Second graders at Washington-Wilkes Primary School are "reaching for the stars," especially during their daily Enrichment Lab time. Mrs. Sandra Gammon, second grade Enrichment Lab teacher, is guiding her students through an in-depth scientific study of the motions and patterns of celestial bodies. Mrs. Gammon's students are learning about the physical attributes of stars in relation to the varying sizes, brightness and patterns. They are also investigating the position of the sun and moon, using moon logs to record patterns throughout the month.

Mrs. Gammon teaches all second grade students at W-WPS as they rotate through her lab each day and utilizes a variety of instructional strategies to teach Science and Social Studies concepts to them. Mrs. Gammon provides opportunities for her students to make connections and creates visual images of difficult concepts through the use of literature and technology. The Enrichment Lab is equipped with the most current technology which allows Mrs. Gammon to utilize amazing visuals from Internet resources and video streaming. Mrs. Gammon combines demonstration lessons with investigative, cooperative learning activities that provide students with hands-on, real life experiences that are vital to true mastery learning.

During the Earth Science study of the motions and patterns of celestial bodies, Mrs. Gammon brings the learning to life for her students by having them sit and stare at the stars. Don't let the sitting and staring idea fool you! There's no daydreaming going on - just the contrary. Mrs. Gammon uses a unique visual, the Star Lab, an inflatable planetarium, to give her students first-hand experience and a visual in which to connect their learning. Mrs. Gammon knows she could just tell her students about constellations, for instance, but she believes that learning and understanding are not truly solidified until one actually sees or experiences it - the philosophy that makes her Enrichment Lab so effective.

The Star Lab is a large, dome-shaped contraption shared between Wilkes County and Lincoln County, into which students and teachers enter. Inside the Star Lab is a projection screen onto which scenes of stars, planets and other celestial objects can be made to appear and move realistically to simulate the complex motions of the heavens. The system is set to display the sky at any point in time, past or present, and to show the night sky as it would appear from any point of latitude on earth.

The Star Lab is an awesome piece of technology that provides an amazing learning opportunity for the students at WWPS and one of the many effective teaching strategies utilized in the Enrichment Labs. Students and teachers at Washington-Wilkes Primary School are utilizing technology and effective teaching and learning practices and are, indeed, "reaching for the stars!"