The OPEN MMP web site will host a variety of different, interdisciplinary resources, tasks, lesson plans and links to assist Oregon students and others in this endeavor. Currently, the site offers detailed step by step directions for creating lava caves using balloons and spray foam insulation. This project can be found in the Arts section. Under Social Studies you can read about what was known about Mars in 1870 and 1951. These pages also have quizzes for Java enabled browsers.
More content is being added, so check back often.
The journey requires students to investigate why people migrate, what supplies are needed, how to develop a viable, self-sustaining colony, and what they do to amuse themselves. Carefully planned episodes engage students in actual practice and application of basic skills within the context of the storyline. Another unique aspect of this method is that it instills the value of the very human tradition of story telling. Kids become active participants in the lessons as they work their way through the storylines. A book on the Storyline Method was published in 1997.