Mars Mission

My students and I love Mission to Mars sessions.  The students are engaged, learning and on task. 

Every time the year 7 students are working on their mission to Mars they are applying learned skills in a ‘real life’ context that provides opportunities for learning that are not available in a traditional classroom.  The students have had to prepare a mission to Mars with their team. This has involved deciding on resources and tools that would be useful for a human colony on Mars and building a space craft to meet survival and transportation requirements.  Students have built on knowledge and skills from all subjects areas and have had to apply these to create a successful mission. 

Mission to Mars had enabled the students to learn requirements for human survival in a hostile environment, mathematical skills such as measurement and ratio as they build objects in the world.  Students have learnt and practiced important team work skills such as collaborative decision making, delegating responsibility and meeting shared deadlines.  Mission to Mars has engaged reluctant learners and helped them take responsibility for their own learning as they contribute to the team goals. The students have thrived in the virtual environment where they can explore possibilities and experiment in ways unavailable in an ordinary communications lesson.

Amelia Guillet

Year 7 Communications teacher.