In honor of National Distance Learning Week, Greenwich Catholic School 3rd graders in Mrs. Lisa Barbieri’s class participated in a virtual lesson called “The Science of the Sun” courtesy of NASA’s Digital Learning Network.
Streaming from the Goddard Flight Center in Maryland, DLN Specialist Lindsey Jones taught the session. The digital class, known as a STEM Short, is a new distance learning initiative that features brief presentations by NASA experts followed by a live question and answer session from classrooms across the country.
Mrs. Barbieri’s students submitted questions about the sun prior to and throughout the online class. One student wanted to know how many planet earths could fit inside of the sun. The answer, Ms. Jones said, is approximately 1.3 million.
“Learning about space, technology and STEM careers is important for future generations,” Mrs. Barbieri explained. “I try to integrate technology into our lessons whenever possible.”
The remote learning experience was a positive one for the whole class, Barbieri went on to say. “Now they are fascinated by the sun and can’t stop talking about the solar eclipse that’s going to take place in August of 2017!”
Speaking of distance, another GCS 3rd grader asked, “How far away is the sun from the earth?” While standing in the classroom at the Goddard Flight Center, located approximately 250 miles away from Greenwich Catholic School, Ms. Jones answered, “93 million miles.”
