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ASSIGNMENT
Review the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Liston 2018) and reflect on what STEM education looks like in your classroom.
Choose one of the following…
- Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner.
- Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
- Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day”
- ESERO 30 Day and Night in the World
- One Year on Earth – Understanding the Seasons Resource (ESA)
Share a descriptor (150 words minimum) in this forum as a reply to this post on how you would engage your students with this activity.
Also, please respond to at least one other participant’s post in this forum.
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Construct a sun-dial:
I think constructing a sun-dial would be a really engaging STEAM activity for almost any class in my school. Sixth class could get huge amounts of curricular integration from this as it incorporates History (the use of sun-dials by past civilizations), Geography (the impact of the weather), Maths (time) and more, not to mention the core elements of STEAM itself.
In our school, there is a flat, open area alongside the yard: I would select this as a site for the sun-dial and ask sixth class to research and consider the challenges and opportunities of this site (its open access to sunlight at all times of the day, siting the sun-dial away from the shade of the school building, etc). Children could then consider the material requirements of the sun-dial – it would have to be sturdy enough to stand up in the wind and durable enough to survive the elements. The sun-dial could be installed and children could make measurements every hour during school time and mark out the positions indicated by the sun-dial for 9 a.m., 10 a.m., etc. This would be a great activity to revisit at different times of the year to see how the sun-dial is affected by the angle of the sun and its position during different seasons.
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Creating a sundial.
I would introduce this lesson with Time in Maths.
We would look the history of sundials, clocks watches etc and watch clips from museums to introduce these.
Geography-Weather patterns, climate, wind direction, cloud formation and directions. Introduce the compass.
Who first invented sundial?
What are some interesting facts about sundials?
Why are there 13 lines on a sundial?
What does a sundial symbolize?
Class would be divided into groups
Materials would be distributed
Paper or paper plates
Pencil
Marker
Clock
Ruler
Blue tack
Sticky glue
Sunny day
Put the plate in a sunny spot away from shadows.
With a marker draw the shadow of the pencil and write the number of the hour. Repeat until end of day
Repeat next day to see if shadows fall on the correct time.
Ask questions like…
Were all the shadows the same length?
What makes the shadows?
What makes a sundial work?We will conclude with recording our activity on google slides
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Hi Fiona,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your sundial lesson. I like how you have planned for integration with history and maths which would make meaningful connections across the curricular areas.
There are lots of opportunities for critical thinking when making a sundial as you have outlined in the questions that could be asked such as length of shadows and what makes the shadows. These could also be carried out as initial investigations prior to making the sundial to further support critical thinking and problem solving.
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Hi Fiona,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course. The sundial is a great and memorable lesson for learners as I see from your other post that you still recall this activity from your own school days.
I like your approach to bringing learners on a journey of discovery, looking at the sundial’s beginnings. This activity can be completed simply as you have outlined, which suits younger learners, or with more technical details in line with a class’s unique abilities.
It can also be interesting to reflect on whether there are any sundials in your locality-sometimes they feature in a local park or even a historical site nearby. I highly recommend the Time Museum in Waterford for anyone nearby; it’s a great collection of time measurement devices throughout the ages.
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<p class=”MsoNormal”><span style=”font-family: ‘Georgia’,serif; color: #333333; background: white;”>Making planet tubes sounds like a great lesson. It offers a variety of cross curricular integration (history, geography, art, maths, English). Each child could spend a week at home researching their given planet or they could use iPads in school to get the relevant information they need. </span></p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”><span style=”font-family: ‘Georgia’,serif; color: #333333; background: white;”>There are a number of ways in which you could differentiate for every ability in the class. </span> Higher ability students could go into the deeper sections such as weight, mass and gravity etc while the other students could look at its place from the sun and art.</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”><span style=”font-family: ‘Georgia’,serif; color: #333333; background: white;”>It is a great activity to promote team work and what I really like is chance they students would get to present this to their class and also some of the younger classes as I feel they would be really engaged given the art work needed. Students could also create a PowerPoint presentation to go with their tubes. </span></p> -
Hi Tom,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!
I see you have encountered a common problem on this forum. If you write in another app like Word, when pasting, you need to right click and select “paste as plain text,” otherwise you end up with extraneous formatting.
I think the plan for your learners will provide a deep understanding of the planets, by taking the time to research at home, and using iPad’s to further their understanding.
There is a lot of potential for further exploration and using math’s-like calculating how much someone would weigh on other planets or the moon (1/6th), guessing the ranking by weight, or games timing how quickly learners can rank planets in the right order for those only starting to understand the order of the solar system.
I like the idea of teamwork to present and engage younger classes, making it a whole school exploration of the topic. This activity has lots of potential and is accessible for a broad range of classes, when pitched right.
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I love the idea of giving the students their own planet, this encourages deeper engagement. I would assign it for work at home the previous week but also give students time to research books in our school library and on the IPads too before we create our tubes. Students could be encouraged to create a mind map on what they learned so that after creating the tubes they could peer teach other other about their assigned planet.
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I agree Michelle that this is a great idea to give pupils their own planet. It allows for a lot of cross curricular integration which is valuable for both pupils and teachers. I love your idea of pupils creating a mind map following their learning, and the peer teaching is an excellent idea for others to learn about another planet. This could be further extended by the pupils teaching another class at their level, or another class level about their planet.
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I love the idea of assigning planets for at-home research the week before—a great way to build anticipation and deeper engagement. Integrating library and iPad research at school will support students in exploring their assigned planet in various ways. The mind map is a fantastic tool for organising their findings, and I think peer teaching afterward will help solidify their understanding while building their confidence in sharing knowledge. It’s a wonderful way to make the learning experience both collaborative and comprehensive!
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Love the tubes idea, fun a creative and we all know they love bringing something in from home to work on!
Giving the time for them to absorb the information and learn about the planet they picked from different perspectives during the week can only serve to scaffold planet learning during the week (books, videos, posters etc… I am in a junior school to research would be more group based and I would like to use station teaching for the week. Include some literacy and have my SET teacher support this type of learning.
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I definitely like the cross curricular approach- the curriculum is very loaded and to really provide the opportunity for a children to really engage with a topic it has to be covered through as many subjects as possible. I like giving children their own planet to research and then to share back to the class enabling peer learning
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Yes I would agree Tom that making planet tubes would present some really good learning opportunities and could easily be differentiated according to ability and class level. Like you said, there would be opportunities for some children to go beyond the basic concept that is being explored and to investigate density, looking for example at how two objects could be of a similar size but have a different mass. The planet tube activity would lend itself really well to this type of investigation as each tube is the same size, but each has a different mass. For those children who are ready to explore the topic more deeply this could pose questions like what would happen if two objects of similar size but different masses were close to each other in space? How would they be likely to interact? I also like this activity because it provides linkage to other areas of the curriculum, visual arts and maths being two obvious ones.
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I think this would be a lovely activity for classes to complete in groups next year. As well as having lots of cross-curricular opportunities, I think there would be lots of opportunity for problem solving when considering what challenges may face them when choosing a location for their sundial. (time of the year, weather, materials used).
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Hi Patrick,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course! The sundial activity is a terrific option for learners, and sixth class will certainly get a lot from this activity which lends itself to a host of other topics beyond STEM, including history, geography and art, to name but a few!
I recently visited The Time Museum in Waterford city. The tour is a wonderful way to continue the learning journey for those nearby enough to visit-with displays from sundials to ornate grandfather clocks and even an old precision frequency standard. It demonstrates how timekeeping design has evolved over time to create increasingly accurate devices, from the rudimentary sundial to the international atomic time we use today.
Your plan for this activity in the school is well thought out, empowering learners with the autonomy of assessing suitable sites, and making choices, making this a truly learner led experience. Revisiting it at different times of year will renews learners’ interest and learning from repeated observations. Best of luck with this activity in the coming academic year!
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Thank you for that Patrick. We will all be constructing sun dials next year. It will be a fun and engaging activity for children of all ages. as we know concept of time can be so difficult for children to grasp so visiting the sundial at different times of the day could be powerful for children in their understanding.
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ESERO 30 Day and Night in the World
I found the ESERO 30 Day and Night lesson Plan very beneficial with great cross-curricular links.
The opening discussion on Diurnal and Nocturnal Animals would be great for promoting group discussions. I think I would provide pictures of a mixture of animals to smaller groups, rather than as a whole class. Children would be prompted to notice any similarities between the Nocturnal Animals.
From generally working with younger classes in our Senior School, I think the children would find the directions and the fine motor skills necessary for Task 1 and Task 2 quite tricky. However, I think they would really enjoy the action song from the slides. I love the idea of using the lamp/torch.
I also think the final activity with using the oranges and labelling one side Europe and the other Australia would be very beneficial for the younger classes. It makes it very obvious that when the Sun is shining on one side of the world, it is dark on the other. I would probably give oranges/torches to each group to complete this activity.
There is lots of great tier three language being used and discussed in this lessons, as well as lots of nice links between Music, Geography and Science. I’m looking forward to doing this with my 2nd class next year!
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Hi Amy,
I really like you ideas in regard to ESERO 30 Day and Night lesson Plan, I also this it’s suitable for younger classes and can be tailored as such. I especially think the hands- on group work labelling the oranges would be so enjoyable for children of this age and throughout the learning there is plenty of opportunities for language learning as you said.
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I like how you would give the pictures out and perhaps afford the children the opportunity for Talk Time to discuss in small groups? Rather than look at them on a PP.
Agree that the directions would perhaps need to be broken down and more time given overall if the younger ones are accessing this lesson.
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I agree with Patrick. It’s a nice idea to give the responsibility of choosing the site to 6th class. It’s great for their confidence when they feel they have an important role to play. It’s also something that incorporates other areas of the curriculum and it will keep the children interested and engaged.
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Sundial:
To introduce the sundial topic I would explore the idea with the students that when the light source changes the shadow changes. The students can do this by using their own shadow. We would go outside in the morning and trace our shadow on the floor using chalk, then come back at break, lunch and home time to see what has happened to our shadow. I would then set up the stick and bucket as outlined in the video. We would mark the shadow and note the time every hour. If I had the permission of the principal I would make a more permanent one in our sensory garden where we would paint the time, and therefore we could use it all year round and it might entice students to make one at home where they could track the time at home after school! For the older classes I would send home the templates, but for the younger classes I think the bucket and stick would be easier and more engaging.
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Hello Michelle and welcome to the course!
Thank you for your post. You have put considerable thought into the practicalities of how this activity can run well at all levels across your school. I do hope your principal is amenable to the idea of a permanent sundial structure in your sensory garden. It is something all learners can enjoy engaging with, observing this ancient technology and its simple yet effective design.
Getting the learners to try this out at home is a great way to extend this activity. With such few materials required, it is a very accessible activity.
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I like the idea of teaching the children about when the light source changes , the shadow changes by getting them to trace their own shadows. Another idea for younger children would be to get them to trace the shadows of various dinosaur model toys, they might have greet fun observing the shadows of these as well!
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I would look at constructing a Sundial with the class to . I just completed a year with 3rd class and I feel this would have been a valuable activity we could have used. One of the topics we explored was light, how it travels and how shadows were created. This would have been a great opportunity to also explore the sundials and integrate the topic more meaningfully with the suns positions, time and night and day. The trigger used could be an image of a sundial or a trip to a sundial (there’s one in a park close to us).
I particularly like the activity of tracing the shadows with chalk outside and repeating a few times during the day to see the changes ( and prehaps write the time beside them of when they were drawn)
Students can also be encouraged to create their own sundials in small groups using a variety of materials and a planning frame.
Also drawing the position of the sun at different times of the day (morning in line, small break, big break and Home time) in an S.E.S.E. journal and looking at the position in the sky while drawing our shadows. -
Hi Meadhbh,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!
I am glad to see this is something that you see as a good fit for your class. Whether you end up with 3rd class or not again, the great thing is that this activity can be readily adapted to the class’s abilities. You mentioned the chalk outline, which works very well with junior classes right through to senior classes!
This can then be built upon by creating the sundial, and I am delighted to read that you have a sundial on your doorstep. What a great prompt for the activity and the excursion rolled into one! You may be surprised by how many learners don’t know what it is or does despite it being a feature in your local park.
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That is a fantastic idea Michelle. I think that making the sun dial a permanent fixture in the yard or garden would really motivate the children to research the absolute best location for the sun dial and to make sure that the area has light all day. It would also bring in art through the strand of paint and the elements of line, shape and colour. I think that having a permanent fixture would entice all classes to learn about time and the seasons due to the ease with which they could access the school sundial. Children are also naturally curious and will ask questions about the sun dial when they encounter it in the garden.
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Constructing a sundial: I would choose our school garden to construct a sundial. The ground is level, and it receives sunlight for most of the day. We would begin by picking a spot on the ground where the children’s body casts a shadow, mark this as the central spot, so that the children will know to stand in this same spot each time. From this position, place a ruler on the ground, in the same direction in which the shadow is created from the children’s body. Use chalk to draw a straight line, from the centre spot, going outwards along the line of their shadow. Make a note of the time at the end of the line. On the next hour, stand on the centre spot again and use the ruler and chalk to draw a second line, making a note of the new time. Repeat these steps every hour until the end of the school day or the children have recorded a shadow for at least 4 times. The sundial will show how far the sun has travelled during each hour.
Questions: How far is the shadow moving each hour?
What direction is the shadow moving in? Would this be the same in every country in the world?
Where do you think your shadow will be in 8 hours’ time?
Why does the shadow move? What is causing it to change position?
Will your shadow return to its original position? Can you explain why?
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Hi Sinéad,
Thanks for your post and welcome to the course!
You have prepared some great questions, and that will take your learners on a journey of discovery as they uncover the answers. It can be helpful to use some props in the classroom if needed during the discussion phase-a torch can be helpful for shadows, etc.
Through this engaging sundial activity, learners stand to learn a great deal about the solar system in motion and light and develop their STEM vocabulary with new words such as gnomon. Using a STEM vocabulary poster can be helpful for capturing and recapping new terms as they arise.
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Hi Patrick, I have 6th Class in September and our classroom is conveniently located beside the school sensory garden. I will have to figure out if this is a good location for a sundial because I’d love to go ahead with this project. It provides for a good scheme of work across the SESE subjects and it’s a hands-on, measurable activity for the pupils. Wish me luck!
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Observing and recording the positions of the sun at different times of the day
Objectives
– Understand the apparent motion of the sun across the sky.
– Learn how to observe and record solar positions.
– Analyze the data to understand patterns related to the Earth’s rotation and revolution.Materials Needed
– Notebook or observation sheets
– Compass
– Protractor
– Ruler
– Sundial or a stick to create a simple sundial
– Camera (optional)
– Chart or graph paper
– Markers or pencilsActivity Steps
Step 1: Setting Up the Observation Points
1. Choose a Location: Select an open area with a clear view of the horizon in the east and west, such as a playground or an open field.
2. Mark Cardinal Directions: Use a compass to find and mark the north, south, east, and west directions on the ground.step 2: Observing the Sun at Different Times of the Day
1. Regular Interval Observations:
– Decide on specific times for observations throughout the day, such as every two hours starting from 10 AM until 2PM.
– At each observation time, have students note the position of the sun in the sky using the sundial or a fixed reference point.
– Record the angle of elevation using a protractor and the compass direction.step 3: Recording and Analyzing Data
1.
– Ensure that students fill in their observation sheets– Discuss with students the patterns they observe in their data.
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First, I would choose a sunny, open space free from obstructions like trees or buildings that could cast shadows on the sundial. We have a open space on our back yard that is free from any obstacles. I would make sure the ground is level and accessible to allow easy viewing.
Next, I would gather the following materials. I would obtain a flat base (such as a wooden or metal plate) for the sundial face and use a sturdy stick or rod as the gnomon (the part that casts the shadow). Then, I would use a compass to find true north. Alternatively, the shadow from a vertical stick at solar noon points north in the Northern Hemisphere.
Then I would position the gnomon in the centre of the base, angled equal to my local latitude and mark the hourly lines, starting with noon, using the gnomon’s shadow as a guide.
Next, I would secure the sundial in place, ensuring the gnomon remains aligned with true north.
Finally, I would get the children to add decorative elements explaining how to read the sundial and its historical significance. I could integrate the sundial into the curriculum by using it for lessons on time, history and science and all the classes in the school could visit it at some point. -
Hi Marie,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course. The sundial is a wonderful activity, and I can see you have given considerable thought to how to run this activity in your school.You have some nice ideas about how to integrate this topic into other subjects and provide students from other classes with an opportunity to learn more about this by coming to view it.
