Wantagh students were home in time for the much-hyped solar eclipse on April 8, but several classrooms were buzzing that morning with excitement about the astronomical phenomenon.
First-graders at Forest Lake Elementary School made a solar eclipse craft in STEAM class that morning. Students colored images of the Earth, the moon and the sun, which were then glued to a large sheet of paper. To represent the eclipse, the moon was placed directly on top of the sun.
Tara Sottnik’s second-graders became citizen scientists. She gave each student a sheet to make observations about eclipse, including light, temperature and animal behavior and sounds. A little before noon, they grabbed their clipboards and went out to the courtyard for their “before the eclipse” observations. At home, the young scientists were encouraged to record data at 3:26 p.m., and make observations again after 5 p.m. when the eclipse was over.
To get a sneak peak of eclipse viewing, students looked through a pinhole projector made from a cereal box. Ms. Sottnik moved a black circle representing the moon across an illuminated desk lamp. She reminded students of viewing safety precautions they should take at home.
Additionally, her second-graders completed an eclipse packet with word searches and other activities that connected science and literacy.
—Submitted by the Wantagh School District
