Are your students tired of just reading about Earth? Do they gaze longingly at the night sky, dreaming of a future beyond textbook pages? Excellent! Because today, we're not just learning about science; we're making science. We're launching them into the ultimate entrepreneurial challenge: Terraforming Mars: The Red Planet "Shark Tank" Innovation Challenge!

Forget your quaint little recycling programs. We're talking about taking a dusty, desolate rock and turning it into a vacation spot for humanity.

This isn't just a project; it's a desperate plea from the future (and a cunning way to keep them engaged). Your students will become "Terraforming Tech Startups," armed with nothing but their wits, some internet access, and a burgeoning understanding of how Earth actually works. Because, let's be honest, trying to make Mars habitable without understanding our own planet's life support systems is like trying to bake a cake without knowing what flour is.

Prepare for an explosion of creativity (hopefully not literal, on Mars or in your classroom) as they grapple with the fundamental cycles that make life possible. The competitive drive to secure that "virtual investment" (and bragging rights) will channel all their boundless energy into productive, scientific output. Just try to keep the "mad scientist" cackles to a minimum.

Student Learning and Performance Objectives:

1. Demonstrate understanding of the Carbon, Water, Nitrogen, and Oxygen cycles.

2. Apply your knowledge of the principles of these cycles to design an ecosystem on a different planet (e.g. Mars).

3. Illustrate how biogeochemical cycles support life in a closed system (Earth, Mars colony, dome ecosystem etc.).

4. Pitch your solutions to practice collaboration, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving/design.

What's included:

1. 20 slides that introduce, explain, and guide the teacher and students

2. Introductory popcorn reading activity

3. Research Guide (G-doc link): Includes Note-taking space and links to reputable websites for students to use.

4. Project timeline and detailed tasks for each day

5. Group Roles explained in detail

6. Detailed teacher notes on prep, main lesson, and best practices

7. List of materials

8. Student Learning and Performance Objectives

9. Grading Rubric and Peer Evaluation Form