It could also serve as an opportunity for your learners to present their newfound knowledge of this ancient technology and develop communication skills by presenting to other classes, using ICT to create a PowerPoint presentation, etc.
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Hi Claire!
I like your lesson on observing and recording on the position of the sun at different times of the day. The lesson is well structured with good use of resources for the children. The activities are fun and I like the steps process making it easy to understand for young children in particular but I think your lesson could be used for almost all classes. Well done
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Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
Location: Choose a central location like the school’s main courtyard or a nearby open space that is easily accessed.
Orientation: Ensure there is enough open space around the sundial to avoid shadows from buildings or trees.
Design: Include a circular stone or concrete base with hour lines engraved or painted on it. Make sure the sundial is fixed properly to the base.
Educational Integration: Place educational signs around the sundial explaining how it works and how to read it. Include facts about the history of sundials and their use in ancient times.In our school we already have one in the sensory garden, though it is underutilised there as you need a key to gain access to the garden. Would be better to look at a new location next year.
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esero day and night.
The ESERO (European Space Education Resource Office) provides a variety of educational resources for teaching about space and related topics. One of their educational resources is the “30 Day and Night in the World” lesson, which aims to help students understand the concepts of day and night and how they occur on Earth.
The lessons typically cover earths rotation, day and night cycle, sunrise and sunset, timezones and seasonal variations.
You would hope that children would have an understanding of day and night having completed the lessons. Some activities mentioned to enable this learning are :
Globe and Lamp Demonstration: Using a globe and a lamp to simulate the Sun, students can see how rotation causes day and night.
Time Zone Calculations: Exercises to help students understand how to calculate time differences between various parts of the world.
Modeling Sunrise and Sunset: Using physical models or software to simulate the Sun’s path and understand how it changes with seasons. -
The ESERO’s “30 Day and Night in the World” lesson effectively employs interactive and hands-on activities to deepen students’ understanding of Earth’s rotation, day and night cycles, and related phenomena. By using a globe and lamp demonstration, time zone calculations, and sunrise/sunset modeling, it makes abstract concepts tangible and engaging, thereby enhancing comprehension and retention. This multi-faceted approach caters to diverse learning styles and helps students connect theoretical knowledge with real-world applications.
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I agree Patrick. This lesson has huge scope for cross curricular linkage. I think it is important that the children are given time to discuss appropriate materials and a suitable location. This allows time for collaboration and critical thinking. These skills are also transferable to different subjects.
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I would divide the students into small groups of two or three students per group. Each group would be given a planet to research online. The focus of the research would be to find the gravitational pull of each planet and also to investigate the appearance of the planet. Using the information they have found the students could predict whether an object would be heavier or lighter on the planet than it is on earth. The information they find about the planet’s appearance will be used when they come to decorate their tube.
I would demonstrate what a gravitational tube looks like by showing them the one for earth which I would have prepared earlier. Then using the information on the table given in the online presentation and providing the students with the equipment and resources they need the students would make the gravitational tube for their planet.
On completion of their gravitational tubes the students can share what they have produced with other groups in the class and a class display can be made. -
Hi Andrea
I like you idea of getting the children in groups to research the planets and find the information on the gravitational pull of their planet for themselves as this gives them more ownership of their project. You might need to spend some time in advance of this or during the research process on making sure that they understand what we mean by gravitational pull and explaining the difference between weight and mass. Asking them to predict whether an object will be heavier or lighter than on Earth will allow you to assess their understanding and work on addressing misconceptions..
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For my sundial lesson, I would first to some discovery learning about light & shadows in the classroom using torches and other light sources. We would discuss what leads to good shadows being formed….light source, obstructions, proximity to light source time of day etc and through questioning & discussion lead children to link their discoveries to the sun as a source of light.
Through curriculuar integration we would explore the history and ancient relevance of sundials and discuss how we could use this in our school.
In introducing the lesson of creating a sundial, I would pose a set of questions to select an appropriate location: where do the children think would be suitable….what would we need to consider in terms of location. We could compare & contrast different sites e.g. the open playground which is large but has a perimeter of trees versus a higher located grassy football pitch with less obstruction versus a smaller courtyard which gathers the warmth of the sun but is surrounded by buildings.
We would discuss suitable materials and children could work in groups using different materials in different locations and then discuss their results.
We would creat our structures, identify cardinal points and track the shadows throughout the day.
We would wonder whether about what we may need to condsider if we were to do the same lesson at different times during the year…..is there a better time to record results, or treack the movement of the sun?
I think this would be an ideal lesson to share with other classes who could then use the sundial(s) for their own tracking/recording. Children could use powerpoint to build a presentation or creat a kahoot quiz from their learning. It lends well to peer teaching. -
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I am a big fan of developing sundials, although the weather in the west of Ireland can have a pretty negative impact on its effectiveness. With my SEN pupils, who often have an issue with learning time, I have done this as an integrated project for Maths and Literacy. We have a concrete area in the school which has sun hitting it all day (when it is sunny that is!). We worked very similarly to the video, where we set up a static bamboo stick and marked at hours through the week (depending on the session times). Pupils had to take notes with their clipboards, make predictions as to what would happen and take photos with their iPads.
As the pupils discovered how the sun dial actually worked, they then, in pairs, developed their own plans for building their own sundials, identifying materials that would be useful and practical for the project. Photos were taken at every point in the project and notes written. As the project developed, pupils asked questions, did some research using Scoilnet Learning Paths and ultimately created their sundials, using anything from paper plates and a pencil, to Lego. The pupils then put all of their photos and notes together to do a Book Creator project which presented their project to their peers. -
Hi Brendan,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!
It’s great to read a post from someone who has already completed this activity so well with SEN pupils. I really like how you used this as an opportunity to develop time reading skills, integrating with maths and literacy.It’s wonderful to see how you let the learners discover what the sundials do and create their predictions, using tech to record the dial, create notes and do a book creator project.
I liked how you extended the project further through research opportunities and asking questions, and learners creatively sourced materials to make their own dials, before finally presenting to others. So many STEM skills developed on this journey of discovery!
Here’s hoping for more sunshine for any future sundial projects!
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Hi Brendan, I too have noticed a lot of children with SEN particularly dyslexia have difficulty with time, reading the time, telling the time and understanding the concept of time in general. So experiences such as going back to ancient methods of timekeeping using sundials, water clocks and sand timers really help get the message across.
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I have selected to look at the One Year on Earth – Understanding the Seasons Resource (ESA) resource that was discussed in Module One.
The resource is designed for children 8-12 years old, which I would assume is for the Senior Classes (3rd Class – 6th Class) and since I have more recent experience with the younger classes, I think I have a slightly different activity idea based on this resource for the Junior Classes, which would be most suitable for the 1st Class age group.
This resource looks to enhance pupils’ knowledge of seasons and has two great activities available for teachers. However, something that stood out to me in Module One was the section on observing the seasons that states ‘Children should be familiar with the effects of the seasons before they can explain them’. This resource mentions that the ‘starting point’ for learning about seasons ‘is a general discussion about seasons by considering the changing colours on Earth over the course of a year’. As this resource is for the older classes, you could introduce this topic and help the children to become familiar with the effects of seasons from first-hand experience. What I would do is to create four lessons to be taught throughout the year. Lesson 1 would be Autumn taught in September/Octover; Lesson 2 would be Winter taught in November/December/January; Lesson 3 would be Spring taught in February/March/April and Lesson 4 would be Summer to be taught in May/June. In each of these lessons, the class could take a nature walk around the school or local environment to spot and record the signs of the particular season. With the older classes (1st/2nd), they could take an iPad or other technology with them to photograph a particular area, such as a big tree, and take a photograph of the same tree throughout the 4 seasons and compare as the seasons change. This incorporates digital learning with SESE, which I know is becoming an important aspect of the new curriculum. I think it also incorporates the students’ immediate environment also which is an important stimulus for learning.
I know this doesn’t exactly correspond to the activity given within the One Year on Earth PDF, but I think this is an important pre-teaching lesson before the students will complete the activities within the PDF, and gives them a good basis and foundation for learning about the seasons.
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Making an Earth tube and one other planet to demonstrate the force of gravity:
Assuming the children have some prior knowledge from previous lessons about Earth’s position in space and gravity as a force, I would show this video which demonstrates how high you can jump if you were standing on the other planets of our solar system
I would give the children the necessary materials to make “space” using black fabric held onto hula hoops with pegs (groupwork).
To represent the Earth I would have a light ball.
To represent Jupiter- a planet which exerts a massive force of gravity- I would have something larger and heavier.
Smaller balls to gather around Earth/Jupiter.
From the STEM document, it is important that all aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths are included in the lesson.
Maths- I would ask children to predict which planet will make a larger “dip”. Estimate how many marbles will be attracted to each.
Engineering- constructing the planet tube.
Science- learning about Earth and Jupiters gravitational force and how it influences the planets around them eg: moons, etc
Technology- Making a video to show another class.
Video demo here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdq78yXiyR0
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Hi Fiona
Those are 2 great videos. The video of the astronaut jumping on different planets and moons would be a great accompaniment to the planetary tubes activity to help explain the difference between weight and mass. The other video on the Gravity well is a lovely one to demonstrate orbits. I was fascinated watching it and I’m sure it would be a great activity for your class to try out and video for themselves. For your own original posts in future modules add them as new posts at the bottom of the forum rather than as replies to other participants.
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Hi Fiona,
These look like really good, fun lessons. I really like how lessons like this tend to ‘self differentiate’. I think lots of different learning styles would be catered for by the hands of nature of your lesson. It also allows for lots of open ended questioning which could inspire some children to do further research.
Thanks for sharing the videos, always great to have more resources!
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Create a sundial.
We are very lucky that there is a sundial in a nearby park. To begin a discussion around sundials I would bring the children to examine this and pose questions about its purpose, features and positioning. I would ask them what they think makes a good location for a sundial, and why.
On returning to school we could pick a suitable area to establish a sundial, based on the criteria developed by the children. It might also be interesting to place sundials in various places around the school and observe their effectiveness. The children could then work in groups to create sundials using a variety of materials including card, paper, colours, clay, ruler, blue tac. The children would observe their sundials at various stages during the day and make notes about which structure, and positioning, are most effective, and why.
I have been teaching sixth class for a number of years and I feel that this could be a lovely day’s work towards the end of the school year when it is, hopefully, bright and sunny. We often visit the park and this would give the trip real meaning.
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Patrick I also think that making a sundial would be a very engaging and fun project for a class. I teach 5th class and really think that they too would love the job of locating a good site for the sundial and then also sharing their project and findings with the other classes in the school. This task also allows for every child to join in and allows for group work, investigation and exploration.
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To observe and record the positions of the sun, students could begin by selecting a clear, unobstructed location with a good view of the horizon. Each morning, they could note the exact time and position where the sun rises, using landmarks or a compass for accuracy.
Throughout the day, students can mark the sun’s position at regular intervals (e.g., every hour). Using a protractor or an app, they can measure the angle of elevation from the horizon. Recording these observations consistently over several days or weeks will reveal patterns in the sun’s movement.
Students could document their observations in a journal, noting the date, time, weather conditions, and any changes in the sun’s position. This can be supplemented with sketches or photographs.
By analyzing their records, students will notice the sun’s path changes with the seasons, rising and setting at different points on the horizon and varying in altitude at solar noon. This hands-on approach fosters a deeper understanding of the Earth’s rotation and orbit, the tilt of its axis, and how these factors influence the length of days and the changing seasons.
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earth tubes and other planetary tubes:
objectives: to gain an understanding of how weight differs on different planets
to gain an understanding of weight and mass
use different pringles tubes to represent each planet in the solar system.
fill each with different amounts of rice based on the table that indicates weight.
decorate each tube with paint to represent a different colour.
let each child lift the tubes and gain an understaning of the different weight on each planet
compare each planet tube to that of the earth’s planet.
Discussion: how gravity can compare on earth and on different planets.
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Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed.
I am a mainstream teacher currently teaching 5th class, I can see huge opportunity for cross-curricular links for constructing a sun-dial.
This construction would be based on STEAM therefore engaging primarily with the subjects Maths, Geography, History, Art, Science and Literacy would be needed in researching about the sun-dial and reading/writing instructions. 5th and 6th class children would enjoy the challenge of creating something like this and it is academically engaging.
Fortunately, our school is built in a circular shape with a courtyard in the middle which all classrooms look out on. I would select this area as it means the sundial is visible for all classes and therefore all classes can use it once it is constructed and that children from different ages can engage in peer learning from my class who can teach others about it.
Children would have to research what materials would be most suitable for the construction based on durability, weathering and effectiveness. Children could take it in turns to take measurements and readings of the sundial.
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<span style=”color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;”>I am looking forward to making Planet Tubes with my class next year. What I particularly like about this activity is the scope for differentiation and the many cross curricular links it facilitates.</span>
<span style=”color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;”>I teach in a special school and my class is quite small. This allows me to have each child make a planet tube to complete the solar system. Having researched their given planet, each child would decorate and label their tube. I would have them find between a1 and 3 interesting facts about their planet. They would then present their tube to the class and describe their planet. I would then have the class place them in the order they come in the solar system. I would use the ESA Paxi and the Solar System video to help reinforce this information. </span>
<span style=”color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;”>I would introduce the topic of gravity possibly using the Reel Science video to help here. I would explain that objects can be heavier or lighter on different planets. I would probably not go into the difference between mass and wright at this stage. Splitting the class into pairs I would have them measure the correct amount of ballast for their tubes. I would play some games like guess the heaviest lightest tube, put the tubes in order from heaviest to lightest. I might have them check the weight of their classmates tubes for accuracy. For some students this may be enough. I would get them to label their planet with the weight of the tube and write about what we have learned. Other students may be able to extend their learning to the difference between mass and weight, calculating the weight of different objects on different planets and understanding the concept of weightlessness/micro gravity.</span><span style=”color: #000000; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’; font-size: medium;”> </span>
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Hi Tara,
Welcome to the course! I see you have encountered a common problem on this forum when pasting. If you write in another app like Word you need to right click and select “paste as plain text,” otherwise you end up with extraneous formatting.
Your plans for engaging your students in this activity are well thought out, factoring in the unique level and abilities within your class. The learners will come along in their understanding of the solar system through this simulation of mass differences. For helping to get the order right, I am a big fan of the common mnemonic “my very educated mother just served us noodles” and of course, it can be fun for learners to come up with their own, as an English cross ciricular link, or physically link up, holding their tubes, representing the planets.
Games like the one you described ranking weight are a wonderful way to engage learners in a fun and informal exploration using the senses.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the course!
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Activity – 5th and 6th class
Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed.
Introduce the theme of ‘Earth in Space’. The construction of the sundial will only happen after lots of background work. These lessons will integrate all the SESE subjects and include math also.
I would begin by showing the pupils different pictures of the nocturnal and diurnal animals available on the ESERO lesson 30 activity pack. Let the children work in small groups and discuss the different animals and hopefully they will realise that a group are nocturnal and another group diurnal. The terms may have to be given to some.
Begin to get their ideas about night and day. Record their findings. Pupils could record their ideas using the ipads. Give the pupils a chance to speak out in front of the class and explain what they know.
I would show the children the Paxi video of day and night and the seasonal appearance of the sun. This video will give opportunities to speak about the difference in sunlight during the seasons of the year, differing times of sunrise and sunset and the position of the sun at different times of the day.
There is a lot to cover so these lessons will take place over a series of days/weeks.
Children will be sent off to look at the history of the sun-dial. Do they even know what a sun-dial is. This could be given as a homework activty. I use Book Creator a lot and can easily give links to videos and web addresses using this app. The app is easily accessible at home.
I would use a mix of the activities from the ESERO lessons 29 and 52 for shadows and the sundial.
A member in the forum talked about getting the older classes to discuss the best site for a sun-dial at school and I think this is a great idea.
Overall there is great resources available to help teachers with this activity and something the whole school can make use of when created. The student council could help out with this also.
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Hi Sinéad,
Welcome to the course, and thanks for your post!
Your plan for engaging learners is comprehensive. By carrying this theme across several classes, and including in homework, learners get to develop a deeper understanding of the topic, and build upon what they previously learned, step by step.
