The Year 8 classes have been visiting the Otago Museum classroom and Planetarium to enhance our learning for the integrated topic of "Life on Mars".

This provided us an engaging way to learn some foundational knowledge about Earth and Space, and our interconnectedness. Later in the term we will be using all of this learning, and more, to form questions and persuasive speeches about future focused questions such as;

• Who should be able to go to space?
• Do we need to spend more money on protecting our planet rather than space travel?
• Is there evidence of life on other planets?
• Is the sun the most important resource in our solar system?
• If people could relocate to Mars, what could our society look like?

Our integrated studies theme this term includes learning about cycles in the world around us, including the liturgical calendar, measurement, astronomy, dimensions of well-being, rocket ship travel and the forces behind this, understanding what reasons influence people to leave their homes and how societies could be created from scratch. All of this provides rich contexts for developing our 'power of persuasion'.