How far is a light-year? What is the difference between a space probe, lander, and rover? How do scientists find planets outside the Solar System? Can people live on moons or planets? This "Space Exploration & Astronomy with Minecraft" course will teach learners about the explorations and possibilities of the final frontier...space! 

This course will follow a “flexible schedule” and does not have scheduled online meetings. This flexible schedule allows students to work at any time, 24/7 for the duration of the course. Thus, keeping all students working at a similar pace but not requiring them to attend online class meetings in Zoom at a set time. This "flex" course works great for families with varied schedules and allows students from any time zone to participate! 

On average, students will complete about 2-3 hours of work per week in the online classroom plus another 1-2 hours of building time in Minecraft. Students can spend more time on their Minecraft construction projects they create during the course if they wish. 

Each Monday morning (Pacific time zone) the tasks for the week will be unlocked and available to enrolled learners. The weekly tasks include reading notes, taking quizzes, watching video lessons, creating your Minecraft builds, and posting screenshots/pictures of your Minecraft builds so your classmates and teacher can see and comment on them. The teacher will provide feedback on your weekly tasks and can always be reached via the Outschool message/email system with any questions. To stay on track, students should use the provided pacing guide each week of which tasks should be completed each day (Mon-Fri). However, the weekly tasks and hours of work time can be spread out over many days or condensed to fewer days depending on the students’ personal schedule. Students should be sure to complete the weekly tasks before the next week of tasks are unlocked to stay on track. 

Regarding Minecraft:
Each student will need a Minecraft account. Class participants will do all Minecraft building on their own personal device. Any version of Minecraft (PC/Mac computer, Minecraft for Windows10, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, or other gaming consoles, Minecraft PE for iPad, Android tablets, etc.) will work for this course. The purchase of Minecraft must be made separately and prior to the start of class. Students with a few weeks of Minecraft experience through play or otherwise will have the skills needed to complete the builds in Minecraft. Minecraft is a building tool for this course (think of it as digital building blocks). The lessons and information in this course are not official Minecraft products and are not associated with Mojang.

What is NOT included:
This course will not include a group server or realm. Students can work together if their devices are compatible but partner/group projects are not required. Most learners will build in Minecraft on their own. This course will not include instructions on how to build in Minecraft. This is intentional so that learners can strengthen their creativity and exercise their minds to make their own creations.

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Weekly topics and themes

Week 1 - Launchpad: Learn about the history of space flight, the Space Race of the 1950s-1960s, and the changes to rockets and manned spacecraft in the last 100 years. The Minecraft building task for this week will be to create a launchpad with supporting infrastructure and a rocket or spacecraft to carry your crew and payload into space.

Week 2 - Telescopes and Satellites: Learn how different types of telescopes work, the purpose of telescope observatories on Earth, and what are satellites including space telescopes and orbiting laboratories like the International Space Station (ISS). The Minecraft building task for this week will be to create an orbiting laboratory satellite where astronauts can live, work, conduct research, and perform experiments in space.

Week 3 - Probes, Landers, and Rovers: Learn about unmanned space exploration using probes, landers, and rover spacecraft to better understand the moons, planets, and other large objects in the Solar System. The Minecraft building task for this week will be to build your own probes, landers, and rovers plus build a base station where people on Earth can communicate and operate the equipment. 

Week 4 - Planet Hunters: Learn how scientists scan the sky and stars of the Milky Way Galaxy to discover new planets, especially those that could have similar properties to those of Earth. The Minecraft building task for this week will be to start working on your exoplanet settlement.

Week 5 - Galaxy Far Away: Learn about the life cycle of stars, how far past the Milky Way galaxy scientists can see, what types of galaxies are in the Universe, and what makes up those galaxies. The Minecraft building task for this week will be to finish your exoplanet settlement.

Week 6: Catch Up and Wrap Up - students will use this week to view the creations of their classmates, reply to any incomplete discussion posts, complete any missing quizzes or other work, finish any Minecraft builds that are not yet complete or create something new based on all of the information they have learned. 

As a "Flex" course offering, this class does not include live class meetings in Zoom but teacher-to-learner and learner-to-learner interaction are expected from course participants in the online classroom. These interactions will take place using the Outschool message delivery system so learners and the teacher can interact on a one-on-one basis for questions and feedback. Group discussions will be visible to all learners in the course and students are expected to post, share, and comment on the Minecraft creations of their classmates.  

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All student participants must have a working version of Minecraft to participate. Any costs for Minecraft accounts are not included with the course fee.   

This course will follow Outschool’s “Flexible Schedule” refund policy. For more information on the Outschool refund policy, you can view the website here:   
https://support.outschool.com/about-outschool/refund-policies-and-happiness-guarantee