By making use of available resources including the Paxi videos and technology like Book Creator, learners will develop an array of skills.
Learners from senior classes can also present their sundial, and explain how to use it, their findings, etc. to the junior classes. Of course, if it falls/breaks, this too is a great learning opportunity to refine and redesign, nurturing creative problem solving. The sundial is a relatively simple activity but with so much potential for learning across a broad array of topics.
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Hi Sinead. This sounds like a fantastic project! I love how you’re integrating the sundial with ‘Earth in Space’ lessons and using various resources like the ESERO packs and Paxi videos. Involving students in researching and site selection is brilliant. The idea of using Book Creator and engaging the student council adds a wonderful collaborative touch.
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Plan for school grounds to see where a sun dial could be placed.
This activity would be most suited to sixth class in my school. I am fortunate that there is a large field next to the school where this activity could be facilitated. This activity would be carried out at the beginning of the day to enable the children to check their sundials hourly. I would allow the children thinking time to identify both the advantages and disadvantages of this area, and how to overcome the challenges. In groups, the children will identify suitable materials in their surroundings that could be used to create the sundial. They would then gather the suitable materials and construct the sundials in the field. The children will then check their sundials on an hourly basis and record their findings. I would carry out this activity at different stages of the year which would allow the children to see the effects of the different times of year.
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Hi Micheál,
Welcome to the course, and thank you for your post!
You have put thought into how the sundial activity could be applied to your class, and I am glad to see features of your plan include giving the learners “thinking time” for challenges of your sundial site, empowering the learners to consider options and creating solutions.
It can be fun to see if you can make the sundial from waste recycling materials to give this activity an environmental angle, and using ICT can enrich the learning experience and options for presenting results and findings-learners could photograph the sundial on the hour, create graphs comparing actual time to that shown on the sundial, etc.
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1. Gravity and Weight- assemble and earth tube and one other planet tube.
Phizzi Practical Planetary Picnic
First I would show the lovely video of the solar system with the little ESA fellow travelling around the solar system introducing the different planets.
Then I would trigger a discussion about Gravitational forces.
Next lesson, I would do the ESERO activity 68- How much you weigh on other celestial bodies. I think the children would be really tickled to be able to say how much they weigh in different parts of the solar system.
This is quite simple to set up and I like that the work sheet to fill in is enquiry based and that the children could work independently, in groups, on it.
For the 4th lesson I would do the Phizzi Practical Planetary Picnic which is on the Ogden site- thank you.
They children would have had time since the first lesson to gather the crisp tubes to use. We do a lot of wet on wet water colour painting in our school so that would be really effective for the decorating.
In my current 3rd and 4th class, I would modify the lesson and stick to kg for weight and not mass and I would skip the part about gravitational force measured in Newtons.
I like that at the end of the lesson the children lift the different tubes and feel how heavy a tube of crisps would feel on different planets. I this this is both powerful and also hard to grasp, so having the tubes lying around to pick up every so often could help with getting your head around it.
It’s also a nice visual activity for the children to bring around to the other classes after to show and explain.
I have one small reservation, that it can be an issue to weigh children especially if there are children who are overweight in the class. I think I’d have to play it by ear and see what the class is like and how they can support each other. I wonder what people think about that?
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Hi Una,
Thank you for your post and welcome to the course. I can see you have created a plan that is pitched appropriately for your class level and abilities.
You make some important points when reflecting on this activity, and I agree with you on the point of weight. This can be incredibly sensitive subject, even at a young age, but where there is a will there is a way! Consider some out of the box thinking for this activity-instead of learners in the class could it be how much a car/rocket/dog weigh on the various planets? Or perhaps each group creates an image of an astronaut that they name, and then you give a weight for each? That way, it is not personal.
This news of Ireland’s first astronaut, Dr. Norah Patten, from Mayo, could make an excellent addition to the lesson or even starting point trigger-Norah is going to space, how much would her rocket weigh on the moon, etc, creating a narrative to add to the experience. Here is the link to this great news: https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0620/1455670-space-dr-norah-patten/
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Activity – Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner.
Class 4th class
I will introduce the theme of ‘weight and gravity’ with a brainstorming session. We will then watch some interesting ESA videos with Paxi about the solar system and gravity.
The class would then work in their groups to read the Phizzi practical experiment worksheet. They will discuss the various steps of the experiment and plan how they would go about carrying out their experiment. Each child will be assigned a different task and planet to research.
The children will then carry out the experiment and make the Earth and planet tubes following the instructions and the table on the Phizzi worksheet.
The various planet tubes can be decorated in advance of the experiment will allows for cross curricular integration between the stem and the arts curriculum.
Once the experiment is complete the children could present their findings at a whole school assembly where they could invite children from the other classes to engage in the experiment.
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Hey there Anne,
I loved the Paxi Video and think Paxi will be a great little mascot to use in the class to intrioduce this topic. I will be teaching senior infants in September and I’m always looking for new and interesting resources for them and I think these videos will be fantastic. Love the idea of the whole class presenting their work at a school assembly too. This will hopefully inspire a few more teachers in your school.
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Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed.
For the following activity I would get the children from the senior room to work in groups to undertake the following. We’re a small country school.
- Assess the site: Evaluate sun exposure.
- Choose a location that receives maximum sunlight throughout the day. Avoiding areas shaded by trees or buildings.
- Decide what will be used as the gnomon and use this to point in the direction of true north.
- Ensure the sun-dial is level and stable.
- Select a location that’s easily accessible and won’t be in harms way of footballs and sliotars at break time.
- Materials: Choose durable materials that compliment the school grounds.
- Use the sundial to create an inviting relaxing space for the children. Maybe put a bench or plant some flowers or veg near it.
- Give the children opportunities to become familiar with the compass as they discover where true north lies.
- Give the children the responsibility of maintaining the sun dial.
- Invite them to explain the concept of the sun dial to the younger classes.
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Liston’s paper was most interesting. I particularly liked the definition by Vasque, Comer & Sneider as to what is STEM Education as I feel that sometimes the word is bandied about as somewhat of a ‘buzz’ word/phrase without actually thought of what it actually is. I was also blown away with Vasque’s concept of the T as ‘Technology is anything that is made by a human and used to solve a problem’. I would have, as many would, associate technology with the digital world.
I would use aspects of the ESERO 30 Day and Night in the World lesson with my Senior Infant class. We explore a lot about Space during our Integrated Learning through Play topic ‘Space Travel Agent’ and also when learning about the Winter & Summer Solstices during our Ethical Education.
For Senior Infants, I would begin with the Animals in the Night section. using the photographs of the diurnal and nocturnal animals as a springboard into the lesson. I would teach the Day/Night Song covered in a previous slide. I would use the orange and cocktail sticks to explore Day and Night in the World. We would continue to watch Paxi & Day/Night and Seasons https://youtu.be/TagG32gwiBo (link to SESE/Ethical for solstice) and finally make a sundial using a flowerpot and stick. This scheme/plan could easily be split into two or more lessons.
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Hi Christine,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!Dr. Liston’s paper certainly provides food for thought, shedding light on STEM, the importance of its real-life applications, integrating subjects, and, like you mention, the definition of technology, with a far broader scope than we typically imagine.
Space Travel Agent is a superb, fun and narrative-based way of engaging young learners in this topic at an appropriate level.
The sundial is a simple activity and can be great for young learners while developing skills through its creation and monitoring. It’s an activity that, once the sundial is created, can be monitored on the hours for a school day. It’s also an opporunity for problem solving when things go wrong(as they invariably do, on occasion!)-what should we do if it blows over? How can we solve this problem? Where should we move it to if its tampered with during yard time? etc.
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Construct a sundial
I think this would be a very beneficial activity and suitable for my infant classes. I am SET based in the infant area. I think the idea of setting up a number of simple sun dials in the yard would be interesting . The children could be asked to predict which dial would have a shadow all day .Each could be made from a simple upturned flower pot and bamboo stick placed inside. Dividing the class into small groups of 3 they would monitor their dial hourly. Children love leaving the classroom to engage in some investigative work. Monitoring the dial hourly would soon indicate which dial was most efficient as shadows from buildings would limit the effectiveness of some dials. This could be an interesting talking topic later .
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Hi Claire,
Many thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!
You make a great point about learners loving to leave the classroom, and this activity is a great way to incorporate a movement break throughout the day that all learners benefit from.
By having a few dials in different locations it will teach the learners a great deal throughout the day as shadows impact some of the dials and will fuel a conversation on dial positioning, and the broader topic of earth’s movement relative to the sun, which can easily be demonstrated, as outlined in the course.
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ESERO 30 – Day and Night in the World
Using the DPSM/ESERO Framework for Inquiry, the following lesson plan is how I would use the ESERO 30 Day and Night in the World Resource
Strand(s):
Natural Environments
Living Things
Energy and ForcesStrand Unit(s):
Planet Earth in Space
Plant and Animal Life
Light
Curriculum Objectives: (3rd and 4th Class)
• observe, describe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and the changing lengths of day and night during the seasons
• observe and explore some ways in which plant and animal behaviour is influenced by, or adapted to, environmental conditions
• recognise that the sun gives us heat and light, without which people and animals could not survive
ENGAGE:
The Trigger: Photographs of various animals – both diurnal and nocturnal. Question: Which animals don’t sleep at night?
Wondering: Talk about similar/different features in each animal
Exploring: Categorise animals based on criteria which the children come up with. Think-pair-share in small groups. Identify features of nocturnal animals.
INVESTIGATE:
Starter Question: If it is day time for us in Europe, what is it for a child in Australia at the same time?
Predicting: Discuss the question in small groups and record their predictions.
Conducting the Investigation:
Explore the concept of night and day.
Look at the following video:
Investigate the concept of night and day using task 2 in the ESPERO 30 Day and Night in the World in small groups.
Sharing: Interpreting the Data/Results: Present their understanding of task 2 by making a video presentation which they share with the rest of the class. They can use the resources which they made in task 2, or come up with their own way of presenting their understanding of the concept of night and day.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP:
Applying Learning/Making Connections/Thoughtful Actions:
Apply their knowledge of what they learned about night and day to the introductory topic of nocturnal animals.
Discuss implications in everyday scenarios, e.g. talking to their family in Australia – choosing a time to suit both time zones
Debate: It is better to be a diurnal animal in nature.
REFLECTION:
Self/peer/teacher assess through questioning, two stars and a wish
Completed KWL Charts -
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ESERO 30 day and night :
I like this lesson as I think it is well suited to the middle classes but leaves lots oI like the idea of the children around the world activity to get the children thinking globally and what that means for us in different ways.
I would use the photographs of the animals and ask the children to think what way they could be classified. They may think in terms of habitat, weight, size, colour, etc. These are great discussions and can then lead to the introduction of diurnal and nocturnal.
It would be great to share traits of each and then see if we can classify them correctly based on that.
There are two lovely activities to show day and night in the world, one with the orange and one with the cut outs. I would have half the class work on one activity while the other half work on the other activity.
We can share our results with one another and go on a walking tour around the class to try out an activity different to their original one.
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Hello Sinéad, and welcome to the course!
Thanks for your post. You have some lovely ideas about running this activity with your class, breaking into groups and rotating the activity so everyone can enjoy a hands-on learning experience.
While the resources are focused on species found globally, I would encourage learning about native Irish species as these are what the learners are most likely to observe in their daily lives. There are some terrific websites on native species, from Irish butterflies to bats, etc.
The spinning wheel showing the globe going from day to night is a wonderfully simple tool to demonstrate what is happening through a model that is easy to make and engage with.
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Engaging students in constructing and using a sundial can be a fascinating and hands-on way to explore both history and science. To begin, introduce the concept of a sundial by explaining its historical significance as one of the earliest tools for timekeeping, using the sun’s position in the sky.
For the activity, have students work in groups to design and build their own sundials. Start by selecting a location on the school grounds that receives direct sunlight for most of the day, such as a playground. Guide students to mark the spot where they will place their sundials and explain the importance of having a flat, level surface. Provide materials like cardboard, wooden sticks, and markers. Each group will use a stick and a flat surface marked with hour lines.. Encourage students to observe their sundials at different times of the day, recording the shadow positions and correlating them with clock time. By constructing and placing a sundial, students become active participants in their learning process.
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Firstly, constructing a sundial is an activity that most children will love to do. Well the children I teach at least. It is an exciting investigation to set up. Secondly, it will keep the pupils interested and motivated and that sort of ‘hands-on’ exploration is an effective methodology for teaching the children about the position of the sun, the time of day and how people in the past used sun dials as a form of telling the time before clocks and watches came along.
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Hi Sarah,
Welcome to the course, and thanks for your post.
There certainly are plenty of cross-curricular links with this topic, especially history.A great opener/prompt for this activity is getting the learners to travel back with you in time; before clocks existed-how did people manage? What did they use? Even after the invention of clocks, they were out of reach for many until they were mass-produced. Here in Ireland, we still have some examples of sundials. Read more on this here: Sundials: telling the time in medieval Ireland (irishheritagenews.ie)
I also quite like this story about the role of “Knocker Uppers” long ago: Early risers: before alarm clocks there were knocker-uppers – The Irish Times
This activity is also a great opportunity to develop vocabulary from the term Sundial to Gnomon; these can be added to a STEM vocabulary poster in the classroom.
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I am a junior school teacher and the idea of making a sun dial is a lovely fun idea. I must admit I have only ever drawn shadows on the grouod during sifferent stages on the day, I can see making and teaching a sun dial is far deeper learning and should lend itself towards a more meaningful understanding of the sun.
Before we had clocks and watches people used sundials to mark the passing of time.
A sundial measures time by the position of the sun. Sundials have something in the centre which casts a shadow over the markings showing what the time is. There are more ways than the ‘drawing around your shadow from the same point at different times during the day’ to show children this. Using stones or stick to show the suns movements. I plan to have the children use sticks and stones to show the hours passing / to show the times throughout the day. I also feel that this is a more concrete representation of time for our younger students.
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I teach 5th class and I think observing the suns position is a great hands on lesson that facilitates super discovery learning. To observe and record the sun’s positions, my students will first need to understand the Earth’s rotation and tilt. They will need a compass, protractor, notebook, and watch. They will work in groups to complete an observation sheets that will have sections for date, time, position, and angle. At a clear location, possibly our school field, my students will use a compass to find directions. They will record sunrise and sunset times and positions daily, noting the sun’s direction and angle using the shadows it makes on the ground. It may be an option to take photos using our school ipads for further investigations Hourly, students will record the sun’s position and angle, noting changes. They can compile their data using graphs etc. allowing a easy link with the maths curriculum. Extensions might also include repeating observations in different seasons and creating a daily timeline of the suns position using the photos taken during the investigation. This lesson allows for practical observation, discussion and collaboration.
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The ESERO 30 day and night document is definitely something I could use in my Senior Infant class.
I think I would start by showing the children the different pictures of diurnal animals and nocturnal animals and spend one standalone lesson on this.
I would spend time questioning them about the animals and by the end we would have come to the conclusion that nocturnal animals have larger eyes etc.
I think some of the cutting activities would be challenging for small children, so in the next lesson I would have a globe and point out where we are. I would ask children if anyone knows someone who lives in different countries around the world and elicit Australia from the children. We would talk about how Australia is on the other side of the world.
I would use a flashlight then to talk about day and night and use the globe to show them how when it is daytime here, Australia is in darkness and vice versa. This is very visual for children and a hands-on activity so they respond very well to it. It is something that I have used in the past and it is very effective.
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Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!The ESERO 30 Day and Night lesson plan on nocturnal and diurnal animals is a great choice for learners in senior infants. It is highly visual, and I see you plan on putting a big focus on eliciting information from your young learners and asking them questions to make them come to their own realisation about the differences that exist between these species in terms of features such as eyes for night vision.
By using the prop of the globe and a torch in your classroom, you can teach the learners a great deal. It can also be fun for the learners to be hands-on with this and turn the globe, etc., to physically engage. Lots of questions about where is it nighttime/daytime now during this activity can help cement learners’ understanding of night and day.
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One Year on Earth PDF Resource
Having looked at the One Year on Earth resource, there are lots of lovely suitable activities to do with children I currently teach. It focuses on the seasons, why there are seasons and the features of each season.
As I teach the junior end, I quite like the idea of how each lesson/activity follows on from the previous one, thus building on the children’s prior knowledge.
It starts of showing the children 4 pictures of each season and to label them 1-4 and explain why they have made their selection.
