ALEX Learning Activity

Will Life Sustain on Mars?

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Shandra Upchurch
System:Madison County
School:Riverton Elementary School
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2286
Title:
Will Life Sustain on Mars?
Digital Tool/Resource:
The Mars Rovers: Mars 2020
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

This learning activity explores the likelihood of an organism's ability to survive on Mars. Students will view the website https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-2020/en/ to gather information and write opinion pieces titled "Can Life be Sustained on Mars?".  Students should be able to support their argument with evidence for or against the likelihood of an organism's ability to survive when compared to the resources on Mars. Students must have knowledge of how to write an opinion piece prior to this activity. Prior knowledge regarding what organisms must have in order to survive is needed.

This resource was created as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: 3
11 ) Construct an argument from evidence to explain the likelihood of an organism's ability to survive when compared to the resources in a certain habitat (e.g., freshwater organisms survive well, less well, or not at all in saltwater; desert organisms survive well, less well, or not at all in woodlands).

a. Construct explanations that forming groups helps some organisms survive.

b. Create models that illustrate how organisms and their habitats make up a system in which the parts depend on each other.

c. Categorize resources in various habitats as basic materials (e.g., sunlight, air, freshwater, soil), produced materials (e.g., food, fuel, shelter), or as nonmaterial (e.g., safety, instinct, nature-learned behaviors).

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.3.11- Match common plants and animals with their best environment for growth and survival.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science
DLIT (2018)
Grade: 3
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 3
R4. Use digital and electronic tools appropriately, safely, and ethically for research and writing, both individually and collaboratively.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 3
35. Write an argument to convince the reader to take an action or adopt a position, using an introduction, logical reasoning supported by evidence from various sources, and a conclusion.
Learning Objectives:

The students will be able to:

  • gather information and write opinion pieces titled "Can Life be Sustained on Mars?"

  • support their argument with evidence to explain the likelihood of an organism's ability to survive when compared to the resources on Mars.
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
During/Explore/Explain
Activity:

Remind students that by studying space, it allows society to make advances in technology. Review what students already know and what they want to know about Mars. The teacher may create a KWL Chart on the front board or on chart paper for all students to share what they know and want to know about Mars. The teacher may add what they have learned about Mars at the end of this activity. The students or the teacher will access the website https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-2020/en. Students will explore this site while answering the following questions:

1) Does Mars have sunlight? 2) Does Mars have air? 3) Does Mars have water? 4) Is there soil on Mars? 5) Is food able to be grown on Mars? Is food able to be grown in a shelter such as a spacecraft? These are some questions that will cover the science standard that the students should answer in their notes.  Other probing questions that the teacher may ask are how much food do you think a person could take with them to Mars? How long do you think plants, animals, or people are able to survive on Mars?

After students have explored the website and taken notes, the teacher may state that there are no known humans to live on Mars; however, that does not necessarily mean that life will not be able to sustain on Mars. Students will share their findings/opinions whole class and complete the KWL.

Students will write their opinion pieces in their journals or on a clean sheet of paper.  The title of their opinion pieces should be "Can Life be Sustained on Mars?" Students should argue in support of or against the likelihood of an organism's ability to survive when compared to the resources on Mars.  They should include at least two pieces of evidence gathered from the website.
Assessment Strategies:

Students will be assessed on their opinion pieces, "Can Life be Sustained on Mars?".  Students will argue in support of or against the likelihood of an organism's ability to survive when compared to the resources on Mars.  Students will need to include at least two pieces of evidence gathered from the website.
Advanced Preparation:

Pull up the website https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-2020/en or make sure there is an Internet connection if students will explore the site independently.

All students will need a sharpened pencil and a journal/or clean sheet of paper.

Students must have knowledge of how to write an opinion piece prior to this activity. Prior knowledge regarding what living things must have in order to survive is needed.
Variation Tips (optional):

Instructors may read aloud the article https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/science/mars-methane-life.html by Kenneth Chang. This website may change periodically; view the site to check if the article on Mars is available. Other articles/books on Mars may be read aloud to students during the lesson.
Notes or Recommendations (optional):
 
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: Digital Sources, Mars, Note taking, Notes, Opinion Pieces, survival