Lesson: To plan a mission to Mars.

Student Materials: Learning logs, paper and pencils.

Teacher Materials: KWL chart or an area to write the student’s answers the story found within this lesson.

Class Description:

This is designed for a 4^th to 5^th grade levels.

Objectives:

1. After the lesson, the students will be able write up an inventory list of the things that they would need to keep from going insane and keep them alive for the 93 days journey to Mars. Along with this list the student will also be able to give reasons why these things will work, using complete sentences. After this they will be able to relate the list to their own goals here on Earth.

Introduce the lesson by telling the "Imagination" story.

Role of Teacher:

First as a facilitator of discovery, second as an information giver and collector.

Procedure:

1. Have the students sit very quietly at their desk. Lower the lights and have them close their eyes. Read the "Imagination" story (found at the end of this lesson) to them.
2. Do as the instruction in the story dictate.
3. Have each student work alone on this task so that he/she can see what he/she really needs inside of himself/herself.

Some students may not be able to write down a coherent list in response to the story. For these students, alter the writing portions to be oral and record the lists for them.
 

Closure:

After we have completed the activities, have the students write their discoveries in their learning logs. Have them include some reflection into their own lives and allow them the tie in their goals to their discoveries. Allow them to finish the KWL chart, which they started at the first part of this unit.

Evaluation:

Find the inventory lists and reasons in the students’ logs. Check to see if the students are able to communicate in complete sentences and in an understandable manner. Check for creativity and imagination. Make sure that they have added their goals and how they relate to the list of their own goals here on Earth.

Extension Activities:

The students who finish before the allotted time is over may write down more of their goal in depth.

Story to be read:

Imagine… darkness around you silence (pause for a moment) You float in your can out in space. No Earth, no Moon, just the Sun and billions upon billions of stars. Alone, totally alone in space you float. You look out of your small window and gaze out into a countless sea of non-shimmering, non-flickering crystal clear stars. (Pause for a moment) You focus on one blue point of light and think of earth. The blue sky, cool oceans, swaying trees, rolling sandy beaches. But none of that is here, those are only a distant memory, The facts are around you, you are millions of miles away from those things. Now only stars keep you company in this small can with enough food and water rations to keep you healthy. Ahead of you, you notice a butterscotch pin point of light that seems to get brighter every time you awake from you undisturbed sleep. (Lights on) Now open your eyes. What could you bring along with you to keep you from going insane? Don’t say anything yet, for there is a limit to what you can bring. The limit is that it must fit in a box one foot by three feet by one foot and must weigh less than 25 Lbs. before leaving the Earth.

Write down a list of things that you would bring. (Give them five minutes to silently write the items)

Now close your eyes again. (Light out) you are in that same small can with empty space around you, those billions upon billions of stars out there, but now you have you have your 1x3x1 closed box floating next to you. You open it with both hand and it’s contents float around you. See them there, what is that floating by shoulder. They give you some things to do, but will they really tame your boredom for 93 days? (Lights on) Now open your eyes again and revise the list. (Give them a few more minutes)

Now close them again. (Light out) you see your things floating with you, but now that point of light has turned fat. Mars stares at you like you would stare at the smallest creature. Closer and closer your can drifts to it destination. Mars grows larger in your windows, until it covers half of your field of sight. Retrorockets fire and shake your can with such noise that it is almost beautiful to break the silence. You see a yellow flame outside your windows then you feel the vibrations go away as your can orbits just above the Martian atmosphere. Looking down on the surface you see huge volcanoes, valleys, canyons, craters, mountains, and riverbeds. Where will you go? Where will you land? (Lights on) Now write down where you would land and tell me why you would land there. (Give them a few minutes to write.)

Now think back and write down how the places that you want to visit on Mars relate to your present life.