1. Reflection and Discussion
In small groups, review the data you collected after implementing the Class Action Plan. You will now:
- Determine whether your class met their goal
- Discuss some of the potential consequences of the changes made; and
- Consider whether the changes you made in your classroom could be made aboard the ISS.
Use the following document to record your reflections:
You may need to refer to the information from the Environmental Conditions on Earth and on the International Space Station Backgrounders during the reflection process.
- Temperature on Earth and on the Space Station (Grade 6)
- Temperature on Earth and on the ISS (Grade 9–12)
- Relative Humidity on Earth and on the Space Station (Grade 6)
- Relative Humidity on Earth and on the ISS (Grade 9–12)
- Carbon Dioxide on Earth and on the ISS
- Light on Earth and on the ISS
- Noise on Earth and on the ISS
2. Telling the Story
In this final part of the project, you will apply what you have learned about the environmental conditions in your classroom and on board the ISS to create a culminating digital presentation.
Your presentation should address the following questions:
- How did your classroom environmental conditions compare with the conditions on the ISS?
- What did you do to improve your classroom environmental conditions?
- What would you do next to improve your indoor classroom environment?
Your teacher will provide you with more details.
3. Sharing the Story
Living Space is a national science experiment, with Canadian students participating from coast to coast to coast. There are many opportunities for you to collaborate with other students from across Canada, throughout your province, within your city, or even just at your school!
Ask your teacher how you will be sharing what you discovered about the optimal environmental conditions for life.
4. Extensions
Design and Build
In this activity, your group will design and construct a model closed Life Support System that will be monitored using the humidity sensor you used during the project. The model will need to include a live plant and the humidity sensor will need to trigger an alarm if the humidity goes outside of the “optimal range”.
- What is a “closed ecological system (CES)”? Brainstorm some examples.
- List at least five potential challenges of a closed ecological system. Think about such things as:
- Food
- Water
- Air
- Protection from the elements
- Temperature
- Review the Design Criteria listed on the assignment handout:
- Carry out the Design & Build process using the following template:
- Construct and test your model before sharing it with your class. How is your closed system similar to and/or different from the ISS?
For more information on life support systems
- Life Support Systems (NASA)
- Environmental Control and Life Support Systems Water Filtration Challenge Educator Guide (NASA Education)
- The Space station water recycling system presented by David Saint-Jacques (CSA Video)
- The water cycle presented by David Saint-Jacques (CSA Video)
Scratch Project
In this activity, you will apply what you have learned about environmental conditions and coding through the creation of a project in Scratch. Review the assignment below.
You will REMIX the Temperature in the Classroom Scratch project, changing it so that it communicates data about one of the environmental conditions you measured for the Living Space project.
- You will work in pairs to complete this task.
- Go to Temperature in the Classroom Scratch project.
- Click on the Remix button beside the See project page button in the top right corner of the screen.
- Sign in with a username and password. If you have not already created an account, see the Scratch Project: Tips & Hints page to learn how to sign up for Scratch.
- Remix the project. Here are some suggestions:
- Change the backdrop to an ISS theme
- Replace the Inspector Sprite with an Astronaut-themed Sprite
- Adjust the Inspector Sprite’s words to use language that you might hear on the ISS.
- Add your own creative effects (e.g., animations, sound effects, etc.).
- Add additional code so that you can communicate data about the humidity, temperature or carbon dioxide levels!
- Add sprites and costumes that will appear under various conditions (e.g., plants might appear wilted in low humidity, astronauts may appear fatigued under high carbon dioxide levels).
Note: This project is geared towards students who already have some experience using Scratch. Need some help? Check out the links below:
- For tips to help you get started on Scratch, see Scratch Project: Tips & Hints.
- There are many great projects on the Scratch website as well as many Scratch Tutorials that can give you inspiration!
Did You Know?
Remixing programs allows you to work with code created by others who may have different experiences and skills. It can be an opportunity to learn new concepts, borrow ideas and add your own creative perspective. Computer scientists often use code written by others to create their own programs for different purposes. It is important to give credit to the original author when you remix programs.