Download Grade 6 Space Program

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 6
Science and Technology: Understanding Earth and Space Systems – Space
1. Relating Science and Technology to Society and the Environment
1.1
assess 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.
1.2
evaluate 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
2.1
follow established safety procedures for handling tools and materials and observing
the sun (e.g., use appropriate eye protection when testing a sundial)
2.2
use 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.
2.5
use 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
3.1
identify 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.)
3.2
identify the bodies in space that emit light (e.g., stars) and those that reflect light (e.g.,
moons and planets).
3.3
explain how humans meet their basic biological needs in space (e.g., obtaining air, water,
and food and managing bodily functions)
3.4
identify the technological tools and devices needed for space exploration (e.g.,
telescopes, spectroscopes, spacecraft, life-support systems)
3.5
describe 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
o Forms of Energy
 forms of energy (e.g. mechanical, electrical, chemical, heat, solar, sound, nuclear)
Earth and Space
 Forces and Motion
o 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
o Forms of Energy
 sources of energy (e.g. moving water, chemical reaction in a battery, sunlight)

Forces and Motion
o Effect of gravitational energy on an object (e.g. free fall, pendulum)
Earth and Space
 Forces and Motion
o 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 6
Science and Technology: Understanding Earth and Space Systems – Space
1.1 assess 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
1.2 evaluate 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)
2.1 follow established safety procedures for handling tools and materials and observing the
sun (e.g., use appropriate eye protection when testing a sundial)
2.2 use 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
3.1 identify 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.)
3.2 identify the bodies in space that emit light (e.g., stars) and those that reflect light (e.g.,
moons and planets)
3.3 explain how humans meet their basic biological needs in space (e.g., obtaining air, water,
and food and managing bodily functions)
3.4 identify the technological tools and devices needed for space exploration (e.g., telescopes,
spectroscopes, spacecraft, life-support systems)
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Mission briefing and Activity #6
Activities #3,4 and 6
Activities #2 ( model build to be done at school)
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Activities #1 and 2
Activities #1 and 2
Mission briefing; Activity #6
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)
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)
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)
Science and Technology – Appropriate language
Terminology related to an understanding of the Earth and the universe
Conventions and types of representations (e.g. globe, constellations)
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)
Forces and Motion
Effect of gravitational energy on an object (e.g. free fall, pendulum)
Science and Technology – Essential Knowledges: 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)
Science and Technology – Appropriate language
Terminology related to an understanding of the Earth and the universe
Conventions and types of representations (e.g. globe, constellations)
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activities #1,2 and 6
Activities #1 and #2
Activities #1 and #2
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Activities #1 and #2
Activities #1 and #2
Activities #1 and #2
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Mission briefing and Canadarm talk; Activity #6
Mission briefing; Activities #1 and #2
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 scientists / explorers / astronauts 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…
In [YEAR] we didn't know there was anything past Jupiter. Then we found Saturn. But we didn’t think
anything was beyond that. Then we found more and more. For a long time we thought Pluto was the end of the
line but then we found so many other small "planets" roughly the same size or with similar characteristics to
Pluto that it was decided that rather than adding all these other planets to the solar system's official list, it would
be more practical to downgrade Pluto to dwarf planet status. There are currently [ENTER NUMBER] dwarf
planets in the same classification as Pluto.
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.
Outline that their mission is to:





Select a planet and describe its characteristics / ability to sustain life etc…
Plot the planet's location in the solar system and draw its location
Practice launching rockets to gain an understanding of factors affecting 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 remotesensing 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.
Ask the students to list the names of the main celestial bodies in order from the sun. Use this slide and the wall
graphic in the Space Discovery Center as visual supports. Include elements such as the Kuiper Belt even though
they are not pictured.
The Sun – Mercury – Venus – Earth – Mars – The Asteroid Belt – Jupiter – Saturn – Uranus – Neptune –
Kuiper Belt – Pluto – Eris – Ceres
Notes:
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.
Pluto lies inside what is known as the Kuiper Belt. It was downgraded to dwarf planet status because of the
large number of other similar celestial bodies found in this region that begins just past Neptune. 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.
CASM Guide Introduction – Activity 1: Select a Planet to Explore
As part of the mission briefing, explain to the students that they need to conduct research to learn about the
planet they are going to explore. There is a lot to learn about each planet but there are some very important key
bits of information that the students need to know before travelling to a given planet.
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
o 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
o 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:




