Grade 6 Space Program
Created:Summer 2015
Education Officer: Kimberly Reynolds
Grade:6 (Ontario) / Elementary Cycles Two and Three (Quebec)
Subject(s):Science & Technology
Duration:120 minutes
Ontario Curriculum Links
Source Document: The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1 – 8: Science and Technology, 2007 (Revised)
Grade 6Science and Technology: Understanding Earth and Space Systems – Space
1. Relating Science and Technology to Society and the Environment
1.1assess the contributions of Canadians (e.g. Marc Garneau and Roberta Bondar; astronomers Richard Bond, David Levy, and Helen Hogg; Spar Aerospace Limited’s development of the Canadarm; the University of British Columbia’s development of the “Humble” space telescope) to the exploration and scientific understanding of space.
1.2evaluate the social and environmental costs and benefits of space exploration, taking different points of view into account (e.g. the point of view of health care workers and workers in other agencies that compete with space programs for public money; astronauts and their families; the general public; scientists).
2. Developing Investigation and Communication Skills
2.1follow established safety procedures for handling tools and materials and observing the sun (e.g., use appropriate eye protection when testing a sundial)
2.2use technological problem-solving skills (see page 16) to design, build and test devices (e.g., a sundial, a model of the earth’s rotation around the sun) for investigating the motions of different bodies in the solar system.
2.3 use scientific inquiry/research skills (see page 15) to investigate scientific and technological advances that allow humans to adapt to life in space.
2.5use a variety of forms (e.g., oral, written, graphic, multimedia) to communicate with different audiences and for a variety of purposes (e.g., use a graphic organizer to identify and order main ideas and supporting details for a report about how science and technology can help humans adapt to life in space).
3.Understand Basic Concepts
3.1identify components of the solar system, including the sun, the earth, and other planets, natural satellites, comets, asteroids, and meteoroids, and describe their physical characteristics in qualitative terms (e.g. The earth’s surface is very young; much of it is covered with water. The moon is the earth’s only natural satellite. Comets are the largest objects in our solar system; their centres contain rock particles trapped in frozen liquid; their tails are made up of gas and dust.)
3.2identify the bodies in space that emit light (e.g., stars) and those that reflect light (e.g., moons and planets).
3.3explain how humans meet their basic biological needs in space (e.g., obtaining air, water, and food and managing bodily functions)
3.4identify the technological tools and devices needed for space exploration (e.g., telescopes, spectroscopes, spacecraft, life-support systems)
3.5describe the effects of the relative positions and motions of the earth, moon, and sun (e.g., use models or simulations to show solar and lunar eclipses, phases of the moon, tides)
Quebec Curriculum Links
Source Document: The Quebec Education Program – Mathematics, Science and Technology
Elementary Cycle Two
Material World
- Energy
- Forms of Energy
- forms of energy (e.g. mechanical, electrical, chemical, heat, solar, sound, nuclear)
Earth and Space
- Forces and Motion
- Rotation of the Earth (e.g. day and night, visible motion of the sun and stars)
Systems and interaction
- System involving the sun, the Earth and the moon
- The stars and the galaxies (e.g. the constellations)
- Technologies related to the Earth, the atmosphere and outer space (e.g. seismograph, prospection, weather forecasting, satellites, space station)
Techniques and instrumentation
- The use of simple observational instruments (e.g. binoculars, telescope)
Appropriate language
- Terminology related to an understanding of the Earth and the universe
- Conventions and types of representations (e.g. globe, constellations)
Elementary Cycle Three
Material World
- Energy
- Forms of Energy
- sources of energy (e.g. moving water, chemical reaction in a battery, sunlight)
- Forces and Motion
- Effect of gravitational energy on an object (e.g. free fall, pendulum)
Earth and Space
- Forces and Motion
- The tides
Systems and interaction
- Solar system
- The seasons
- The stars and the galaxies (e.g. the constellations)
- Technologies related to the Earth, the atmosphere and outer space (e.g. seismograph, prospection, weather forecasting, satellites, space station)
Techniques and instrumentation
- The use of simple observational instruments (e.g. binoculars, telescope)
Appropriate language
- Terminology related to an understanding of the Earth and the universe
- Conventions and types of representations (e.g. globe, constellations)
Notes on the Program
This program is in the final testing phase where we will be evaluating the flow of the program with groups of students. The first few iterations of the program will be delivered with the Education Officer in the room, evaluating the progress of the program and time after the program will be spent debriefing with the guide who delivers these first iterations to capture their perspective. Any final adjustments to the program will be input into the scenario and a revised program circulated to all staff.
