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Ashley Manor
April 23, 2018
ED Tech Mini Lesson
Create a travel brochure:
Why You Should Travel To….

1. Standards
a. Common Core:
i. MS-ESS1-3. Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects
in the solar system. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the analysis of data
from Earth-based instruments, space-based telescopes, and spacecraft to
determine similarities and differences among solar system objects. Examples of
scale properties could include the sizes of an object’s layers (such as crust and
atmosphere), surface features (such as volcanoes), and orbital radius. Examples
of data could include statistical information, drawings and photographs, and
models.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include recalling facts
about properties of the planets and other solar system bodies.]
b. ISTE:
i. 3c Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools
and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful
connections or conclusions.
2. Lesson objects
a. 6th grade science: The students will be able to determine scale properties of objects in
the solar system.
b. The NASA website https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/menu/solar-system/ and the software of
Paint, Word, and Publisher to create a travel brochure. The students will be able to
curate a brochure to demonstrate connections between planets using specified
websites and software.
3. Intro to learning activity
a. What is the project
i. The students will create a travel brochure for a local travel agency detailing
Jupiter, Mars, or Pluto. The students can choose, but they must compare the
planet/moon to Earth, if choosing Jupiter comparisons must be made to the sun
and Earth, and if Pluto, comparisons must be made to the Earth’s moon as well
as to Earth.
b. Hook
i. How many of you have seen in the news rocket launches being tested with the
hopes of sending humans to the moon and possibly other planets? Space travel
as a travel destination isn’t as foreign a concept as we may think. We are going
to pretend it is possible to travel to any planet in our solar system including
Pluto, which was downgraded to a moon. You are being hired by a local travel
agency to create a travel brochure enticing people to travel to a specific planet.
The planets you can choose from to create the brochure about are Mars,
Jupiter, and the moon Pluto.
4. Provide info
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a. The teacher will state that t he objective of this assignment is to compare scale
properties of objects in the solar system. What that means is you will be comparing the
planet of your choice with Earth, the Sun, or the Earth’s moon depending on what
object you choose to write about. Scale properties means the sizes of an object’s layers
such as crust and atmosphere, surface features such as volcanoes, mountains, and
canyons, and the orbital radius, but it is not limited to just these. The second objective is
to assess your ability to use the websites I will provide to you to gather information
about the planet or moon. Then you will use that information to create a brochure in
Publisher and create models using Paint that you will insert in to your brochure. The
travel brochure will be about one of the following: Mars, Jupiter, or Pluto. All these
destinations must be compared to Earth. If choosing Jupiter, you also will need to
compare it to the Sun and if choosing Pluto, you will need to compare it to Earth’s
moon.
b. The teacher will hand out a handout detailing what the project is and what scale
properties means
c. The teacher will ask 2-3 students to repeat what the project is about.
d. The students will answer with a travel brochure about Mars, Jupiter, or Pluto that we
decide on. We will gather information from websites, then create models in Paint and
insert them into Publisher where we will create our travel brochure highlighting scale
properties.
e. The teacher will tell students to go to student.plattsburgh.edu
f. The teacher will then say type in Manor followed by Ashley in the “find on page” box at
the top left corner of the screen. Then click on that name when it is highlighted bold.
The website will open. Then click on Resources in the navigation bar. The teacher will
then state that the students will find the website under the heading “students” and it
will be titled NASA’s solar system.
g. The students will click on the link titled NASA’S solar systems
h. The teacher will tell students they will have 2-3 minutes to browse the planets in our
solar system before deciding on Mars, Jupiter, or Pluto. They must stay in that website
but can click on the different planets to read about each one.
i. The teacher will use proximity to monitor and aid students.
j. The teacher will announce when 1 minute is left and that students need to pick Mars,
Jupiter, or Pluto. If students have already decided, they can read through the
information about their choice.
k. The teacher will state that at the bottom of the page there will be a link to NASA for
further information. The students are to click that link to gather more detailed
information.
l. The teacher will state that students are to 1st browse the interactive planet features on
the homepage of the new website they were redirected to. They will use the mouse to
rotate the planet and click on each feature to learn more. The teacher will tell students
they are to use the information from the different sections of the website labeled
“overview, iin-depth, by the numbers, exploration and galleries” to gather the
information for their brochure. The on the clock time will be 5 minutes.
m. The teacher will ask 2 students to repeat the directions.
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n. The teacher will use proximity to monitor and aid students.

o. The students will use the interactive planet model
p. The teacher will state that the students can use Microsoft word or notepad to write,
copy and paste, or jot notes as they learn information about their planet. They can then
copy and paste that information into Publisher. The students will be reminded to cite
the information.
q. The teacher will tell the students that chose Jupiter that they also need to go back to the
teacher’s website, click on resources in the navigation bar, then under the heading
“students” click the “The Sun” link to get information about the sun that they will then
use to compare Jupiter to. The students that chose Pluto will also need to follow the
same steps except under the heading “students” they will need to click “the moon”.
r. Transition: The teacher will announce they will practice using paint now.
s. The teacher will tell students to open paint by clicking on the start icon, then typing
paint. The teacher will tell students they have 2 minutes to explore paint and just play
around with the features.
t. The teacher will tell students that they now need to replicate the image on the back of
their handout and will have another 2 minutes to complete this task.
u. Transition: The teacher will announce when 30 seconds are left.
v. The teacher will tell the students to click on the start icon and type in Publisher, then
open up Publisher. The students will open Publisher clicking on “new” then “blank 11 x
8.5”. The teacher will tell students they have 2 minutes to explore Publisher.
w. The teacher will announce at the end of on the clock time that they will need to create a
3 column brochure page with text boxes at the top of each column in 2 minutes. The
teacher will use proximity to monitor students.
x. The teacher will tell students that they now can use paint and Publisher to complete
their travel brochures and that they need to specifically find the information relating to
the orbital radius of their planet or moon and the orbital radius of Earth. This is simply
stating the distance of Mars, Jupiter, or Pluto from earth and the distance from the Sun.
