Dirty Truth 200

Can Earth be saved… or is Mars our only hope?

Life on Earth is precious and precarious. Every day, more species go extinct as our world becomes more polluted. People are fighting to make a difference—but is it enough? Or should we look to the skies to save our species?

In this project, students learn about the importance of environmental protection, and about the wonders of Mars. They choose whether to support environmental protection or space exploration, and create a commercial to raise money for their cause.

Imagine if students all around the country learned to appreciate the value of our soil, and began looking to the heavens and dreaming of the future—what a wonderful world that would be!

Collaboration Options

Here are somes ideas on how your students can collaborate with another class doing The Dirty Truth.

  • Share Your Feelings
    Lesson 1: How do other classes feel about the fate of the planet? Compare your Red and Blue Planet Art activities with a classroom from another part of the school, state, or country. 

  • Band Together
    Lesson 3: Have your Red and Blue teams swap their schemes for making the most compelling case by sharing their ideas with other teams from another class, school, or state!

  • Interplanetary Pen Pals
    Lesson 5: Surprise a class anywhere in our nation by selecting one randomly and sending them the Interplanetary Pen Pals Introductory Letter. Include a note from each student in which they pretend to have already colonized Mars, talk about what life is like there, and discuss ways their colony allows them to survive and thrive so far from Earth!

  • Peer Partners
    Lesson 8: Take peer revision outside your room by having another class provide constructive feedback of your commercials so that students can more expertly refine them.

  • Put it to a Vote
    Lesson 9: Help your students teach other classes by inviting them to view your finished commercials. Let them vote on which are the most appealing, the most persuasive, and the most well-edited! Or, just swap tips and tricks with another teacher doing this project!

Need help to find a partner school?

We can do that for you! Blue Apple teachers are all over the country!

Each Blue Apple Project Includes: