Eclipse Mania Hit BCCS
On Monday April 8, BCCS students were able to witness a partial eclipse from their side of the Island. Students and teachers prepared for the event with different activities, including worksheets, arts and crafts, and live
viewings. School-aged students even got a chance to see the one-of-a-kind event outdoors with their special eclipse lenses.
Teachers included the special celestial event in their lesson plans and taught students about space, the galaxy and stars, and the special interaction that occurred between the sun and the moon.
The event was the perfect occasion for Barbara C. Wilson Special Education Teacher Gabrielle “Gabby” Guarrera to do another STEM activity with her students.
“STEM activities hit so many modalities of the teaching realm. They’re a great way to expand their discovery instead of just play,” said Gabby.
Gabby started at BCCS six years ago but has been a special education teacher for the past three years. Since day one, she’s incorporated STEM activities in her classroom.
Her class started the day with a lesson about space covering the moon, sun, and stars. Then, students watched a video that explained the concepts more in depth. Later, they created moon and sun shapes with Play-doh and paper plate crafts to practice how the moon moves over the sun to create an eclipse.
Micheal, a student in his second year at the school was really engaged in the topic. When he went outside, he pointed at the sun saying the moon is going to move in front and create a shadow.
“After all these activities they were better able to recall what they learned,” said Gabby. “It gets them thinking on a deeper level and they can grasp the concepts quicker.”