Introduction

Intergalactia, an astronaut education and training center, has chosen our class as the winner of their first annual Students in Space contest. We are one of four thousand five hundred applicants, but the scientists at Intergalactia felt that we had the most background knowledge of the solar system and all of its wonders. As our prize we have won an all expense paid trip to the planet of our choice! Now comes the difficult part; which planet do we chose?

The Task

You and your fellow astronauts are to research an assigned planet and convince the class that we should chose your planet as our destination to outer space.

To convince the class that the planet you researched is the best destination for our prize you must complete several steps. Follow these steps closely and prepare for the journey of a lifetime!

1. To begin, you will be assigned two other fellow astronauts to work with and a planet to research.

2. Print out the Planet Research Guide  Research Guide

3. One person will be the technical manager (computer user), one the recorder and scribe, and one will be the research consultant and illustrator. While you are the head of your job, you will all work together to help each other complete a successful campaign for your planet.

4. Together the three of you will locate information from the Internet and Solar System library on your planet. You must all agree on the facts and the interesting facts before the recorder records them.
Here are some websites to help you with your research:
The Nine Planets
Astronomy for Kids
Views of the Solar System
World Almanac for Kids
Yahoolagins Science!: Space

5. Now it is time to prepare for your journey. All astronauts wear patches on their spacesuit. You are to create an emblem to wear on a patch on your spacesuit. This emblem should represent your planet, our class, and this monumental trip. Your emblem may be made out of paper, fabric, or any other art material. Please do not make it bigger than a normal sheet of paper.

6. Once you and your fellow astronauts have finished your research guide and have had it approved by the head space commander (your teacher) it is time to get working! To begin you will create a four panel travel guide highlighting the information on your planet that you researched.  Your  brochure must  include illustrations with features of the planet, basic information about your destination, and a persuasive piece to convince your fellow space commanders that this should be their destination of choice.

6. After your brochure is complete, published, and checked by the head space commander, it is time to get packing! Using the suitcase provided by the head space commander, you must pack 5-7 items that will be useful when visiting your planet. These items may include clothing, food, and other materials needed on your planet. Also, decorate your suitcase to create a visual representation of your destination.

7. Your final step in the research of your planet is to write a letter to Intergalactia. This letter should thank them for all of their support. You should also highlight what you hope to see on your journey of the solar system and on you planet, as well as what mysteries you hope to solve while visiting your planet.

8. Now it is time to persuade your fellow space commanders that your planet is the best planet to choose. You will present your suitcase and emblem to the class, highlighting the research you have found. Your group must also use a persuading format. After all groups have presented, a vote will be taken of which group did the best job persuading (and you cannot vote for your own group!)

Describe to the learners how their performance will be evaluated. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades.

	Area of Concern 1	Progressing 2	Strongly Progressing 3	Meets 4	Score
Space Research Guide Completion	4 or more areas of the research guide incomplete, answers vague and incomplete	2-3 areas of the research guide incomplete, some answers seem to be missing details	1 area of the research guide is incomplete, answers are complete	All areas of the research guide are complete and detailed
Astronaut Emblem	Emblem does not represent planet, is not colored, and is sloppy	Emblem vaguely represents planet, is not colored or is sloppy	Emblem represents planet, is not colored or is sloppy	Emblem represents planet well, is neat and organized
Travel Brochure	5 or more parts from research guide missing, does not try to persuade audience to visit planet	Missing 3-4 facts from research guide, short and vague persuasive piece present	Missing 1-2 facts from research guide, gives only short persuasive explaination for reasons to visit	Presents a wealth of information on planet, give several reasons to persuade audience to visit.
Suitcase	Only contains 1-2 items, is not decorated for trip	Only contains 3 items, partically decorated	Contains 4 items, partically decorated	Contains 5 or more items, decorated well to represent planet.
Letter	Does not have narrative to Intergalactia, does not discuss feelings on hopes and wonders	Very short, lacks description on hopes and wonders	Good piece that is missing some description and/ or details	Descriptive piece explaining hopes and wonders for planet visit
Presentation	Presentation lasts less than 2 minutes, does not present reseach , does not give reasons to persuade	Presentation lasts  2-3 minutes, missing some key research, gives minimal reasons to persuade	Presentation lasts 3-4 minutes, gives most key research, gives  some persuading ideas	presentation lasts 5-6 minutes, gives a wealth of information to show understanding and does a nice job persuading
Group Participation	Wandered off from group several times, required a lot of teacher attention, did not do job and help others	Wandered off from group a few times, did minimal work to complete job and help others	Did some work to complete job but missed some parts, showed some effort to help others with jobs	Worked very well with group members, completed job effectively and helped others complete jobs

PA State Standards Presented

3.4 Physical Science, Chemistry, and Physics
    B. Recognize the Earth's place in the solar system
        Identify planets in our solar system and their general characteristics
        Describe the solar system motions and use them to explain time

1.2 Reading Critically in all Content Areas
    A. Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all               
            academic areas
        Distinguish between essential and nonessential information within a text.
        Analyze text organization and content to derive meaning from test using established criteria   
    B. Use and understand a variety of media and evaluate the quality of material produced
        Use electronic media for research

1.4 Types of Writing
    A. Write informational pieces (e.g., descriptions, letters, reports, instructions) using illustrations
            when relevant

1.5 Quality of Writing
    A. Write with sharp, distinct focus identifying topic, task and audience
    B. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic
        Gather and organize information
    C. Write with controlled and/or subtle organization
        Sustain a logical order
        Include a recognizable beginning, middle, and end
    D. Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition
        Use descriptive words and action verbs
    E. Revise writing to improve detail and order by identifying missing information and determining
            whether ideas follow logically
    F. Edit writing using the conventions of language
       Spell common, frequently used words correctly
       Use capital letters correctly( for words in sentences, proper nouns, pronouns "I")
       Punctuate correctly
       Use nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and conjunctions properly
       Use complete sentences

1.6 Speaking and Listening
    C. Speaking using skills appropriate to formal speech situations
        Use appropriate volume
        Pronounce most words accuratly
        Pace speech so that it is understandable
        Demonstrate an awareness of audience

Credits
Thank you to all the space commanders who have engaged in this journey! I hope you enjoyed it and have learned some facts about our solar system!

References
Background image provided by: http://www.flydownload.com/software/images/stars_3_screensaver_big.gif
Images found at:

    Picture One
    Picture Two
    Picture Three  

PA State Standards can be found here