Batesville, In. — St. Louis School had been preparing for Monday’s Eclipse since school began. Teachers developed Eclipse lessons and then prepared students during several class periods. While students enjoyed learning about this historic event, the highlight was experiencing it first hand. Monday afternoon classes took turns going outside with their special glasses to observe the Eclipse. They were very excited and many expressed gratitude for the opportunity. They were excited to go home and tell their parents all about it.
Seventh and eighth graders at St. Louis School were transformed into reporters in their language arts class as they experienced their first solar eclipse. Students began the week by thinking like a reporter and generating a class list of all of the questions that they had about the solar eclipse. They then did some research to find answers to their questions and wrote scripts that will be used in their own personal newscasts later this week. Live reporters were then on the scene of the eclipse to share their real-time experience with their viewers. Our goal was to incorporate solid voice, fluency, and word choice in our writing and speaking and to connect our students with real-world experiences and audiences.