COULD HUMANS LIVE IN SPACE?
Research into Space Exploration and Habitability
WEEK THREE
Week three centers around the concept of living in space and what makes this possible, as seen in the movie The Martian. This opens up the conversation before introducing students to the final performance task.
Objectives
Activity 1
Objective 1: Students will identify possible answers to questions by stating a prediction or hypothesis based on what they have learned thus far.
Objective 2: Students will write, represent, explore, and explain connections between prior knowledge and new information in print, and other media texts.
Objective 3: Students will illustrate an original story visually.
Activity 2
Objective 4: Students will plan, create, appraise, and communicate into response to habitability challenges.
Objective 5: Students will assume a variety of roles and share responsibilities as a group member to contribute to group knowledge and application.
Objective 6: Students will recognize that the other eight known planets, which revolve around the sun, have characteristics and surface conditions that are different from Earth; and identify examples of those differences.
Objective 7: Students will organize and develop ideas and information into oral, print, or other media texts with introductions that interest audiences and state the topic, sections that develop the topic and conclusions.
The following materials and resources will need to be available:
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The Martian movie
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Accompanying movie worksheet
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Materials for creation of comic book
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Current space events from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/Default.asp
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Broken rubric for students’ self-assessment
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Rubric to be used for the final task
The Martian Directed by Ridley Scott:
Before starting the film, students will make a prediction on what they think will happen in the film. Students will then watch The Martian while completing a question handout to be used for individual summative assessment.
The Martian Hypothesis Comic:
Half way through the film, at the movie’s climax, it will be paused and students will create a comic strip depicting their hypothesis of the conclusion of the movie.
Once completed the movie will be resumed.
After the film, students will think, pair, share with a partner to discuss how their predictions of the film were similar or different to what actually happened.
Click here for an example comic strip prototype.
This drawing is a prototype of what a student’s Hypothesis Comic might look like. The hypothesis is a prediction of what might happen in the film right after the Hermes crew is informed that Watney is still alive, and after the habitat's worn out airlock explosively decompresses, throwing the airlock while Watney is still inside and cracking his helmet.
Informal observation
Summative Assessment - Movie hand out
Summative Assessment - Rubric to assess comic book
ASSESSMENT
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Science 6-2 and 6-4
ELA 1.1, 2.2, 3.1 and 5.2
Art Level 3 Component 10 (i) Purpose 2
THE MARTIAN DIRECTED BY R. SCOTT
In groups students will be designing and creating a habitat prototype that could support life on Mars. This prototype will be accompanied by a written explanation/justification of their habitat to answer the question ‘Why should the government invest in your habitat?’ Their projects will be presented at a showcase.
Step 1 - Class discussion and investigation into current space events from the Canadian Space Agency
Step 2 - Students are introduced to criteria, expectations, broken rubric, and rubric for their Mars Habitability Project.
Step 3 - Students begin brainstorming and creating proposals for their habitat prototypes. These must be approved by the teacher before moving on.
Formative Assessment - Proposal Approval
Prompting Questions
Informal Observation
ASSESSMENT
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Science 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 and 6-7.9
ELA 2.4, 3.1, 3.3, 4.3 and 5.2
CTF Learning Outcome 2
Art Level 3 Component 2 B,C