Guest Blogger: From a Third-Grade Teacher

Every so often, Multiverse has a guest blogger. Today's guest blogger is Meghan Campbell, a third-grade teacher who took our "Energy from the Sun" workshop -- with positive impacts in her classroom!

Third-grade students exploring the Sun-Earth connection.

After three days spent participating in the “Energy from the Sun” teacher workshop, I promised myself that I would work science, particularly solar science, into my classroom on a regular basis. I have seen firsthand how easy it is for things to fizzle out or be forgotten, but I did not want that to happen with all of my newly acquired activities that align perfectly with the third grade standards. From the start of the school year, I was sure to schedule science in at least once a week.  

Starting in January, we dove into the “Eye on the Sky” curriculum [from Multiverse].  I began by having conversations to gauge my students’ prior knowledge of the Sun and its relationship to us here on Earth. We sat down as a group and began a KWL [what I know, what I  wonder, what I learned] chart, just like the “Eye on the Sky” curriculum suggests. The results were surprising and diverse. Some students probably knew more than I did and still others said that the Sun is the size of the beach ball and goes around the Earth.

Learning about our Sun.

 I have to add that, as a brand new teacher, I was digging around for Earth, moon and stars curriculum at the beginning of the school year. Often what I would find involved reading a nonfiction passage about a topic and then answering questions. While reading and questions have their place in school, I wanted my students to experience the Earth, moon, stars and Sun. Especially because it is a topic that—while these celestial bodies surround us—is a bit abstract for 8 and 9 year olds.

Looking at the Sun (safely) is so cool!

Model spacecraft made by students hanging from ceiling in classroom.