Laminated planet cards from the CSA
Wall display in Space Discovery Center
Solar System Tracker Program (you'll explain how this works in a moment)
Info cards about the wall graphics in SDC (stellar nurseries, nebula etc…)
After explaining the activity and asking for questions, ask the students how they will get to their planet to
conduct their research – take all their thoughts but explain that for the purposes of this activity, they are using a
rocket.
Explain Activity 2: Plot the planet's location in the solar system and Activity 3: Rocket Launch
Challenge
Ask the students to explain how rockets function (brief concept – see background notes including in training
package for extensive information on rocketry). Essentially, a rocket has fuel which is ignited and the ejected
out the back of the engines.
Bring out a balloon and ask the students what will happen if you let go of the balloon (it will fall to the floor).
Inflate it but don't tie it and ask what will happen next (it will fly all over the place). Ask them to explain why
(Newton's 3rd Law – for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction). Explain that the air, as it goes
through the nozzle is being compressed (squished) which causes it to speed up. When it exits the balloon, the
air is going in one direction and the equal and opposite reaction is for the balloon to be propelled in the other
direction. Ask the students why the balloon doesn't fly in a straight line. This may stump them!
The balloon goes willy-nilly all over the place because the walls of the balloon as so thin that they are affected
by the air that is all around the balloon and so its trajectory (path) is dependant on the air currents around it.
Bring out one of the foam rockets and explain that in a rocket you have the fuel inside which is ignited and
expelled out the engines created the downward thrust which propels the rocket upwards (equal and opposite
reaction) but the fins on the rocket play an important role – they actually help to stabilize the rocket's trajectory
so that it follows the desired path through the air.
NB: the plan is not to get into descriptions of multi-stage rockets or advanced concepts but just to give them an
introduction to how rockets work.
[Play Rocket Launch Video to illustrate the points you just made]
Explain to the students that one of their activities will be to try to launch their rockets into a target (show them
the rocket launch station and do a brief demonstration to show them the proper way to pump the rockets and
explain safety protocols for rocket retrieval). Explain that another important part of a rocket launch is getting
the right angle (have them note how the rocket follows an arc and talk a bit about how gravity is pulling on the
rocket to bring it back to Earth and how you have to get the angle just right in order for it to escape Earth's
gravity. If you launch on too straight/flat an angle, gravity will capture it and it will crash to the Earth.
Show the students how to measure and calculate the angle of launch using the measuring device provided (see
separate instructions).
Explain that the students will need to measure and record the angles of launch for the rockets (using the rocket
launching station in the Space Discovery Center). Each student will have 3 attempts to meet a target and will
record their results.
Resources




Rocket Launch Station
3 rockets per students
Measuring device
Paper, pencils or laptop for recording results
Next, explain to the students that not only do they have to get their rocket out of Earth's gravitational field but
they also have to get their rockets to their planet – ask the students what the planets are doing all the time –
they are moving! Ask them if they ever play games where they try to hit a moving target… not so easy!
Bring out the model of the solar system and demonstrate how the planets are moving around each other AND
spinning on their own axis. Demonstrate that if you launch a rocket from Earth and it takes 6 months to travel
to the destination planet, the planet will no longer be where it was when you launched it! So how to do you get
it there? A lot of MATH is involved but we (just like regular scientists) will make use of a computer program.
Bring up the Solar System Tracker on the big screen and demonstrate how to input the required information
and run a simulation so that the students can see it in action.
Explain that the student teams must use the Solar System Tracker to determine where/when to launch their
rocket to the planet of their choice. They will enter the required data into the fields on the tracker and it will
give the students an animation to show the location of their planet in the solar system.
Students will then make a representative drawing of their planet's locations (launch and arrival locations) for
later use at school to build solar system models (optional extension activity at the teacher's discretion at school)
Resources



