A third group is busy looking through newspapers and magazines searching for news articles to post on a bulletin board dedicated to the Mars Pathfinder mission. They seem to really be enjoying everything about Mars. Indeed they are. Ever since just before the Mars Pathfinder touched down on the Red Planet earlier this month, Hare and her class have been having daily discussions and engaging in activities centered around the mission. In addition to integrating the Mars mission into more traditional subjects such as science and math, Hare has also used the mission to enhance subjects such as social studies, spelling, and creative writing.
Hare also plans to have students try their hands at writing poetry about the Red Planet.
They were cool. We learned a lot. Hare said learning is much more enjoyable when the subject matter is as intriguing as Mars. Many students, she said, have started watching the news and reading newspapers, are visiting the library more often and are doing their own research about space exploration. One student is currently doing research on the late astronomer Carl Sagan and his contribution to the Pathfinder mission.