The students will wrap up their unit on early colonization this week. After taking notes on Plymouth Colony, the students will face the challenge of developing their own Mayflower Compacts, however the scenario is slightly different. The year is 2020, and the American spaceship Mayflower II has landed on Mars, exactly 400 years after the first Mayflower reached the New World. The mission of this voyage is to construct a research base on Mars for scientific observations and experiments. Unfortunately, due to a malfunction, the Mayflower II crash-landed in an area outside that designated for U.S. exploration by a United Nations treaty. This territory is not within the jurisdiction of any Earth nation. After discovering several other obstacles, the students will work with a team to create a compact for their new form of government. I am looking forward to listening to their conversations and debates.