Extraterrestrial exploits for Byram fifth-graders

BYRAM n Children in Ginette Garrity’s fifth-grade class at the Byram Intermediate School have begun the new school year with an exciting science unit on space. The class began by learning about the moon, and through hands-on activities, discovered how craters formed on its surface over millions of years. Children charted the moon for a month to understand its phases and discussed how they affect Earth. From there, the class will go on to learn about the Milky Way Galaxy and all that it is composed of. They already are intrigued by questions such as: Where does space begin? Where is our Earth in space? And how much space is there? Finally, as a culminating activity, each child will research a planet of their choice via the Internet and design a three-dimensional alien with characteristics that would enable it to survive on its “home planet”. Later in the year the class will travel to the Museum of Natural History in New York where they will attend a planetarium show at the Rose Center.