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Teachers' Guide for Solar System Odyssey

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Teachers' Guide for Solar System Odyssey SOLAR SYSTEM ODYSSEY © 2011 Morehead Planetarium and Science Center a SOLAR SYSTEM ODYSSEY b © 2011 Morehead Planetarium and Science Center SOLAR SYSTEM ODYSSEY SOLAR SYSTEM ODYSSEY Learning Activities Amber Vogel, Ph.D., Senior Curriculum Developer Morehead Planetarium and Science Center © 2011 Morehead Planetarium and Science Center i SOLAR SYSTEM ODYSSEY This curriculum guide was developed by employees of Morehead Planetarium and Science Center under Grant No. NNX09AL78G with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The United States Government has a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license to use, re- produce, distribute, and prepare derivative works of this curriculum guide, and allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. All other rights are retained by the copyright owner. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ii © 2011 Morehead Planetarium and Science Center SOLAR SYSTEM ODYSSEY CONTENTS A Note for Teachers ................................................................................... 1 Lesson Planning ....................................................................................... 2 PART I. Using Solar System Odyssey to Teach about Technology Design ................... 3 Lesson 1: Discussing Robots .................................................................................4 Lesson 2: Making a Dexterous Model ..................................................................6 Lesson 3: Designing a Prototype Robot ................................................................8 Worksheets ..........................................................................................................12 About Robonauts: Background Information for Teachers ..................................15 PART II. Using Solar System Odyssey to Teach about Environmental Systems ..........17 Lesson 1: Discovering a New Species ................................................................18 Lesson 2: Determining Habitability ....................................................................20 Lesson 3: Making a Biological Adaptation Hypothesis ......................................21 Handouts .............................................................................................................23 About Astrobiology: Background Information for Teachers ...............................25 PART III. Using Solar System Odyssey to Integrate Science and Language Arts .........27 Lesson 1: Building Vocabulary............................................................................27 Lesson 2: Creative Writing from Research .........................................................28 Lesson 3: Writing for Different Purposes ...........................................................29 Worksheets ..........................................................................................................35 Bonus Assignment: Solar System Odyssey Word Search ...................................38 Key Scientific Vocabulary ...........................................................................40 Connections to Standards ..........................................................................45 © 2011 Morehead Planetarium and Science Center iii SOLAR SYSTEM ODYSSEY iv © 2011 Morehead Planetarium and Science Center SOLAR SYSTEM ODYSSEY A NOTE FOR TEACHERS Characters in Solar System Odyssey. (Image credit: Morehead) orehead Planetarium and Science Cen- used to classify Solar System bodies and ap- ter’s Solar System Odyssey is an animat- preciate the environmental conditions needed Med, fulldome digital show that provides to support life as we know it. They learn why an immersive learning experience for students. Earth—with a balance of systems and resourc- This science-fiction adventure takes its visual es found nowhere else—is an “amazing oasis” inspiration from Japanese anime in order to in our Solar System. teach about space exploration, comparative planetology, and the importance of sustainabil- While audiences of all ages can enjoy Solar ity on our own planet. The Morehead’s award- System Odyssey, the show targets students in winning digital production team created the grades five through eight, the range in national show in collaboration with Will Osborne, who standards where Solar System concepts figure also scripted the Morehead’s popular Magic prominently. As a teacher, you can build on the Tree House® Space Mission. show’s excitement by including related activi- ties in your classroom. This curriculum guide Drawing on discoveries by the Mars Explora- describes several approaches to involving stu- tion Rovers, Hubble