Europlanet Educational Resources – The Mars Collection
Europlanet 2024 RI has produced a set of school resources exploring the possibilities of life on the Red Planet. The resources have been produced to be easily translatable in order to facilitate ease of dissemination across Europe and beyond. The resources link areas of the curriculum with research into past and present conditions on Mars and how we can study these conditions via analogue sites here on Earth. The project covers a range of topics, from geoscience and volcanoes, to pH and even mineral deposition viewed through an astrobiological lens.
1. Extremophiles
The first set of resources in the Mars Collection gives an introduction to life found in extreme environments, exploring the kind of stresses we may find on Mars and how life can adapt to survive these.
Overview
Age Range:
10-14
Equipment Needed:
- Computer
- Projector
Lesson Time:
45 Minutes (including 2 videos)
Topics Covered:
- Biology (Life in extremes)
- Astronomy (Mars surface conditions)
Learning Outcomes
After completing this activity, pupils will:
- Understand that cells can change to adapt to extreme environments.
- Be able to explain the function of a cell membrane.
- Assess how stresses on Mars might affect its habitability.
Download presentation
PowerPoint (4.8 MB)
PDF (1.3 MB)
Download teachers’ resource
Word (201 KB)
PDF (246 KB)
Video experiments
Teacher Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Italian versions of the resources with video lessons produced by EDU INAF are now available at: Terra chiama Marte.