Solar System Tracker
Laptops (see note)
Paper, pencils, erasers, markers
Note: Depending on whether we deploy one or all the laptops in the first iteration of this program, the students
will either complete this activity on the laptop assigned to their group OR will come to the CASM Guide
delivering the program and use the laptop dedicated for this purpose. It will be possible to project the
animation on the large screen in the SDC. This will be the station the CASM guide monitors the most closely
for the first part of the program while the students complete the activity.
As there is a lot of information in the Mission Briefing, se sure to ask the students if they have
questions along the way!!!!
Ask the students how they think they will land on the their planet. Ask if anyone has ever seen how it is done in
real life [Play Moon-Landing Video]
Explain to the students that a for the Apollo moon landing, a landing site had been pre-determined, using the
best methods of the day. Unfortunately, when the astronauts were descending in their capsule, they realized that
the landing site was actually far too rocket for them to land. So, the astronaut piloting the capsule, had to use
the thrusters (ask them what they think thrusters are) to fly over the surface of the moon and visually find a safe
place to land (keeping in mind they had a limited amount of fuel and would need some of it to relaunch the
capsule in order to get off the Moon's surface!).
Explain Activity 4: Use Remote-sensing and Activity 5: Moon-landing Challenge
For the Use Remote-sensing activity, students will have to try to figure out what the surface of a planet looks
like when they can not actually see it. The teams will have to plot the terrain of the planet in an effort to locate a
safe location for landing.
Show the Terrain Box and explain that they will only take readings from a section of the box (in the interest of
time). Show them how to use the measuring tool and how to record their findings (see detailed instructions in
background section of training package)
Resources



Terrain box
Remote-sensing measuring tool
Paper, pencils or laptop for recording results
Explain that with the Moon-landing Challenge, the goal is for students to gain an understanding for the
difficulties present in controlling a lander using the lander's thrusters to adjust its course and control
altitude/rate of descent. Essentially, they are recreating the Apollo landing! (although the surface is not a
representation of the moon's surface).
As an aside you can ask if the students have ever heard of Atari and explain that 10 years after the moon
landing, Atari created a game pretty much like this one (this is an open source version of it).
Each student will have 1-2 tries to land and will work as a group, with each team-member building on the
knowledge gained in the efforts of the previous one. The goal is for the group to have one successful landing.
Resources


