Lesson Plan #:AELP-INT0064

Spaceship Earth

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Author: Mark A. Williams
School or Affiliation: Kennedy Middle School, Albuquerque, NM
Endorsed by: These lesson plans are the result of the work of the teachers who have attended the Columbia Education Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teachers from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural, western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and science Education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met at the Workshops.

Date : May 1994

Grade Level(s): 5, 6, 7

Subject(s):

Overview:

Often students do not consider the earth and its problems as a system. This activity can be used to introduce a variety of subjects.

Purpose:

This is a method of introducing the earth as a system, and the fragility of that system when population, pollution, 1st world vs. 3rd world, terrorism, etc., are considered as interactive parts of a spaceship earth.

Objectives:

  1. Students estimate time earth can exist with current problems.
  2. Students list 5 world problems
  3. Students list 5 local problems
  4. Students discuss world problems

Resources/Materials:

Just paper and board and what ever activities the teacher already uses.

Activities and Procedures:

The teacher begins by describing and drawing a picture on board:

"There is a spaceship floating in space. The spaceship is divided in half. One half contains 10% of the people on board, but they have 90% of the food and supplies. The other half of the ship has 90% of the people on board and only 10% of food and supplies."

"There is a computer on board but no one is using it. Chemicals, oxygen and life support are controlled by anyone who wants to play at the computer. Both halves of very dirty, smoky and polluted. No one is in charge."

"Both haves have guns and bombs aboard."

"The half with 90% of the people aboard is in dire straights. Some of them are trying to break into the other side. They have decided to bomb their way into the other side knowing they risk destroying the ship."

"Students, how long is the spaceship going to exist in space under these conditions?"

Young students, grades 5-7, will be shocked to realize this is the earth. They will be amazed when you tell them they just predicted the earth has days or hours to exist.

  1. Students discuss scenario.
  2. Students list 5 world problems.
  3. Students list 5 local problems.
  4. Teacher uses the spaceship analogy for any ecological or world system activities already in use. Possible topics are: population bomb, terrorism, 3rd world, hunger, world planning, pollution problems, greenhouse effect, ecology, nuclear war.
Tying It All Together:

The teacher has introduced a model that can be referred to in many ways depending on existing curricula.