The Human Relationship to Space
This project was three miniature projects in one to explore what the human relationship to space is. First a grounding in economics as economics underlays so much of the human endeavor into space. Then an exploration of the history of our relationship to space, from creation stories and astrology systems, to the Space Race between Soviet Russia and the United States. Finally, students speculated on the future of humanity in and beyond space through writing their own Science Fiction short stories.
Economic Mini Project
Student-Created Simulations
In this three-week mini project, students learned about different economic concepts through participating in various simulations and reading and analyzing texts.
Economic Concepts Studied
Prisoner's Dilemma: A simulation where participants decide to either cooperate for mutual benefit or betray for individual gain.
Feudalism Simulation: Students learned about feudal land ownership and social order.
Black Box: Students experience disenfranchisement by a factory boss and must compete amongst each other or organize in groups for their survival.
Readings
Selections from Eight Habits of Highly Effective People
"IYANI: It Goes this Way" by Paula Gunn Allen
Selections from The Condensed Wealth of Nations by Eamonn Butler
"The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Final Product
Students created their own economic simulations to demonstrate an economic concept that they then presented to their parents and community members at Open House.
Economic Concepts Studied
- Scarcity vs. Abundance, Cooperation vs. Individualism, Feudalism and Free Trade, Workers' Rights and Collective Action
Prisoner's Dilemma: A simulation where participants decide to either cooperate for mutual benefit or betray for individual gain.
Feudalism Simulation: Students learned about feudal land ownership and social order.
Black Box: Students experience disenfranchisement by a factory boss and must compete amongst each other or organize in groups for their survival.
Readings
Selections from Eight Habits of Highly Effective People
"IYANI: It Goes this Way" by Paula Gunn Allen
Selections from The Condensed Wealth of Nations by Eamonn Butler
"The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Final Product
Students created their own economic simulations to demonstrate an economic concept that they then presented to their parents and community members at Open House.
Space Podcasts
Stories beneath the Stars
In this 6-week project, students studied a specific area in the history of the human relationship with space, created a lesson that they delivered to their peers, and then created a 5-13 minute podcast to further expose one specific area of their or their peers research.
Areas of Research Creation Stories Astrology Systems Cold War Space Race Resistance to the Space Race Components of Student-Led Lessons Mini Lecture Note Catcher Selected Text and Activity A Knowledge Application Activity Podcasts Students selected one specific area from their or a peer's lesson to explore further in a 5-13 minute podcast. Students chose to use either an essay-based or a narrative format in their podcast. After recording and editing with the audio program audacity, students presented their podcasts at an exhibition attended by parents and community members. |
The Future of Humanity
Sci Fi Short Stories
After weeks of exploration into the history of our relationship with space, students then turned their eyes to the future to ponder, "what is the future of humanity?" There is no genre more perfectly suited for this exploration than the genre of science fiction. In the last three weeks of the semester, students read sci fi novels, created short stories, and designed cover art which explored the implications of technology and the future of the human species. Book Club Books Read Ready Player One Fahrenheit 451 Altered Carbon I, Robot Dune The Martian The 100 1984 |