What It Is
Journey to Titan is a 10-session, 15–20 hour hands-on Math Lab where students return to Space Academy for a new mission. They build a motorized racer (the E.E.V.), conduct time trials, collect real distance and time data, and use ratio, unit rate, and percent to navigate a rescue on Saturn's largest moon.
Activities use physical materials, such as Circuit Cubes™ motorized racer kits, ramp materials, tape measures, stopwatches, and mission planning sheets. Racer kits are fully durable — consumable items include paper-based maps and data sheets.
The Story
Cadets receive a distress signal from Titan — Saturn's largest moon. Over 10 sessions they design a team flag, build an E.E.V., conduct time trials, make rate predictions, develop precision data collection skills, calculate changing speeds, create a flight plan using ratio and percent, decode a launch sequence, send their robot TYRO to Titan, and evacuate the planet.
Each task requires students to use ratio, rate, and percent concepts in authentic, creative ways. The curriculum is taught through a web-based slide portal at algebrastudio.org — Howie is the on-screen instructor in embedded videos. No special training is required.
Who It's For
- 6th grade teachers looking for hands-on supplemental curriculum in ratio, rate, and percent
- 5th and 7th grade teachers who need review and enrichment
- Afterschool and summer program directors who want turnkey STEM programming
- Curriculum coordinators looking for hands-on, standards-aligned supplements that work alongside any core curriculum
What's in the Kit
- Circuit Cubes™ motorized racer kits (E.E.V.)
- Ramp materials for data collection
- Tape measures and stopwatches
- Mission planning sheets and data recording forms
- Team flag templates and design materials
- Graphing paper and calculation sheets
- Construction paper, markers, stickers
- Quick reference booklet
10 Sessions at a Glance
How It Works
Every session runs through a web-based slide portal at algebrastudio.org. Howie is the on-screen instructor in embedded video mini-lessons — he introduces each task, demonstrates the math, and guides students through the activity. No special training is required. Open the kit, follow the slides, and go.
Sessions are designed to run between 45 and 90 minutes, with some extending longer at the teacher's discretion. The curriculum works as a daily block (3–4 weeks), a twice-weekly enrichment (5–10 weeks), or an afterschool/summer program.
Sample Lesson
Standards by Session
Journey to Titan covers ratio, unit rate, percent, and proportional reasoning standards already in your grade 6 scope. It supplements any core curriculum and gives students a chance to apply the math you're already teaching.
| # | What Students Do | Standards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team flag — ratio & scale design | 6.RP.A.1 |
| 2 | Build E.E.V. & predict — rate & data | 6.RP.A.2 |
| 3 | Time trials — unit rate | 6.RP.A.2, 6.RP.A.3 |
| 4 | Rate predictions — proportional reasoning | 6.RP.A.3 |
| 5 | Develop accuracy — precision & measurement | 6.RP.A.3 |
| 6 | Changing speeds — variable rate | 6.RP.A.3, 7.RP.A.2 |
| 7 | Flight plan — percent increase & decrease | 6.RP.A.3, 7.RP.A.3 |
| 8 | Decode launch sequence — ratio & percent | 6.RP.A.3 |
| 9 | Send TYRO to Titan — apply rate & ratio | 6.RP.A.3 |
| 10 | Evacuate the planet — rate, ratio & percent | 6.RP.A.1–3 |
Career & Workplace Connections
Each Journey to Titan session connects to a real-world career role that uses the same math students are learning. For every session, we provide a one-page Workplace Connection brief that introduces a professional — such as a supply chain analyst who uses rate and ratio to optimize shipping schedules, or a financial planner who calculates percent increase and decrease for investment projections. These briefs give CTE directors and career-readiness coordinators a concrete way to show students how ratio, rate, and percent appear in careers across finance, logistics, aerospace, and data science — making Journey to Titan a natural fit for programs that integrate academic content with career and technical education pathways.
Kit Sizes
All three sizes run the same 10-session curriculum. Teams are 4 students each.
Starter Kit
Trial size. Two crews get the full Journey to Titan experience.
- 2 crew material packs
- Circuit Cubes™ E.E.V. racer kits, ramp materials
- Mission sheets, data forms, team flag templates
4-Team Kit
For smaller classes, intervention groups, afterschool programs.
- 4 crew material packs
- Circuit Cubes™ E.E.V. racer kits, ramp materials
- Mission sheets, data forms, team flag templates
Full Kit
Full-class including materials for all 7 Space Academy crews.
- 7 crew material packs
- Circuit Cubes™ E.E.V. racer kits, ramp materials
- Mission sheets, data forms, team flag templates
Cost Per Student
Starter Kit: $299 ÷ 8 students = $37 per student. 4-Team Kit: $549 ÷ 16 students = $34 per student. Full Kit: $895 ÷ 28 students = $32 per student. 15–20 hours of instruction. Racer kits are durable — only paper-based materials need replacing.