Space, Stars & Quasars

Resource Ideas

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Description

The selections and learning opportunities in this inquiry unit focus on humankind's fascination with an exploration of space. It helps students develop concepts pertaining to understanding:

• explorations into near space
• planets and other celestial bodies in the solar system
• possibilities in the universe beyond

Major Integrated Resource (MIR)

• Collections 6 Series Available from Pearson Education Canada

Curriculum Materials Centre

• Space, Stars & Quasars - Collections 6 Kit
  • 1 assessment handbook, 1 workbook, 75 books, 2 computer disks & 1
    requirements sheet, 64 strategy cards + 1 teacher's resource module, Western
    edition. -- (Collections. 6 [Prentice Hall Ginn])
  • Contents in 2 boxes.
    Grade level: Int.
    Contents: Exploring the night sky (15 c.) -- A light in space (15 c.) --
    On the shuttle (15 c.) -- Space, stars, and quasars, anthology (15 c.) --
    Space trap (15 c.).
• Exploring space. Grade 6. Kit #2 [kit] / compiled by Curriculum Materials. --
  [S.l. : s.n.], c1984-1991.
  33 books (various titles).

  Grade level: Int.
  Contents: The asteroids -- Astronomy / Peter Lancaster Brown -- Astronomy
  / Peter Lafferty -- Astronomy adventures -- Astronomy today -- Colonizing
  the planets and stars -- Comets and meteors -- Could you ever fly to the
  stars? -- Could you ever meet an alien? -- Did comets kill the dinosaurs?
  -- The dream is alive -- The Earth's moon -- Exploring the sky --
  Galaxies -- Isaac Asimov's library of the universe, index -- Living in
  space -- Mars : our mysterious neighbor -- Mythology and the universe --
  Neptune : the farthest giant -- The night sky -- Our Milky Way and other
  galaxies -- Our solar system -- Piloted space flights -- Pluto : a double
  planet? -- Projects in astronomy -- Quasars, pulsars, and black holes --
  Rockets, probes, and satellites -- The space shuttle disaster -- The sun -
  - Uranus : the sideways planet -- Venus : a shrouded mystery -- Voyagers from space -- The world's space programs.

• Outer space. Grade 6 [kit]. --- 1 ---
  25 books (various titles).

  Grade level: Int.
  Contents: Black holes -- The distant planets -- Earthwatch -- The
  exploitation of space -- Exploring Venus and Mercury -- The fantastic
  cutaway book of spacecraft -- Final frontiers space -- Flight to the
  stars -- Junk in space -- Living in space -- Living on the moon -- Mars --
  Nebulae -- Our sun and the inner planets -- Saturn -- Small worlds --
  Space -- Space exploration -- Starwatch -- Starry skies -- Superstar --
  They dance in the sky -- Twenty names in space exploration -- Voyagers 1
  & 2 -- Voyagers from space.

• Canadian Astronaut Biographies - a page devoted to the biographies of well-known Canadian space travellers
• Astronomy for Kids - Written at student level, this is a great site for students to find information about black holes, comets, constellations, eclipses, observation equipment, phases of the Moon, the planets, the stars and the Sun, and last but not least the Universe.
• Amazing Space - Comets - a web site designed for both teachers and students. This page may be slow to load - be patient!
• The Hubble Site - A richly-illustrated guide to the Hubble Space Telescope. Find out what the science instruments do, how the pictures are taken and much, much, more.
• Black Holes - This page from the NASA Kids Web Site contains information about black holes written at student level.
• Apollo 11 Walking on the Moon - What did it take to put a man on the Moon? What were the dangers? Who were the Apollo 11 astronauts? How did they live in space? Visit Walking on the Moon to experience the incredible Apollo 11 mission!
• Solar System Adventure - Students learn about the solar system and our galaxy, then write a science fiction story based on what they discover.

Web Quests

• Planetary Tourism Web Quest - from Fargo Public Schools comes this web quest where students choose a planet, create a sensational planetary adventure, complete with recreational activities suitable for the planet and plan the transportation and lodging for the planet.
• Poetry and the Planets - Students create a poem that uses metaphor and simile to describe the appearance of planetary surfaces.
• Planetary Real Estate - Student chooses their own planet, moon, asteroid, or comet to research for information and graphics. They must then add creative design to complete a PowerPoint presentation and write up a sales pitch in efforts to get people to colonize their property.
• Space Colony WebQuest - Student teams have been asked to make a proposal to put a colony of 600 humans somewhere in our solar system (sorry - not on Earth or our moon) as a test of whether it might be possible to someday do large scale colonization.
• Mars or the Moon? - Argue the benefits of colonizing and developing tourism on the Moon versus Mars.

Related Novel Sets Available from the Curriculum Materials Centre

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.
• A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle - The youngest of the Murry children must travel through time and space in a battle against an evil dictator who would destroy the entire universe.
• The Isis Pedlar by Monica Hughes - When the devious Michael Joseph Flynn and his daughter, Moira, land on the distant planet Isis, the members of the simple agricultural community find him irresistible. His magic fire-stone, his strangely delicious ambrosia, and the Forever Machine lure them into worshipping him. Only Moira can unmask this smooth-talking pedlar for the charlatan that he is. But can she do it in time to save Isis?
• Earthdark by Monica Hughes - When Kepler goes back to the home on Moon where he was born, he finds himself fighting against the laws and strict discipline of the colony, and he is eager to help his girl friend solve the problem of her missing father. Is the answer to his disappearance and the secret of what is on the dark side of Moon to be found in the mysterious map?
• Crisis on Conshelf Ten by Monica Hughes - Kepler Masterman has come to Earth with his father, the Governor of Moon, and is sent to stay with his cousin in an underwater colony, while his father fights for the rights of Moon citizens at the United Nations. Under the sea he must struggle with the natural hazards of stingrays, forests of seaweed, and his own fears, as well as with a terrorist organization fighting for the rights of the undersea dwellers.
• The Tomorrow City by Monica Hughes - When Caroline jokingly tells the powerful new computer running Thompsonville to 'go ahead and do what it thinks is best for the city' she does not realize that C-Three will obey her literally. As the computer takes over more and more control and becomes life-threatening, she knows that overcoming it is her responsibility and that she and her friend David may have to risk their own lives as they try to free the city from this electronic monster.
• A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle - The youngest of the Murry children must travel through time and space in a battle against an evil dictator who would destroy the entire universe.
• The Isis Pedlar by Monica Hughes - Michael Joseph Flynn has devious plans to cheat and corrupt the inhabitants of the planet Isis, and he appears to be on the verge of success. Few among the planet’s simple agricultural community can resist his magic firestone, his strangely delicious Ambrosia, and the Forever Machine. Only Flynn’s daughter, Moira, can unmask this smooth-talking pedlar. But can Moira avert disaster in time?

Do you have a lesson plan, resource or web site you would like to contribute to this page? Contact us at: Online Learning Centre

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