A Peek Into Science in Room 1 with Ms. Alison

Room 1 (Kindergarten and First Grade) Science is moving from their Trimester 1 focus on Engineering into a new theme of Space Science. Before winter break, students in Leah and Sean’s class, taught by Ms. Alison, spent some time intentionally bridging these two topics through a mini-unit on space travel and rocketry, grounded in a study of the Apollo missions. Students learned about the challenges astronauts faced on their journeys to the Moon and then took on the role of engineers themselves, using empathy-based, client-focused design methods to anticipate astronaut needs.

After sketching detailed schematics of both the inside and outside of their rocket ships, students brought their designs into the Makerspace, where they built three-dimensional models of their rockets. This work allowed them to apply the engineering design process in a hands-on, creative way while beginning to think like space scientists and aerospace engineers.

Now that it’s the first week of January 2026, they’ve officially launched into a Space Science unit by turning their attention to the Moon. Last week, students learned about lunar geography, distinguishing the smooth, dark maria from the brighter, heavily cratered highlands. They also used gross-motor, whole-body activities to model how the Moon orbits the Earth in such a way that the same side always faces us. These physical models naturally led into an introduction to the phases of the Moon, which they will continue to explore and practice identifying over the coming weeks.