The next part shows the four seasons from a satellite view. Again the children must choose the correct season to match the picture and give their reasons.
Activity 2 provides for investigating why there are seasons and how to construct a Sun-Earth Model to explore this concept.
It then further explains how the earth orbits the sun once a year and about long and short days. It allows the children to explore ‘hands-on’ the different seasons in the different countries over the course of the year using the sun-earth model and a torch. It is very visual for the children.
There’s lots of oportunities for oral language, introducing new vocabulary and sharing opinions, thoughts, ideas and explanations.
It provides some links at the bottom and the Pax animation on seasons.
In my opionion this is a very compact, concise and useful resource that I look forward to using in the new school year with my children in First and Second Class.-
Hi Sharon,
Welcome to the course, and thanks for your post. I am glad to read you plan on bringing this to your classroom in the coming academic year.At the junior end of the cycle, there is so much that can be covered from the resources, but the models are most useful for helping learners visualise the changes. All resources can be adapted to their level of ability, with plenty of opportunities for cross-curricular links -from poetry to art and song, the seasons have inspired many an artist and writer.
It is also interesting to have conversations about whether anyone they know is in Australia, etc., and how the seasons differ, with longer and hotter days at Christmas while we have shorter, colder days. By making it personal to them and creating a narrative, it can be a useful and engaging way to explore the topic.
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I think setting up a sundial in the school is a fantastic STEAM activity. We moved into our new school building last year and it is designed with biodiversity and sustainability in mind. Therefore, I feel a sundial would be a perfect addition to our school. Sundials do not require the use of dry cells or batteries or even electricity. A sundial makes a more environmentally friendly tool than other timepieces.
I would place the sundial at the back of our school grounds, between the football field and the junior playground. Children will often invent their own set of games based on the sundial layout. It could also be used to tell the start and end times of a game on the football field.
As sundials are related to the Earth’s rotation, it can be helpful to give more context to how the Earth moves in space to help children understand more about the Earth, Sun and how sundials work. It is also wonderful as a starting point for the history of time telling or explaining the earths place in space. There is so much scope for integration with this lesson
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Hi Susan,
Many thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!It could be interesting to see where the children would suggest as a site for the sundial once they have the knowledge about how it works. Would they choose an appropriate site, away from the shade of buildings, etc?
I like your idea of using it to time a sports event and integrate ancient technology into our modern lives! Of course, it is also a great starting point for comparison between its limitations and the precision of today’s timepieces. It can also be fun to explore the pros and cons -like you mentioned, no battery is required, but daylight is. Can learners come up with some ideas of how to measure time at night without a timepiece?
Adding an exploration and modelling the movements of the sun across our globe can be easily incorporated into the lesson, and there can also be fun with junior classes playing games with their own shadows, observing where the sun is in relation to their body and shadow, as outlined in exercise ESERO 29.
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Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day”
I loved the videos and practical ideas shown in this module. I think using a sundial is a fantastic way of observing and recording the position of the sun throughout the day. It is real life science in action. It is very engaging and I think my class would be fascinated by seeing this in real life. I know the child lead and active learning experience of making a school sun dial in a space suitable would be amazing for the children in my 5th class. I would use the curious minds framework when planning and teaching. Lots of pre teaching and eliciting of prior knowledge would be important before creating a sundial but I think it will be a very worthy lesson to ‘observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day’.
e day”-
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course.As you have 5th-class learners, there is a great deal that can be covered from the ESERO 52 activity sheet on Sundials, with a design and make element, but also an option to extend the activity by comparing how well the large sundial compares the small ones that they create wit the provided template.
There is a lot of potential for STEM vocabulary development, with new terms including gnomon, sundial, northern hemisphere, etc., and it’s helpful to capture these on a poster in the classroom to revisit over time.
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Engaging students in constructing a sundial at school would be a highly educational and enjoyable activity. I would begin by introducing the concept of sundials and their historical significance in timekeeping. Explain the scientific principles behind how sundials work, including the Earth’s rotation and the position of the sun in the sky.
I would divide the students into small groups to foster collaboration and assign each group specific tasks, such as gathering materials, measuring and marking the sundial’s face, and calculating the correct angles for the gnomon. Encourage hands-on involvement by allowing students to use tools and materials under supervision, promoting practical skills and teamwork.
I would incorporate cross-curricular learning by integrating lessons on geometry, astronomy, and history. Facilitate discussions and reflections on their observations of the sundial’s accuracy and functionality. This project-based learning approach not only deepens their understanding of scientific concepts but also enhances critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. Finally, celebrate their achievements with a showcase event where each group presents their sundial and explains their process and findings.
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Hi Matthew,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!I can see you have given considerable thought to running this activity with your learners. Within this task, there is a lot of scope for learning and further exploration. For instance, if two or more groups create a large sundial -which is the most accurate, and why? Can it be redesigned to become more accurate? How does the size of the dial and the marker stones impact the reading? Etc.
Through the approach to this activity you described, you have incorporated important principles of STEM to ensure an authentic, hands on and multidisciplinary experience. Best of luck with this in the coming year!
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Constructing Sundials in our sensory garden.
This will be an exciting topic for my 6th Class to work on in groups next year. Our classroom is located beside the school sensory garden. Within this area we will first need to select a sunny spot. I will send the class out in groups of 4 to ascertain the best location for their sundial and report back on their reasoning behind the choice. We will discuss factors such as shade, wind, visibility etc. Each group will decide on the location they think will receive maximum sunlight throughout the day.
I will provide each group with a treated circular wooden base. This will be important for the sundial to survive the Irish elements. Each group will be required to gather other materials needed such as straight sticks, compasses, protractors and markers.
In their groups the pupils can research online the best way to make their sundial, imagine what it will look like and draw their design on paper.
The next step will be to build it. Brainstorm how to attach the gnomon [stick] at a perpendicular angle in the centre of the base. What problems will we encounter and how can we overcome them? What tools will we need?
Once the sundial is installed in it’s sunny spot each group will then need to find North using their compass and align the stick’s shadow with this at noon.
During the day we will mark the position of the shadow at each hour on the base. A bright and sunny day will be vital for initial marking.
Label each hour and check accuracy of sundial with classroom clock. This is the test and evaluate stage.
Finally we will discuss as a whole class ways to improve or indeed redesign our sundials were we to attempt the task again.
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I chose activity 2; Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
I would begin with an interactive lesson on how sundials work and their historical significance. Using a globe and a flashlight to simulate the sun, I’d demonstrate the movement of shadows throughout the day. We’d then move outside for a hands-on exploration, observing how shadows change position and length as the sun moves. In small groups, students would use chalk to mark shadow positions at different times. Back in the classroom, we’d discuss our observations and choose a location with unobstructed sunlight. In our school the rooftop garden might work best. As it’s a city school not many outdoor spaces are without shade at some point in the day. Then using materials like cardboard, sticks, and markers, 3 or 4 groups would design and create a miniature sundial, which we’d later test outside. Finally, we’d collaborate with parents (perhaps a parents with building or woodwork skills) to build a larger, permanent sundial in the chosen spot, giving students a sense of ownership and pride and linking with the whole school community.
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Hi Phil
Your rooftop garden sounds like a lovely spot and as you said would be an ideal spot to place your sundial to get the most all day sunlight. I love the idea of starting with individual smaller sundials and then getting the class to collaborate with others on the design of a more permanent sundial and it sounds like a great way to involve parents in the school to construct something permanent that all classes could benefit from for years to come.
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The 30 Day and Night lesson is a great one for infants . As a trigger for this lesson I would use the beautiful photographs of the animals to engage the children in a discussion about animals that come out at night. Terminology nocturnal and diurnal c.an be introduced.You would ask the kids to look carefully at their features and come to some conclusions about why owl might have big eyes or what helps bats cat prey when their eyesight is so bad.You can then move onto Day and Night in the world and the colouring and cutting activity Children in the World. Having one completed to show the children would be benificial.This is a good visual representation of night and day on opposite sides of the world.
Proceed to cutting out the day and night and placing it over the children of the world . This can be used to explain and show when it is light in one part it may be dark in another pats of the world.Proceed to the final part of the lesson where an orange represents the worls and identify Europe and Australia . Using a torch as the sun in a darkened room you are able to show day and night in different hemispheres.You can follow up with a discussion on relatives and friends living throughout the world and if they could telephone them at any time of our day .
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Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner
I would use this activity with 5th or 6th Class. It’s a super lesson for integration also as there is scope for Art as well as the STEM subjects.
I would begin with a brainstorm re the planets and mass/weight/gravity. Compile a bank of the pupils’ prior knowledge. Then I would assign a planet to each group and allow the groups to research further information about their planet.
Following this, each group would use the sand or rice and weigh the specified amount to go into their tube. They would then experience lifting each tube to feel the differences and record their findings.
The tubes would be decorated to the specifications decided by each group, ideally incorporating 2 key pieces of information about their given planet into the decoration.
As an extension, each group would then have the opportunity to present the information they researched on their planets to the other groups.
I think this experiment would be ideal for a school assembly during science week or hopefully during space week which I would love to introduce in our school. Each group could present to the school and open the floor for questions.
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Hi Valerie,
Yes, I immediately liked the idea of making the planet tubes when I read the assignments. The integration is quite wide, you’ve got measurements as well as science etc. I wonder if the groups could decide how to decorate their tubes… paint, drawing, paper pulp, fabric & fibre or…?
I really like your ideas of adding 2 pieces of information on each tube and then presenting them at an assembly. I’ll probably steal those! Thank you.
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Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day”
In order to complete this task I would discuss with the class that direct sunlight moves to where it hits throughout the day. I would discuss shadows etc.
Next I would ask the children the position of the sun at sunrise and sunset.
In order to observe and record this I would ask children to use weather apps (If summer sun rise and sun set might be too early/late for the children to observe)
If in wintertime I would ask children to keep a record of where the sun is in the morning – their front/ back garden etc and do this again at sunset. During the day in school we could monitor the movements of the sun and keep a written record.
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Constructing a Sundial in My School
To begin, I would introduce a lesson on the history and science of sundials. Utilising visual aids, videos, and models, I would demonstrate how sundials function and their historical importance in timekeeping.
Next, I would assign research projects to the students, allowing them to explore various types of sundials and their designs. Students would then present their findings, and together, we would decide which sundial design is best suited for our school.
We would then examine our school grounds to select the ideal location for our sundial, emphasising the importance of sun exposure. This activity would be complemented with lessons on Earth’s rotation and the concept of shadows, providing a deeper understanding of how sundials work.
Following the site selection, we would proceed to the design phase. Students would draw detailed diagrams, integrating this task into our mathematics lessons to calculate dimensions and angles. Additionally, students could contribute their artistic talents to enhance the sundial’s aesthetic appeal.
Finally, we would move to the construction phase. We would choose durable materials and involve students in measuring and setting up the sundial. This hands-on experience would ensure the sundial is accurately positioned and securely installed, providing a lasting educational tool for the entire school community.
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Assignment 3 – Observing and recording positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day.
Start by introducing the concept of the sun’s movement across the sky using simple, relatable language. Begin the lesson with a brief discussion on why the sun’s position changes, linking it to the Earth’s rotation and orbit. Use visuals like globes, diagrams, and animations to illustrate these concepts.
Take the students outside to observe the sun’s position at a set time each day, emphasizing the importance of never looking directly at the sun for safety reasons.
Give students simple tools like compasses and notebooks. Have them record the sun’s position by drawing where it is in the sky relative to fixed points like trees or buildings. Encourage them to note the time and date of each observation.
Improve engagement by incorporating creative activities such as drawing sun paths on paper or creating a classroom sun journal. Use interactive discussions to let students share their observations and predictions about future sun positions. Integrate technology by utilizing apps or online tools that simulate the sun’s movement.
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The paper, Unravelling STEM : Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics by Liston 2018 really highlights the importance for us as teachers and educators to integrate STEM disciplines right across our everyday teaching practices. STEM should not be a stand alone subject. This is fundamental in our role as teachers moving forward. We need to embed 21st century thinking skills in all that we do. We need to provide opportunities for our students to become critical, innovative thinkers so that they can define a problem (real world) , research it together as a team, plan and develop, make good decisions , reflect on them, create and build, test and evaluate them and then improve on their ideas and designs. This process should be at the core of our teaching right across our everyday teaching.
In my own role as a SET teacher in a senior school I used this process mentioned above with the “Lego Spike Essential Kits “. The children were encouraged to work in teams of 3 to become critical and innovative thinkers so that they could plan and develop a car that could move only by a programmed control panel do that the car could participate in a race to the finish line in the corridor. The children worked together using the Engineering design process (EDP)as a way of designing a solution to the task at hand. The group of children then presented the task to classes at 4th class level and 6th class level over the course of 3 weeks. I observed that the group of students from my own classroom really excelled while using the EDP. It was evident that once given the opportunity to use skills such as creativity, problem solving, inquisitive thinking and teamwork, their confidence in themselves, as learners, grew and they really enjoyed presenting the challenge to the other class groups afterwards. I learned so much by using the EDP and have since tried to embed it in my everyday teaching moving forward. In my opinion I see that by using this process, our students can make connections between school, community and work and this will enable them to solve real-life problems that are occurring in our communities and world around us.
Similarly, I believe that constructing a sundial would be an excellent activity to do with the students in my group. I would begin by using the stick and bucket video as a “trigger” to inspire their thinking about how the sundial works. We could practice this on various parts of the yard and come up with where the best space would be to get all day 1hr readings. Then I would ask the groups of children to come up with a solution to create a permanent sundial for our school. This would allow them to use and practise 21st century skills while engaging in the engineering design process(EDP). The EDP would enable the students to research the best area in our school for the permanent sundial, the materials and cost involved, getting permission from the principal and the maintenance of the sundial etc. Imagining the size and shape of the sundial, planning, and designing the sundial, creating and building it using the selected materials. After construction, the group would test and evaluate their design and look at how they could improve the design for other schools.-
Hi Michelle
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your own experiences in your post. I liked the idea of the Lego Spike Kits, last year I had the opportunity to borrow Lego We Do Kits from the local Education Centre and it allowed for so much collaborative learning in the classroom, to be honest, I learned just as much as they did. The EDP approach is key to allow the children to take ownership of their design and learning. I like how you would develop this in creating a sundial also.
I hope you enjoy the course, there are lots of activities that could be explored within a SET role.
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Hi Michelle
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your own experiences in your post. I liked the idea of the Lego Spike Kits, last year I had the opportunity to borrow Lego We Do Kits from the local Education Centre and it allowed for so much collaborative learning in the classroom, to be honest, I learned just as much as they did. The EDP approach is key to allow the children to take ownership of their design and learning. I like how you would develop this in creating a sundial also.
I hope you enjoy the course, there are lots of activities that could be explored within a SET role.
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Hi Michelle,
As a fellow SET teacher it was really interesting to hear how you use the Lego Spike kits. My school has recently invested in the kits so it is something I look forward to using going forward. It sounds wonderful that the children will be working together and using skills like problem solving in such a creative way. Thanks for sharing your fantastic ideas.
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Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner.
Constructing Planet tubes is a lovely activity where children experience how the force of gravity varies around the solar system by feeling how the weight of a familiar object (a tube of crisps) would change on different planets. The activity provides many cross curricular opportunities in Maths, Science & Art.
Earth is represented by a full unopened 200g tube of crisps. If doing this as a whole class activity I would assign one of the other 7 planets to each child (or group of children). For the purpose of this activity I have chosen to use Mercury for comparison purposes with Earth.
1. Label the full, unopened can of crisps ‘Earth’.
2. Fill the other empty tube with a mass of 48g of rice. Seal the lid securely using tape and label ’Mercury’.
3. Decorate each tube to indicate the planet it represents – Earth & Mercury.
4. Research & add interesting facts about the planet to the tube.
5. Children can then lift the tubes to feel how heavy a tube of crisps would feel on Earth vs Mercury;They can compare the planets and reflect about how heavy they would feel on different planets too.
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This activity involving the construction of Planet tubes is both engaging and educational, providing a hands-on way for children to understand the concept of gravity and how it varies across the solar system. This practical approach to learning not only makes the abstract concept of gravity tangible but also sparks curiosity and interest in planetary science.
As you alluded to the cross-curricular potential of this activity is immense. In Maths, students can calculate weight differences, ratios, and even delve into unit conversions between Earth and other planets. In Science, they explore fundamental physics concepts, planetary characteristics, and the role of gravity in the solar system. Meanwhile, the artistic element of decorating the tubes allows for creativity and reinforces the identity of each planet.