Space Telescope, and oth- dents in technology design, Earth and space er NASA missions, Solar System Odyssey com- sciences, and language arts lessons inspired by pares and contrasts geological, atmospheric, Solar System Odyssey. We hope you will find and other physical characteristics of the worlds that the show and related classroom activi- visited by Commander Larson, young Ashley ties introduce and reinforce content you need Trout, and their robotic sidekick, Beemer. This to cover, while also addressing your students’ approach helps students understand the criteria varied interests and learning styles. © 2011 Morehead Planetarium and Science Center 1 SOLAR SYSTEM ODYSSEY LESSON PLANNING his standards-based curriculum guide dents to imagine what the two characters de- (“Connections to Standards,” pp. 45–47) picted may be like and what space adventures Tdescribes learning activities that draw upon they may be involved in. and reinforce the rich content presented in So- lar System Odyssey. All of these activities can PLAN 3: SCIENCE, LANGUAGE ARTS be conducted during periods after students see Conduct Lesson 2 in “Part III. Using Solar Solar System Odyssey; several can also be used System Odyssey to Integrate Science and Lan- to prepare students for the experience of seeing guage Arts.” This lesson introduces students to the planetarium show. The following sample les- NASA and eight space science topics. son plans use activities selected from the guide. Plot Summary. Solar System Odyssey is set in the TEACHER’S GUIDE—AFTER THE SHOW future, at a time when humans have depleted Earth’s resources. A business tycoon recruits PLAN 1: SCIENCE pilot Jack Larson for a mission to discover Conduct the lessons included in “Part II. Using another world that humans can colonize. The Solar System Odyssey to Teach about Environ- tycoon’s stowaway daughter and a robot join mental Systems”: discovering a new species, Larson in this adventure across the Solar Sys- determining habitability, and making a hypoth- tem. Can any of the planets or other worlds in esis about biological adaptation. the Solar System support human life? Larson and his crew try to answer this question. (A list PLAN 2: SCIENCE, LANGUAGE ARTS of places they investigate is on p. 19.) Conduct Lesson 1 in “Part III. Using Solar Sys- tem Odyssey to Integrate Science and Language TEACHER’S GUIDE—BEFORE THE SHOW Arts.” This guided discussion of the planetari- um show builds students’ spoken and written PLAN 1: SCIENCE science vocabularies. Conduct the lessons included in “Part I. Using Solar System Odyssey to Teach about Technol- PLAN 3: SCIENCE, LANGUAGE ARTS ogy Design”: discussing and researching ro- Conduct the lessons in “Part III. Using Solar bots, creating a dexterous model, and prototyp- System Odyssey to Integrate Science and Lan- ing a robot. guage Arts.” Lead students through the “Build- ing Vocabulary” and “Creative Writing from PLAN 2: SCIENCE, LANGUAGE ARTS Research Exercises,” then assign the writing Ask students (independently or in groups) to prompt in Lesson 3 that best fits your students’ complete the “Solar System Odyssey Word interests and your syllabus or pacing guide. Search.” Discuss unfamiliar terms and ask stu- 2 © 2011 Morehead Planetarium and Science Center SOLAR SYSTEM ODYSSEY PART I Using Solar System Odyssey to Teach About Technology Design A robot is one of the main characters in Solar System Odyssey. In these lesson plans, students learn about current and potential uses of robots in space and on Earth. They also build simple dexterous robot models and design prototype robots. ne of the characters who is vital to the suc- cess of the space mission undertaken in OSolar System Odyssey is not human. It is Beemer, a BMR 1200 on-board interface unit. While a BMR 1200 is a robotic device imag- ined by the digital production team at More- head Planetarium and Science Center, it rep- resents the reality that robots play significant roles in space exploration and in our day-to- day lives on Earth. Solar System Odyssey’s BMR 1200 On-Board Interface Unit. (Image credit: Morehead) Around the world and across our Solar Sys- which we learn to do as infants—becomes com- tem, robots carry out extraordinary tasks that require levels of strength, precision, and endur- plex when a robot is expected to do it. Robots ance that humans simply do not possess. Innu- are dependent on human inventors to predict, merable robots also undertake relatively ordi- then program, every action a robot’s task re- nary tasks that humans find far too repetitive or quires. The sequence of lesson plans presented time-consuming to carry out themselves. here helps students learn about and experience aspects of this technology design process. None of these tasks, even
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