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Independence 3rd graders took their learning skyward this month with a visit to the Rowan University Edelman Planetarium, the perfect complement to their CKLA unit, Our Solar System and Beyond: Astronomy. The unit invites students to read about the sun, planets, our moon, asteroids, comets, meteors, galaxies, and stars. It also introduces ideas such as gravity, matter, light-years, black holes, and important figures in the history of space exploration, including Nicolaus Copernicus and Mae Jemison. 

Their visit began with Earth, Moon, and Sun, a show that uses Native American storytelling to help students separate myth from science. Guided by Coyote, a curious character who brings a bit of humor to the learning, students explored why the sun rises and sets, how the moon’s phases change, and what makes eclipses possible. The show touched on solar energy, the moon’s orbit and craters, and even a glimpse at past and future missions beyond our home planet.

Students then shifted from observation to investigation with Roving With Perseverance, a hands-on session that brought Mars exploration to life. Using real materials connected to NASA’s Perseverance rover, they considered how engineers design tools for another world. Open-ended questions invited them to think like planetary scientists and encouraged deeper thinking and engagement with the processes involved in Mars exploration. 

The experience offered a memorable bridge between classroom learning and real-world discovery, sparking plenty of curiosity about the universe and what lies beyond our planet.