Academy Curricular Exchange
Columbia Education Center
Science

TITLE:  SPACESHIP  EARTH

AUTHOR:  Mark A. Williams, Kennedy Middle School, Albuquerque,  NM 

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:  5-7 (This idea is not new, but if you haven't
used it can work very well.)

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 verse 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.

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