Page created by Francis Perry

Level 1 appropriate criteria:

“Topic relates to the curriculum you are covering”.... The project is aimed at Grade 9 Science, to supplement a unit in the Grade 9 program on the solar system and beyond. 

“It represents an intersection of the student's personal concerns and more global social concerns”....  The topic will look at the solar system as the current geographical frontier of exploration for mankind.  This is an interesting consideration for a student, and the solar system presents visuals and information that is generally intriguing to anyone.  However, the theme opens up a broader consideration when one considers the value of exploration largely for knowledge's sake in the face of problems such as famine here on earth.

“It Connects learning across disciplines in mutually beneficial ways”...  Certainly there is the predominant science component to this theme.  As well, there can be a significant emphasis on some mathematics skills, with numbers being compared as to distances, sizes, mass, revolutions, cost, time duration, speed, etc.  With any project, there is a language arts component, as the student reads widely on the topic, organized information, and drafts, edits, and presents reports.  In the area of social studies, the solar system, and indeed the universe, represents the next frontier for studying, mapping, and examining geographical structures and object behaviors.

“The topic has long term value”....  Certainly the processes of question forming, investigation, organization, synthesis and presentation bring long term skill benefits.  As well, the ethical question of the relative value of exploration for knowledge's sake requires some critical thinking and value judgments.  Space exploration is continuing, and is taking place even now.  Knowledge a student acquires will enable more critical thinking about upcoming world events related to space programs.

Level 2:

“The topic is motivational” - My experience is that investigation of the planets, particularly when presented with graphics and visual aids, is of interest to most students, almost to the popularity level of the dinosaur fad.  Some of this might be attributable to interest in shows like Star Trek, Star Wars, etc.

A good variety of “methods and strategies”can be employed, from the obvious exploration of web pages and simulations, to the actual sky search for several visible planets, to developing models and simulations of their own for the purpose of realizing the scale of distances involved in any “extra-terrestrial” situation. 

Some of the activities will by necessity require group work, promoting cooperative learning experiences, particularly those relating to surveys, and the developing of extreme distance simulations designed to show the relative size/distance of the planets.  If desired, much of the project, particularly the work on the question and final report could be done as a group project.

The solar system, as mentioned, is still not a fully-explored frontier, and even now vehicles are speeding through space for rendevous in years to come with planets and moons.  Visualizing the shape of the solar system and the relationship of moons to planets, planets to the sun, sun to galaxies, and even beyond that, requires an exercising of the mind.  Certainly the problems of distance and the limits of technology provokes problem-solving discussions and ideas.  The weighing of possible benefits versus the extreme cost of exploration provokes student discussion, research and position taking.

There should be enough of a range of activities possible in this topic area that students of any ability level should be able to contribute, and realize self-confidence and self-esteem improvement.  Models can be built as just the simplest globes, while some students may want to get involved in the time/distance problems of space travel.

The topic certainly provides for technology use, from the internet and computer applications to the possible use of telescopes and whatever other aids are available in the area for observations.

This topic, centred as it is in space, doesn't directly offer appreciation for diversity (unless we stumble across extra-terrestrials!) but there is the  possible question area of the value of costly space exploration when situations like poverty exist in third-world countries, and disadvantaged people struggle on earth.