< Remote Sensing

How to Teach These Units

Take a little time to prepare and get ready to teach. The pages linked below give you an easy-to-follow checklist and resources that get you prepared for facilitating PLANETS activities.

Ready, S.E.T. (Science, Engineering, Technology), Go!

Learners design spacecraft to gather data about Mars. As scientists, they choose a mission. As engineers, they figure out which instruments to send.

Guiding Question

Which mission should we send to Mars? What instruments does a spacecraft need for it?

Activity Downloads

Activity Timing

10 MIN. Get Ready & Team Up

25 MIN. Plan & Create (S.E.T.)

10 MIN. Reflect (Go!)

45 MIN. TOTAL

Setup: Prep Time 60 min.

  • Read unit.
  • Print Notebooks.
  • Cut out instruments.
  • Make Our Ideas Poster.

*See Materials & Preparation in the Educator Guide linked above for full info.

21st Century Skills

  • Critical Thinking

Habits of Mind

  • Use a structured problem-solving process.

Science Practices

  • Planning and Conducting Investigations.

Learners Will Do

  • As scientists, choose a type of mission.
  • As engineers, choose and arrange instruments for that mission.

Learners Will Know

  • Scientists and engineers can work together to solve problems.

Connecting Across Activities

  • Ready, S.E.T., Go! Today, learners design spacecraft to gather data about Mars. As scientists, they choose a mission. As engineers, they figure out which instruments to send on the mission.
  • Activity 1: Sharing Experiences Next time, learners share experiences with, and stories about, technology.

Level Up!

  • Have learners sort the instruments by weight. Ask: What do you notice about the weight of the instruments? (They have different weights. Some are light, some are moderate, and some are heavy.) Set a limit for the maximum amount of weight on the spacecraft. (5 min.)
  • Learners may believe that technology refers only to devices powered by electricity. Explain that anything designed by people to solve a problem is technology. Have learners identify non-electrical technologies around them. (10 min.)
  • Have learners create portrayals–through drawing, acting, or some other method of their choice–of scientists and engineers working together to plan missions and design spacecraft. (30 min.)

  • View the Translanguaging Video to support learners who speak multiple languages.

  • To help learners understand what they will be doing during this activity, play the translatable video Remote Sensing Instructional Read Aloud.

  • Watch this video (below) about plans for sending humans to the Moon during the Artemis missions. Discuss how spacecraft must be designed differently if they are carrying robots versus if they are carrying humans. (15 min.)

How We Are Going to the Moon – 4K