Mars-Bound
by Evelyn Baldwin, Brigitte Wetz, and Liz Brown
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Ms. Evelyn Baldwin
March 23, 2004 Dear Parents and Guardians, Your child has the opportunity to participate in an exciting project! Your child’s Pre-Calculus, Physics and Geology class will be working collaboratively. This 5-week undertaking will focus on designing a robotic mission to mars, but will emphasize all of the basic mathematical, physical and geological concepts needed to complete their “mission”. As a result, your child will develop a deep level of understanding of mathematics, physics and geology not easily attainable through traditional instruction. Because this project involves many aspects of high-school mathematics, physics and geology and has been developed with the goal of establishing conceptual understanding of these basic concepts, standardized test scores involving these varied concepts are expected to rise upon completion of the project. In addition, this project has been developed with the goal of addressing as many of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills as possible while interrelating normally distinct topics and skill sets. The majority of this project will be done in class although homework may be necessary for students who choose not to use their class time efficiently. The student will not be asked to buy any materials during this unit. Your child will be graded on a number of aspects throughout this unit including weekly quizzes, project due dates, and their final project (See attached rubric). Project rubrics and timelines will be distributed to students in class on Monday, and I encourage you to review it with your child. Students will compete with their completed Mars Rover at the end of the unit. Parents are welcome to attend, and local officials and press are expected to attend as well. More details will be provided in an invitation to be sent at a later date. If you have any concerns, I will be happy to discuss them with you. My conference period is from 1:25 - 2:15 pm everyday. Additionally you may reach me by phone or email. We appreciate your time and look forward to your child’s involvement. Sincerely, Evelyn Baldwin Brigitte Wetz Liz Brown
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