In recognition of the Solar Eclipse this past Monday, April 8th, Gryphons throughout the school took part in engaging teaching and learning opportunities regarding this rare and incredible event. Please see below for some academic highlights.

JK to Grade 4 STEAM: In JK to Grade 4 STEAM classes students learned about the solar eclipse and used recyclable materials to make eclipse viewers. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate on Monday but the students enjoyed learning what an eclipse is and had fun creating the viewers.

JK: In addition to creating eclipse viewers, the JK class watched videos to learn about the solar eclipse. 

SK: The SK’s learned about the upcoming social eclipse and why it is so important to protect our eyes. After creating their eclipse viewers in STEAM class with Mr. Ramkissoon, the students learned how to safely observe the solar eclipse through their viewer without directly exposing their eyes to the sun.

Grade 1: The Grade 1's enjoyed creating cereal box viewers in STEAM and learned why a total solar eclipse is a significant event. Students also created acrostic poems and answered true or false questions to consolidate their understanding. 

Grade 2: The Grade 2's were excited to dive into the study of the solar eclipse. Utilizing a ball, balloon, and flashlight to symbolize the Earth, Moon, and Sun respectively, they worked in groups to recreate this celestial event. Following this, they crafted their own pinhole viewers in STEAM class as a safe option to view the eclipse. 

Grade 3: During Art Class the Grade 3 students crafted representations of a solar eclipse using chalk, pastels, warm hues, and honed their shading and blending techniques. The range of variations and creations were truly impressive. On Tuesday students were very excited to talk about the eclipse and share some reflections on the event...

"The sun was an orangey, yellow colour, and everything else was very dark.  I couldn’t believe that the temperature dropped 12.2°, it got so cold!" -Emma

"I did not expect it to be that dark. All of the birds stopped chirping because they thought it was night, it was so cool!" -Ezra 

"I was surprised that the sun came back so quickly. The colours in the sky were beautiful and I loved spending time with my family." -Angela

Grade 4: The Grade 4 class explored the phenomenon of solar eclipses through a blend of coding, arts, and crafts. First, they created paper representations of the Earth, Sun, and Moon. Then, they taped their paper Earth and Sun models to boxes, their Moons to the Dash & Dot robots and then programmed the robots to simulate how the Moon obstructs sunlight from the Earth during an eclipse. 

Middle School: In the Middle School, the students were excited to learn more about solar eclipses through the Middle School Assembly presentation led by Lisa Pesegova from Grade 8. Lisa informed students about different safety measures to take and an explanation of what to expect. Later in the week, Middle School classes had the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about solar eclipses through various activities. The Grade 6’s enjoyed learning more through this slide deck filled with videos, maps, and activities to try at home!