Aliens and Space lesson:
Engage:
Trigger: As part of my Literacy lesson I would introduce this rhyming story ‘Aliens Love Underpants’. It is fantastic for oral language and we would discuss the rhyming words and different elements of the story while paying particular to the aliens, what do they look like, colour, size, what are they travelling in, from where, to where etc. It would be on the IWB with this link.
Investigate & taking the next step.
We would recall our previous lessons on the different planets and write them on the board with words associated with each planet.
They would be split the group into pairs or teams of up to four children. Each group would have a fact sheet based on each planet. Instruct them to design an alien based on the environmental factors provided on the fact sheet for that planet paying attention to how your alien will have:
a way to breathe
a food source
protection from heat and/or cold
protection from cosmic radiation
a way to sense their environment
a way to move
Conclusion: They present their alien to the class and explain the different characteristics of their alien and planet and the reasons behind their choices for the different characteristics.
Continue the activity into Art where they can use clay to create their alien.