The use of an activity set in my classroom – The Planets
Continuing on from the musical theme I used in introducing the topic of space (Sound in space – Chris Hadfield singing in space, and showing clips of life in space). I like the use of music, song and movement in this activity set.
To begin with, students would sit in a circle on the floor, and I would facilitate a discussion based around their place within the wider world and solar system:
Question:
What is the name of the town where we live?
Do they know what country this town is in?
And what planet this country is on? On Earth.
Can they name any other planets?
Briefly talk about the names of the eight planets in our solar system
I would continue by introducing the names of the planets through this song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-63Xx7jK26A
This is a simple and repetitive song listing the 8 planets by name, with a simple fact after each one. This song is appropriate for up to 2nd class.
With all names known, I would introduce the suggested song which gives some detail on each planet, again appropriate for 1st or 2nd class pupils.
The planet game and dance outlined in this activity set lend themselves to a nice bit of movement and a change of pace for the pupils. Some students are active learners and the activity using hula hoops rotating around gives an excellent representation of the rotation of the planets.
To close, I would review information the have gathered.
In the exploration stations outlined by another course member, I would invite children to create a visual representation of the solar system offering a variety of balls, spheres, morla, playdoh of differing sizes to open discussion and practical learning on the topic.