Imagineering Pandora at Home

Overview:

The glowing plants and creatures from Pandora in the movie Avatar enraptured audiences. Disney’s Imagineers decided to recreate the vibrant world of Pandora at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. Today, you get to be an at-home Imagineer. You’ll follow a similar design process to come up with magical yet practical ways to bring Pandora’s plants and animals to “life” at home.

You’ll receive:

• 16-page digital PDF of project-based lesson for learner to follow

  • Part 1: Generating ideas

  • Part 2: Conduct background research

  • Part 3: Testing possible solutions

  • Part 4: Decision-making and project proposal

  • Part 5: Behind the magic

• List of additional supplemental videos and articles for further exploration

• Google Docs or Microsoft Word version available by request

Suggested Level:

• Grades 6th-12th

• Ages 10+

Materials Needed:

• Computer

• Optional: Printer to print the instructions and questions

• Optional: Glow stick(s)

• Optional: Some glow in the dark objects (e.g., sticky stars, stickers, paint, highlighters, etc)

• Optional: Black light option 1 or 2

Expected Time: 3-4 hours total

• Part 1: 15-20 minutes

• Part 2: 30-45 minutes

• Part 3: 30-45 minutes

• Part 4: 90+ minutes

• Part 5: 15-20 minutes

Lesson Objectives

• Make observations

• Generate and revise hypotheses

• Synthesize background research

• Analyze pros and cons of design prototypes

• Justify design choices

Next Generation Science Standards Covered

• Ask questions that arise from careful observation of phenomena, models, or unexpected results, to clarify and/or seek additional information

• Construct an explanation that includes qualitative or quantitative relationships between variables that predict(s) and/or describe(s) phenomena

• Critically read scientific texts adapted for classroom use to determine the central ideas and/or obtain scientific and/or technical information to describe patterns in and/or evidence about the natural and designed world(s).

• Define a design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process or system and includes multiple criteria and constraints, including scientific knowledge that may limit possible solutions.

• Use digital tools and/or mathematical concepts and arguments to test and compare proposed solutions to an engineering design problem.

• Undertake a design project, engaging in the design cycle, to construct and/or implement a solution that meets specific design criteria and constraints.

• Communicate scientific and/or technical information (e.g. about a proposed object, tool, process, system) in writing and/or through oral presentations