Teamwork on the Moon
ROBERT: Calling Earth! Mission Control, this is Robert. We have a problem on the Moon.
JOSEPH: Our moon rover is stuck. The back wheel is trapped in deep gray dust!
MARY: Hello, Moon team. This is Mary at Mission Control. We hear you loud and clear.
MICHAEL: This is Michael. I am looking at the rover camera on my computer screen.
ROBERT: The rover will not move forward. A small rock is right in front of the tire.
JOSEPH: Can we push the rover? Our big space suits make it hard to bend over!
MARY: Do not push yet, Joseph. Michael and I have a safe plan.
MICHAEL: First, use your long scoop tool. Gently tap the rock away from the wheel.
ROBERT: I have the tool ready. I am tapping the rock right now.
JOSEPH: It worked! The rock rolled away. Now the wheel is out of the rock, but it is still in the dust.
MARY: Great work, team. Now, we need you to drive the rover backward.
MICHAEL: Press the small yellow button on the rover. Then, pull the handle back slowly.
ROBERT: I found the yellow button. I am pulling the handle back now.
JOSEPH: The wheels are turning! The rover is rolling backward out of the deep dust!
- rover:
- A special vehicle made for driving across the surface of the Moon or another planet.
- dust:
- Fine, powdery dirt that covers the ground.
- screen:
- The flat surface of a computer or television where pictures and words appear.
- teamwork:
- People working together to reach a shared goal or solve a problem.
- mission:
- An important task or journey given to a group of people.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Summarize
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Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Vocabulary
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Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Where are Robert and Joseph located in this play?
- 2What problem happens to the rover at the beginning of the story?
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About this reader's theater passage for Lower Elementary
“Teamwork on the Moon” is a reader's theater reading passage about Space Exploration, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (268 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.