Summary: In this interactive, students voyage to the star system Magla. They have four books in their space ship, which they must use to help them evaluate the three planets in the star system and decide which to land on for each part of their mission. They must also evaluate the books based on their usefulness for each task.

There are four tasks in this interactive. In the first task, students choose a book to read for pleasure. They first choose a criterion, and then rate each book. The other four tasks involve choosing a planet to meet a specific goal; refueling, studying minerals and landforms, colonizing, and vacationing. They must first choose one or more criteria on which to evaluate the planet. Then they read each book to learn about the planets, and rate it based on how well it helps them find the information they need. Then they use the information to choose a planet.

Tips for using the student site in your classroom or lab: Download Tips
Download the screen-by-screen preview: Download Preview
Worksheet for students record their thoughts: Download Magla Notes

Before you start:

• Remind students to read and listen carefully to the instructions starting on the first screen of the activity. (This really helps!)
• Be aware that there is a lot of reading in this activity. Students must read and look for information in four books. They should also read for enjoyment! Remind students to click Save if they don't finish before the end of the period.
• Tell students what you would like them to do when they finish the activity.
  • Print or e-mail your bookmark and star ratings.
  • Listen to the Evaluating song.
  • Raise your hand and check in with me.

After you finish:

• Use the printed or e-mailed star ratings to discuss the activity. All students will have chosen the same planet for each task, because they receive and error message if they choose the wrong planet and must try again.
• In small groups, discuss the students' star ratings, which may differ.
  • Why might your star ratings be different than someone else's?
  • Why did you give the same book a different rating for different tasks?
  • Was it easier to find information in some books than in others?
  • Does everyone like the same kind of texts? Explain your thinking.
• Discuss the differences between evaluating fiction and non-fiction texts.
• Continue to work with students to encourage them to evaluate when they read.

(Try having students evaluate books they read using Mrs. Pingel's Book Talk Card (Download Book Talk Card), and create a bulletin board or file box featuring student evaluations to share.)