GWL 1st Grade Interdisciplinary Astronomy Celebration

On March 20, first graders at Glenwood Landing School took to the stage dressed in decorative “out of this world costumes” for the interdisciplinary Astronomy Celebration in front of their proud teachers, Principal Bridget Finder, administrators, parents, and family members.

This interdisciplinary Astronomy Celebration combined reading and writing through science along with art, music, and foreign languages. For months, students researched and wrote books about the planets in the solar system. During the culmination, the students sang a number of songs including “I’m a Little Rocket,” and “What a Wonderful World.” Plus, “Twinkle,Twinkle, Little Star” in three languages including English, Spanish and Mandarin. Additionally, they told numerous funny space jokes to the joy of everyone in the audience and in the classrooms.

Parents got to a video which combined the students interdisciplinary learning including astronomy lessons in SWES and in their classrooms, science research, video conferences in library classes, and guest author readings.

It was clear to all the families and guests in the audience how hard each of the student’s worked throughout their many months of study to achieve such a high level of collaboration, communication, innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking during their Astronomy Celebration. Parents were invited back to the classrooms to read student created Astronomy books, see artwork, and learn all about planets!

Thank you to all of the first-grade teachers who dedicated months to teaching their children of Glenwood Landing all about our amazing solar system! This first, 1st grade, Astronomy Celebration was spacetacular! Congratulations to all!

Article and photos by Shelly Newman