Hi, I’m Deirdre and I will be teaching SET in September with the junior end of the school.
My favourite Space fact is Venus which completes one rotation every 243 Earth days has the longest day of any planet in our solar system.
One inquiry based activity that I would use in my classroom is exploring the concept of floating and sinking.
Activity: Float or Sink?
Introduction:
Gather the children in a circle and introduce the activity. Show them the tub of water and the collection of objects. Ask them if they know what “floating” and “sinking” mean, demonstrating with a couple of objects.
Present each object one at a time and ask the children to predict whether they think it will float or sink. This encourages them to make guesses and engage with the concept.
Experimentation:
Each child will get a turn placing an object in the water. Encourage them to observe what happens.
Recording Results:
After each object is tested, help the children place a sticker or mark on the chart under “Float” or “Sink” corresponding to the object’s outcome.
Review the chart together, discussing any patterns they notice.
Conclusion:
Revision of the the activity by talking about why some objects float and others sink, introducing simple concepts like weight, density, and material properties.