About this resource
- Appropriate grades
- 6
- Subjects
- science (astronomy), thinking skills (higher order thinking, information literacy, research skills, visual literacy)
- Provider
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
Legal
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In this lesson, students explore the purpose and constraints of technology by preparing a spacecraft for a mission to Mercury. After students are introduced to the planet Mercury, they discuss the need for space exploration and the technology involved in the process. Then, after reading more information on the planet, students use the online interactive to design a plan and prepare a spacecraft for a mission to Mercury. Students problem-solve and work in small groups in order to complete the tasks. Science NetLinks provides student handouts, links to necessary web resources, and detailed instructions for completing the lesson. This lesson also contains links to similar Science NetLinks lessons and other sites that provide information about the entire solar system.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Science (2005)
Grade 6
- Goal 1: The learner will design and conduct investigations to demonstrate an understanding of scientific inquiry.
- Objective 1.01: Identify and create questions and hypotheses that can be answered through scientific investigations.
- Objective 1.02: Develop appropriate experimental procedures for:
- Given questions.
- Student generated questions.
- Objective 1.05: Analyze evidence to:
- Explain observations.
- Make inferences and predictions.
- Develop the relationship between evidence and explanation.
- Objective 1.08: Use oral and written language to:
- Communicate findings.
- Defend conclusions of scientific investigations.
- Objective 1.09: Use technologies and information systems to:
- Research.
- Gather and analyze data
- Visualize data.
- Disseminate findings to others.
- Objective 1.10: Analyze and evaluate information from a scientifically literate viewpoint by reading, hearing, and/or viewing:
- Scientific text.
- Articles.
- Events in the popular press.
- Goal 5: The learner will build understanding of the Solar System.
- Objective 5.01: Analyze the components and cycles of the solar system including:
- Sun.
- Planets and moons.
- Asteroids and meteors.
- Comets.
- Phases.
- Seasons.
- Day/year.
- Eclipses.
- Objective 5.04: Describe space explorations and the understandings gained from them including:
- N.A.S.A.
- Technologies used to explore space.
- Historic timeline.
- Apollo mission to the moon.
- Space Shuttle.
- International Space Station.
- Future goals.
- Objective 5.05: Describe the setting of the solar system in the universe including:
- Galaxy.
- Size.
- The uniqueness of Earth.
- Objective 5.06: Analyze the spin-off benefits generated by space exploration technology including:
- Medical.
- Materials.
- Transportation.
- Processes.
- Future research.
- Objective 5.01: Analyze the components and cycles of the solar system including:
