ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Students at Westgate Elementary School in St. Petersburg are learning about the upcoming solar eclipse in a fun and creative way.
Bridget Grace, a fifth-grade teacher, and Shelley Kappeler, the Makerspace Coordinator, are working with students using LEGO sets to explore eclipse-related science concepts through hands-on model building.
Westgate Elementary is supported by a multi-year $75,000 grant from the LEGO Education Foundation that emphasizes “learning through play” from VPK and on. Kappeler is one of only 78 educators in the US serving as a LEGO Education Ambassador.
Approximately 20 fifth-grade students, along with their teachers, will explore topics such as gravity, rotation, moon phases, and eclipse safety. Students then explain the science concepts and demo their model.
The solar eclipse will coincide with dismissal on Monday, April 8, at 2:55 p.m. Many students will be staying after school to watch the partial solar eclipse.