Logistics
The intention is to spread the students between both the Space Discovery Center and the Life on Orbit exhibition, making use of the parent chaperones accompanying the group to supervise and monitor the students as they complete their tasks.
In the first iteration of the program, each group will be given an order in which to complete the activities that form their mission in order to help with the flow of the groups as they rotate through the stations.
The Space Discovery Center will be closed to the pubic during these programs and the appropriate signage placed outside the room so that visitors understand what is going on and when the room will be open to the public.
Curriculum Links
Ontario Grade 6Science and Technology: Understanding Earth and Space Systems – Space
1.1assess the contributions of Canadians (e.g. Marc Garneau and Roberta Bondar; astronomers Richard Bond, David Levy, and Helen Hogg; Spar Aerospace Limited’s development of the Canadarm; the University of British Columbia’s development of the “Humble” space telescope) to the exploration and scientific understanding of space / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
1.2evaluate the social and environmental costs and benefits of space exploration, taking different points of view into account (e.g. the point of view of health care workers and workers in other agencies that compete with space programs for public money; astronauts and their families; the general public; scientists) / Mission briefing and Activity #6
2.1follow established safety procedures for handling tools and materials and observing the sun (e.g., use appropriate eye protection when testing a sundial) / Activities #3,4 and 6
2.2use technological problem-solving skills (see page 16) to design, build and test devices (e.g., a sundial, a model of the earth’s rotation around the sun) for investigating the motions of different bodies in the solar system / Activities #2 ( model build to be done at school)
2.3 use scientific inquiry/research skills (see page 15) to investigate scientific and technological advances that allow humans to adapt to life in space / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
3.1identify components of the solar system, including the sun, the earth, and other planets, natural satellites, comets, asteroids, and meteoroids, and describe their physical characteristics in qualitative terms (e.g. The earth’s surface is very young; much of it is covered with water. The moon is the earth’s only natural satellite. Comets are the largest objects in our solar system; their centres contain rock particles trapped in frozen liquid; their tails are made up of gas and dust.) / Activities #1 and 2
3.2identify the bodies in space that emit light (e.g., stars) and those that reflect light (e.g., moons and planets) / Activities #1 and 2
3.3explain how humans meet their basic biological needs in space (e.g., obtaining air, water, and food and managing bodily functions) / Mission briefing; Activity #6
3.4identify the technological tools and devices needed for space exploration (e.g., telescopes, spectroscopes, spacecraft, life-support systems) / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Quebec Elementary Cycle Two
Science and Technology – Essential Knowledges: The Material World
Energy
Forms of Energy (e.g. mechanical, electrical, chemical, heat, solar, sound, nuclear) / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Science and Technology – Essential Knowledges: Earth and Space
Forces and Motion
Rotation of the Earth (e.g. day and night, visible motion of the sun and stars) / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activities #1,2 and 6
Systems and interaction
System involving the sun, the Earth and the moon / Activities#1 and #2
The stars and the galaxies (e.g. the constellations) / Activities#1 and #2
Technologies related to the Earth, the atmosphere and outer space (e.g. seismograph, prospection, weather forecasting, satellites, space station) / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Techniques and instrumentation
The use of simple observational instruments (e.g. binoculars, telescope) / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Science and Technology – Appropriate language
Terminology related to an understanding of the Earth and the universe / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Conventions and types of representations (e.g. globe, constellations) / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Quebec Elementary Cycle Three
Science and Technology – Essential Knowledges: The Material World
Energy
Forms of Energy:sources of energy (e.g. moving water, chemical reaction in a battery, sunlight) / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Forces and Motion
Effect of gravitational energy on an object (e.g. free fall, pendulum) / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Science and Technology – Essential Knowledges: Earth and Space
Forces and Motion
The tides / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Systems and interaction
Solar system / Activities#1 and #2
The seasons / Activities#1 and #2
The stars and the galaxies (e.g. the constellations) / Activities#1 and #2
Technologies related to the Earth, the atmosphere and outer space (e.g. seismograph, prospection, weather forecasting, satellites, space station) / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Techniques and instrumentation
The use of simple observational instruments (e.g. binoculars, telescope) / Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Science and Technology – Appropriate language
Terminology related to an understanding of the Earth and the universe / Mission briefing; Activities #1 and #2
Conventions and types of representations (e.g. globe, constellations) / Mission briefing; Activities #1 and #2
Mission Briefing
Prior to any mission, the astronauts and other members of the team (ground control) need to understand the nature of the mission – what are they going to do? Why? What are the obstacles they may face and the possible solutions? What are the risks?
Seat the students in the seating area of the Space Discovery Center. This is the Mission Briefing area. Set the scene – they are explorers (because that iswhat scientists / astronauts really are) planning a mission to one of the planets in our solar system.
