If I were to teach a lesson on different types of houses to junior, senior, first, and second classes, I would incorporate hands-on activities to engage the students fully. I would start by using an excerpt from David Walliams’ novel “Space Boy” as a stimulus, sparking a discussion on how we might introduce our “home” to an alien visitor.
We would then talk about the different types of homes in Ireland and around the world. I would invite children from different countries to share their experiences, allowing for a rich exchange of cultural perspectives.
For the hands-on activity, I would provide materials such as play dough, lollipop sticks, sugar cubes, pipe cleaners, and junk art supplies. The students would build houses for new inhabitants, which would offer a fantastic opportunity to link with science by discussing the properties of the materials used and determining which options were the best and why.
To extend the learning experience, I would invite the more senior classes to get involved by having them act as mentors for the younger students. They could assist in the construction process, offering guidance on design and material selection based on their advanced understanding. Additionally, the senior students could prepare short presentations on different architectural styles from around the world, further enriching the discussion on global housing.
Each group could first build their house using ICT, tying in the popular game Minecraft to create digital models of their designs. This would engage students who enjoy playing Minecraft and allow them to explore architectural concepts in a virtual environment before moving on to the physical construction.
To wrap up the lesson, the children would gather to showcase their house models. They would share what they learned about different types of houses, where people live, and how they would explain houses to aliens.