Landing a Man on the Moon: President Nixon and the Apollo Program

This activity is appropriate during a unit about the Cold War. For grades 8-12. Approximate time needed is 45 minutes.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will analyze primary documents
• Students will analyze photographs
• Students will better understand the Apollo program, the Moon landing, and the Space Race.

Instructions:

Launch the activity with all of the documents on screen at once for the entire class to see. Encourage students to look at each document’s Details section for further information when they begin their own analysis.

Choose a document or photograph from the activity to model effective document analysis with your class. Introduce or review the term “Space Race” with students, reminding them that it was seen as a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.).

After modeling document analysis, as a class, individually, or in small groups ask the students to complete the activity on their own. Instruct the students to use the artifacts to answer the questions. Ask them to record their answers.

After they’ve completed the activity, ask the students to consider the importance of the Moon landing. Lead a class discussion with the following questions, reflected in the I’m Done section of the activity:

• Why was the Space Race important?
• Why did it end?
• Was there a winner?
• Do you think the space program is still important?
• Do you think an American will walk on the Moon again in your lifetime?

Follow the links below to learn more about the documents in this activity. To learn more about President Richard Nixon visit www.nixonlibrary.gov.