The heavens declare the glory of God! – that was the theme of a research project on our solar system recently completed by students in Mrs. Fosbenner’s and Mrs. McCarthy’s 3rd grade classes. Large, colorful posters with paintings of Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, and other planets that the students researched have been on display since mid-March in the hallway outside the 3rd grade classrooms.
“This was a multi-stage assignment where each student selected a planet in our solar system and then learned the steps and skills of how to do a research paper on that planet,” Mrs. McCarthy said. During class time, the students gathered facts online using a child-friendly search engine, then wrote a first draft of their research paper, reviewed and revised that draft, and then produced a final version. The project also included painting a poster of their planet. In Mrs. Fosbenner’s class, the students worked on their projects as a homework assignment.
“This project taught our students important research and writing skills that they will build upon each year,” said Mrs. Fosbenner. ” But there is also a spiritual lesson in this project because as the students gathered information for their paper they became more knowledgeable about the awesome details of the planets that God created and how they are uniquely placed within our solar system.”
