Hero on Any Planet

Hero on Any Planet

In this activity, students have been tasked to select 20 model citizens who will make up the first community on Mars.

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  Students will reflect on individuals of the past and characteristics made them leaders of their time.
  
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  Students will imagine a human community on Mars and what type of characteristics would be necessary in the first settlers.
  
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  Students will discover the harsh Martian environment and consider ways to protect the first inhabitants.
  
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  Students will create life-sized models of the first Martian citizens carrying the human characteristics deemed important by the class.
  
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  Students will share their project with the world by posting it on the Imagine Mars Gallery: http://imaginemars.jpl.nasa.gov
  

Processes/Skills

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  Making inferences
  
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  Categorizing Data
  
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  Reading for Information
  

Materials

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  Images of martian terrain
  
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  “Historical Heroes” character sheets – 1 per group
  

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  “Historical Heroes” worksheet
  
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  Butcher paper
  
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  Scissors
  
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  Markers/Crayons/Color Pencils
  
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  Newspaper – for stuffing
  
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  Stapler
  
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  Index cards
  
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  Name tags
  

Standards Met:

1. 
   Social Studies
   

Strand X Civic Ideals and Principles

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  Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic. An understanding of civic ideals and practices of citizenship is critical to full participation in society and is a central purpose of the social studies. What is the role of the citizen in the community and the nation, and as a member of the world community? How can I make a positive difference? In the early grades, students are introduced to civic ideals and practices through activities such as helping to set classroom expectations, examining experiences in relation to ideals, and determining how to balance the needs of individuals and the group. During these years, children also experience views of citizenship in other times and places through stories and drama.
  

2. 
   Art
   

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  Content Standard #1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes.
  
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    Students use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.
    
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    Students use art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner.
    
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  Content Standard #2: Using knowledge of structures and functions.
  
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    Students use visual structures and functions of art to communicate ideas.
    
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  Content Standard #6: Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines.
  
  • 
    Students identify connections between the visual arts and other disciplines in the curriculum.
    

1. 
   Science
   

Life Science – Content Standard C

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  The Characteristics of Organisms
  
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    Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water, and food; plants require air, water, nutrients and light. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can be met. The world has many different environments, and distinct environments support the life of different types of organisms.
    
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  Organisms and Their Environments
  
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    Humans depend on their natural and constructed environments. Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental for themselves and other organisms.
    

Objectives

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  Students will learn that Mars is an inhospitable planet. They will understand that radiation, temperature, soil content and a lack of oxygen combine to make Mars a place that could not currently support the basic needs of animals (humans).
  
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  Students will reflect on what beneficial changes the first people on Mars might need to make to this environment in order to make it hospitable to them. Will any of the changes be detrimental to the environment?
  
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  Students will reflect on what it means to be a good citizen on Earth, and whether the first martian citizens will also need these character qualities.
  
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  Students will read brief bios of historical heroes and extract the characteristics that helped these men and women change the world.
  
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  Students will reflect on the various attributes that make up a persons character and determine which attributes they wish to develop in themselves.
  
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  Students will communicate their ideas about the first martian inhabitants by creating representative models that artistically display those characteristics deemed desirable.
  

Activity/Step by Step

Introduction (15 minutes)

But why don’t people already live on Mars? What kind of an environment do humans need to support their life?

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  Teacher asks students to call out some of the elements of the environment that humans need to live (Oxygen, water, food, correct temperature, atmosphere to protect from radiation.). Teacher makes three columns on board titled:
  

2. “Mars is an environment with . . .” and

3. “Humans could change the environment by. . .”

Teacher writes student answers in the “humans need environment with. . .” column.

Oxygen

Water

Food

Atmosphere

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  Teacher asks students to look at what humans need in order to survive, and to think about the planet Mars and its environment. Teacher asks students to work in pairs to look at pictures of Mars and describe what they think the Martian environment is like. Does Mars have oxygen? Food? Etc. Teacher writes student answers on board and adds those not provided by students.
  

Water

Correct Temp

Atmosphere


Little Oxygen

No Liquid Water

No Food/Plants

Freezing Temps

Very little atmosphere and high radiation

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  Teacher asks students if they think that humans could survive on Mars without making any changes? Teacher asks students to think about what they could do to change the environment so that humans could survive there. Students work in pairs for a minute and then teacher asks for responses and writes them on the board.
  

Water

Correct Temp

Atmosphere

Little Oxygen

No Liquid Water

No Food/Plants

Freezing Temps

Very little atmosphere and high radiation

Building something to protect humans from the environment, growing food, find a water source?

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  Now that students have identified the difficulties these first 20 Martian inhabitants will face, Teacher asks students if they think it will take a special kind of person to go there. Teacher writes on board “what characteristics will the first Martian CITIZENS need to be successful?” Teacher asks students to suggest some “good citizen” characteristics and writes them on the board (bravery, courage, intelligence, resourcefulness, optimism, etc.).
  

Part I (30 minutes)

After lists are completed, the group should share their answers with each other. A spokesperson from each group then presents the hero to the class and writes the new characteristics on the board.

Part II (15 minutes)

Part III (60 minutes)

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  Students each find a partner.
  
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  Each student pair gets a doubled-over piece of butcher paper longer than their height
  
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  Students trace one or the other on the doubled-over butcher paper
  
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  Students color their model to look like a person
  
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  Students cut out the model
  
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  Students Staple and Stuff their 3-D Martian traveler
  
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  Students decide on the 3 characteristics they wish to send to Mars and make three nametags for their Model Explorer. These characteristics may or may not be the same as the ones they felt most important to develop within themselves. They adhere the nametags to the front of the model.
  
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  Student pairs introduce their Martian model to the rest of the class and explain why they chose the characteristics they did.
  

Questions for Discussion

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  Were the characteristics you chose for yourself different than the ones you chose for your traveler to Mars? Why?
  
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  Do you know any heroes in your daily life? In your community? What characteristics make them special?
  
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  Would you like to travel to Mars? Why or why not?
  

Assessment

Lesson Extension