Author: Robin A. Ward, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Audience: 4-10 graders

Mathematical Topics: writing and communicating mathematically

Rationale: According to the NCTM Standards 2000,"good tasks fuel students' curiosity and encourage them to talk about mathematics" (p. 31). Moreover, mathematics is a "great cultural and intellectual achievement of humankind" and students should "develop an appreciation and understanding of that achievement" (p. 45).

In this activity, students will be given the opportunity to write, communicate mathematically with their classmates, and defend their reasoning, activities that are not encouraged often enough in many mathematics classrooms. Additionally, students can discuss the mathematics that it took to allow us to conquer space and land on the moon.

Materials:

Background: In July, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Before returning to Earth, Neil Armstrong left a plaque on the moon, commemorating man's accomplishment.

Neil Armstrong, the first human to step on the moon's surface, was a former X-15 pilot who also flew many other research aircraft at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. The X-15 research aircraft was developed to provide in-flight information and data on aerodynamics, structures, flight controls, and the physiological aspects of high-speed, high-altitude flight. A follow on program used the aircraft as a testbed to carry various scientific experiments beyond the Earth's atmosphere on a repeated basis.

View several photos of the X-15.
Learn some facts about the X-15.
View a movie clip of the X-15.

If you were to leave a plaque on the moon in anticipation that it may be discovered later by some other unknown civilization, what would you write on the plaque? More specifically, what mathematics would you want to share with other civilizations that might help them?

In this activity, students can work independently or in groups of two to decide what mathematics (formulas, equations) they feel should be engraved onto a plaque if they were to travel to the moon.

The Activity:

The teacher might begin by asking students to use the WWW to locate information on the first lunar landing. This can be done the day before this actitvty is implemented. Facilitate a classroom discussion on their findings. When did man first land on the moon? What was the name of the spacecraft that took man there? Who was onboard? What did they leave on the moon? Click here to find out the answers!

Show students the overhead of the plaque left behind on the moon by Neil Armstrong. Discuss the information that appears on the plaque. Why do you think this wording was chosen?

Ask students to consider the following: If you were to fly to the moon and could leave a plaque behind, what mathematics would you write on it? Allow students time to brainstorm and then ask them to sketch their work on the worksheet which contains the blank plaque. Students could work independently or in groups of twos or threes.

After the class has completed the activity, allow the students to share their plaques with other students. Perhaps the teacher could hang the plaques around the room for all of the students to see. Allow students to defend their choices for the wording they chose. Why did they choose the formulas or words they choose?

Enrichment Activity: The mathematics teacher might encourage the social studies and/or language arts teachers to let students complete this same activity but in their classes. What important historical or grammatical/poetic information might students write on their plaques?


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Funded by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

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