Assigning different planets to each child or group ensures that every student gets to explore and present unique aspects of their planet, promoting collaboration and communication skills. The research component encourages independent learning and critical thinking, as students look up interesting facts to add to their decorated tubes.
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Number 5: One Year on Earth- Understanding the Seasons Resource.
I will engage my students with this wonderful activity/resource from the European Space Agency and use it to support their learning/understanding of the seasons. The resource is suitable for 8-12 years- I teach in a multi-grade class , 3rd to 6th, so this is an ideal resource. It is laid out in a very user friendly, sequential order to support differentiation and engagement at all levels. I think my pupils will really engage with the tasks involved especially the hands- on task using the polystyrene sphere-Why does the earth have seasons?
The worksheets and satellite images are ideal to engage the pupils and hook their interest in the topic (stimulus). All resources support peer and group learning which pupils really enjoy and benefit from. The resources required are minimal so therefore I would envisage children carrying out the experiment in small groups. Discussion and questioning throughout the lessons will be hugely important to gauge pupils understanding, assess their learning and reflect on the process. Overall this is a wonderful resource that could be used with all pupils 3rd class upwards. It integrates Science, Geography, Maths, Art.-
Hi Deirdre,
Welcome to the course and thank you for your post. It can be challenging in multigrade to find resources that work across multiple classes, but this resource could be used easily with your class and as you have mentioned it will be an ideal opportunity to explore this theme in other subject areas also. The images are very engaging for pupils and allow for lots of discussion that can be differentiated across the different classes in your room. There are lots of lovely resources across this course that can be used in multigrade also.
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Gravity/Weight:
To trigger curiosity, I would show an ESA video with Paxi and the Solar System.
In this practical activity, children experience how the force of gravity varies around the solar system by feeling how the weight of a tube of Pringles, would change on different planets.
I would ask the children to collect 8 tubes of Pringles, and I would split them into groups of 3, which allows input from everyone in the group.
1. Label the full, unopened tube of Pringles ‘Earth’.
2. Fill each of the other empty tubes with sand/rice (gravitational field strengths from online research)
3. Seal their lids securely using tape and label each tube with the name of the planet it represents.
4. Decorate each tube to indicate the planet it represents.
5. Children can then lift the tubes to feel how heavy a tube of Pringles would feel on different planets; they can compare the planets and think about how heavy they would feel on different planets too.
I think this activity is very enjoyable, and children like being creative and would like to research and design the planets. While researching, they begin to get curious and want to explore and wonder more. The planet tubes would make a really nice display in the classroom also. The cross curricular linkage is very valuable and different subject areas touched on is always advantageous to the children.
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I am definitely tempted to try this experiment too Noreen. It looks like a great way to exemplify the way weight would be different on the various planets. It would also be a great way to combine art and science. I could imagine the children workingman groups of 3 or 4 and really enjoying decoration the tubes. It could maybe be combined with a wider project on the planetary bodies.
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I think this lesson would be hugely enjoyable for all students as it would engage STEM and Arts. The concept of having different weights on different planets is a ‘far out there’ concept, so broadening perspectives on how things can drastically differ based on gravity and density is amazing when it can be done in a classroom. It is a great chance for students to be engaged in scientific thought without being burdened down with facts and figures.
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Review of “Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics” by Maeve Liston (2018)
The paper provides a detailed exploration of STEM education, emphasising its integrated and interdisciplinary nature. It is alluded that STEM education should not be confined to the traditional boundaries of its individual subjects—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Instead, it should foster critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills by weaving these disciplines together, reflecting their interconnectedness in the real world. This approach is vital for equipping students with the skills they need to navigate the complexities of modern life, where knowledge and applications are intertwined.
The paper also highlights the importance of creating an engaging learning environment through inquiry-based learning, collaboration, and hands-on activities. This type of pedagogy not only captures students’ interest but also demonstrates the practical relevance of their learning. Additionally, the role of educators is emphasised as being pivotal; they must be flexible, innovative, and open to moving beyond traditional teaching methods to facilitate this type of learning effectively.
Sundial Construction Activity
To engage my 5th class students with STEM in a meaningful and interdisciplinary way, I plan to undertake a project where we construct a sundial on the school grounds. This activity will integrate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, aligning perfectly with the principles discussed in Maeve Liston’s paper.
Activity Plan:
Firstly, we will start with an introduction to sundials and their historical significance. I’ll provide a brief history of timekeeping and the crucial role sundials played in ancient civilizations. This will lead into a discussion on the scientific principles behind sundials, particularly focusing on the Earth’s rotation and the sun’s movement.
Next, I will divide the students into small groups and provide materials such as cardboard, sticks, protractors, and markers for the design and engineering phase. Each group will design their sundial, considering essential factors like the angle of the gnomon (the part of the sundial that casts the shadow) and the placement of hour markers. This collaborative design process will encourage teamwork and creative problem-solving.
Following this, we will delve into the mathematical calculations necessary for the accurate placement of hour lines on their sundials. This phase will involve understanding and applying angles, measurements, and basic trigonometry. By guiding students through these calculations, they’ll see the practical application of mathematical concepts in a real-world context.
We will then integrate technology by using digital tools to simulate the sun’s position at different times of the day. Students can use apps or online resources to predict where the shadow will fall at various times, enhancing their understanding through interactive learning.
Once the designs and calculations are complete, students will construct their sundials based on their plans. We’ll survey the school grounds to find the optimal location for their sundials, considering factors such as direct sunlight and the absence of obstructions. This hands-on activity will bring the theoretical aspects of their learning to life.
Finally, students will observe and record the time indicated by their sundials at various points throughout the day, comparing these readings with actual clock times and analysing any discrepancies. This observation and analysis phase will foster critical thinking and reinforce their understanding of the scientific principles at play.
Engagement and Reflection:
This sundial project will engage students by allowing them to apply theoretical knowledge in a tangible and hands-on way. It will encourage collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity as they design, construct, and test their sundials. The project will also provide a clear example of how different STEM fields interconnect in real-world applications, embodying the holistic approach advocated by Liston. By reflecting on their findings and discussing any challenges they encountered, students will develop a deeper understanding of the importance of precision in engineering and mathematical calculations in technology and timekeeping.
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Construct a sundial
I would first of all clarify what the specific learning objective of the lesson would be. This would be, firstly, for the children to understand that as the sun appears to move across the sky it casts constantly moving shadows and secondly for them to understand that this movement can be used to tell the time.
I would supply each group of 3 children with a shoebox (or similar) and a pencil. I would show them how to stick the pencil vertically into the box creating a simple gnomon. We would go outside (we have a young orchard area in our school which would be suitable). We will observe the shadows cast by the gnomon in relation to the position of the sun. I would explain about the movement of the sun across the sky and the consequent movement of the shadows.
The children will mark on the box where the shadow lies. They will then make a prediction as to where the shadow will be in 2 hours time and mark this on the box too.
We will leave the boxes in position and come back in 2 hours to check our predictions.
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The Earth has seasons because it is tilted as it orbits the Sun. Imagine the Earth as a big, spinning top. It’s a little tilted to one side. As it travels around the Sun each year, different parts of the Earth get more sunlight.
The One Year on Earth is a nice activity to demonstrate this. The work sheets are engaging and invites the children to justify their thought and preconceptions. The aerial photographs are great for the children to think outside the box.
I would also use the fantastic Paxi videos which demonstrate the movement of the earth around the sun while also rotating. I would put the children into group to demonstrate this also.
Creating a sundial would be a nice extension activity which would consolidate their learning and they can apply that knowledge while figuring out the sundial, north south etc. We would need to use a compass to place the dial in the correct direction.
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Hi Mary,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the resources in this module.
The images in the One Year on Earth module allow for discussion and as you have mentioned allow for thinking outside of the box. Children could also recreate the photos focusing on a tree in their own school yard to note the differences between seasons. This can work well in an infant class.
There are lots of resources in this module that provide for active learning in exploring the seasons and how the earth rotates around the sun.
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One year on Earth – Understanding the seasons.
I would discuss the following points with my class when explaining how the seasons work:
Earth’s Orbit: I’d start by explaining that Earth travels around the Sun in a path called an orbit.
Tilted Axis: I’d mention that Earth is tilted on its axis, which is an imaginary line running from the North Pole to the South Pole.
Sunlight Distribution: I would then explain that because of this tilt, different parts of Earth receive varying amounts of sunlight at different times of the year.
Seasonal Changes: I’d also discuss how these variations in sunlight cause the four seasons – spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Visual Aids: I would use diagrams, globes, or even simple props like a flashlight and globe to demonstrate how the tilt and orbit create the seasons.
Activities: I’d engage my class with fun activities like seasonal crafts, experiments with a globe and light source to show the tilt effect, or even outdoor observations to connect theory with real-world experience.
Q&A: Lastly, I’d encourage questions from my class to ensure everyone understands the concept. By making the topic engaging and interactive, the class is more likely to grasp the concept of Earth’s seasons effectively.
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Hi Michael,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the activity to explore the seasons.
There is a lot of topic specific language to explain the seasons and I think you have a nice idea to explore each concept on its own and then use visual aids and activities to bring their learning together. Hands on activities using the globe and light source as you have mentioned would be an ideal opportunity for children to investigate sunlight and seasonal changes themselves.
There are lots of other great resources across this course that you can use with your own class in September.
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I really like the concept of the I really like the concept of the lesson about ESERO 30 Day and Night in the World.
I usually teach junior classes so I think this would be appropriate and highly engaging in the infant classroom. I particularly like the song and I think it would be a great way to engage the children and further develop understanding of the concept.
I also like the concept of discussing different animals- nocturnal etc. There is a many ways this can be explored with the children through discussion, pictures, games. There is lots of opportunity for this topic to be explore across the curriculum aswell. Lastly I also think that the concept of using a sphere shaped object to represent the sun shining on one side of the world and not the other is a great idea. It is a very visual way for the children to learn the concept and I think the children would enjoy using the resource themselves and playing around with it to promote further discussion. -
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For the sundial activity I used a traffic cone that is about 1 metre high. I placed it in the middle of an area of tarmac that gets sunlight for most of the day. I then used a piece of chalk to mark where the shadow from the tip of the cone fell at each hour (or as close to the hour as possible when it was cloudy). I think that this activity would engage the pupils on a number of levels. Firstly I would get the children to think about and explore where would be best to position their sundial. This would hopefully get them thinking about such things as the position of the sun in the sky at different times of the day, where shadows from trees, buildings, etc. might fall. This in itself would present some real opportunities for teamwork and discovery learning. Secondly, the design of the sundial itself and how they choose to record the time, e.g. using rocks, chalk, etc would provide opportunities for pupils to engage creatively with the task. Finally there would be opportunities to link this activity to other subjects. One that springs to mind is history. I recall reading somewhere that contrary to what is often believed, people in ancient times were aware that the earth is round. The ancient Greeks noticed that the further north you travel, shadows get longer as the sun appears to be lower in the sky. They were able to work out by comparing the lengths of shadows in different place that the world must be round. Stories like this can be engaging for children as they challenge what they may have believed or heard before.
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Hi James,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your idea for the sundial. I like the idea of using the cone to establish and create your sundial. It also allows for discussion and critical thinking of the location and factors such as shadows etc. There are many opportunities for open ended questioning and problem solving for the pupils in this case.
Creating a sundial is also great for integration with History and for children to make their own meaningful connections between the curricular areas. I hope you enjoy the rest of the course.
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Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
To engage children in constructing a sundial on the school grounds, I would turn it into a fun and educational project. I would start by explaining how sundials work and the concept of telling time using the sun’s position. I would then divide the children into small groups and assign them different tasks like measuring, marking, and placing the sundial in a sunny spot. I would encourage creativity by allowing them to decorate the sundial with colourful designs. Once the sundial is set up, I would get the children to regularly observe and record the time shown by the sundial compared to a clock. This hands-on activity not only teaches students about the relationship between the sun and time but also enhances their understanding of astronomy and the Earth’s rotation. -
Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day”
1. Start by introducing the concept of the sun’s movement across the sky to the students. Explain that the sun appears to rise in the east, move across the sky, and set in the west.
2. Take the students outside at different times of the day (morning, afternoon, and tell them to do so at home in the evening) to observe the position of the sun in the sky. Encourage them to look towards the east in the morning, towards the south at midday, and towards the west in the evening.
3. Provide each student with a notebook or journal to record their observations. Ask them to draw a simple picture of the sun’s position in the sky at each time of day and note down the direction they were facing.
4. Encourage students to make observations over several days or weeks to see how the sun’s position changes throughout the year. Discuss with them how the sun’s path across the sky is influenced by the Earth’s tilt.
5. As an extension activity, students can use a compass or a compass app on a smartphone to determine the exact direction of the sun’s position at different times of the day. They can also use a sundial to track the movement of the sun throughout the day.
6. Hold a class discussion to review the students’ observations and discuss what they have learned about the sun’s movement in the sky. Encourage them to share their journal entries and drawings with their classmates.
7. Ask students to create a poster or presentation to showcase their observations and findings about the sun’s position at different times of day. Display these in the classroom or school to share their knowledge with others. -
After reviewing “Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics” by Liston (2018), I understand the importance of integrated STEM education. Liston emphasizes real-world applications and problem-solving to foster critical thinking and creativity.
To engage primary school students in observing and recording the sun’s position, I would create an interactive project spanning several days. First, we would discuss the sun’s movement and Earth’s rotation with simple videos. I would provide journals and observation sheets, and choose a schoolyard spot marked with a sign for observations.
Students would then make sundials using paper plates and sticks, decorated with bright colors. We would observe the sun’s position in the morning, midday, and late afternoon, with students drawing the sun’s position and noting shadows. After each observation, we would discuss findings in the classroom.
We would track the sun’s movement on a classroom chart over a week, using stickers to make it interactive. Finally, students would draw or write about their observations and share with the class.
This hands-on, visual activity engages students by building and decorating sundials and making outdoor observations. Discussions foster communication and critical thinking, sparking curiosity and a love for learning.
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Reflecting on Liston’s paper, STEM education in my classroom embraces an interdisciplinary approach that merges science, technology, engineering, and mathematics into real-world, problem-solving activities. We focus on collaborative projects that foster creativity, critical thinking, and communication skills, ensuring students apply these disciplines cohesively. Our lessons involve the Engineering Design Process, promoting innovation and deeper understanding, moving beyond isolated subject teaching to integrated, meaningful STEM learning experiences.
Constructing a sundial would be an engaging and educational STEAM activity for my sixth class, integrating subjects like history, geography, and maths. Our school’s garden area adjacent to the yardwould be ideal for this project, allowing students to research site-specific challenges and material requirements. Starting with tracing their shadows with chalk at different times of the day, students could observe how shadows change with the sun’s position. We would then construct a more permanent sundial in our garden, where students could mark the hours and track time year-round. This project may also encourage students to create their own sundials at home.
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Hi Padraic,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on Liston’s paper.
A sundial would be a great opportunity for STEAM activity as you have mentioned. I like how you would start with observations which would encourage critical thinking skills such as tracing shadows with chalk across the day. The children using site specific materials would also encourage them to become more aware of materials in their own local environment. I’m sure lots would like to try construct them at home also.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the course.
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I would use the ESERO lesson 30 day and night in the world. I teach junior infants and I think the linkage with animals would really appeal to them and engage them. Animals are something they show interest in, so using this to teach the more complex and abstract concept of time and day and night would be really effective.
I would give the children of the different animals we would be discussing and ask them to group them into nocturnal and diurnal. I would also discuss the differences we see during day and night with the children and why they think some animals prefer to sleep during the day. I think the day and night activity with the needle would be too complicated for infants so I would use the buddy teaching that we have in our school and ask the sixth class children to help them construct the circle with them. I like the visual of the orange and the torch as this further explains to the children why we have night and day in different timezones at different times. With an older class, I would use the weather app on the iPads to note the sunrise and sunset times and how they change depending on the time of year. I would also use the sundial activity as an expension of this so as the children become aware of the earth’s rotation throuhgout the day.
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Hi Clodagh,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the Day and Night in the World resource.
The images used in this resource would be a great stimulus for an infant class and as you have mentioned that would really appeal to children at this class level.
I like how you are going to get children from senior classes to support the younger class with the activity, children really respond to peer learning and it would support learning for both classes.
