Heather Brown 1 , Tad Duffy 2 , Tom Grace 3 , Loren Hennick 3 , Larry Smith 3 , Danika Le Duc 4

1. How can human life be sustained on Mars? Heather Brown1, Tad Duffy2, Tom Grace3, Loren Hennick3, Larry Smith3, Danika Le Duc4 1. Hillview Middle School 2. Clayton Valley High School 3. Arroyo High School 4. California State Univeristy, East Bay • Key Lessons and Activities • EngagementWe will use NASA imagery to engage students to research the best locations on Mars for settlement, water/food, materials and energy resources. Students will research the colonization infrastructural challenges of differing gravitation, atmosphere, chemical composition and radiation conditions compared to earth. • Exploration Student teams will research and collaborate in class, the library and outside of class on their group paper and PowerPoint presentation using NASA and other resources. Within each group, students will select which subtopic to research and present. • ExplanationWe will present a variety of ways students can access the curriculum and practice process skills. • Project-Based & Inquiry Model: Building the Periodic Table activity • Inquiry Model: Water filtration experiment • Radiation challenge NASA video provide note taking template • “Bringing Mars into the Iron Age” article use Directed Reading and Thinking Activity (DRTA) • “Classification of Chemical Substances” lab front loaded vocabulary • Elaboration We will challenge students within each subgroup to assemble and determine which site best fits one of the four needs for human settlement on Mars based on NASA resources. • Evaluation Each subgroup will present their rationale in front of class for a specific site best suited for their resource development using notes templates. The class will vote on the best overall location for the colony’s development. • Research-Based Instructional Strategies • Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) • Project-Based Learning • Cooperative Learning • Think-Pair-Share • Anticipatory Reading • Graphic Organizer • Lab work & written reports using vocabulary front loading (Inquiry/Investigation/Experimentation) • Daily Formative Assessment • Capstone Project/Investigation and Assessments • Students will create a group research paper and a PowerPoint presentation based on classroom activities and their individual and team research. PowerPoint presentations will be individually evaluated by peers and teacher. In addition CSUEB faculty may observe and act as an authentic audience participant. • Implementation Plan and Next Steps • Starting in Fall 2010: • Finalize scoring guides, time lines, manipulatives, and assessment tools • Discuss possible cross curricular activity with English Department. • Gather student feedback bimonthly. • Teachers collaborate monthly. • Resources The following are available at www.nasa.gov: 1.NASA mission websites for past, current and future Mars missions (Phoenix, Mars Rovers, etc.) • 2. Space Faring: The Radiation Challenge Module 2: Radiation Damage in Living Organisms (video) • 3. “Bringing Mars into the Iron Age” (article) • 4. “Genesis Search for Origins” (video) • 5. What is Your Cosmic Connection to the Elements? (PDF)  • 6. “Getting Dirty on Mars” (activity guide) • 7. Environmental Control and Life Support Systems Water Filtration Challenge (educator guide) • Areas of Focus for Instructional Growth • Will work to revise laboratories and activities to make them more inquiry based, student centered, and accessible to struggling readers and English Language Learners. Essential Question/Problem • Scientific Investigation • The specific societal needs that must be addressed for long term Mars colonization and to answer the generative question are: • How will enough water be found and food grown to sustain the population? • What type of shelters and space suits will be needed to protect the inhabitants from adverse atmospheric conditions? • What materials are available for construction? • What energy resources are abundant enough to be exploited for human needs? Earth is quickly becoming uninhabitable. Our planet is suffering from multiple problems: overpopulation, mass starvation, wars, food/water and energy shortages, pollution, catastrophic weather, and economic distress. As a result, a small human colony will be established on Mars to determine large scale feasibility. The four major needs for human settlement are food, shelter, materials and energy. This image shows clouds and the Northern polar cap on Mars. The Martian ice caps contain both water ice and frozen CO2 and expand and contract with the Martian seasons. Source: NASA Mars Global Surveyor Learning Objectives (CA Sci. Standards) Grades 10 - 12: Chemistry 1: a, b, c, d; 2:a, d, e; 3: a, d, e; and 11: a, b, c, d 1. Students will be able to organize the elements in increasing atomic number and explain how periodicity of the physical and chemical properties of the elements relates to atomic structure. 2. Students will combine atoms to form molecules by sharing electrons to form covalent or metallic bonds or by exchanging electrons to form ionic bonds. 3. Students will describe chemical reactions by writing balanced equations and calculate the masses of reactants and products. 11. Students will compare and contrast the differences nuclear fusion and fission. Students will be able to classify alpha, beta, and gamma radiation based on the different amounts and kinds of damage in matter and the different penetrations. Investigation & Experimentation Standards: a, f, and g Students will develop their own questions and perform investigations. The Phoenix lander scraped the Martian surface and uncovered water ice just below the soil. Source: NASA Phoenix Mission Living in an extreme UV radiation environment, such as Mars, will require protection unlike anything on Earth. We will need to shield both individuals and structures. A metal-making process known to the ancient Romans could be pressed into service to bring Mars into the Iron Age and start opening the solar system to human habitation. "If you look at the soil composition of Mars, the one thing that really strikes you is that it's 5 to 14 percent iron oxide," said Dr. Peter Curreri, a materials scientist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. "It's almost ore-grade material." Curreri thought that the Solar Clipper could be pressed into double duty once it arrives at Mars. The Clipper's solar Cells would provide more than enough power to run the Mars outpost. The trick is getting the electricity to the ground.