Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Planet Colonization Building Challenge

Building Challenge:

We have arrived on a new planet (Terra) to colonize it. What would we need to build to live there? We will build in groups the different pieces of our new planet's infrastructure that we need to create our world.

Definition: Infrastructure - the fundamental facilities and systems serving a country,city, or area, as transportation and communication systems,power plants, and schools. (from www.dictionary.com)


Lesson Plan

  1. (10-15 min) Show and Tell
  2. (15 min) Discussion:
    1. Describe the Building Challenge (see above)
    2. Define Infrastructure (see above)
    3. Discuss what a colonist would need to survive on a new planet. 
    4. Perhaps show pictures of Champaign and Urbana from when settlers first arrived here. 
    5. Make a list on a whiteboard of the different tools, places, etc that they would need.
  3. (20 min) Build: Break into groups of 2-3 people and choose one of the items from the list to build.
  4. (25 min) Build Terra's infrastructure by putting our creations together and describing them to each other
  5. (5 min) Cleanup
  6. (10 min) Parts draft

Materials:

  1. Lots of lego bricks
  2. Pictures of our town when it was first settled
  3. Description of our new planet (perhaps pictures)
    1. Same type of atmosphere as earth
    2. There are local herd animals that are a cross between a cow and an elephant.
    3. The landing site is in a climate similar to Champaign-Urbana, IL
    4. The land near the landing site is heavily forested and there is a very large lake (three times the size of Lake Michigan) a 15 minute walk from the landing site.
    5. There is a Governor of the planet who is equivalent to our President but he is in office for 5 years.
    6. We have brought cows, sheep, horses, and chickens with us. In addition to 100 seeds of 50 different types of food crops (corn, wheat, squash, etc.).