Mission Project Revised

Source: Creative Commons, Flickr, Ken Lund

Any person who has grown up in California, remembers the sugar cube mission project in 4th grade. Now, it might have been made of some other substance, but for the most part the project was always similar. Visit a mission, take some pictures, create a diagram, discuss the history, etc. Many kids today are moving through the same motions even though technology allows us to do so much more.

Today, we can simply type into a browser the name of a mission and we are given all the historical facts we'd ever need to know. I challenge you then, what is the purpose of recreating a mission if we can simply look up the facts? We need students to be applying knowledge and facts to something new. We need kids to be building missions on Mars. Read on to see my redesigned mission project:

Mission to …

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Dear capable cadet,

If you choose to read on, then you are bound to and you solemnly swear to dedicate your entire brain, effort, and philosophy to an unforeseen challenge that will take you on a journey, that is unknown to any 4th grader to ever have walked the planet.

It is a period of exploration, of settlements, and of uncharted corners of the universe. The Wyosnick Enterprise is planning multiple explorations to settle and to convert others to the pillars of philosophy that we stand by. It is a challenge that needs capable minds to undertake it.

Below, are the chronicles of the missions. Choose wisely and report back to base as you progress throughout your journey. You will be tested and tried. You must be resilient. You must be strong.

Your mission is to determine where you would place a mission in the present time or in the future. Should you choose to take on this task, you must look to the history of our ancestors to determine what qualifications a mission needs, why missions were built, why or why not a mission should be build, the purpose they serve, etc. History shapes the present and determines the future. Apply your knowledge of the past and decide the most ideal location for a mission.

You must establish its design, create a model, write up a proposal based on historical facts, and analyze the word mission. Why am I sending you on a mission to build a mission?

Most of all you must be ready to justify your location and to justify the building of your mission in the first place. Think about the ethical implications of building missions and what that means for the indigenous people as well as those who are settling and exploring that universe.

Mission Checklist:

• Analysis of the word mission as a noun and a verb
• Historical research of missions in general
• Historical research of a specific mission as an influence on your task
• Location of present or future mission
• Plan of present or future mission
• User profile of mission goers, workers etc. displayed as a social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
• Diagram of present or future mission
• Explanation of historical influences in paper or video or podcast form
• Ethical debate on validity of missions, stance explained.