If you have ever witnessed a shooting star, you have witnessed a meteor. Sometimes so many of them happen at once that it is called a meteor shower. Luckily, because the Earth has an atmospheric layer called the mesosphere, most meteors burn up before reaching the Earth's surface. When they do, they are called meteorites. Most of the time, they are harmless, but some meteor impacts have devastated Earth's life. Studying the difference between meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites integrates perfectly with the First Great Lesson. I used this lesson with my older students to introduce the possibility that essential components for life may have traveled to Earth billions of years ago via meteorite.

This game is loosely based on popular games like NIMBY and Newcomb. This game will have your students throwing hundreds of times in one class alone. Plus, the students will experience the difference between a meteoroid, meteor, and meteorite.

Materials: 

·      A large play area

·      A volleyball net

·      Dodgeballs

·      Optional

o   A container for the dodgeballs

o   A scoreboard or scorekeeping device

Minimum Number of Students Needed:

While you could play this game with as few as two people, it is more fun with an entire class.

Age: All Ages