| The purpose of this thematic course is to take the imagination and thrill
of space discovery and combine it with Life Science concepts. Additional lessons
in other science areas, Social Studies, as well as Language Arts, emphasize
the natural integration of the space educational material.
Students will begin their Mission to mars by reading the The Green
Book by Jill Paton Walsh (ISBN#: 0-374-42802-6). This juvenile
science fiction novel focuses on the plight of a girl and her family as they
attempt to escape a dying Earth and colonize a new planet.
During Social Studies the students
will explore the sociological aspects of colonization and create a constitution
for the new planet.
The Science objectives will elaborate
on the plot of the novel and expand to include a year long study of Life
Science. Individual units of study will be referred to as "missions",
and the integration of Space & Physical Science will be included from
time-to-time. Please note that while the topic of space provides a
myriad of potential Physical Science links, our middle school curriculum
for 7th grade is Life Science. Therefore, the emphasis of this Mission to Mars will
be Life Science. Considering the length of this course of study, other
teachers may find it more appropriate to pick out specific missions to use
in their classroom.
The 2001-2003 school years will be the first attempt for this elaborate
endeavor. Therefore, please be patient because curricular material will
be posted throughout the year. This web site is linked to my home page
and is intended, primarily, for use by my students. Please feel free
to incorporate any material into your class setting and contact me with questions
or feedback. ([email protected])
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