Technology

Welcome to Shepard Elementary School Instructional/MAP/PDSC Partnership Web Site

Objectives:

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

1. Do research and sort through information and select only relevant data pertaining to your project

2. Learn about planet Mars and its position and significance in our solar system

3. Learn about the technology used to send spaceships to other planets and what is the purpose of planet exploration

4. Learn how technology advancements helped man build new faster and more reliable spaceships for space exploration

5. Learn about the universe and why is important for man to explore it

6. Learn to use MS Word and MS PowerPoint software, computer, and projector to type your findings and make a presentation of the final report to the class

7. Learn the significance of copyright and fair use of material and information found on the Internet

8. Learn proper citation and reference practices for the material used in your paper

Introduction:

During the lesson you and your team will first learn about Mars and then about man efforts to explore Mars by sending unmanned spacecraft. You will examine the significance of Mars in relation to its Earth similarities and why NASA considers Mars as a key to explaining the evolution of life and the effects of climate and cosmic changes will have on life on Earth. You will work as a group but each team member will independently collect information about the various missions and objectives to Mars and then as a group you will present your findings in a report and make a presentation to the class using PowerPoint.

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Task:

The classroom will be divided into three teams (groups) and each team will deal with one theme about mars as follows:

Team A: You will research and write general things about the Planet Mars. You will investigate the physical characteristics of the planet, its similarities to earth if any, its position in the solar system and its relation to earth and the other planets. You will prepare a presentation of the project in PP format which will include links to Internet websites used in your research. Each team will present the results of the project to the class using the computer and the overhead projector. Each team member will orally present/describe part of the PP presentation. Information can be found at the following websites:

http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_kids/AskKids/mars.shtml

http://www.skymaps.com/articles/n0106.html

http://www.nineplanets.org/mars.html

http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMKR55V9ED_0.html

http://spacekids.hq.nasa.gov/osskids/animate/mars.html

http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/choices/mars1.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/20104/Planets/Mars.htm

Team B: You will research and write about past, present and future exploration missions to Mars. You will write about the objectives and outcomes of each mission, examine the technology involved in constructing and sending the spacecrafts for the various missions through the years. You will also examine if any technology applications from the Mars missions found their way into our lives. Presentation of the project will be in PP format which can include links to Internet websites. Each team will present the results of the project to the class using the computer and the overhead projector. Each team member will orally present/describe part of the PP presentation. Information can be found at the following websites:

http://sse.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/index.cfm

http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMFU55V9ED_0.html

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/Tech_Ed/cgi-bin/splitwindow.cgi?top=http://www.glencoe.com/sec/Tech_Ed/top2.html&link=http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/space_missions/unmanned.html

Team C: You will research and examine about current events related to Mars exploration. You will write about the most recent announcements and discoveries about mars. Presentation of the project will be in PP format which can include links to Internet websites. Each team will present the results of their project to the class using the computer and the overhead projector. Each team member will orally present/describe part of the PP presentation. Information can be found at the following websites:

http://www.marssociety.org

http://www.marstoday.com

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/Tech_Ed/cgi-bin/splitwindow.cgi?top=http://www.glencoe.com/sec/Tech_Ed/top2.html&link=http://www.spaceref.com/mars/

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Resources

As mentioned above

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Evaluation

The students will be evaluated on the following:

Evaluation Rubric:

Objective or Performance	Beginning (1 point)	Developing (2 points)	Accomplished (3 points)	Exemplary (5 points)	Score
1. Introduction of the subject matter has enough information for the reader to understand the objectives of the project.	The research objectives and subject not clearly defined	The research objectives and subject defined but missing specific information which are needed for an effective introduction	The research objectives and subject well defined but still missing some essential information for effective introduction	The research objectives and subject well defined and has all essential information for effective introduction
2. The results of the Internet search related to the research subject defined in item 1 above	Results are not having the required information to fulfil the objectives of the project	Results are reasonably sufficient but lack detailed information to describe the results	Results are sufficient and to the point but the number of sources used are less than three	Results are sufficient and to the point and the number of sources used are more than three
3. Preparation of the results report which contains substantial and relevant information about the subject	The report lacks sufficient information to sufficiently describe the subject of the investigation.	The report has sufficient information to substantiate the conclusion. Not enough graphics or photographs were included.	The report has sufficient information to substantiate the conclusion. Some graphics or photographs were included but not sufficient.	The report has sufficient information to substantiate the conclusion. Enough graphics or photographs were included to make a “rich” presentation
4. Presentation of results in a paper form using proper formatting and includes graphics and an illustrated cover page and in a PP format	Results were presented on pages which were not properly formatted and no graphics or illustrations were used.	Results were presented on pages which were properly formatted but no graphics or illustrations were used.	Results were presented on pages which were properly formatted but with little or poor graphics or illustrations.	Results were presented on pages which were properly formatted with nice graphics and illustrations.

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Conclusion

After completing the WebQuest, you will learn a lot of facts about the planet Mars and its place in our solar system. You will know why NASA and the European Space Agency put so much effort in exploring Mars and the successes and failures of the Mars missions through the years. You will also learn about the technological and scientific advances that made Mars missions possible. The current developments regarding Mars and space exploration will be also investigated and you will understand the present and future challenges which man faces in Space exploration. Putting the final report and the presentation together using the computer and MS office software will help you improve your keyboarding skills and increase your expertise in using Word and PP software.

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Contact e-mail: John.Wright@slps.org Webmaster: John Wright

Objectives:

Introduction:

Task:

Score