Hi, my name is Catherine. I have taught Junior Infants for two years. After a career break last year, I will be back teaching Junior Infants in September. I am excited to learn more about incorporating lessons on Space in the classroom. I always feel the topic is a hit with students.
An interesting fact about space is that one million Earths could fit inside the sun and the sun is considered an average size star.
An enquiry based lesson that I would carry out in the classroom would be learning about space suits and the children designing their own space suit. The children would sit in a circle and we would start by asking the clothes they wear to suit when it’s raining or sunny, clothes that keep them warm. Asking why we wear a raincoat etc. Explain that the clothes we wear can be based on the weather. Show the children a picture of a diver. Explain that the diver needs to take air with them to breath under water. Explain that it’s the same in Space. Show the children a picture of an astronaut. Ask the children to describe the suit. Explain that astronauts don’t breath the same as the do on Earth and that they need the special suit. They also need to keep warm. The children will then get a chance to design their own astronaut suit using various materials. The suit must have its own air supple and must be able to keep the astronaut warm. The children then share their designs with the class.