Countdown

The Race to Save the World

Mission Overview

Countdown-Poster

Earth is in danger!  A race of sentient robots known as the Alloyals move from planet to planet consuming metallic minerals from planetary crusts, mantles, and cores.  After they deplete all the useful resources on one world they move on to the next.  This devastates the worlds they invade, but to make matters worse the Alloyals have constructed a terrible weapon called the “Sunlight Inhibitor Device.”

The Sunlight Inhibitor Device generates massive clouds of particles that float into the atmosphere and block out all sunlight.  The particles remain in the atmosphere for months, during which time all the plant and animal life on the planet below withers and dies.  Once the planet has been purged of living things, the Alloyals move in and begin extracting the metallic minerals from the planet.

An Alloyal scout has recently arrived on Earth and deployed the Sunlight Inhibitor Device in an unknown location, and a full invasion fleet is close behind.  The Alloyals have given mankind 24 hours to surrender before they activate the device and destroy all life on earth.  The world’s leaders have called upon the Infinity Knights—the renowned protectors of peace and justice throughout the universe—to locate the Sunlight Inhibitor Device and disarm it before it’s too late!  The countdown for Earth has begun!

Standards-Based Curriculum

  • World Geography
  • Physical Maps
  • Cultures & Languages
  • Interpretation of Texts
  • Phases of the Moon
  • Earth’s Rotation
  • Continents & their distinguishing features
  • Elapsed Time

Higher Order Thinking

  • How do authors’ tones, perspectives, and biases affect their writings?
  • What are the costs of industrialization?
  • What does artificial intelligence teach us about life?
  • What is the connection between plants, animals, their environments, and the sun?
  • How does one determine the survival of two species vying for the same scarce resources?