October Sky Blog

In school we watched a fascinating movie called "October Sky". It was about four teenage boys who decide to try to build a rocket after being inspired by the Russian sattelite, Sputnik. But the boys face a problem- they are growing up in a mining town in which you were expected to only finish high school, then go to work in the mines. Though the main character, Homer Hickam, faced many failed attempts, as well as an unsupportive father, he eventually succeeded in building a rocket, won the national science fair, and got a scholarship to college.

"October Sky" can be connected to science, math and character education because Homer used science to both build his rocket, and make it fly. The Russian sattelite Sputnik is also relevent in the same ways as rockets. In addition, the health hazards that the miners faced are also valid connections, because the human body and health are also part of science.

Math was used in figuring out how to get it off the ground, how fast it would go, how high it would go, and where it would eventually land. Adding to this, Homer proved that the boys's rocket did not start the forest fire by figuring out how high it would go, and how far it had traveled. Homer had calculated the exact spot that the rocket would have landed- and found it right there.

The character traits Homer and the "Rocket Boys", as they were called, displayed can be connected to CARES. For example, the boys worked together to build the rocket, showing cooperation. Homer used assertion when talking to his father about continuing to try to build his rockets, though showing respect for his wishes. This would show both assertion and respect. Empathy was shown when Homer's father told the son of a man who was killed in the mines what a great man his father was, and how terrible it was that the accident that had killed him occurred. Throughout the movie, Homer showed self-control by not physically hurting his father, no matter how rude and uncaring Mr. Hickam was to his son.

I enjoyed the movie "October Sky" very much, and I think that all the science and math connections, as well as connections to character education, are very relevent to our curriculum.