Table of Contents

Information for Teachers

An Integrated Unit for Kindergarten Through Grade Six

Examining everyday phenomena in new and unusual settings frequently leads to new and exciting insight into the phenomena being investigated. The main theme of this lesson plan portfolio asks students to consider the environmental conditions that we must provide for humans who undertake long voyages through space (Getting There) and who will live in strange and exotic places like the surface of Mars (Living There).

This lesson plan portfolio contains 7 units, covering kindergarten through to grade 6. Each unit has been designed for use by teachers.

The aim of the materials that are provided here is to facilitate teaching topics related to space science as they relate to a manned mission to the planet Mars.

It is has been designed for science students who have little or no previous background in science.

Preparing to Use these Resources

Experience has shown that the best way to use these resources is to:

1. Begin by printing out the entire portfolio which is appropriate to the grade level and background of your students. Transparency masters can be printed directly onto colour (or grayscale) transparencies, or printed on ordinary paper and then photocopied onto transparencies.

   Hint: Grayscale transparencies are helpful as they can be highlighted with colour markers when you are discussing them in class.

2. Read over the material. Make margin notes for yourself, so that you can easily align the information to your student's backgrounds and abilities.

3. Print or photocopy the student assignments and activities so that they may be handed out to your class at the appropriate time.

Using these units as a basis for teaching other subjects such as art, language, and mathematics will give students additional insight into the concepts of living, travelling and working in space.

Within each unit are:

1. printable pages with explanatory notes,

2. transparency masters for overhead projectors,

3. meaningful student problem sets,

4. construction/laboratory exercises,

5. research activities.

What this Module Is not ...

This is not a self-directed student web-search.

Expected Student Background

As these are introductory science units little or no background is assumed.

In order to use this unit effectively students should be familiar with the following:

1. reading, writing, and verbal skills appropriate to their grade level;

2. arithmetic skills appropriate to their grade level.

How to Use these Units

There are many possible ways to use these units. Generally however, teachers print out each set of notes, duplicate them and hand them out to the students.

Where appropriate have students read a section and write a summary in their notebooks, then use the transparencies as a focus for further class discussion.

Student assignments are usually printed, copied, and handed out.

After the students have had a chance to work through each assignment it should be "taken up."

Please Note: This portfolio is designed to focus on concepts related to space science. Although it covers a wide variety of subjects it is not meant to be a definitive treatment of these topics.