Space Exploration has to be one of the most intriguing topics imaginable.  We started like we always do, asking great questions and finding out what we know, want to know and how to find out.  The overriding question this week was a classic:  Are we alone in the universe?  I was surprised at how many of the students just assumed that, given the vast expanse of the universe, we are not likely to be the only intelligent life form in the cosmos. I thought they would be more naturally skeptical, needing to see hard and fast evidence that our planet had been visited by other beings.  This lead me to do some very interesting research on scientific inquiry that pointed to earth's unique nature and the almost infinite 'just-right' conditions that have to occur for life to develop.  We explored some of these areas using a rich resource bank of books, internet sites and my new favourite, Learn360 videos.  I absolutely love using this resource because it quickly narrows topics by subject and grade and you don't have to worry at all about inappropriate content. 
In the end, the feelings of the students hardly budged at all.  After exploring pro and con arguments and viewing a few tremendously informative videos, the students remained pretty much fixed in their original feelings.  About ten percent felt that life was unique to earth, and an overwhelming ninety percent assumed extraterrestrial beings existed but hadn't yet made contact.  More and more, I'm falling into the habit of getting so engrossed in the subjects we're covering in class that I find myself looking forward to personal reading time after school to continue studying.  The great