Unit 1 calendar: when each block runs
| Block | A rotation | B rotation |
|---|---|---|
| Block 1 | Thu Sep 3 | Wed Sep 2 |
| Block 2 | Mon Sep 7 | Fri Sep 4 |
| Block 3 | Wed Sep 9 | Tue Sep 8 |
| Block 4 | Fri Sep 11 | Thu Sep 10 |
| Block 5 | Wed Sep 16 | Tue Sep 15 |
| Block 6 | Fri Sep 18 | Thu Sep 17 |
| Block 7 | Mon Oct 5 | Tue Oct 6 |
| Block 8 | Wed Oct 7 | Thu Oct 8 |
| Block 9 | Fri Oct 9 | Mon Oct 12 |
| Block 10 | Tue Oct 13 | Wed Oct 14 |
Your section follows one rotation, A or B. Check which one you are in and read that column.
Anchor question
Is Earth special, or is it one of many habitable planets we just haven't found yet?
Unit 1 launches Thread 2: Systems Thinking formally, with the first student-built systems diagram of Earth's subsystems. It also extends Thread 1: OPVL from Unit 0 to planetary data sources: NASA exoplanet archive entries, peer-reviewed astronomy summaries, AI explanations of habitability.
The unit anchors on three cases: Earth (the baseline), Mars (the failed-habitable case that shows how easily habitability can be lost), and one exoplanet of the student's choosing (the unknown). The summative, the Goldilocks Report, is the structured comparative analysis. The Stakeholder Q&A in Block 10 introduces the audience-defense format students will use in every subsequent unit summative.
Scale is genuinely beyond intuition for most learners. Every cosmic claim in this unit is anchored to a comparison students can grasp: Chennai-to-Mumbai, an A4 page, a school year.
The ten blocks
Block 1: Phenomenon Launch
What makes a planet habitable? Side-by-side images of Earth, Mars, Venus, and TRAPPIST-1e. Students list factors before the unit teaches them anything.
A: Thu Sep 3 · B: Wed Sep 2
Block 2: Earth as Baseline
Systems thinking launches. Students name Earth's four subsystems and draw a first systems diagram with at least one interaction.
A: Mon Sep 7 · B: Fri Sep 4
Block 3: Mars as Calibration
Compare Earth and Mars. What Mars had, what it lost, why. Apply the early habitability framework to Mars and identify where it fails.
A: Wed Sep 9 · B: Tue Sep 8
Block 4: Scale of the Cosmos
AU, light-year, habitable zone. Students place 5+ objects at correct relative scale. Goldilocks Report assigned today.
A: Fri Sep 11 · B: Thu Sep 10
Block 5: Exoplanet Detection
Transit method. What a light curve tells us (size, period) and what it doesn't (composition, life). Read a real transit dip.
A: Wed Sep 16 · B: Tue Sep 15
Block 6: Choose Your Exoplanet
Work through the 8 exoplanet data cards. Pick one for the Goldilocks Report. Identify two questions you'll need to answer.
A: Fri Sep 18 · B: Thu Sep 17
Block 7: Habitability Framework
Complete the Habitability Framework Template for all three planets. Color-code each criterion MEETS / PARTIAL / FAILS with reasoning.
A: Mon Oct 5 · B: Tue Oct 6
Block 8: Drafting Day
First full draft of the Goldilocks Report. ≥4 sources cited (incl. NASA Exoplanet Archive). AI Documentation section completed.
A: Wed Oct 7 · B: Thu Oct 8
Block 9: Stakeholder Q&A Prep
Rehearse against the Q&A bank in pairs. Identify the strongest objection to your verdict and prepare your response.
A: Fri Oct 9 · B: Mon Oct 12
Block 10: NASA Committee Defense
Defend the Goldilocks Report to peers playing the NASA evaluation committee. Unit reflection.
A: Tue Oct 13 · B: Wed Oct 14
Assessment
AI partners for this unit
The Planet Hunter
Socratic reasoning about specific exoplanets. Pushes you to define what habitability means before evaluating any planet.
The Systems Diagrammer
Systems-thinking coach. Helps you build and refine systems diagrams with explicit feedback-loop sign-and-direction work.
The Source Evaluator
OPVL on any planetary data source: NASA archive entries, pop-sci articles, AI explanations of astronomy.
The Skeptic
Stress-test your Goldilocks Report verdict before the Stakeholder Q&A.
Resources for this unit
Earth as a Planet
The shared baseline: what Earth is made of, where its air came from, and how we know. Three carousels adapted from OpenStax. Decks 1 and 2 are assigned in Blocks 2 and 3; deck 3 is an extension.
Readings
Text alternatives to the four Watch videos, same content and depth:
How Far Is Far ·
Four Spheres, One System ·
How Mars Lost Its Air ·
Watching for Shadows
Background readings
Homework, read before the block, worked in class. Each one ends with three questions to bring with you:
Where Your Atoms Came From (Block 1) ·
Life Needs Matter to Move (Block 2) ·
How We Know How Old Everything Is (Block 4)
Goldilocks Report: Lock-Point Exemplars
Four worked examples for the four places a band most often gets lost. Off-assessment content on purpose. One flaw is planted; find it.
Habitability Zone Calculator
A multi-criteria simulator for the Goldilocks Report. 12 preset planets, Compare mode, and an Export that feeds the AI Documentation Template.
Foundational Papers: Lovelock 1965 + Thompson 2022
The biosignature lineage behind the Goldilocks framework: atmospheric disequilibrium as the signature of life. First OPVL'd in U0 Block 2; Thompson's TRAPPIST-1e methane work returns in Blocks 5 + 7. PDFs in Google Classroom.
OPVL Framework
Returning from Unit 0: now applied to planetary data sources.
AI Documentation Protocol
Required for every AI conversation that feeds into the Goldilocks Report.
The Rubric
K/U / T/T / C across all four bands. C strand carries the Stakeholder Q&A weight.
U1 EAL Pre-Teach
15-term vocabulary handout: habitability, habitable zone, exoplanet, magnetic field, systems thinking. Multilingual reference linked.