This is a lesson about the definition of life. Learners will compare real and fake or live and dead objects and brainstorm ideas about what life is; refine the definition by playing 20 Questions to identify an object or organism; and test the... (View More) definition by comparing "mystery" samples. Includes background reading for teachers, student pages, reflection questions, and blackline masters. This is activity 1 of 5 and sets the stage for subsequent activities in this educator resource guide - Astrobiology in your Classroom: Life on Earth..and Elsewhere? (View Less)

This is a lesson about organisms living under extreme conditions on Earth serving as analogs for extraterrestrial life. Learners will play a card game to create a set by matching an extremophile, an extreme habitat on Earth, and an extraterrestrial... (View More) habitat that may be similar to an Earth habitat. They will assemble a crew of extremophiles and target them to specific locations on a planet or moon. The activity concludes with a debate on the ethics of sending Earth life to other worlds. Includes background reading for teachers, student pages, reflection questions, and blackline masters. This is activity 4 in the educators guide, Astrobiology in your Classroom: Life on Earth..and Elsewhere? (View Less)

This is the introductory lesson to Astro-Venture. Learners will be introduced to the overall goals and concepts of Astro-Venture and given the background information for the Astronomy unit and final project. Students research the requirements for... (View More) human survival and analyze the planets and moons in our solar system to assess the ability of each to support human survival. The lesson models scientific inquiry using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes, prerequisite concepts, common misconceptions, student journal and reading. This is lesson 1 in the Astro-Venture Astronomy Unit. The lessons are designed for educators to use in conjunction with the Astro-Venture multimedia modules. (View Less)

This is the concluding lesson in the Astro-Venture Biology Unit. Learners will draw and explain concept maps that show how the members of the food web interact with many different systems to support human habitability and write a report of their... (View More) findings explaining how astronomical, atmospheric, geological, and biological features work together as a system to support human habitability and how this balance can be maintained. The lesson models scientific inquiry using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes, prerequisite concepts, common misconceptions, student journal and reading. This is lesson 7 in the Astro-Venture Biology Training Unit that was developed to increase students' awareness of and interest in astrobiology and related STEM career opportunities. The lessons are designed to be used with the Astro-Venture multimedia modules. (View Less)

in this concluding lesson, learners review astronomy and atmosphere systems and draw connections to geological processes and structures. They then summarize their learning from this unit in a final project. The lesson models scientific inquiry using... (View More) the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes, prerequisite concepts, common misconceptions, student journal and reading. This is lesson eight in the Astro-Venture Geology Training Unit that were developed to increase students' awareness of and interest in astrobiology and the many career opportunities that utilize science, math and technology skills. The lessons are designed for educators to use with the Astro-Venture multimedia modules. (View Less)

This is a lesson about the basic requirements for human survival. Learners will use an online, multimedia module, in which they make changes to the ecosystem and draw conclusions about the biologic conditions that are necessary for human survival.... (View More) The lesson models scientific inquiry using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes, prerequisite concepts, common misconceptions, student journal and reading. This is lesson 1 in the Astro-Venture Biology Training Unit that was developed to increase students' awareness of and interest in astrobiology and related STEM careers. The lessons are designed to be used with the Astro-Venture multimedia modules. (View Less)

In this lesson, learners explore the steps in the carbon cycle and draw conclusions about the importance of the carbon cycle in the planetary temperature system. The lesson models scientific inquiry using the 5E instructional model and includes... (View More) teacher notes, prerequisite concepts, common misconceptions, student journal and reading. This is lesson six in the Astro-Venture Geology Training Unit that was developed to increase students' awareness of and interest in astrobiology and the many career opportunities that utilize science, math and technology skills. The lessons are designed for educators to use with the Astro-Venture multimedia modules. (View Less)