On Monday afternoon, August 21, 2017, all of North Carolina will experience a partial solar eclipse. A sliver of the western part of the state will experience a total solar eclipse for approximately two and a half minutes. NCCAT will partner with Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) to present a training opportunity at our Cullowhee campus that teaches participants a variety of methods and strategies to host a successful community solar eclipse event.
Designed for teachers of grades K–6.
30 kindergarten through sixth grade teachers (15 teams, two teachers per team) will be selected to participate in the training. Each team will be provided with a kit to take back to their school. Participants must commit to hosting a community event on the day of the solar eclipse, August 21, 2017, and must submit a post event evaluation. The training will include topics such as mythology and misconceptions about the sun and our solar system, moon phases and how eclipses happen, solar observing safety measures, activities and planning ideas.