Students, teachers prepare to learn about solar eclipse

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Teachers in West Michigan are preparing to help their students enjoy the eclipse while also keeping them safe.

Bauer Elementary School in Hudsonville, like many other elementary schools in the area, will be in session when the eclipse takes place.

Fourth grade teachers Jessica Kopka, Natalie Klapko and Lindsay Morris are already discussing the upcoming phenomenon with their students.

“(One) morning they came in and there were articles on their desks about the upcoming solar eclipse,” said Morris.

Some students have had a difficult time grasping the rarity of the situation.

“We won’t see another one like this in Michigan until 2099,” said Morris. “So this morning, they’re all like, ‘I’m going to be 85 or 84.’ They’re really excited.”

Their teachers have taken the opportunity to tie it in with other topics they’ve been covering.

“In science, our curriculum in fourth grade focuses on learning about the eye,” explained Kopka. “So how we take in light and how we bring that in, and then how we also see that and how it’s flipped around.”

Students have experimented with making pinhole cameras to capture the effect, which has been a useful lead-in to eclipse-related lessons.

The idea of nearly complete darkness in the middle of a school day is exciting for teachers who work hard to keep their students engaged.

“This is like a once in a lifetime experience as a teacher,” said Morris.

That’s a sentiment other teachers have expressed as well.

“I’m a science major, so like, I’m a little nerded out about it,” said Klapko. “So it’s really cool that we can bring this into the classroom … I can’t see any better opportunity for the students to learn science than to just walk outside and get to experience it firsthand.”

Preparation for safely viewing the eclipse is underway and has been made easier by a generous parent.

“We’re really lucky because we had a parent who is buying glasses for all the students,” said Kopka. “So once we get those glasses in, they’ll get to safely go out and watch.”

It’s a near-perfect learning opportunity that these teachers are excited to capitalize on.

“It’s just awesome that we can integrate it with what we’re already learning and just make it super excited because that’s what science is all about,” said Klapko.

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