'Out of this world' adventure at Explorer Elem.
David Tauchen
Students at Explorer Elementary left planet Earth behind on Wednesday. They embarked on a virtual mission to save astronauts lost in space, and learned some valuable skills along the way.
"This is a huge inspiration for them," said the teacher Bobby Gagnon.
The class took a giant leap into the future as well: the year 2080. The mission was launched from make-believe bases on the moon and mars.
Using math and science skills, along with clues left behind by the space craft, the students tried to track down a space craft's location in the solar system. They were connected to Earth by a web cam (in reality it was connected to the Challenger Learning Center in Colorado Springs).
Mr. Gagnon says the lessons they learned in this exercise will be useful for years to come. "They can see that all of these avenues, mathematics, science and technology are applicable in the real world."
He hopes the lesson inspires students to pursue careers in math and science. Perhaps, someday those careers will take them into space for real. "NASA has said that by the year 2027 we're going to hopefully put somebody on the moon. That puts 4th grade students right in that age range."
