Tell Me About the Sky: Night, Day and the Phases of the Moon through the Eyes of 3rd Grade Primary School Students

The study aimed to examine the posters prepared by third-grade primary school students after conducting observations and various writing activities in the science lesson unit “Let's Get to Know Our Planet.” A qualitative research approach was adopted, based on a phenomenological design. The study group consisted of 27 students (15 girls,12 boys). The data collection tools for the study consisted of individual posters and semi-structured interviews. When the individual posters were examined, it was seen that the majority of the posters included drawings of the Moon. The presence of the Earth was identified in the posters, and the vast majority of these posters included layers of land and water. In addition to the Moon and Earth, the students' posters also included drawings of the Sun. In these drawings, care was taken to ensure the accuracy of the Sun's size. The student posters included drawings of the shadow of an object and illustrations showing that the length of the shadow changed depending on the position of the Sun. Students took care to ensure that their observations were reflected in the observation and poster preparation process. It was stated that the poster preparation process contributed to learning, self-improvement, motivation, and increased self-confidence.