ALEX Learning Activity

  

Will Life Sustain on Mars?

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  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).


NAEP Framework
NAEP Statement::
L4.1: Organisms need food, water, and air; a way to dispose of waste; and an environment in which they can live.*

NAEP Statement::
L4.2: Organisms have basic needs. Animals require air, water, and a source of energy and building material for growth and repair. Plants also require light.

NAEP Statement::
L4.3: Organisms interact and are interdependent in various ways, including providing food and shelter to one another. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs are met. Some interactions are beneficial; others are detrimental to the organism and other organisms.

NAEP Statement::
L8.7: The number of organisms and populations an ecosystem can support depends on the biotic resources available and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and water, range of temperatures, and soil composition.


Unpacked Content
Scientific And Engineering Practices:
Engaging in Argument from Evidence; Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions; Developing and Using Models; Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking
Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect; Systems and System Models; Structure and Function
Disciplinary Core Idea: Unity and Diversity
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Make a claim to be supported with evidence that in a particular habitat, some organisms can survive well, some can survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
  • Describe the given evidence necessary to support the claim that in a particular habitat, some organisms can survive well, some can survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
  • Evaluate the evidence to determine whether it is relevant to and supports the claim that in a particular habitat, some organisms can survive well, some can survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
  • Use reasoning to construct an argument, connecting the relevant and appropriate evidence to the claim, including describing that any particular environment meets different organisms' needs to different degrees due to the characteristics of that environment and the needs of the organisms (including the cause-and-effect relationship).
  • Describe the evidence necessary to support the explanation that forming groups helps some organisms survive.
  • Create models to describe and illustrate how organisms and their habitats make up a system in which the parts depend on each other.
  • Categorize resources in various habitats based on evidence from constructed arguments, explanations, and models.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • Construct
  • Argument
  • Evidence
  • Likelihood
  • Organism
  • Survive
  • Resources
  • Habitat
  • Explanations
  • Groups
  • Populations
  • Communities
  • Niche
  • Illustrate
  • Models
  • System
  • Depend (on each other)
  • Categorize
  • Basic needs (examples: sunlight, air, fresh water, & soil)
  • Produced materials (examples: food, fuel, shelter)
  • Nonmaterial (examples: safety, instinct, nature-learned behaviors)
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all in a certain habitat.
  • If an environment fully meets the needs of an organism, that organism can survive well within that environment.
  • If an environment partially meets the needs of an organism, that organism can survive less well (lower survival rate, increased sickliness, shorter lifespan) than organisms whose needs are met within that environment.
  • If an environment does not meet the needs of that organism, that organism cannot survive within that environment.
  • Characteristics of a given environment (Examples: soft earth, trees, and shrubs, seasonal flowering plants).
  • Characteristics of a given organism (plants with long, sharp, leaves; rabbit coloration) .
  • Needs of a given organism (shelter from predators, food, water).
  • Characteristics of organisms that might affect survival.
  • How and what features of the habitat meet or do not meet the needs of each of the organisms.
  • Being a part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves, and cope with changes.
  • Members of groups may serve different functions and different groups may vary dramatically in size.
  • Habitats and organisms make up a system in which the parts depend upon each other.
  • Resources and can categorize them as basic materials, produced materials or nonmaterials as resources in various habitats.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Make a claim supported by evidence about an organism's likelihood of survival in a given habitat.
  • Use reasoning to construct an argument.
  • Evaluate and connect relevant and appropriate evidence to support a claim.
  • Construct explanations that forming groups helps some organisms survive.
  • Articulate a statement describing evidence necessary to support the explanation that forming groups helps some organisms survive.
  • Create a model that illustrates how organisms and habitats make up a system in which the parts depend on each other.
  • Describe relationships between components of the model.
  • Categorize resources in various habitats as basic materials, produced material, or nonmaterial.
  • Organize data from the categorization to reveal patterns that suggest relationships.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change.
  • Evidence suggests a causal relationship within the system between the characteristics of a habitat and the survival of organisms within it.
  • The cause and effect relationship between being part of a group and being more successful in obtaining food, defending themselves, and coping with change.
  • That the relationship between organisms and their habitats is a system of related parts that make up a whole in which the individual parts depend on each other.
  • Resources in various habitats have different structures that are related to their function.
AMSTI Resources:
AMSTI Module:
Heredity and Diversity

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.

Unpacked Content
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students will:
  • locate information from digital sources to answer research questions.
  • curate information to present or share with others.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • curate
  • keyword
  • search engine
  • database
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • that information to research questions can be obtained from digital sources.
  • how to use resources to organize information.
  • how to use resources to present or share with others.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • create a list of keywords or phrases to enter into a search engine and/or database such as the Alabama Virtual Library.
  • use additional words or punctuation to narrow search such as AND (+), OR, NOT (
  • ), and quotation marks.
  • organize information.
  • share information by creating a digital resource.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • information can be located from a digital source to answer research questions.
  • information can be organzied and shared by creating a digital resource.
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.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
R4.
  • Digital tools
  • Electronic tools
  • Appropriately
  • Safely
  • Ethically
  • Research
  • Individually
  • Collaboratively
Knowledge:
R4. Students know:
  • Digital and electronic tools must be used appropriately, safely, and ethically.
  • Digital and electronic tools can be used for research or for writing tasks.
  • Digital and electronic tools can be independently or with others.
Skills:
R4. Students are able to:
  • Engage in safe and ethical behavior when using digital and electronic tools individually and collaboratively.
Understanding:
R4. Students understand that:
  • Safe behaviors, interactions that keep you out of harm's way, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
  • Ethical behavior, interactions that align to one's moral code, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
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.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
35.
  • Argument
  • Take an action
  • Adopt a position
  • Introduction
  • Logical reasoning
  • Evidence
  • Sources
  • Conclusion
Knowledge:
35. Students know:
  • The purpose of argumentative writing is to convince the reader to take action or adopt a particular position.
  • Argumentative writing includes an introduction, logical reasoning supported by evidence, and a concluding statement.
  • Evidence to support the argument must be collected from various sources.
Skills:
35. Students are able to:
  • Write an argument to convince a reader to take action or adopt a position.
  • Include an introduction, logical reasoning supported by evidence, and a conclusion in argumentative writing.
  • Gather evidence from various sources to support a claim.
Understanding:
35. Students understand that:
  • To persuade a reader to take action or adopt an opinion, they must present logical reasoning supported by evidence from various sources.
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