There are many different resources in this module to support learning about the earth’s rotation of the sun across many different classes. There are many resources across this course that I hope you will use with your own class in September.
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I would be interested in designing and installing a sundial in our school environment for all class levels to engage with. I would start by teaching my class about the history and science of sundials, explaining how they use the sun’s position to tell time. I would show examples of different sundials from around the world.
Next, I would involve the students in a discussion about where to place the sundial, considering factors like sunlight and shadows. I would take them outside to observe the sun’s movement and shadows at different times of the day and would encourage them to choose a location that is accessible for all students.
Then, I would divide the class into small groups and assign tasks such as designing, measuring, and constructing the sundial. I would link this with the art curriculum by encouraging creativity in decorating it.
On installation day, we could have a celebration where students test the sundial and compare its time-telling accuracy with their watches or classroom clock.
Finally, I would incorporate a reflective session where students share what they learned about time, the sun, and the Earth’s rotation. This could be done using a KWL chart or a reflective model such as the SWOT analysis.
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Hi Sarah,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the lesson to create a sundial.
Exploring the sundial in other curricular areas will provide the children with knowledge to support them in creating their own sundial. It will work as an effective stimulus and ensure there is meaningful connections of the learning across the SESE subjects.I also like how you plan to support learning across all classes by placing the sundial in the school environment. Your own class will benefit from the responsibility of creating a sundial for others and presenting their work also.
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1. Earth Tube- Gravity/Weight
I think this activity has great potential and adaptability for all class levels. I can imagine it being a fun and engaging way to get infants to begin exploring the idea of gravity in an informal way. The craft element makes it great for cross curricular links with Visual Arts. Younger children could use it as an investigation station during Aistear as part of a space theme. Older classes could do some interesting Maths calculations, making predictions etc. about the weight of an object on different planets. I think it’s a great way to introduce the idea of weight and gravity in primary school. It can be confusing when suddenly in secondary school you are told that mass and weight are separate things, so I think it’s a good idea to introduce the concept from the beginning, in an age-appropriate way. It is also a great sensory activity that would be great for those who enjoy hands on tasks.-
Hi Aisling,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the earth tube activity.
This activity can be adapted and used across the different class levels as you have mentioned. I like how you would also use this activity to support skills development in the senior classes and also integrate with maths for measurement skills.
I agree that this is a good activity to introduce the concept of mass and weight as it can cause confusion in secondary school. I hope that you enjoy the course and find many resources to use with your class in September.
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After discussing planets and the concept of weight using resources from ESERO and the Ogden Trust the children will work in small groups to research about their planet and complete the tubes. After the tubes are made each group will present to the class and they will all get an opportunity to lift the various tubes and compare how heavy/light they feel.
Resources needed:
One full 200g crisp tube
Seven empty crisp tubes (of the same size)
Sand or rice
Scales (for measuring in grams)
Materials to decorate the tubes to look like planets e.g. paint, paper, glue.Method:
1. Label the full, unopened can of crisps ‘Earth’.
2. Fill each of the other empty tubes with the mass of sand/rice indicated in the table on https://www.ogdentrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Phizzi-practical_planetary_picnic.pdf
3. Seal their lids securely using the tape and label each tube with the name of the planet it represents.
4. Decorate each tube to indicate the planet it represents
5. Depending on the age of the children they could add interesting facts about the planet to the tube. Children can then lift the tubes to feel how heavy a tube of crisps would feel on different planets; they can compare the planets and think about how heavy they would feel on different planets too.-
Hi Catherine,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your plan on using the earth tube activity with your class.
Using the guide and allowing the children to fill the tubes themselves would allow for maths integration and also skills development. This hands on activity would also allow for critical thinking skills as children can compare the different tubes and comparing the weight across different planets. I like how you have also given the children the opportunity to write about the different planets to support literacy.
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One Year on Earth – Understanding the Seasons Resource (ESA)
Having read the One Year on Earth PDF and having seen the images, I felt they would be good trigger points to engage a meaningful discussion about the seasons and having an awareness of the wider world around us. I think it also is a good open-ended concept that seasons differ throughout the world regarding how many months are in each season and duration of the seasons.
I think that the lessons in the PDF are clear and practical allowing the children to guide their own learning based on prior knowledge and also steering the discussion in accordance to the level of interest.
I also think discussion of the seasons would work as a stepping stone to delve into other scientific concepts like gravity and density as, on face value, it seems like an ‘easy’ topic that the students just take for granted that they know, but unravelling the science behind the ‘obvious’ is empowering. Like stated in the recommendations on STEM and the Arts in Education, we are encouraging knowledge, skills and values- going from knowing what the seasons are, to knowing how the seasons change in different parts of the world, and finally knowing why that occurs.
Finally I think the curious minds framework, encouraging children and teachers to engage, investigate, follow on and reflect, will be hugely beneficial as to how I will structure my SESE/ STEM lessons next year.
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Hi Doireann,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on this resource. In middle and older classes it would be great to explore how seasons differ across the world. As you have said, there are options for meaningful discussions and also making connections with pupils who may have family living in other countries.
Thank you for your feedback on the curious minds framework also, it does provide for a very useful structure to guide children and allow them to lead their own learning in STEM based activities.
I hope you enjoy the course.
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I agree with Doireann allowing children to unravel their own scientific thinking is empowering and harnesses children’s natural curiosity. We tend to teach season’s as a change in nature but rarely delve into the science of such a change. Also for children to realise that season’s are different depending on where they are makes them aware of the world around us. We could further thus learning by looking at the environmental impact we are having on seasons.
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I think the earth tube lesson sounds amazing and definitely something the children would love. What a great hands on, exploratory activity that would extend their learning of the planets in the solar system and also the idea of mass/weight. It is a great cross curricular activity that would tie in with science, geography, maths and art. I would also tie the learning into the literacy writing lessons of the week by asking the children to write a report on their chosen planet and use the corresponding facts learned from this activity in it.
For this lesson I would split the class into 7 small groups with each one working on a different planet. Each group will have an empty pringles tube. The unopened can of pringles would be planet Earth that will be compared with later. Each group will have some rice and a weighing scale that they will use to measure out the accurate amount needed. When it is filled they tape the top and label it with the name of their planet. Following on from this the group decorate the tube to reflect their planet. When all the groups are finished we can carry out an investigation, first making predictions and using prior knowledge- which is the largest planet, will this be heaviest etc. Then the groups would have a chance to explore the various tubes after which we would come together and note the actual weights and highlight the key information.
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Construct a sun dial;
I would choose a hopefully sunny week for this lesson. I would take the children to the yard and encourage them to study their shadows; explore what side they are on in relation to the sun and trace around them with chalk. I would then choose a place in our yard (we are fortunate to have lots of yard space that is unobstructed, and a second small yard space used for quieter activities) and use the stick and bucket shown in the video, and visit with the class every hour throughout the day to mark with chalk where the shadows are and the corresponding times. I think this lesson would then intergrate nicely with some construction for art, using lollipop sticks, a template for the times such as the one in the video, and some marla, where the children could create individual sundials to take home, to discuss what they have learned with their grown up.
I also love the idea of creating a more permanent sundial, using a broom handle and a piece of plywood that the children could design and decorate with paint. We have a lovely green space next to our school polytunnels that would be perfect to place it.
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I would use the lesson on creating a sundial in my classroom.
I think this would be a great lesson to use as it not only is relevant to all of the stem topics, but it also integrates with subjects, such as math, geography, and history.during this lesson, I would use the curious minds template when doing investigation. This would help the children visualise and discuss their learning while making predictions, reflections and relating the lesson to other learning.
I think a sundial is a great lesson to use also as it is engaging to all children and allows for hands-on learning. The children would be part of their learning and be involved in the activity.
One important way to ensure that this activity is engaging as a teacher, it’s to ask open ended and closed questions on the topic. For example,
what is a sundial?
Were all the shadows the same length?
What makes the shadows?
What makes a sundial work?I would choose, I would choose an area outside of the yard against sunlight to do this project.
integrated learning.
mathematics : calculating time and measures of the shadow of the Sun.
geography: analysing weather, predicting times of sunshine etc.
history: exploring the use of sundials to tell the time in ancient history.
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I would use the first activity in One Year on Earth – Understanding the Seasons Resource (ESA) to create a whole school awareness on Seasons and the environment around us. Our school is located very close to the Phoenix Park and Royal Canal so I would seek to utilise these wonderful settings to focus classes and year groups on depicting the seasons for everyone else.
Firstly, I would arrange a whole school assembly to explain what we were seeking to do as a school. I would allocate a season to cohorts such as 5th/6th – Autumn, 3rd/4th Winter etc. Then I would explain that we are going to use iPads to photograph, art materials to draw and checklists and notepads to observe.
I would arrange walking trips out into the local area in their allocated season. Each year group would go during a different season and together all would contribute to a thorough illustration and depiction of the four seasons as seen in Blanchardstown Village, which could be displayed along the corridors or in the school hall for parents to see too. -
Constructing a sun-dial would be a nice hands-on activity for children in primary school. The activity could be done at different stages of primary school but would deliver the best educational value in children from 4th-6th. The introduction of sundials as a tool used in ancient times to tell the time would no doubt spark the interest of most children. Allowing children to investigate the history behind sundials, working out the angles, creating an actual sundial, comparing and investigating the difference between then and now would all make for a great STEM learning experience.
There are a lot of resources available but I would be inclined to start with a stimulus such as the you tube video shown in an earlier slide of the Earth rising. I would then follow this with a KWL on what we know about and how it is measured. Following this, I would allow children to investigate the history of how sundials were invented. Over a period of a week, I would facilitate the children in choosing the best materials to construct the sundial and where to place the sundials. My school is quite large and would lend itself to children being able to construct several sundials and to determine the most suitable place for them to work.
Children can then measure angles, compare each others measurements and can be measured at different times of the year. I feel that children would get a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction from this STEM activity.
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Hi Stephanie,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your ideas on a sun dial as a classroom activity. Through linking the sun dial with history and maths as you have mentioned, the pupils be creating meaningful connections between the subject areas.
Through exploring the materials, the pupils can then develop these connections and apply them to real life by constructing a sundial. There are many opportunities for skills development such as measuring skills that you have outlined.
I hope you enjoy the course.
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The trigger I would use to introduce the activity on assembling the earth tube and the Jupiter tube , would be to show short enthralling video of Apollo 15.In this video Scott and Irwin test the Galileo’s theory by dropping two objects to the ground on the moon’s surface to see if the land at the same time and they do. I think that this would get the children interested in doing a similar experiment and then we would get the necessary equipment assembled to doing The Planetary Picnic.
The two concepts of weight and mass would need to be explained before preparing for the weighing process and the simple terms of force of gravity versus weight of matter would help the children to understand the two concepts. It would be beneficial to mention newtons versus grams/ kilograms too, as this would help the children to keep the mathematical measurements separate and different.
They relevant amount of sand or rice would be put into the Jupiter tube as it would be the heaviest tube and then compared to the earth tube, the children would understand the difference between the two.
The tubes would be decorated beforehand,as the children envisage for earth and Jupiter, and they would get the weighing scales. They could further develop this lesson by picking a few other planet tubes to compare with the earth and Jupiter planets. A final drawing lesson to show the position of the various planets in the Solar System could finish off the lesson.
The children would be invited to present this at a school assembly to get other children interested and involved in the subject matter.
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I think that Aisling’s idea of using the Planetary Picnic idea through Aistear with the younger age groups would be a lovely, fun activity as they use sand and vessels for playing and measuring anyway.It would be easy to introduce a few tubes and give them the simple lesson of gravity.The video from Gaelscoil Bhaile Munna is perfect too for ideas for the younger ages in regard to Gravity.
Also, Emer’s idea of using 7 small groups of children would be a good way to ensure full class participation and encourage more probing, predicting and exploring, which is key to the Stem framework of learning.
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To observe and record the positions of the sun at various times, students can follow this structured plan:
Introduction and Preparation:
Objective: Explain the goal of observing and recording the sun’s position to understand its apparent movement.
Materials Needed: Notebook, pen, compass, ruler, protractor, and a fixed observation point.
Daily Observations:Morning Observation: Record the exact time and position (using a compass for direction) of the sunrise.
Midday Observation: Note the sun’s highest position in the sky at solar noon, using a protractor to measure the angle of elevation.
Evening Observation: Record the exact time and position of the sunset.
Regular Intervals:Hourly Checks: Throughout the day, at hourly intervals, record the sun’s position using a compass and measure the angle of elevation.
Data Recording:Use a table to log date, time, direction, and angle of elevation.
Create a diagram of the sky for visual reference, marking the sun’s path.
Analysis:Compare observations over several weeks to note changes.
Discuss patterns, such as the shifting sunrise and sunset points due to the Earth’s tilt and orbit.
This plan encourages systematic observation and accurate data recording, fostering a deeper understanding of the sun’s movement. -
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Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
6th class
This lesson would generate great excitement in my classroom. There are so many teaching points in relation to sundials that it would integrate across a variety of subjects such as history, maths and geography.
I would begin by discussing the history of timekeeping and how ancient civilisations used sundials. Then I would explain the science behind sundials: the Earth’s rotation, the concept of shadows, and how they relate to time. I would show them images of different types of sundials and bring in one that I have at home.
We would discuss where would be the best location for the sundial. I would hope that they would select a large area in our school field which has no obstructions near it and has exposure to the sun. I would highlight the importance of finding true north using a compass for the sundial.
The pupils would then work in groups to discuss what materials we would need for the sundial. They need to be strong enough for the Irish weather. Once decided we would set to work constructing it and then positioning it. The pupils would mark the time at each hour using stones. It would be a great activity for the entire school to enjoy.
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Hi Gráinne
Welcome to the course. It’s lovely that you have a sundial at home that you can bring in as inspiration for your pupils as well as discussing the concept of time and showing them images of other sundials. I like the fact that you mention ” I would hope that they would select a large area in our school field which has no obstructions near it and has exposure to the sun”. You can see yourself that this would be a logical place for the sundial but you plan to let your pupils work this out for themselves and to discuss and choose suitable materials. This highlights the importance of allowing critical thinking and exploration. If the children choose an unsuitable location or materials that are not weatherproof, then they will learn more through going through the process and finding it out for themselves that if you were to choose the location and materials for them.
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That sounds like loads of fun. If you have any anime or history fans in your class – it might also be interesting to look at some (less effective) methods of time-telling throughout history such as Japanese water clocks from the mid 7th century. Key point: using the sun leads to higher accuracy!
Although later, by 17th Century, the Japanese were using sunlight/sundials to tell time, the changing seasons meant it was pretty inaccurate because the length of the hour varied so much as daylight exposure changed. They counted 12 hours in a day – 6 for ‘day’, 6 for ‘night’. They moved to typical Western timekeeping officially at the end of the 19th Century. Any of your 4th-6th class may be interested in this…maybe? Protagonist: Tanjiro – born during the change to western clocks. Antagonist: Lord Muzan – born during the uncertain water clocks era lol.
(I fear I’ve gone too far)
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For my incoming 4th class, I have a lot of needs to consider. Like all teachers I have children who are new to English and a range of pupils with needs including Dyslexia, ASD, ADHD and Moderate Down’s Syndrome. Therefore I will be using the format of the ‘ESRO 30, Day & Night In The world’ lesson. It seems perfect for starting off the year with children’s various levels of abilities and interest.
I also have a lot of my own interest to share – my husband & I have gotten active in the monitoring and conservation of bat populations (for biodiversity Ireland) and have made some really interesting recordings of local bats! (we invested in a bit of gear). I had been sharing the fun with last years pupils, – but this ESRO guidance will put a good frame on the experience.
The ESRO Day/Night lesson is very engaging as children love animals, is strong on visual experiences and the use of art is fun and will really help to include all students in the learning experience. The worksheet, cutting & colouring activity will be exciting for all, with support for some. I would probably invite pupils to do the toothpick & orange activity using the visualiser and interactive whiteboard just to keep everyone safe! (I know these particular kids well!)
There are great opportunities for integration with language and maths/science, so I can target each child’s learning needs with a differentiated approach, targets and outcomes! So many follow up activities are possible – for example the children can work in partners to take a different location ( national or international), and each research & present on a locations day & night creatures. All could have their information finally displayed in an art form, via the Earth Tubes – and use these to display a day and night version of what they have learnt from their classmates about animals.