Using that data, they are to create a model representing that information using Paint.
There is to be a clear title, visual diagram including labels and the orbital radius. There
will have 5 minutes to complete this and when they are finished this step to raise their
hand for feedback from the teacher. The teacher will ask 2-3 students to repeat the
directions
y. The students will complete this task and the teacher will give positive verbal feedback
and areas of needed improvement.
z. The teacher will announce when 1 minute is left.
aa. The teacher will tell students that they can use Publisher to now create their brochure.
bb. The teacher will have students open a new Publisher brochure by clicking on “New”
under the file menu, then clicking on “blank 11 x 8.5”, then click on “Page Design” in the
top taskbar, then click “guides” followed by clicking on the 3-column guide under the
“built in guides” heading. The teacher will tell students to then click on the “insert”
heading and click on “text box”. The teacher will tell students to use the text box to
create the text where they want text. The 3rd column is the cover of their trifold
brochure. The second column is the back and the 1st column is folded in to the inside.
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The teacher will also tell students that they can have the inside designed however they
want and to just play with Publisher to find the design they like best.
cc. The teacher will remind students they can insert as many graphics, visuals, etc. they
created in Paint but must have at least the model of orbital radius.
dd. The students will work on their brochure until they are finished being reminded of using
citations for the information they have found, citing website, and heading the
information was found in.
ee. The students who finish early will be given the assignment of creating a planet by
drawing what it looks like in Paint, placing it in our solar system, using an accurate
orbital radius, drawing it in relation to Earth and the Sun like they just did for their other
planet. The students will be expected to create details in a brochure about this planet
detailing why people should travel there.
ff. The teacher will have the students print their brochure when everyone finishes. The
students will then fold their brochures and the whole class will review them by passing
their travel brochure to their neighbor going clockwise until every student has seen
every brochure created.
5. Provide practice
a. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/menu/solar-system/
b. 2-3 minutes to browse the different planets before choosing 1 to focus on. The students
can look at all the planets, but at the end of the on the clock time the students must
choose Jupiter, Mars or Pluto to focus their travel brochure on.
c. The students will have 5 minutes to collect information needed for the brochure from
the additional websites.
d. The students will have 2minutes to explore the features in paint. The students will have
another 2 minutes to replicate a task that is given to them via a handout. The students
must use paint to create a model showing the size of the planet in relation to earth and
to create a model showing how long travel will take to get from earth to the planet (ok
to use distance from the sun but must include earth and distance from sun to earth as
well to give a reference point).
e. The students will have 2 minutes to explore Microsoft Publisher. The students will then
be given the task of creating the document format the teacher specifies with 2 minutes
to complete the task.
f. The students must use the interactive model on the home page to explore the areas of
that planet
6. Provide knowledge of results
a. Written positive narrative feedback will be written on the travel brochure along with
areas of needed improvement. The teacher will provide positive verbal feedback and
areas of needed improvement throughout the lesson when monitoring the students and
assessing how far along they are in the project.
7. Review activity
a. With students
i. The teacher will ask students to turn and talk with a neighbor about an
interesting fact they learned from creating their brochure. The teacher will ask
students to raise their hand to share. The teacher will lead a discussion about
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the facts they learned about the planets, writing them on the board. The
teacher will then ask students to make comparisons between the facts that are
listed on the board, calling on students who raise their hand.
b. Double check standards and objectives
i. The teacher will provide a self-assessment checklist for the students to use to
assess their progress and the inclusion of all the requirements. The teacher will
emphasize the objectives of: The students will be able to determine scale
properties of objects in the solar system. The students will be able to create a
brochure to demonstrate connections between planets using specified websites
and software. The teacher will explain that the travel brochure demonstrated
their knowledge of being able to use websites and software to create the
brochure which also demonstrated their knowledge of scale properties of
objects in the solar system.
8. Methods of assessment
a. Common Core standard: Travel Brochure
i. The brochure will assess if the students can compare similarities and differences
between Earth and another planet specifically the size of an object’s layers
(crust and atmosphere), surface features (volcanoes, canyons) and orbital
radius.
b. ISTE standard:
i. The teacher will use proximity and a clipboard with class roster to assess if
students are using the websites and resources that are required as well as using
the specified software of Paint and Publisher to create the travel brochure. The
teacher will also use proximity to assess if students are staying on task and
within the specified websites. The teacher will make notations on the clipboard
and use this assessment as a participation grade; if students are on task they
receive credit, if students are not they will get a warning. If the student does not
self-correct they receive a 0 for participation.
ii. Citations will be a second assessment. The students must cite their information
proving if they found the information from the specified websites or from an
unauthorized website.