This letter-writing project grew organically from a student-driven space unit, where Mrs. Hillacre, the grade 5/6 teacher at Bready Elementary School in North Battleford, encouraged students to help guide the direction of their learning. Building on last year’s focus on Mars and rover exploration, students drew on prior knowledge from experiences like studying rover missions and understanding how teams collaborate over time to design, build, and program technology for space exploration.

This year, learning expanded by partnering with Mr. Kowalski at the school to integrate coding and 3D design. Students worked in “Mission Specialist” teams, exploring how real-world space missions operate. A key area of study was mission patches, where students examined designs from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. This inquiry naturally led to the Artemis II mission and learning about Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Students were especially engaged when they discovered the story behind his mission patch, created in collaboration with Anishinaabe artist Henry Guimond, prompting thoughtful discussions around symbolism, identity, and representation.

As part of their guided practice, the teacher modeled how to analyze informational texts, ask meaningful questions, and make personal connections. Through shared reading and discussion, students explored articles about the Artemis II mission and reflected on why Canadians across the country are recognizing this historic moment. Using prompts such as “What does this mission mean to you?”, “Why is Jeremy Hansen an important figure for Canada?”, and “What would you want him to know before he goes to space?”, students developed their ideas before drafting their letters.

A read-aloud of the book A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga, further supported this process. The novel, which follows the journey of a Mars rover and includes a series of letters between a young student and the rover, helped students understand how writing can express curiosity, admiration, and connection. This was used as mentor text to guide structure, tone, and provide purpose in letter writing.

Through modeled writing, shared brainstorming, peer feedback, and revision, students crafted letters (a few samples included below) that congratulated Jeremy Hansen, expressed their pride and excitement, and asked thoughtful questions about his mission. This was not just a writing task, but a meaningful, integrated learning experience that connected literacy, science, STEM, and Canadian contributions to space exploration.

Overall, this project reflects a rich integration of learning: novel study, research, STEM design and coding, rocket experimentation, and expressive writing. Most importantly, it highlights student voice, curiosity, and their genuine desire to connect with and celebrate a Canadian role model.

Jeremy Hansen is making history and will be the first Canadian to the Moon. The Artemis II will be the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years! The launch attempt is taking place April 1, 2026 at 5:45pm (E.T.). Special thank you to Mrs. Hillacre and the Grade 5/6 class for sharing their work and helping to highlight this important event!  

A Few of the Student Letters: