Licking Heights teachers used a once-in-a-lifetime solar event for hands-on learning activities in a variety of subjects. In the weeks leading to the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, students K-12 learned about eclipses in the classroom and the significance of this event.
Projects included:
Michelle Tom, kindergarten: Students enjoyed a full week of themed in-class activities, culminating with creating celebratory hats to wear while watching the eclipse and completing two different crafts to understand the stages of an eclipse.
Emma Bernotas and Vicki Willet, kindergarten: Bernotas worked with Willet, the district’s Technology Integration Specialist, to teach students about how animals can be affected by a total solar eclipse. Students then wrote their predictions of how animals would react and shared with their classmates.
Jessica Cermak, kindergarten: Cermak’s students used Oreos to replicate the eclipse and made a three-dimensional craft to simulate the sun and moon’s rotation around the Earth.
Joe Unger, kindergarten: Unger’s class used hands-on crafts to understand how the moon passes between the Earth and the sun during a total solar eclipse.
Christa Jones, 1st grade: Students read books and colored a map that showed the path of totality. The class also watched a video together, and made special hats and crafts to celebrate.
Rhonda Daniels, 1st grade: Students used hands-on crafts and a classroom presentation to understand the stages of an eclipse and what they would see while watching the event.
Stephanie Stevens, 1st grade teacher: Students made a craft diagram to demonstrate how the Earth and the sun move to create a solar eclipse. The craft was a moveable diagram that students could use to enhance their understanding.
Brooke Hoskinson, 3rd grade: South Elementary hosted a Math and Science Night for students and their families on March 21. Hoskinson created a Solar Eclipse Room where students got to see an eclipse model, create phases out of Play-Dough and make constellations out of pipe cleaners. She also created a bulletin board with facts and tips for students and their families.
Christina Sommerkamp, 4th grade: Sommerkamp, who is one of NASA’s Limitless Space Educators, is no stranger to bringing space to her students. Her class did an “eclipse in a cup” project, where students mimicked what happens during a solar eclipse using clay, cups, and tennis balls.
Jillian Berning, elementary English Language Learners (ELL): Berning and her students created a craft that shows the movement partners of the Earth and sun during a solar eclipse. They also watched an explanation video and completed a fact sheet.
Ceciel Shaw, 5th/6th grade ELL: Members of Central Intermediate’s Spanish Club, which includes fifth and sixth grade students whose first language is Spanish, decorated the classroom door with eclipse artwork. Shaw and her students watched videos in both English and Spanish explaining the concept of a solar eclipse as inspiration.
Russell Williams, high school astronomy: Williams and his class worked with the District Office to share essential eclipse viewing information and safety facts with Licking Heights families. Williams’ class also made a presentation with 20 different eclipse facts to share on social media. They printed the slides as individual posters and hung them around schools in public areas.