Activity
This unit will be implemented 15- 20 days with an ongoing writing activity as students develop their writing skills. The students will be introduced to space and the possibility of what kind of life can exist outside our solar system. The students will be engaged in writing a story about their exoplanet and life on it. The focus is to have students discuss in a collaborative setting in order to create an exoplanet, and be able to tell what kind of resources could make their work habitable. Students will be engaged in activities where they will do reading of literature books (science fiction books), watch videos, and use information from the NASA website to engage in activities. Furthermore, students will be learning about the Dine mythological view of the earth, sun, and stars. As for the Dine perspective of the world beyond us, there are many stories and beliefs of what is out there. Students will be involved with their family members to collect resources from a cultural perspective.
Week 1
Day 1 and Day 2: Students will have a discussion and use a KWL graphic organizer to explain what they know about space. the Universe and the solar system. For the first couple of days, student will focus on the K (know) and W (what they want know) as a group or individually. Then the book, Once Upon a Star by James Carter will be read to the students. Some of the students may be familiar with the Solar System already and that is okay. They can be of assistance to the class. But it is also important to build onto their knowledge as well.
Day 3 and Day 4: Students will be introduced to the solar system and the Universe. My plan is to excite the students by dressing up in an astronaut suit. These can be purchased from costume stores.. Having student motivated is the key to getting start, and basically, get their attention! For the first week, students will be involved in viewing a video about space, the solar system, and universe itself. For this class, students will watch a video, Exploring Our Solar System: Planets and Space for Kids – FreeSchool, and a short video about space, The Milky Way for Children, Galaxies and Space: Astronomy for Kids – FreeSchool.
Day 5: Students will complete their graphic organizer by writing what they have learned in the L column of the chart (What I learned). This activity will lead into learning what is beyond our solar-system planets. Students need to be familiar with the solar system, and understand our life on the planet earth. Teacher discussion should include which planet is able to sustain life as we know currently. In addition, what makes life, why earth is the only planet know that is habitability? What does habitat mean, and what sources on earth make it possible for life?
Week 2
Day 1: This part of the activity will require creative thinking skills in addition to more information about space. For this week, teacher will focus on the planets outside our solar system. Teacher will be introducing the exoplanets, and the terrestrial planets. Students will view photos of terrestrial planets provided from NASA photos. Student will use notes, Cornell notes that they have on terrestrial planets. Students and the teacher will be analyzing the planets and be able to tell the characteristic of the terrestrial planets. The teacher and students will then have a discussion on what an exoplanet means, what a terrestrial planet looks like. Basically, introduce the outer layers of these planets. This part of the activity is to involve student’s ideas and give the components of what a planet such as Water life, mountains, valleys, rocks, metal, and iron.
Day 2-5: For the next several days, using the students’ findings and learning the attributes of an exoplanets and terrestrial planets, they will now apply it to create a 3-demensional project that they should enjoy. Students will create a terrestrial planet first using paper Mache. They will add all the attributes of terrestrial planet by painting it or give it some texture. Some attributes should include, valleys, rocky surface, metal with a foil are some examples. There are a few videos available through YouTube that one could use depending on the materials available within a classroom. For this unit project, we will be using simple filled round balloons, stripped newspapers, glue and water, and paint of gray to brown to indicate rocks and land. When the project is completed, students will write next about their individual terrestrial planet. They will give important information about their terrestrial planet and a brief description.
Since this may be a simple project for 3rd grade and given how they love to do hands on activity, the next part of creating an exoplanet is important. This part will involve having the students think about an alien lifeform. The exoplanet they create will be for their super being that will be from that planet. Teacher will talk about how some of the planets are terrestrial and how some maybe of gas planets. Teacher needs to ensure that the students will understand gas planets, such as Jupitar. They can refer back to the introduction of the solar system. This planet can be of choice whether it is a terrestrial planet or any exoplanet in form of a gas, or what imagination they can create for their planet.
Week 3
Day 1 Students will be introduced to the Native American perspective of the solar system. Teacher will read a book to the students, The Hero Twins; A Navajo – English Story of The Monster Slayer by Jim Kristofic. The Native American perspective point of view shows how the Universe, the stars, and the solar system originated and how it is connected to the people on earth. In addition to the cultural perspective, the life on earth of the Navajo people talks about the beings that lived outside or earth, according the Navajo mythology. In addition, a video will be use to show the story of coyote placing of the stars. The book, Coyote Places the Stars by Harriet Taylor and How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend by Jerrie Oughton, will be shared to educate the students the legends and myths of Navajo and other similar culture. This will help students learn to respect, understand and make connections with their culture.
Day 2- 3: Students will learn about the Navajo myth of the heroic twins who saved the lives of people on earth. Students can also be assigned home-work such as interviewing parents or grandparents about the creation stories. While at school, students can share with other students through oral sharing, drawing or groups. Students can use the graphic organize- concept map, about how the cultural perspective of the people and the universe. They can also do a comparison between the science’s perspective vs. the traditional perspective. As student are learning about the heroic tale of how the twins save the lives by killing the giants, they will also be talking about the characteristics of the heroes. Through these heroic characters, students can learn the traits and begin to think about a character that they will develop. The list of traits of characters in the story will provide as an example to their character who will live on an exoplanet. In addition to learning about the solar system and the creation, the sun has its importance to the earth. The students will be involved in making a hogan to represent the respect to the sun and to the stars above earth. Teacher will share information on how the hogan is structured base on the life outside earth.
Day 4-5: Students will be learning about the characteristic and the attributes of a hero. Teacher will share another book or show a super hero movie, such as superman for grade 3 version and analyze the character in the text. Some other science fiction stories can be shared, such as Star Wars, Buzz Lightyear, Fantastic Four from the Marvels or DC Films. Students will list the traits and the abilities of the hero. The text is for this activity to be shared, PjMask series, 5-minute stories will be share for students to understand super heroes with super powers. Once the students have learned about the characteristics, the abilities of the hero, the home from which plant the hero is from, they will be building the character. Students will draw the super hero from the exoplanet they have created. Students need to make sure the planet and the being are connected such as if they are made of iron, rock, water, etc. The exoplanet will need to be painted or build to the liking of the character in order to inhabited by the hero or character.
Week 4
Day 1-5 In continuation of learning of planets and life, students will now create a character and write a science fiction about their super being or character that they have created. Students can write in paragraphs or create a comic, but it will need to carry a story. The story will be written with the usually 5 elements; character, setting, plot, problem and solution. As students write, the writing process of revisiting the writing to add more information or give clarification. The comic or story should have the setting from the exoplanet that they created. Some features, traits, and surviving skills or motor skills should be included in the comic or the story developed. Students can have their class first set of science fiction writing to share through the year!
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