October Sky

Recently in class we have watched a movie called October Sky. In the movie, a boy named Homer is inspired by the recent launching of Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. He decides to build his own rocket, and enlists the help of several of his friends. Together, they test many different designs for the rocket before they finally make a successful one. Then, with the help of their teacher, Miss Riley, they enter into a science fair and win first prize, leading to national attention and an insane amount of scholarships. This movie connects to science and math in many ways. Rockets connect to the movie because that's what Homer and his friends decided to make. Coal mines connect to the movie because the town that Homer's family lives in is owned by a coal mine, and his father is a worker there. Science fairs connect to the movie because Homer and his friends enter their rocket design into one, and end up winning first prize and tons of scholarships. Sputnik and the Russians connect to the movie because Sputnik was what inspired Homer to build a rocket in the first place. Proving their innocence using math connected to the movie because Homer used his knowledge of mathematics to prove that he and his friends did not start the forest fire, and could therefore continue their rocket building venture. Health dangers connect to the movie because Homer's father's life was later claimed by Black Lung Disease, a disease that often affects workers at coal mines due to the conditions there. Many Character Education traits were also shown in this movie. Homer and his friends had to show cooperation in order to work together and finally design a successful rocket. Homer had to show assertion when his father tried to bring Homer's rocket building efforts to a halt. He convinced his father that the rocket building would not harm the coal mine in any way, and even moved his testing site to an area several miles away from the coal mine to make sure of that. Even though Homer's father did not always approve of the rocket project, Homer still showed respect toward him and called him his "real hero". Homer showed empathy for the Russian worker that helped him build his first rocket when the Russian worker died in the coal mine. Before, he had worked in the shop, but Homer's father switched him into the coal mine. The Russian was given the offer to go back to the shop, but decided to stay in the coal mine because he received better pay. All in all, this movie had many connections to science and math, as well as character education.