< Water in Extreme Environments

Full Educator Guides

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.

7. Sum It Up: Science Share-Out

Learners recommend a water reservoir to explore.

Guiding Question

What water reservoir in the solar system do you recommend exploring?

Activity Downloads

Activity Timing

10 MIN. Get Ready & Team Up

25 MIN. Science Share-Out

10 MIN. Reflect

45 MIN. TOTAL

Setup: Prep Time 5 min.

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

Context-Setting Video

Why Does NASA Want to Explore Jupiter’s Ocean Moon?

21st Century Skills

  • Communication

Science Practices

  • Engaging in Argument from Evidence
  • Constructing Explanations
  • Communicating Information

Learners Will Do

  • Share their selected reservoirs and explain why they want to explore them.

Learners Will Know

  • Scientists have valuable knowledge to share about their findings and decisions.

Connecting Across Activities

  • Activity 6: Choose a Potential Water Reservoir to Explore: Last time, learners combined what they have learned to propose an extraterrestrial water reservoir to explore for life.
  • Activity 7: Science Share-Out: Today, learners recommend a water reservoir to explore.
  • Engineering Pathway: Next time, learners experience water reuse engineering in the PLANETS Water in Extreme Environments Engineering Pathway (optional).

Set up a device with a projector and internet access, then test video links and view: Why Does NASA Want to Explore Jupiter’s Ocean Moon?

Related Video

Water and Habitability

Level Up! (Optional)

In the Educator Guide, you will see “Level Up!” Sections. These include great tips and activities that build and extend STEM and 21st Century skills, and create stronger connections between educators, youth, and families. They typically take a little extra time, so please plan accordingly.

  • Tell learners, if anyone asks them what they did today, they can tell them “We shared a location in outer space that we think might have water.” (5 min.)
  • Have learners research NASA’s missions to Mars, Europa, and Enceladus to learn more about the search for past or present habitable conditions in those places. (30 min.)
  • If your learners enjoyed this planetary science challenge, they would also enjoy the Rover Observation and Discoveries in Space (ROADS) student challenges. Show your learners the NASA National Student Challenges weblink. (15 min. to review weblink, 10–15 hours per challenge)