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Lesson Planet
Explore the surface of Mars without leaving the comforts of your home or classroom! Learn about volcanoes, missions to the red planet, view the topography, and more.
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App Overview
Features:
View Options (globe icon):
- Map: Choose between color or elevation maps
- Vision: Normal, gray scale, night vision, or red-cyan anaglyph 3-D
Labels (rectangle next to globe):
- Select the list icon to scroll through the items in each of the categories
- Tap on an item to learn more, see photographs, or access related links
Categories in Labels:
- Highlights: Key features and missions
- Terrain: Learn about the geologic highs and lows of Mars
- Spacecraft: Discover where each of the missions currently are, as well as information about their scientific goals
- Albedo: Explore the light and dark features visible from Earth through a telescope
- People: Find out which features were named for scientists and astronomers
- No Labels: Turn off the labels
Additional information for each of the above categories is found by tapping on the icon to the right of the Labels box (icon looks like a bulleted list).
Options (asterisk icon):
Turn sound and/or atmosphere view on or off.
More information about the app is available by tapping the question mark icon.
- How to Use Mars Globe HD
- A Brief Introduction to Mars
- Start the Guided Tour
- Credits
- Web resources
Instructional Ideas
- Examine geological features on Mars and compare/contrast them to Earth's features
- Discuss various missions to explore Mars
- STEM project: Design a protective casing to cushion a Mars lander (a new take on the egg drop)
- Look at meteor craters and determine chronologic order of the impacts
Classroom Considerations
- Web resources are active links to the Internet
- Without specific tasks, some learners may lose interest quickly
Pros
- Useful in science and geography (mapping)
- Detailed topographical tour of Mars
- Lots of information about different features of Mars
Cons
- May be difficult for some learners to understand
- No game aspect, which may cause some kids to lose interest