This is fabulous, I really have so much material that will be an inspiring and fun return to school for them!-
Hi Frances,
Welcome to the course. What fascinating work monitoring and conserving the bat population, you will have loads of images and resources to share with your class next year. Bringing your own experience into the class will add to the engagement of the children also.
The ESERO resource Day & Night in the World can be easily adapted to suit the range of needs in your class and as you have mentioned there is also lots of opportunities to integrate with maths, science and vocabulary work. This will also suit the individual needs in your class and allow for universal design for learning. I am glad you like this resource and I hope you enjoy the course.
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Hi Frances, you sound like you have a great engaging plan set out. Children may also like to explore how the night sky is different in Australia to our own. This can be a way of proving that although we spin on a somewhat vertical axis and orbit the sun we do not turn horizontally in space. Children could use https://stellarium-web.org// and choose an Australian city as their location.
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Here is a good and engaging plan for getting students to observe the position of the sun at different times of the day.
Preparation: Choose a sunny day and a suitable outdoor spot with a flat surface. Mark a specific spot where each student will stand.
Initial Explanation: Briefly explain how the sun moves across the sky, causing shadows to change length and direction.
First Observation: Begin the activity in the morning. Have half the class to stand on their marked spot and get their partner to draw their shadow’s outline with chalk. Label this shadow with the time. Then swap over and partners draw the shadows of the other half of the class. Label again with the time.
Subsequent Observations: Repeat this process at regular intervals (e.g., every hour). Each time, students stand on the same spot and draw their shadow’s new outline, labeling each with the current time.
Discussion: After several observations, gather the students to discuss their findings. Ask questions like:
• How did the shadows change?
• When were the shadows longest and shortest?
• Which direction did the shadows move?-
I chose the lesson on making a sundial and i think this would be a wonderful lesson to add on to the sundial lesson. we have big bright windows in our classroom and i would love to track the sun through the day by marking it on our windows at set times in the day. I would then move the lesson outdoors the next sunny day and mark the pupils shadows on the ground in the yard to observe the movement of the shadows and the movement of the sun across the sky.
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One year on Earth- Understanding the seasons
Trigger- Pictures of the seasons displayed on the board- Discuss.
Wondering- When it is summer in Ireland is it summer everywhere else in the world?
Christmas in Ireland- weather, colours, clothes vs Christmas Australia- weather, colours, clothes. Why is it different?
Why do you think summer in North/ winter in South and vice versa?
Exploring- Using video of day night and seasons to show children how the seasons work. Question children to assess understanding.
Introduce vocabulary such as equator, axis, meridians, Northern and Southern Hemisphere.
Ensure children understand that everyday Earth rotates on its own axis= 1 Day and that one year = one full rotation around sun. (Use modals to illustrate this)
Carry out experiment with children, putting them into groups. Each group will Use model of Earth (polystyrene ball) and sun (torch).
They will pick a point on Earth and mark it with cocktail stick, then complete rotations around sun, while Earth is tilted on access.
Discuss findings as a group.
Use video Paxi- Day, night and the seasons to consolidate information.-
Hi Niamh,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your ideas on a lesson to understand the seasons. I like how you would introduce the topic specific vocabulary within the lesson and the children could then apply this vocabulary when carrying out the investigation themselves.
The activity also allows for discussion among the class on the seasons and the rotation of the Earth around the sun. I hope you enjoy the course.
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Module 1
Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
I am teaching in a special school, i currently teach 2nd years doing the level 2 learning program. I think this is a great activity that my pupils would really enjoy and engage in.
To engage the pupils i would draw their attention to the broken clock and ask pupils other ways to tell the time. We would look at images online of different kinds of sun dials from history. I would then after some conversation bring their attention to the website Sundials in Ireland (sundials-ireland.com)
Our big shool yard gets sun all day so we would explore where the sun is in the sky at different times of the day during that week. We would mark our shadows on the ground using chalk (each child would write their name over the shadow) and take note of the shadow at different times of the day.
For the next part of the lesson we would then look at the resource esero and make our own sundials in class.52_The-sundial.pdf (esero.ie)
Then we would take them outside and explore telling the time using them.
I would link with our very talented woodword teacher and ask him to explore this furter and make a permanent sundial for our yard as i think it would make a fantastic addition to our school yard.-
Hi Caroline,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on a sundial lesson within your own classroom context. I like your stimulus of a broken clock to encourage critical thinking initially. You have great ideas for the children in your class using the school yard, the classroom and also the added benefit of the woodwork teacher making a sundial also. Having one in the school yard would be beneficial for the school community.
I hope you enjoy the course.
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Q.5
Using the Curious Mind framework, I would engage the children by introducing the topic using a trigger eg. showing them a globe and getting them to find Ireland and identify other countries that they know. To get the children wondering I would get them to brianstorm: how we identify what season it is in Ireland. Through whole class discussion I’ll elicit answers such as temperature, daylight hours, what we wear, growth of trees and plants. At this point pictures of the trees in the One Year on Earth lesson plan could be used.
To investigate how we get seasons in a concrete way to children, I would use an orange to represent Earth and place a cocktail stick with a blue sticker in Ireland (a northern hemisphere country) and a cocktail stick with a red sticker in Australia (representing a southern hemisphere country). By getting a pupil to represent the sun by holding a torch towards the equator with Ireland facing the torch, we will show it is summer as the light and heat points directly towards us. As the Earth (orange) orbits the sun (torch) pupils will see that their country is not always in the same position in the lit areas and so when Ireland is furthest away from the lit area it is our winter.
The Paxi Day Night and the Seasons video would be a great finisher to conclude the lesson.
One alternate idea children might have about the seasons especially in younger classes is that the same season is experienced throughout the world, both norther and souther hemisphere. They maybe also believe that seasons are created based on the distance of the Earth from the sun e.g. when it is closer it is summer.
<p style=”text-align: center;”>In the lesson, if teaching the older classes and using the activity of drawing the path of the Earth’s orbit, it integrates with Lines and Angles (Shape and Space strand) in maths . For you younger classes, identifying characteristics of the seasons links with Time in maths . In science there are cross overs with Living Things (exploring Plants and animals) and Energy and Forces (Heat and Light).</p>-
Hi Niamh,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on module one. I like how you plan to use the globe as a trigger to explore what the children already know. Knowing their own prior knowledge will give you a starting point to explore the seasons across the world and address any misconceptions the children may have.
I hope you enjoy the course and the many resources across each module.
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To help my students observe and record the sun’s positions, I will start by introducing the concepts of sunrise, noon, and sunset, and explain how the sun’s path changes throughout the day. I’ll give them notebooks, pencils, and a compass or a sun position app for accurate observations. I will schedule times for us to observe the sun at sunrise, noon, and sunset, guiding them to note the time and draw the sun’s position relative to landmarks. I’ll encourage them to look for patterns, like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, and to think about how the sun’s path changes with the seasons. Finally, I will lead a class discussion where we will share our findings and reflect on how the sun’s position shifts throughout the day and the year. This hands-on activity will help my students develop their observation skills and critical thinking.
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Construct a sundial
When constructing a sundial with my class I would first of all explain to them how old this system of telling the time is and that it goes back to Ancient Egypt.
I would tell them there are various ways to make a sundial, you can use your own shadow by marking it on the ground with chalk and then observing it to see if it changes during different times of the day.I would talk to them about how shadows are made and bring them outside to see this for themselves.
Another way to make a sundial is to use a stick and mark where your shadow is every hour and see if it shows the correct time of the day. It is important to remember that there must be sun all day while you are checking the time.
I would also show them the video on the spaceweek.ie website on how to make a sundial using cardboard. I think my class would really enjoy a lesson on sundials.-
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for your post.
I am delighted to see that your class would really enjoy a sundial activity. It is one with so much potential for cross curricular links, uses very little by way of materials, but has the potential to teach learners so much.
It can be fun at the start of this lesson to get the class guessing as to how we told the time before, imagining a time before clocks and modern technology before introducing the topic of sundials.You make a valid point about ideally having sunny(and dry!) weather for this activity. It also needs to be positioned away from anything that could cast a shadow on the sundial, and this is something the learners can decide on when planning.
I hope you get the opportunity to try this activity with your learners in the coming academic year.
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Module 1 Assignments Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed.
I engaged with an ESERO course last year, Teaching Space in Junior Classes and so I was aware of the wealth of teacher resources available on https://www.sfi.ie/engagement/curious-minds/
I used ‘the sundail’ resource last year with 2nd and 3rd class. This year however if I were to do it again with 5th and 6th I would make adaptations.
Activity – make a small sundial indoors and a large sundial outdoors
LO’s *To know that you can tell the time using a sundial. *To tell the time using the Sun. *To discover that long ago it was much more difficult to tell the time than it is today.The lesson on SFI ‘the sundial’ should take approximately 55 mins over two days but I would stretch this and increase the time over three days for the older students.
Starter activity – Firstly split the students into 4 groups and ask the students to go out and assess the best places around the school where a sundial could be placed. Come back together and ask the students to discuss their findings, ideas and data to the whole class. Why did they choose this specific location? Does the rest of the class agree this is a good place? Why/Why not?
Have any students ever seen a sundial? Do they know how it works? Explain that a sundial has a stick or pointer that makes a shadow. This is called the gnomon. It is important that in the Northern hemisphere the gnomon always points North, or you will not be able to read the sundial. Explain that the Earth turns on its axis. This means that the position of the Sun with regard to the Earth is always changing. If necessary demonstrate this using a torch and an orange. Explain that the shadow of an object also changes as the Earth rotates. The sundial uses this fact. By looking at the position of the shadow of the gnomon on the sundial, you can tell what time it is.Ask if any of the students are wearing a watch. Why is it handy to have a watch? Explain that 600 years ago nobody had a watch. Ask how the people back then knew what time it was. Before the mechanical clock was invented, people sometimes used the sun to tell the time. They did this using a sundial.
Activity – The students make two sundials. Ask the students to investigate what would be the best materials to use to make a sundial? See if the students consider waterproof properties of material, weight of materials so that they don’t blow away etc.
Suggested materials needed (may vary due to students input): 12 large stones, scissors, glue, a stick around 150 centimetres long, a large protractor, a marker pen, a compass to tell where North is, extra small stones. For the activity The large sundial you will need a playing field that is in sunlight most of the day.
When the Sun is due South and the shadow is pointing to the North, it is noon. That means it is exactly 12 o’clock in solar time. Solar time is not always exactly the same as the time shown on your watch. That is because the time we use today is not based on the sun’s actual position in the sky.
Taken from SFI PAGE 301 • Use the Sun • LESSON 52 https://www.sfi.ie/site-files/primary-science/media/pdfs/col/the-sundial.pdf
Make a sundial 20 min.
Hand out scissors, glue and the activity sheet. The children complete Task 1 on the worksheet.
Important: to calculate the angle for the gnomon, you need to know the latitude of your town. You can look this up in an atlas or on the internet. For example the latitude of London is 51 degrees N, so the angle needed for a sundial in London is 51 degrees. The instructions are on the worksheet. When their sundial is ready they should put it somewhere with the arrow facing South.
The children read the time shown by the sundial. Can they see what time it is? The children complete Task 1 on the worksheet. Discuss the tasks. Come to the conclusion that today we always know exactly what time it is because there are so many clocks around us. Long ago, when there weren’t any watches and clocks, it was much more difficult to tell the time. And of course they could not use a sundial at night!
The large sundial at least 30 min.
Make a large sundial with the children. Take the children outside to a location where the sun shines most of the day. Mark the direction of North, using
a compass if necessary.
Stand the large protractor upright on its long side in the grass. Use it to meas- ure the correct angle to the ground, as described above. Stick the stick firmly in the ground at the chosen angle, facing North. See the picture for how this should be done.
Every hour the children place a large stone on the ground where the shadow of the stick falls. One of the children uses the marker pen to write the number of the hour on the stone. You can use the smaller stones to mark the quarter and half hours.
If you don’t want to take the children out side every hour, you can just place two stone markers, one in the morning for example at 9.00) and one in the afternoon (for example at 14.00). Of course your sundial will be less accurate.
To finish the sundial, the rest of the day after school-time needs to be divided using the stones. In the example shown here, five hours have passed and so the time in between needs to be divided into five. Encourage the children to write the numbers of the hours on the stones and place them in the correct position. The next day, take the children outside to see if they can read what time it is. How accurate is their sundial?-
Hi Orla
It is great that you used the resources from Teaching Space in Junior Classes to make a sundial with your 2nd and 3rd year class and that you have reflected on that exercise to plan a more detailed version of the lesson for 5th and 6th class. this is a great example of inquiry in action, recognising that an older class will be capable of more in depth exploration of the purpose of sundials and how to locate and build them. there is plenty of opportunity for integration with other subject areas particularly geography, history and maths from learning about longitude and finding the longitude of your school, to researching how people told the time in the past and the measuring and calculating of angles for the gnomon.
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To engage primary school children in constructing a sundial to investigate time, I would start by sparking their curiosity with a simple question: “How do you think people told time before clocks were invented?” After some discussion, I would explain the concept of a sundial and how it uses the position of the Sun to tell time.
Next, I would gather the materials we need: a paper plate, a pencil, markers, and a small piece of modeling clay. I’d demonstrate how to mark the centre of the plate and insert the pencil upright using the clay to secure it. I would explain that the pencil, called the gnomon, casts a shadow on the plate, which we will use to tell time.
I would take the students outside and place our sundials in a sunny spot. We would observe the shadow cast and mark the shadow’s position every hour. As we do this, I’d encourage them to notice how the shadow moves and explain why this happens.
Throughout the activity, I’d engage the children with questions about their observations and relate it to the movement of the Earth around the Sun. This hands-on project would make learning about time and Earth’s rotation both fun and educational.
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I think constructing a sundial would be a great idea for to do with the children in a class. I had a senior class last year and I think they would really enjoy this.
Firstly, I would introduce the lesson of sundials by imposing a question on the children about above. I would also organise children into groups and hand out different pictures of sundials. The children in their groups would have to make a prediction on what they were used for and how you would go about this. Any other prior knowledge of sundials is elicited from children when discussing.
When the theory and content of sundials is finished, as a class we will select a ground in the school which would be ideal for sundials. In our school, we have a garden space and a flat area in the middle which would be ideal for construction of the sundial. When suitable place is selected, we will then look at what material we will use to construct our sundial so it is durable. We will then consider the best way to start and mark our sundial. We could start at 9am and consider using a line of stones maybe to mark the shadow the sun is creating. As a class, we could set a timer to every hour and come out and check the sundial and again we will follow the lines that the shadow is making. We will consider to do this a number of times during the day and then check our results.
When finished this activity, we could do a summary of what we have learnt and reflect on what we could to better the next time.
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Hi David,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course.
I really like the opening prompt you suggest for this activity. Sundials, particularly the ones from medieval times, are not easy to identify and can differ significantly, from some marks on a windowsill, to upright versions of monastic dials. It will certainly get your students curious about what they are.
I can see you are following steps from the Curious Minds framework, as you mention reflecting on what can be done better. This is such an important step for any STEM activity, fostering a reflective, solution-focused mindset.
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How I would create a sundial with a primary school class:
Get a straight stick or rod, flat board or cardboard, a compass, a ruler, protractor and permanent markers. Choose a sunny location where the sundial will not be obstructed by shadows. Ensure the location is safe and accessible for students. Attach the stick upright in the middle of the flat board. This stick will cast the shadow. Use your compass to find true north. Showing this and explaining to any kids who may be unsure. Align the base so the stick points towards the north where the compass has shown.
Starting in the morning, mark the tip of the shadow every hour with a permanent marker, noting the time beside each mark. Continue marking at regular intervals throughout the day, preferably from the start of the school day to when the kids to finish school. Explain how the shadow moves with the sun and how ancient civilizations used sundials to tell time. When finished, encourage the students to observe the sundial regularly and compare the times with their watches.
I think kids would really enjoy this and it would be perfect to integrate across other curricular areas such as art, maths, history.
