Get Spacey with KS2!

Selected song: Spaceship jam

English/Science

Read George’s Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy and Stephen Hawking. It’s a children’s story of a journey through outer space, which aims to explain real science in an entertaining way. You can read extracts at www.georgessecretkey.com. 

To reinforce learning, get the children to work in groups writing their own story to illustrate scientific concepts. This could work well not only with ‘spacey’ topics (such as QCA Science Unit 5E: Earth, Sun and Moon),

 but with any aspect of Science (or indeed any other curriculum area). Be as creative as you like – for example, as part of QCA Science Unit 4B: Habitats, ask children to write about being part of an alien reconnaissance team whose job is to investigate and report the various habitats and food chains on Earth.

English/Geography

Virgin Galactic aims to be the world’s first commercial spaceline, enabling space tourists to experience weightlessness and look down on planet Earth from an altitude of 100km. Watch the introduction video at www.virgingalactic.com (click on ‘videos’ and then on the ‘Short introduction to Virgin Galactic’ movie) to listen to Richard Branson’s views.

Children could carry out further internet-based research on Virgin Galactic to design and produce a leaflet or a page from a holiday brochure aimed at persuading readers to book a seat.

History

Explain that, while the school library has a number of books on space travel and exploration, the service would be much improved with a display. Tell children that they have been asked to produce a set of display materials based on the history of space travel and exploration. They could work in groups to produce a timeline, fact files and posters.

There are lots of research opportunities on the internet. You'll find ideas at www.spacekids.co.uk/spacehistory.

Design and Technology

Tell the class that it has won the contract to design a toy rocket for a local shop. Organise the children into design teams and provide a variety of materials for them to experiment with. There are several examples of how these might be produced on ‘how to’ websites such as www.instructables.com.

A fun means of rocket propulsion is to use sodium bicarbonate with vinegar in an upside-down photo film canister. The chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide that blows off the lid, forcing the canister into the air. (Make sure you do a risk assessment!)

Science

When a spacecraft enters the atmosphere from space it is in real danger of burning up, because of heat generated from the friction due to air resistance when travelling at high speed. Commission teams of children to design a low-friction spacecraft, by dropping modelling-clay shapes into a measuring cylinder of water and timing the descent.

When they have selected their most efficient design, they could compete against other teams. They should discover that more aerodynamic shapes will cause less water resistance and therefore less friction.

The assignment could be extended to include a parachute design for the purpose of slowing down the spacecraft when landing. This seeks to make use of maximum air resistance. See QCA Science Unit 4E: Friction (sections 5 and 7) for further ideas.

Art & Design/ICT

There are numerous freely downloadable photo-editing packages available online. Get the children to take digital photos of people and places in school and then use colour filters and other special effects to turn them into alien creatures and landscapes. You may find an online editor more convenient. Picnik – www.picnik.com – is easy to use and you don’t need to register.

After uploading a photo from your computer, click on the ‘create’ tab and select one of the effects on the left of the screen – try ‘Heat Map’ for scenery and ‘Neon’ for people, and play with the settings before saving.

Images could be printed or projected and used as a stimulus for further artwork or creative writing.

Maths

Mark out grids in the playground, hall or any other large space. In groups of four, with two children symbolising a rocket, and the other two representing ground control, teams have to move round the grid (outer space) according to predefined instructions. Children can access this activity at any skill level – those in lower KS2 could move in squares (A1-B4-E3, for example),

whereas older children could follow grid coordinates, perhaps including negatives.

Create as many different scenarios as you like. Perhaps they will have to roll dice to carry out some kind of Star Trek-style mission, collecting objects or carrying out tasks en route. For instance, how about suddenly introducing the coordinates of hostile ‘cloaked’ (invisible) aliens, who children must zap with sponge-ball ‘photon torpedoes’? Or turn the activity into a cat-and-mouse game, where humans chase aliens around the grid, in an attempt to prevent an invasion of Earth.

RE/Speaking and Listening

After discussions on creationism versus the Big Bang theory, hold a debate about the biggest and oldest question of all time – how did we get here? 

To get things rolling, start brainstorming some of the main points together as a class, and then organise the children into groups to work on one side of the debate. Make the debate formal, with one side proposing a motion, for example, ‘This house believes that the Big Bang theory is a work of fiction’, followed by each side presenting their arguments in turn. After questions and comments from the floor, coordinated by the Chair, take a vote.

 Andy Brooke is a teacher, songwriter and freelance writer on music education. He has taught music to all age ranges from nursery to sixth form. He now combines the role of primary school music co-ordinator with that of SENCo.

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