The goal is to learn more!
As much as we know about the planets in our solar system, we do not have all the answers – there are more secrets to uncover, assumptions to confirm, etc…
Ask the students to list the names of the main celestial bodies in order from the sun.
[Let students answer]
Elements to be sure are mentioned: The Sun – Mercury – Venus – Earth – Mars – The Asteroid Belt – Jupiter – Saturn – Uranus – Neptune – Kuiper Belt – Pluto – Eris – Ceres
Additional information to get across: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are known as the inner planets. They are also known as the terrestrial planets because of their rocky surfaces. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are the outer planets. They are also known as gaseous planets due to their composition.
How long have people known about the solar system?
[Let students answer]
The point to get across: we have know for thousands of years about some of the planets but our view of how they were arranged changed from thinking the Earth was the centre to realizing the Sun was the centre and so on. As time has gone by, new objects were found and then as we discover more about them, we change how we describe them.
- Uranus was first visualized by a human (Herschel) in 1781
- Neptune wasn't spotted until 1846 (Galle and Le Verrier)
- Pluto was only seen in 1930
Ask students why they think that is.
[Let students answer]
The point to get across: as our technology and methodologies improve so do our understandings SO, we have to go back and look at things we've looked at before because we might see something new.
Take Pluto as an example. Ask the students if it is a planet.
[Let students answer]
The point to get across: Pluto was named as a planet a long time ago. As our ability to find objects in the universe improved, we began to find dozens even hundreds of objects similar to Plutoinside an area known as the Kuiper Belt which begins just past Neptune.
The question then was whether or not we should expland our definition of the Solar System to include all those other objects as planets OR whether we should find a different classificiation. This led the International Astronomical Union to hold meetings to decide by what characteristics we would define something as a planet.
In the end, Pluto was downgraded to dwarf planet status. Eris and Ceres are the only other two dwarf planets that have been confirmed. There are two other named bodies, Haumea and Makemake which have been named but are only "presumed" dwarf planets. It is estimated there could be as many as 200 dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt.
So, you could say, that we only know what we know until we know differently. And we only know differently when we continue to explore, even those places we think we know everything about. Sometimes, another reason to explore something we know about is that it makes good training for explorining other things we don't know about so we are ready for whatever comes.
[Show Video of Jeremy Hanson exploring a cave]
After the video ask the students for their reactions briefly and then introduce the mission.
Outline that their mission is to plan an excursion to explore a planet in our Solar System. As part of this mission they will:
- Examine a planet and describe its characteristics
- Plot and draw the planet's location in the solar system
- Practice launching rockets to gain an understanding of factors affecting a successful launch
- Practice landing on the Moon
- Undergo training for living and working on the ISS
*An additional activity is available for electronic download that can be done in the classroom: Use remote-sensing to plot the terrain of a planet from space to identify a safe landing area
Students will be recording their findings so that they can bring it all back to school with them.
During this first introduction, identify all the steps but only explain the details of the first set of activities. There will be a re-grouping mid-way through the program to exchange information and explain the second half.
CASM Guide Introduction – Activity 1: Examine a Planet and make a Pitch
Exploring costs a lot of money, expecially explorations into space. So, in order to get the money to go on your mission, you will need to convince the funding body (the guide/teachers) that your planet is worth examining in closer detail. Funding often comes from government which is funded by taxpayers so you will need to get the public (parent chaperones) on board too – you need to convince people this mission is worthwhile. One way to do that is to make sure people know that your mission will have a benefit to their lives back on Earth.
[Show the CSA video A Mission Possible: Hadfield on how ISS bio-samples can help in the battle against osteoporosis]
Ask the students why they think the CSA made this kind
Ask the students if they can offer some ideas of what information is key. The compulsory information is as follows:
- Location of the planet in the Solar System
- On their worksheets, students will need to complete a diagram of the solar system filling in the names of the all the planets and then circle the one they want to travel to
- Vital Statistics
- On their worksheets, the students will need to indicate whether the planet has a solid or gaseous surface, the relative size (larger or smaller than Earth), how long it takes to make one orbit of the sun (in Earth years), the time it takes to rotate on its axis (in Earth days)
- A description of its atmosphere (e.g. thin, thick) and how that relates to planet's temperature (e.g. does or does not allow the sun's heat to escape causing the planet to have "x" climate)
- Statement of purpose of exploration – each team of students needs to indicate which planet they are going to explore and state why they want to explore that planet (e.g., we are curious to see if the planet really is rocky, we want to see the storms up close and learn what they are made of, we want to see if there is water on the planet, we are curious to know if there are life forms etc…)
Explain to the students (and show them) that they have the following resources to help in their research: