Introduction
You and your team are astronauts on a mission to another planet in our solar system. Your crew will gather information about the planet of your chocie. When you becomes experts on your planet you will than voyage to the planet of your choice. After exploring the planet you will create a cyber-post card to send to Mission Control (your teacher) back on Earth.
Are you ready for your first mission?
Task
Task 1: Choose your crew memebers. Once you have choosen your crew members please design name tags for each member so as Mission Control makes their rounds they know who is who.
On your crew you have the following:
1. Commander-This person is in charge of the group. Your job is to keep your group organized and on task. As the commander you need to make sure each of your crew members know what to do and starts work on their job quickly.
2. Flight Engineer-As the Flight Engineer it is your job to keep your group on task and make sure they are working smoothly. Your job is to make sure that you have all supplies needed to go before you start each project. As the flight engineer it is also your job to assist the commander. If the commander is off task and not completing his or her duties you are the only one who can remind the commander what needs to be completed and why.
3. Mission Spacialist-You are the note taker of the group. You need to be aware of what books you are using and what website. Please make sure you know how to save websites to favorite and write the website down so they can be found later. Make sure your work is orginally.
4. Science Officer-You will report your groups accoomplishments. When the group is finished with thier mission you will let flight command know and submitte all the work for your crew. You need to make sure that each task is completed on time.
Task 2: Choose your planet.
Task 3: Design your badge. You will work together to design a badge for your uniform with your crew's name and an icon that represents your group. You may choose to do this in a square pattern, circle, or other shapes. Once your badge is finished please show it to Mission Control.
Task 4: Data Capture Sheet
Please choose the a date capture sheet to complete about your planet.
What is the name of your planet?
Who is your planet named after?
What year was your planet discovered?
What is the distance of your planet from the sun?
What is the rotaion period?
How many moons does your planet have?
What are the names of the moons?
Discribe the atomospher of your planet.
Give at least three interesting facts about your planet.
Draw a picture of what your planet looks like.
Task 5: Using the following website, create your own post card discribing what you learned about your planet. http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/postcard/
Process
1. Mission Control will assign you a crew.
2. As a group discuss what planet you are interested in visiting. Please remember to be quick. There will be five groups of four students. No two groups will be doing the same planet. So, it is first come first serve. After you have choosen your planet contact Mission Control to let them know what planet you are interested in doing.
3. Create a crew patch: your patch must have the following information. The name of your crew members, draw a symbol that represents your planet that your a visiting. Keep it simple but orginal. Be creative and make your patch colorful.
4. Print up each of the following questions. Assign a list of questions to each of the crew memebers to answer and complete.
Question Set 1
What is the name of your planet?
Who is your planet named after?
What is the meaning of your planets name?
What year was your planet discovered?
Who discovered your planet?
Questions Set 2
How long does it take for your planet to rotate on its axis?
What is the size of your planet? What is your planets mass?
How long does it take for your planet to orbit the sun?
What is the temperture of your planet?
What is one interesting fact about your planet?
Question Set 3
Does your planet have moons?
If so, how many moons does your planet have?
What are the names of your planet's moons?
How many days are a year on your planet?
What is one interesting fact about your planet?
What is the position of your planet in the solar system?
5. Once you have printed out the questions and you know which of the students are completing each question. You will click on one of the links to your planet.
http://kids.nineplanets.org/mercury.htm
http://kids.nineplanets.org/venus.htm
http://kids.nineplanets.org/earth.htm
http://kids.nineplanets.org/mars.htm
http://kids.nineplanets.org/jupiter.htm
http://kids.nineplanets.org/saturn.htm
http://kids.nineplanets.org/uranus.htm
http://kids.nineplanets.org/neptune.htm
6. Once you have visited your website, visit the following website and locate your planet. Write any new information you have found, see how the information compares, and add any new information to your notes.
7. Now that you have collected all your information, get a piece of scarp paper and write out your cyber-postcard. Make sure you write in complete sentences. Check for spelling or grammar errors.
8. Now that you have completed the first part of your mission please log into the following website and create your personal cyber-postcard. http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/postcard/
http://www.planetsforkids.org/
9. We will pull each crew's postcard up on the smartboard to share with Mission Control when all astronaunts have returned from their mission.
Evaluation
Get a file folder to collect all your information. You will need to turn in your patch, your data capture sheets, your rough draft of your postcard, anda printed copy after sharing with Mission Control.
Please look over the following check list before you submitte your information to Mission Control for final observations. Each of your crew members need to answer theese questions.
Who was all on your crew?
How did you work together?
We used complete sentences in our final draft of the post card?
We worked together to correct the rough draft our our post card?
What did youlearn about your planet?
What was your roll as a crew member?
Conclusion
Now that you have returned from your mission you can rest. However, you have discovered you would like to learn more about the other planets. Please visit the webiste again and look at information about other planets to be discovered. Go to the Media Center and check out books. Just because you have returned from your journey does not mean your knowledge stops.