Student Newsroom Volume 4
Astronomy Celebration of Learning: First Grade
This year Ms. Thompson’s first grade has done and learned a lot in their astronomy unit. They have learned about the cycles of the moon, what it looks like everyday: full, half, new, crescent and of course the taco moon which has been all the talk in room three.
They have been sent pictures of the moon from people, each at different stages and put them on a lunar calendar. On top of that they’ve learned about waning and waxing, terms for the shrinking and growing of the moon. The first graders had fun creating a lot of art including pretty painted clay stars, lanterns with poetry and a last minute art project that shows the moon orbiting the sun.
Earlier in the school year a blow up planetarium filled the gym. It was a cool experience where the first graders got to see stars, constellations, and moons, like Io, one of their favorites. On top of that they got to take fun pictures of themselves as astronauts.
On March 6th they had a celebration of learning to exhibit their progress. Parents were surprised at how much their kids have learned. Kids gave great tours around the room of their work which even taught their families a thing or two as well. And of course there were yummy cookies that were described by the kids as, “good” “yum” and “really good”.
A telescope was put outside so attendees could see the (almost full) moon. At first it was very chilly outside, but it was worth it. Halfway through the night clouds began to block the moon. “Move out of the way!!” was definitely chanted numerous times but alas the clouds persisted. We focused instead on Jupiter of which there was a very clear view right above the library. A few people got to see Jupiter, but we weren’t able to see its moon because of the overcast night sky. It is a bummer that the clouds were there, but it was a fun night regardless.
Written by Zoe Hufnagel - Reported on by Zoe Hufnagel and Meg Kivus
