Demonstrate your understanding of the universe!

SHOWCASE YOUR CREATIVITY SKILLS BY DESIGNING YOUR VERY OWN GALAXY...

GALAXY QUEST

Task B:

Showcase one planet in

your galaxy.

Highlight one planet in your galaxy

and create a virtual tour of that planet. You should give your audience a general overview of the layout of your planet highlighting the

major landforms found there. You should also indicate what type of atmosphere your planet consists of,

along with the amount of surface gravity and other important life supporting elements (e.g. Water).

Task A:

Create your own galaxy.

Within your galaxy you must design a solar system consisting of as many

planets as you wish.

Once you have created your galaxy, you must design a virtual tour of it

using any software you like. Be sure to name your galaxy and planets, and identify where your galaxy is located with reference to our own Milky Way

system.

Sounds like a big project? It is!...but the good news is that I have broken it down into much smaller tasks for you to complete. The tasks are highlighted below:

Task C:

Design some plants

As you know, any ecosystem that supports like has some kind of plant

life. Create 3 different types of plants that exist on your planet and give a brief overview about them.

You m igh t want to i nc lude information about what animals eat them, how tall/large they can grow or whether they produce flowers or

fruit.

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Boldly go where no student has gone before...

Task D: Animals on your planet.

You must also showcase 4 animals that live on your planet. This is your chance to show how creative you can be! Please make sure you take into account your planetary conditions – that is, don’t create a beast that only survives under water if your planet

is primarily made up of dessert sands!

For each animal you must answer the following questions:

What is its name?

What does it eat?

What animals/plants are it’s natural predators?

What animals/plants are it’s natural prey?

What 2 features does it have to defend itself from predators?

Identify 2 other physical adaptations the animal has to help it survive

Identify 2 other behavioural adaptations the animal has to help it survive

Task E: Create a picture

Lastly, create a scene that highlights at least 3 biotic and 3 abiotic features on your planet. You can make it look like someone took a photo on your planet. Be sure to label the abiotic and biotic features clearly in your scene.

There are some great software editing programs on the web that are free. Pixlr or Inkscape are two such programs that will allow you to achieve some really interesting results.

So what software can I use?

There are loads of programs out there; it really depends on what you want your final product to look like. Try some of the links below to see if they will suit your needs.

http://www.fluxtime.com/animate.php

http://www.creatoon.com/index.php

http://www.xtranormal.com/

http://goanimate.com/

http://vectorian.com/

How am I going to present it?

Once you have created the virtual tours of your galaxy your planet (Task A and B) you can choose any other format you would like

to present the remaining tasks. For example, Task C and D can be in the form of a written report or a short movie.

Piecing it all together

Use iBooks author to put your project together. iBook lets you insert video, written text and interactive diagrams so it is

an excellent way for you to incorporate all of the different aspects of your assignment into one easy-to-read document.

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How to get started

Step 1. Check the marking guide so you know exactly what you have to include in your

project to gain maximum marks.

Step 2. Design the layout of your galaxy.

Step 3. Think about your planet and the unique animals that might live there.

Step 4. Decide what software will be best to create all of the elements of your project.

Marking Guide...

Aspects Poor Needs Improvement

Good Outstanding

Virtual Tour of galaxy

Virtual tour is missing or incomplete.

Virtual tour is too brief and omits most information.

Virtual tour briefly highlights major aspects of the home, but little attention is given to environmental modifications.

Virtual tour includes a detailed showcase of the galaxy & includes information about where the galaxy is placed in the universe in relation to Earth

Virtual Tour of planet

Virtual tour is missing or incomplete.

Virtual tour is too brief and omits most information.

Virtual too provides a general overview of the planet with some important details included.

Virtual tour includes a detailed overview of the specific planet, including the major landforms, atmospheric conditions and average surface temperature

Use of photo editing software

Student did not master key editing elements including composition, cropping and special effects

Student mastered key editing elements including composition, cropping and special effects

Student mastered key editing elements including composition, cropping and special effects

Student mastered key editing elements including composition, cropping and special effects

Animals Only 1-2 animals have been included and key information is missing.

3-4 animals have been included but explanations are too brief

4 animals have been included but some key elements like identification of natural predators are missing or too brief

4 (or more) animals have been showcased and all key information has been included.

Picture of biotic & abiotic factors

No attempt has been made to include a picture of the biotic and abiotic factors.

Some of the biotic and abiotic factors have been included and an attempt has been made to place them in a realistic scene.

All of the required biotic factors have been included but their placement in the scene lacks a sense of realism.

At least 3 abiotic and 3 biotic factors have been included and are clearly labelled. Time and care has been taken to place these factors in to a realistic scene.

Time and effort

Class time was not used wisely and student put in no additional effort or time.

Class time was not used wisely, but some additional time was put in.

Class time could have been used more wisely. A little outside time was spent on project.

Class time as used wisely. Much effort went into the planning and design of the galaxy. Student put in extra time outside of class.

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