Designing Life Beyond Earth
*This course is intended for lower elementary students
Class Schedule
Saturdays 9:00-9:50 am PST
January 10, January 17, January 24, January 31, February 7, February 14
Note: Classes are listed in PST, click below to convert time to your time zone.
Course Overview
What if the key to imagining alien life is hidden in the tiniest creatures on Earth? In this hands-on course, students will explore how microorganisms survive and adapt in Earth’s most extreme environments and use that knowledge to imagine life beyond our planet. Students will learn about structures and functions of select microorganism anatomy and physiology, and connect this to their ability to survive extreme environments. Students will combine scientific inquiry with art and storytelling to create their own alien species and ecosystems.
Student Outcomes:
- Analyze how microorganisms adapt to extreme environments and apply biological and astrobiological concepts to design and illustrate an original alien organism and ecosystem.
- Communicate their creative and scientific thinking through written, visual, and oral presentation to explain their creature’s world.
Student Experience
Debater
Naturalist
Inventor
Your Teachers: Sarah Merkt & Lindsey Roberts
Sarah Merkt has worked as a teacher and curriculum designer for over 12 years in gifted schools in both Asia and America. She holds her certification in Middle Childhood Education from Xavier University. Most recently, she worked for 4 years at The Nueva School in Hillsborough, CA. She is a passionate advocate for gifted students and their parents and strives to infuse best practices into her curriculum in the classroom. She currently serves as Program Manager and Learning Consultant at Cresconova.
Lindsey Roberts has worked as a teacher in California for over 8 years. She has a Bachelor’s in Zoology from Colorado State University, a background in marine biology, and a Masters of Arts in Education from the University of San Francisco. Her experience spans from working with animals, conducting scientific research, and classroom teaching at a public charter school in grades k-8. She has a passion for science, math, and fostering curiosity. She has taught a wide range of ability levels including gifted students. Lindsey enjoys creating project based learning units connecting multiple subject matters in a way for students to better understand. In addition to working at Cresconova, she currently operates Rooted in STEM Education, (rootedinstemeducation.com) a private tutoring business. Her clients are both international and domestic and many of her current students identify as gifted. They respond to her high level of engagement and deep content knowledge. She is thrilled to share her passions of animals, science, and math with Cresconova students!
