Houston, the eagle (well, rover) has landed. NASA’s Mars rover “Curiosity” set foot on the red planet August 5, 2012, says ABC News. Here are free printable Mars rover Curiosity lesson plans. Educators, why go back to school with a Mars party? Use these Mars Curiosity rover lessons to create inspiring, engaging science fun.
* Mars Science Laboratory: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) operates Curiosity via its Jet Propulsion Lab at the California Institute of Technology. This is Curiosity’s homepage, its “social network.” Start your Mars party here; follow the rover and its mission. Lessons and videos demonstrate the rover’s specs, mechanical functioning and capabilities. Explore the red planet using an interactive virtual 3D Mars rover. “Friend” a Martian (human who works on Mars) and get first-hand updates and images from space.
* Mars for Kids: For back to school activities and Mars party games, check here. Children can engage with Curiosity, send postcards to Spirit (the older Mars rover) and ask questions of scientists. Kids can pretend to be a Martian, play astronomy games, try exploration simulations and learn rover vocabulary. There’s a space weight calculation tool, too. Kids will love connecting with Curiosity, astronauts and space exploration in a personal way.
* Mars for Students: Give your Mars party an educational twist with these interactive lessons. Using these free science lessons, kids practice scientific method by collecting data, creating graphs and charts and analyzing rover findings. Click links for free printable 3D paper models to assemble. There are models for the Mars Pathfinder, Odyssey, Global Surveyor and Phoenix Mars Lander. These activities provide visual aids for space lessons. Students get hands-on experience in vehicle design.
* Mars for Educators: Teachers and home school parents, you’ll find a plethora of free printable interactive Mars lessons and web resources. There are activities for grades K-12. My personal favorite is the printable “Mars Activities” booklet from NASA and Arizona State University. You get 128 pages of math lessons, 3D geometric shapes, paper models, science games and quizzes. Lessons can be fun, but teachers still have to follow state guidelines. Happily, all the Mars rover lessons correlate to national educational objectives and outcomes for easier tracking.
Spice up dull science lessons with Mars party, compliments of the Curiosity rover!
