Moving Day:  An Alternative Earth

A WebQuest for 6th Grade (Science) 

      Designed by 

  Katie Neely, Rita Eubanks, Kathleen Miller, Christa Simmons 

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page

"Houston, We Have a Problem!"

Due to global warming, the depletion of natural resources, over-population, and pollution, imagine Earth has become no longer suitable for human habitation.
 
 

The Mission
It is your task as the student to research the other eight planets and determine which one will best meet the needs of Earth's population. 

3-2-1-Blast Off!

·  Get into groups of four NASA scientists and begin exploring the Solar System through the suggested web sites. 

·  Research the conditions of Earth such as what it is made of, distance from the sun, climate, natural resources, gravitational pull, etc.

·  After you are familiar with Earth and its properties, research the other eight planets and compare them to Earth. 

·  Your mission is to find the planet MOST LIKE Earth and is most suitable for living.  Keep in mind that no planet is EXACTLY like Earth.

·  After you have researched and drawn conclusions as to which planet is most suitable, prepare a proposal to the United Nations as to why you believe that planet is the most appropriate.  Be sure to be persuasive by including specific examples. 

·  Begin your research with these sites, but do not limit research to only these: http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/nineplanets.html

·  http://www.solarviews.com/eng/query.htm

·  http://www1.tpgi.com.au/users/tps-seti/planets.html

·  http://www.artyastro.com/artyastro.htm http://www.spacekids.com/solarsystem/index.html

·  http://www.astronomy.com/content/static/astroforkids/default.asp 

·  Record your findings in your science journal.

Report to the United Nations
In your proposal, the UN will be looking for the following components:

• You have singled out ONE planet that is most compatible with Earth
• Why that planet is most compatible, including information on the climate, the composition, the distance to Earth and the sun, natural resources and any other information found that might help convince the UN to follow your recommendation.

Mission Impossible!!

Through your research, you should have come to the conclusion that there is no real alternative to Earth!!  Although there are several planets that share similar characteristics, none are capable of accommodating Earth's population.  Therefore, we as a society need to learn to take care of Earth and learn to appreciate what is available to us. 

Credits & References
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/nineplanets.html
http://www.solarviews.com/eng/query.htm
http://www1.tpgi.com.au/users/tps-seti/planets.html
http://www.artyastro.com/artyastro.htm 
http://www.spacekids.com/solarsystem/index.html
http://www.astronomy.com/content/static/astroforkids/default.asp 
http://www.animfactory.com
http://scienceclips.com/astronomy/equipment/shuttle.asp
 
 

Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page