Inspired by: Toys in Space - Week 4

Drawing inspiration from the imaginative world of "Toys in Space," a lesson plan invites Year 6 students to design their very own 21st Century Spaceship, integrating simple organisational features into their learning. The activity sets the scene with a spaceship adorned in bright lights, zooming across the sky with impressive speed, prompting the children to consider the engineering marvels behind such a craft. To equip their spaceship designs, students must think about essential components such as a compartment for computers and electronics, an antenna for Earth communication, precise orbital instruments, course-adjusting thrusters, a spacecraft location sensor, and solar panels for power generation. The task encourages creativity and research, allowing the children to construct fact files about their spacecraft, thereby enhancing their understanding of space exploration technology.

In another segment of the lesson, students are tasked with composing and rehearsing sentences, including dialogue, as they delve into the atmospheric encounter of toys being beamed into a spaceship. Through role-play and the use of evocative music like Richard Strauss's "Also sprach Zarathustra" (famously associated with "Space Odyssey"), they explore the emotional responses of the toys during this otherworldly experience. The activity not only focuses on creating a captivating space dance but also guides the children in writing descriptive paragraphs that reflect the atmosphere and incorporate features from their spaceship designs. The inclusion of dialogue and description aims to vividly portray the action, enhancing the reader's engagement with the narrative.