Hi everyone my name is Erika, and I have just finished my first year teaching, I will be teaching 2nd class next year. One of my favorite facts about space is that Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system, nearly three times the height of Mount Everest.
Inquiry-based learning is a powerful educational approach that encourages students to explore and investigate topics. I think an effective inquiry-based activity to implement would be centered around the question: “What would it take to live on Mars?”
I would present this question to the students and get them to discuss in pairs or groups things like atmosphere, climate, surface conditions, and available resources. They would explore questions like: How would we obtain water and oxygen? What would we eat? How would we protect ourselves from radiation?
Students would work in small groups, each focusing on a specific aspect of the problem. They would use a variety of resources, making use of digtal resources such as ipads.
Each group would present their findings to the class, proposing solutions to the challenges of living on Mars. This collaborative learning process allows students to engage with the material actively and learn from each other.
Finally, we would reflect as a class the real-world implications of living on Mars. By incorporating inquiry-based activities like this into the curriculum, I aim to create an engaging learning environment.