As a project of the MAVEN Education and Public Outreach program, Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore! proved to be a very effective way to incorporate science into elementary school literacy activities. The project’s flexible, standards-based curriculum used literacy, art, and creative expression as a vehicle for the topic of Mars exploration. The project offered teacher professional development nationally from 2013 to 2016 and, with a special focus on Spanish-language communities, Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore! has been translated for use by Spanish language teachers, English as a Second Language teachers, and others.
Red Planet lessons
Please click the links below to access PDF files of the full Red Planet lessons and their corresponding student activity handouts.
Download entire Red Planet program
Red Planet: Welcome to the Program!
Introduction and recommended reading
Lesson 1: A Quick Trip to Mars
Teacher Instructions | Student Pages
Lesson 1 Extension Activity: Atmospheric Pressure on Mars
Lesson 1 Extension Activity: The Gravity on Mars
Lesson 2: Hanging Mars Out to Dry
Teacher Instructions | Student Pages | Student Supplemental Reading
Lesson 3: Going to Extremes
Teacher Instructions | Student Pages | Behold the Mighty Water Bear (Science Friday video)
Lesson 4: Surviving and Thriving on Mars
Teacher Instructions | Student Pages
Lesson 5: Mars in the Future!
Teacher Instructions | Student Pages
Lesson 6: Know-Wonder-Learned
