Mars Project, Teacher Information

Revised: August 28, 1998.

Mars: the Future Frontier

The topic of Mars exploration is an issue of hot debate among the world's leading astronomers. It is truly a global issue, because decisions about making Mars habitable, sending humans to Mars, and maybe even colonizing the Red Planet have the potential to literally affect everyone on Earth. We hope to provide information to this worldwide debate, by encouraging input from elementary and middle school students from across the globe.

Our Web site, called "Mars: The Future Frontier," will be created and maintained by middle school students at Chimacum Middle School in Chimacum, Washington. Our site will include a list of suggestions for making Mars habitable; a "microbe zoo," consisting of student drawings of the microscopic life forms we might discover frozen in the Martian surface; a job description for humans wishing to go to Mars; and a "Mars Treaty," based on the Antarctic Treaty. The site will eventually include input and artwork (with full credit for all ideas and artwork, of course!) from students all over the planet.

Please e-mail us us if you have comments or questions, or if you would like to participate. For more information, check out the Chimacum student instructions by clicking student instructions. We look forward to hearing from you!

Chimacum Middle School
al_gonzalez@chimacum.wednet.edu

Table of Contents:

This page includes:

	Title
	Intended grade level
	Number of participants
	Where do you come in?

Alignment with Essential Learnings

Beginning and end dates

	Sharing of results
	Web site jumps and addresses
	Contact information

Title: Mars: The Future Frontier

Intended grade level:

This project is intended for elementary and middle school students.

Number of participants:

This is a dynamic Web page that will change on an ongoing basis based on global input. We will read and respond to all e-mail messages, and we will post the most interesting ones on the Web site (with author permission and full credit for all published work). Therefore, the project is designed for an unlimited number of participants. In fact, the more global input the better!

Where do you come in?

We ask that participating schools:

	View our Web site
	Form student committees based on our four categories
	Give the committees a chance to view the two Web sites for their areas, if possible. The Web site jumps and addresses are included at the end of this Web page.
	Ask committees to prepare e-mail messages for our committees, including feedback, comments, or questions. (We will respond to all messages.)
	Send messages to us by clicking communication.

Or just view our site and send us a message! If we want to publish it, we'll e-mail you requesting your permission.

Alignment with Essential Learnings:

Goals:

	Science EALR 4: Students will use effective communication skills and tools to build and demonstrate understanding of science.
	Communication EALR 2: Students will communicate ideas clearly and effectively.

Objectives:

Science EALR 4: Students will use effective communication skills and tools to build and demonstrate understanding of science. Students will:

	use listening, observing and reading skills to obtain science information
	use writing skills to organize and express science ideas
	use effective communication strategies and tools to prepare and present science information

Communication EALR 2: Students will communicate ideas clearly and effectively. Students will:

	communicate clearly to a range of audiences for different purposes
	develop content and ideas
	use language that is grammatically correct, precise, engaging and well-suited to topic, audience and purpose

Beginning and end dates:

This project will begin in September 1998 and run through June 1999.

Sharing of results

We will report the results of global participation in our Web site by updating our Web pages to include participant input.

Web site jumps and addresses:

Here are the Web site jumps and addresses. Just click on the underlined parts to visit the sites.

(1) Making Mars habitable URLs:

	The Terraforming Debate -- at http://www.pacificnews.org/jinn/stories/2.18/960830-terraform.html
	Mars the Final Frontier -- at http://www.nsplus.com/nsplus/insight/mars/frontier.html

(2) Martian life URLs:

	Evolution of the Martian Climate -- at www.sigmaxi.org/amsci/articles/96articles/Zent-6.html
	Romance to Reality -- at http://members.aol.com/dsfportree/ex96.htm (The background note, August 1996 at the beginning, is the only part students need to read.)

(3) Sending humans to Mars URLs:

	A Private Initiative -- at http://www.nw.net/mars/art1.html
	Life on Mars a Possibility -- at http://www.soc.american.edu/observe/back/mars2.html

(4) Colonizing Mars URLs:

	Antarctic Treaty -- at http://www.terraquest.com/va/history/treaty.html, especially "The 14 Articles of the Treaty"
	The Gold Rush (just to give you a feel for the kinds of issues that can arise when land and resources are "free for the taking") -- at http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/goldcountry.html

Contact information:

Chimacum Middle School
al_gonzalez@chimacum.wednet.edu