Although Mars was once thought to support life, it remains very different from Earth. The NASA Quest website recommends having your students research the major differences between the two planets. Students should get to know the atmosphere of each planet, how much moisture they each have, their positions in the solar systems, the length of a day and a year on each planet and anything else that seems relevant, like temperature fluctuations or differences in gravity. For very young students, some rudimentary comparisons and a drawing of each will suffice. For older kids, make sure they come up with at least a few difficult or hard-to-find facts.
This project works best for older kids. Break the class into mission teams of four or five students. Have each group plan their mission to Mars. In order to do this properly, teams will have to research problems like how long it would take to get there, how much food and oxygen would be needed, how a team could survive on the planet and how much fuel would be needed to make a round trip. Allow each mission team to give themselves a name and present their findings to the class. Award marks for creativity and rigorous research.
This project is suitable and adaptable for kids of any age. Have students imagine a society of living beings on Mars. For younger kids, have students draw what these Martians look like and what kinds of houses they live in. For older kids, see if they can come up with more complex features of Martian society, such as school, government and leisure activities like sports. Allow students to mix in humor to their imagined Martian society.
Although Mars has existed much longer than humankind, its history as an object of fascination can be studied. Have students research the history of how humankind has imagined the red planet. They can consider where its name comes from, how the ancients thought about it, when we started imagining life on its surface and even popular depictions of Mars and Martians in Hollywood movies and television.