		 
 
    American Revolution  
 
    Cold War
(1947-1991) 		 
 
    Colonial America (1492-1776)  
 
    Lewis and Clark
(1804-1806) 		 
 
    Pearl Harbor  
 
    Spanish American War (1898)  
 
    The 1890's  
 
    The 1900's  
 
    The 1910's  
 
    The 1920's  
 
    The 1930's  
 
 
    The 1940's  
 
    The 1950's  
 
    The 1960's  
 
    The 1970's  
 
    The 1980's  
 
    The 1990's  
 
    The 2000's  
 
    The Civil War
(1861-1865) 		 
 
    The Great Depression
(1929-1945) 		 
 
    The United States Grows
(1865-1900) 		 
 
    The War of 1812  
 
    Wild, Wild West  
 
    World War I
(1914-1918) 		 
 
    World War II  
 

50 States

             Fifty States Theme Unit

Document Based Activities
      Document Based Activities



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