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Teaching GuideRoom 208 classroom page and Journey to Mars lesson planproduced byNancy WillisWeb Institute for Teachers, Summer, 2000Menu
IntroductionClick here to return to MenuAim - I wish to give my 3rd and 4th grade students a problem solving activity related to the contemporary issue of how to design a space colony on Mars.Click here to return to MenuRationale - I hope to provide my students with a hands-on activity that will integrate learning in the following areas:1. research skills2. internet use skills3.problem solving skills4. knowledge about our solar system and space travel5. cooperative learningClick here to return to MenuGoals and Objectives -1. To teach my students how to explore web sites to find information that is related to a topic.2. To get my students exploring and thinking about a contemporary issue in science.3. To have my students tackle a problem solving issue that real scientists are currently grappling with.4. To have my students learn that they can communicate with NASA scientists when they have questions or ideas to share. 5. To have my students learn about the solar system and space travel and reinforce the geology and astronomy concepts previously covered. 6. To have my students learn how to work cooperatively with their team members (sharing the information they have found, listening to each others design ideas and learning to compromise with each other). 7. To have my students learn how to create and present
their design ideas in a clear, neat format(drawing by hand or using Hyperstudio
or Kid Pix?).
Audience - This plan is to be presented to my 3rd and 4th grade class, though it could be used with older children as well.Click here to return to MenuPrerequisites - Before presenting this unit my students will have a basic knowledge about how to use Netscape Navigator, how to assesss my classroom homepage, and how to move around between web sites. They will also have been introduced to appropriate netiquette before discussing their questions and ideas with NASA scientists online. They will already have been introduced to the 9 planets in our solar system, and the concepts of plate tectonics, rocks and minerals, gravity, rotation, revolution, and atmosphere. They will have studied space travel. space probes and land rovers, and will have completed the "Great Space Rescue" (a laser disk program created by Tom Schneider) and they will have watched videos about current plans for the colonization of the moon.Click here to return to MenuSubject-Matter - The study of the planet Mars, its geology and physical make-up and current space travel and plans for terraforming the planet.Click here to return to MenuInstructional Plan -1. Students will brainstorm with the teacher reasons why humans might want to start a colony on Mars in the future.2. Students will then research the planet Mars on the internet using links provided from our classroom homepage (http://cuip.uchicago.edu/~nwillis/marsjourney.htm). They will determine what resources and conditions they have and do not have to work with on the planet. They will search for the answers to a set of questions designed to get them thinking about what needs they will have in trying to set up a colony(Oxygen, water, food, clothing, shelter, protection from the weather, gravity issues).3. They will bring the information they have found to a class discussion of the environment on Mars. The class will discuss what Mars resources could be used to start the colony and what obstacles they will have to deal with to be able to survive.4. Students will then be divided into teams of 4 to 6 students each. They will decide which team members will research solutions to deal with which problems(gravity and weather issues, water and oxygen supply, shelter building, transportation, etc). They will again go out to the sites provided from their classroom homepage (http://cuip.uchicago.edu/~nwillis/marsjourneyp2.htm) to find possible solutions to the problems that need to be addressed.5. After researching their topics they will meet together and present their recommendations for the colony's design. Then the group will create a rough draft drawing of their colony's layout with labels explaining what each part is. They will also write a rough draft report explaining how they have resolved the problems they researched.6. They will continue to refine their design and create a final draft of their map(possibly on Hyperstudio) and their report. If time and interest permit students could be encouraged to build 3 dimensional models of their designs as well.
Click here to return to MenuMaterials6 to 8 computers with access to the Internet, Hyperstudio and a word processorxeroxed worksheets drawing paper pencils and colored pencils markers cardboard, glue, Legos, etc.(for optional 3d design) Click here to return to MenuAssessment and Evaluation - Children will be evaluated by how well they have answered the worksheet questions, by their degree of participation and cooperation in their work group, and by the quality of their final design and report. Their visual and oral presentations will be judged for originality, thoughtfulness, thoroughness, clarity and neatness.Click here to return to MenuAppendices (optional, if needed)
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