Lunar Lander Interactive
Paper, pencils or laptop for recording results
Explain to the students that for the next portion of the mission briefing you are going to take them into an are
that resembles the International Space Station. Explain that, the final part of their mission will be to undergo
some of the training that astronauts receive in order to prepare them for the possibility of living and conducting
research on a space station. You can draw the illusion to Mars and how, these are the sorts of activities and
preparations that scientists and astronauts are doing now (researching Mars, conducting remote-sensing
activities, sending landers with rovers to Mars to get more information etc….all in preparation for a future
manned-mission to the Red Planet).
Orientation to Life on Orbit and Explanation of Activity 6: Training for living and working on the ISS
Bring the entire group to the entrance of Life on Orbit: The International Space Station. Explain that for the
moment you are walking them through to point out some important areas or concepts but that later they will be
coming back, in small groups, with the parent/teacher chaperones, to complete activities that will include trying
the interactives.
Explain that they will have worksheets and will need to find out certain information about how to live on the
station and complete certain challenges and record it in their worksheets
Tell the students that the entrance to the exhibition include a hatch that is exactly the same dimensions as the
real hatch the astronauts have to float through to enter the ISS. Tell them they are welcome to go through (one
at a time, in orderly fashion) or to walk around using the hallway.
Once inside the exhibit you will give them an orientation – this is not a very good location for giving a tour to a
large group as it will disturb other visitors. Bring them to the out-of the way area by the sleeping station and
explain that this exhibition is divided into areas that show them about the daily lives of astronauts including
where they sleep, eat, and how they take care of their hygiene (indicate the appropriate areas of the exhibition).
Point out the images on the walls and ask the students what one big difference is between our exhibition and
the space station – the gravity is different! There is gravity on the space station but it is a lot less than it is on
Earth. As a result it is called microgravity. Ask the students for another different – hint that it has to do with
which way is up (use the pictures on the wall as a hint again). Explain that the station is in constant free-fall
(basically it is always falling but it misses the Earth because the Earth keeps spinning!) and there is no up or
down.
Walk the students through to the area by the exercise equipment and point out the interactive that explains
what happens to the body in space. Explain that the astronauts conduct a lot of experiments in space but that
some of those experiments actually involved studying their bodies and how they react to being in space and
show the students the blood-draw kit and the various experiments on the wall on the way out.
As you bring the students back out into the main portion of the Museum, bring them over to the Canadarm
and do a short talk about the Canadarm.
When students explore the exhibition, they will require the following resources:
 Paper, pencils and Life on Orbit worksheet (note: we will not use laptops for this activity)
Bring the students back to the SDC to break them into their groups (the teacher will have been advised ahead
of time to divide the students into groups of 4-5 students and assign them each a parent chaperone). In order to
effect an orderly distribution of students throughout the various activity stations, you will need to assign them
to different starting points (some groups can start in the same place).
Groups should expect to spend approximately 15 minutes at a station. It is okay for groups to overlap a bit –
do not attempt to control the group flow down to a timed start/stop practice but do let the groups know about
the passage of time and remind them to move to another station.
Some stations will bottle neck if students do not respect the number of attempts they have for the activity
(rocket launch and moon-landing challenges); Two groups can be at the rocket challenge at the same time – one
member of each group at one of the rockets and rotate 3 tries for each team member in that fashion; ISS
exhibition can be done at any time and is a good fall back for any group who is waiting to get to another
station.
Rotation of Groups (the groups will receive their "itinerary" with their mission briefing package"
Group
Name*
1 Choose
Planet
2 Life on ISS
3 Rocket
Launch
4 Life on ISS
5 Choose
Planet
6 Moon
Landing
Solar System
Tracker
Choose
Planet
Moon
Landing
Rocket
Launch
Solar System
Tracker
Choose
Planet
Rocket
Launch
Solar System
Tracker
Choose
Planet
Moon
Landing
Life on ISS
Solar System
Tracker
Moon
Landing
Rocket
Launch
Solar System
Tracker
Choose
Planet
RemoteSensing
Life on ISS
RemoteSensing
Moon
Landing
Life on ISS
Solar System
Tracker
Rocket
Launch
RemoteSensing
Life on ISS
RemoteSensing
RemoteSensing
RemoteSensing
Moon
Landing
Rocket
Launch
*Groups are numbered 1-6 in this example but have the kids come up with their own team name, its more fun!
Mission Debrief
At the end of the allotted activity time, be sure to reassemble all the students in the mission briefing area of the
Space Discovery Center. This is the opportunity to make any final connections for the students, answer
questions, and, particularly for the first testing programs, elicit feedback from the students about what they
thought worked well, what was confusing, etc…
Ask the students questions to solidify their learning (their teachers will be taking note to see what exactly the
students have absorbed in the course of the program – it helps them form the follow up lessons they may wish
to do at school).
A good method for this is to ask a few students which planets they chose and to tell you a little about their
planet; ask some students what they learned about how rockets work and how to plan a trip to another planet
(what considerations do they need to make?); ask the students to describe what living on a space station would
be like – what food would they bring? What activities would they do in their spare time?
Finish up by thanking the students for participating – tell them they have successfully completed the mission
and you'd be happy to voyage to another planet with them anytime! ;)
If the group is heading to their bus, assist them in finding their way back to the lobby. If the group is going to
be staying in the Museum you can turn them over to their teachers for father instructions (if they are staying for
lunch, please show them where they can eat).