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I would begin the lesson by using a trigger to demonstrate the earth orbiting the sun and how this predicts day and night as well as the seasons. The Paxi video could be used for the younger classes to demonstrate day and night as well as an explanation for the seasons. A more suitable video could be used as a trigger for the older classes. I would use spaceweek,ie to obtain the template for my sundial and explain to the children how this works. I would get predictions before we engage in this experiment and get a group discussion going on what knowledge we want to obtain. A KWL could be used at the beginning of the lesson to gather this information. I would explain why we chose the position for the sundial and the science behind it. I would integrate this lesson with history and explain that Egyptians used to use this to tell the time before the use of clocks. It could also be integrated with maths when doing time. Art lessons based on the theme of the sun could also be done. Once the sundial is placed on the yard, we could do hourly check ups on it and record our predictions. For homework, the children could make a sundial for their backyard/green /balcony and see if it works at home also. I feel this would be a great experiment for the children and that they’d have lots of fun doing it.
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Hi Marie,
Thank you for your post, and welcome to the course! I can see you have put considerable thought into how you would run this activity with your learners and the considerable opportunities for cross-curricular links.
Speaking of history, here in Ireland, we still have some sundials from medieval times that have stood the test of time! Here is a link with some examples from across the country: Sundials in Ireland (sundials-ireland.com)I think your learners will certainly enjoy the opportunity to take ancient technology and use it to tell the time at home. It is a really accessible activity with so few materials required- the most difficult part is probably getting a bit of sunshine!
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Module 1 : Assignment 3
To help students observe and record the sun’s position during sunrise, midday, and sunset, start by explaining the significance of the sun’s movement. Equip them with notebooks, compasses, rulers, protractors, and optionally, cameras or smartphones. Create a schedule for observations, ensuring it fits within school hours, and choose a fixed, safe location for consistent observations.
For sunrise and sunset, students should note the direction and exact time using compasses. During midday, they will measure the sun’s angle of elevation. Students will document their observations by drawing the sun’s position relative to landmarks, noting the time, date, direction, and angle of elevation.
Encourage the use of technology, such as taking photos and using sun position apps for comparison. At the end of the observation period, students compile their data into charts and graphs and participate in class discussions to analyse their findings, reflect on observed patterns, and form hypotheses about future changes in the sun’s path. -
Listons (2018) paper which unravels stem beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics was food for thought. She explains extremely well what stem actually is and also what it isn’t! She proposes that STEM should comprise of the following characteristics: removing traditional barriers separating the four disciplines of science technology engineering and math (Vasquez, Comer, Sneider 2013), allow for innovation and critical thinking (Jolly, 2017) integrate real-world rigorous and relevant learning experiences for students (Vasquez, Comer and Sneider 2013) inspire creativity problem solving inquisitive thinking and teamwork (Roberts, 2012) integrate and apply a deeper level knowledge and understanding of mathematics and science to create technologies and solutions for real world problems using engineering design approach (Jolly, 2017).
Until I read this earlier, I wasn’t 100% sure what STEM actually looked like and how it worked best! The creation of a sundial would tick all the above boxes (if there were boxes!). We are looking at innovation, problem solving, inquisitive thinking, teamwork, creativity, knowledge and understanding of maths and science to figure out how a sundial works, where is best to place it and why, construct your sundial having decided on best materials to use, monitor your sundial and log your findings and present same to your classmates/ other teams. Along with STEM you also have some ‘comhtháthú’ with geography, history, English and visual arts and more along with lots of fun, hopefully!-
Hi Katie
Welcome to the course. I’m glad that Maeve Liston’s paper has given you some clarity on what STEM actually means and how full integration of the elements of STEM and the skills such as critical thinking, creativity and collaboration can be of real benefit to pupils and teachers. Throughout the modules of this course and using the Curious Minds and ESERO resources we are giving examples of how to put these ideas into practice in the classroom. You have already outlined how designing and making a sundial can be a fully rounded STEM activity and I hope you find many more examples throughout the course that will provide inspiration for your own STEM classroom.
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Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
My school has a large, fenced-off percolation area near our school yard, which is an ideal location for this activity due to its elevation and direct sunlight from dawn until dusk.
To kick off the activity, I would show the students a video about life in medieval times (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVMvl05hCrI focusing on children’s lives in the Middle Ages). This would serve as a starting point for discussing questions like, “How did he know it was time to get up? How did he know it was time for his Heraldry lesson?” leading into the need for telling time and how it was done before mechanical clocks.
Once the concept of sundials has been introduced, I would get the children to do their own research and gather suitable materials to construct sundials in small groups. The activity could then be conducted outdoors. We could then log our results and repeat the activity six months later, comparing the new results to understand why our days get longer or shorter throughout the year.-
Hi Louise
That’s a nice short video clip that could be used as a prompt for lots of lessons and I like how you have introduced it as a prompt for discussion around how we tell the time and the project of designing and making a sundial. Researching sundials for themselves is a great way for the children to take ownership of their projects and could result in a good variety of materials and designs in the class sundials, depending on where children got their inspiration. Using the sundials at different times of the year is a nice way to talk about the seasons and show how the hours of daylight vary throughout the year which could itself be a prompt for lessons on day, night and the seasons.
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The aim of this is to enable students to observe and record the positions of the sun during sunrise, midday, and sunset, enhancing their understanding of the sun’s daily path. To begin the experiment the teacher should explain the sun’s movement across the sky. Discuss why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Introduce concepts like compass directions and the idea of recording observations. At the beginning of the school day take students outside with their compasses. Instruct them to find the direction of the sunrise and mark the sun’s position on their worksheets. At midday repeat this process and repeat the process at the end of the school day around 2:30 pm. At home students observe the sunset, noting the time and position. Parents can help ensure safety. The children should conduct these observations daily for a week. Encourage students to use colored pencils for different days to distinguish changes. At the end of the week compare the observations from different days. Discuss why the sun’s position changes and how this relates to the earth’s rotation.
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Create a sundial in our back yard at school.
First, I would choose a sunny, open space free from obstructions like trees or buildings that could cast shadows on the sundial. We have a open space on our back yard that is free from any obstacles. I would make sure the ground is level and accessible to allow easy viewing.
Next, I would gather the following materials. I would obtain a flat base (such as a wooden or metal plate) for the sundial face and use a sturdy stick or rod as the gnomon (the part that casts the shadow). Then, I would use a compass to find true north. Alternatively, the shadow from a vertical stick at solar noon points north in the Northern Hemisphere.
Then I would position the gnomon in the centre of the base, angled equal to my local latitude and mark the hourly lines, starting with noon, using the gnomon’s shadow as a guide.
Next, I would secure the sundial in place, ensuring the gnomon remains aligned with true north.
Finally, I would get the children to add decorative elements explaining how to read the sundial and its historical significance. I could integrate the sundial into the curriculum by using it for lessons on time, history and science and all of the classes in the school could visit it at some point. -
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Gravity and Weight-assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet
Initially to engage the children I would ask them to drop various objects and observe what happens. Ask trigger questions, e.g. What makes the objects fall in this direction, Do heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones?
We would then brainstorm as a group and use our prior learning to conclude that gravity is the reason objects fall towards earth.
I would then continue by showing the class videos of astronauts on the moon….in groups the children will discuss what they think about gravity on the moon and what would happen if they dropped their objects there and why.
I would then continue to explain that there are different gravitational forces in the planets and we are going to explore what that would feel like.
Equipment Needed
One full Pringles tube/one empty Pringles tube for each pair
Rice
Scales
Tape
Labels
Markers and paper to decorateMethod
Children work in pairs and each pair is assigned earth and another planet
Each pair will fill their empty tube with the mass of rice indicated on the table provided by the teacher and seal the lid.
The pair decorate their tubes to represent their planet and add interesting facts about their planet to it.
Children predict which tube they think will be the lightest.
Children then lift the various tubes to feel how heavy it would feel on different planets, comparing and contrasting.
In groups of 4 the children would then discuss their findings, discuss how their original objects might fall on different planets and represent their data on a chart.
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Hi Breda,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course.
You have put together an excellent plan for making this activity fun, accessible and interactive for your learners, and I can see it is aligned with the Curious Minds Framework for Inquiry, opening with a prompt, etc.
I like how you planned to have the learners work in teams to discuss their findings and will get them to present them on a chart. It could be a great showcase opportunity to bring to other classes or even a school science fair. It’s a perfect activity for Space Week, October 4-10.
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Observing and Recording the Sun’s Positions
In this lesson students will learn to observe and record the positions of the sun at sunrise, sunset and at various times of the day to understand its movement.
Students will need:
Notebooks or observation journals, pencils and coloured markers, compasses (to determine direction), clocks ot watches, large protractor (optional for measuring angles), digital cameras or tablets (optional for taking photos)
Begin with a class discussion about the sun, ask students what they already know about the suns movement.
Explain that the sun appears to move across the sky during the day because of the Earth’s rotation.
Tell the students that today they will be working as scientists, observing and recording the sun’s positioning at different times to understand its daily path.
Activity 1:
Home assignment: Ask students to observe the sunrise and sunset from their homes for a week.
Have students find a spot with a clear view of the eastern horizon.They should note the exact time and position on the horizon where the sun rises. Similarly, they should find a spot with a clear view of the western horizon, noting the time and position where the sun sets.
Students should draw the horizon line in their notebooks and mark the sun’s position each day, noting any changes over the week.
Activity 2: Observing the Sun During the Day (School Grounds):
1. Morning Observation (9:00 AM) Go outside to a designated open area.
Use a compass to determine the direction. – Record the sun’s position in the sky. Draw a simple sketch showing the position relative to the surroundings. – Note the time and direction (e.g., southeast).
2 Midday Observation (12:00 PM) Repeat the same steps as the morning observation. – Students should compare the sun’s position to their earlier observation.
3 Afternoon Observation (3:00 PM) Conduct a final observation following the same procedure. – Record and sketch the sun’s position.
Activity 3: Analysing Observations
1. Class Discussion
Have students share their observations. Discuss any patterns they notice. – Explain why the sun appears to move across the sky from east to west.
2. Compare Sunrise and Sunset. Discuss how the positions of sunrise and sunset change over the week.
3. Explain how this is due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis and its orbit around the sun.
Activity 4: Creating a Sun Path Chart. On a large sheet of paper, students will create a chart showing the sun’s path throughout the day. – Use different colours to mark the positions at different times. – Label each position with the time and direction.
Ask students to write a short paragraph about what they learned from their observations.-
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Hi Orla
I love the idea of getting the children to observe the position of the sun at sunrise and sunset at home for a week before observing it in school at specific times. This gives the children a chance to discuss what they have observed themselves before investigating further in class. You might want to do a little research on sunrise and sunset times before the assignment as determining the exact time of sunrise and sunset from observation is very difficult. By looking up sunrise and sunset times for the week in their area, the children will know when they need to go outside to observe. The Paxi video https://www.esa.int/kids/en/Multimedia/Paxi_animations/English/Day_night_and_the_seasons would be a nice addition to this activity as would the ESERO resource https://esero.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/PR45_One_year_on_Earth.pdf
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For my class I will create a sundial using paper plates.
Paper Plate or circle of cardboard
Crayons/Markers/Pencil Crayons
Scissors Sand / sand paper
PlaydoughDrinking Straw or pencil
torch ( if experimenting inside)
First poke a hole through the center of the plate.
Write the number 12 at the top of the plate with a marker.
Using a ruler, draw a faint, straight line from the number 12 to the bottom center of the plate and write the number 6.
Continue writing numbers around the plate similar to the face of a clock.
For visual impairment ( glue sand / sand paper to the shape of the numbers)
Take your plate and straw outside around and poke the straw or pencil through the center hole. Use playdough under the plate to secure the straw from falling down.
Now, turn the plate so the shadow of the straw runs along the line to the number ( for time of day it is now)
Secure the plate to the ground using a few small rocks to weight it down. Check back in an hour to see if your shadow has moved.
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I would look at constructing a Sundial with the class . I just completed a year with 3rd class and I feel this would have been a valuable activity we could have used. One of the topics we explored was light, how it travels and how shadows were created. This would have been a great opportunity to also explore the sundials and integrate the topic more meaningfully with the suns positions, time and night and day. The trigger used could be an image of a sundial or a trip to a sundial (there’s one in a park close to us).
I particularly like the activity of tracing the shadows with chalk outside and repeating a few times during the day to see the changes ( and prehaps write the time beside them of when they were drawn)
Students can also be encouraged to create their own sundials in small groups using a variety of materials and a planning frame.
Also drawing the position of the sun at different times of the day (morning in line, small break, big break and Home time) in an S.E.S.E. journal and looking at the position in the sky while drawing our shadows. -
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I think a lesson on observing the seasons could be very interesting to see how aware kids are of the changing seasons around them. I often think their concept of time and dates can be very abstract and noting physical change each year could be an interesting class discussion.
They could do a survey on the class to see how they think duration of daytime varies over the seasons. They could also ask peoples opinions on the variation in times of sunrise ands sunset.
Aspect of sunrise and sunset is another concept I think many students wouldn’t pay much heed to so could also be an interesting survey and discussion.
A sundial or just even noting the different position of the sun through out the day would also be an interesting class discussion and how you could tell what time of day it is without using a clock or watch.
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Hi Brian,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course. You make a good point about the abstract nature of time. By reflecting on the cyclical nature of the seasons, it will certainly give rise to interesting insights, and questions like how to tell the time without a watch are great prompts to get started into this activity.
I like your idea of doing a survey. To add to their ICT skills it could be designed and completed on Survey Monkey if you are dealing with senior students.
A sundial is a great way to engage further with this topic, with accessible materials and the good fortune of a sunny day! It does not take too long to make; even monitoring twice or three times in one day is adequate to give learners an understanding of this rudimentary technology.
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To help my third-class students understand how the sun moves across the sky, we’d start with a fun and simple activity. We’d create a “Sun Tracker” using a large piece of paper and some basic materials like pencils, rulers, and a compass.
First, we’d talk about how the sun rises in the east, moves across the sky, and sets in the west. Then, I’d set up the activity by marking out times for us to check the sun’s position, like 9 AM, noon, and 3 PM. Students would use the compass to find the direction of the sun and make marks on our paper or playground, drawing a line to show where the sun is at each time.
We’d repeat this over several days, and students would see how the sun’s position changes. They could draw pictures to show what they observe and discuss how this might be different in different seasons. This activity helps them connect with real-world patterns and makes learning about the sun engaging and meaningful.
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Construct a Sundial
After exploring the school grounds and discussing the places with the least or no shadow throughout the day children will choose a place to build a sundial. They should also predict shadow at various times of the year, to ensure the sustainability of their sundial for a whole school year.
Using the new patio area as a predicted prime location, children will place a slalom pole as a marker to create shadow on the tiles.
One child will place themselves on the tile at the end of the pole’s shadow. Each hour another child will take their place on a new tile, according to the shadow, while the previous children return themselves to the tile they had been on.
Each tile will then mark the hour throughout the school day. Over the course of a week children will arrange themselves on the same tiles to check if the shadow is consistent.
Tying a ribbon from the slalom pole and holding it to the end of each shadow, children can measure the distance of the shadow using metric units. One child will record the measurements each day for a week using Google Sheets and create a graph to present a pattern, if any. Choosing a week in each month children will carry out the experiment to see if there are any changes in the shadows. Using the ribbon again, measurements will be taken, recorded and graphed.
Children could build their own sundial at home, and monitor it in the evening hours.In early Summer, they can take their learning to the ‘Next Step’ revisiting the sundial and the records taken throughout the course of the year, children can then discuss how sundials have been used throughout the course of time in relation to farming. They could, as a class, design a farm and a schedule to best facilitate a farmer’s time including livestock and crop management.
Schedule should also include feeding, milking, shearing, planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and at what times of the day and year these may change, and possible costs that might arise.
To facilitate differentiation, further cross curricular engagement and areas of personal interest, children should try and incorporate diversity on the farm to enhance sustainability and biodiversity, eg. wild areas, wet area, bee hives, herb and salad gardens, a variety of animals with particular purpose.
Reference could also be made to the sale price of products at various times of the year, and problem solve carbon footprint issues relating to import food products.-
Hi Eithne
That sounds like a great project on the sundial with lots of opportunities for both research and practical learning. I like the idea of the children making sundials at home to check in the afternoon and at weekends. Adding the ribbon to your sundial to measure the length of the shadow both in the first week and then periodically throughout the school year is a great idea and recording the data and graphing it are great ways of integrating technology and maths. I love how you have then integrated the sundial into a project on farming incorporating not only the timing of the farm day but issues around biodiversity, climate change and sustainable food production.
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Construct a sundial- I would plan this activity in advance with my class by going on a trip to visit a sundial in our area, maybe the sundial in Coole Park. This would stimulate the children’s interest and curiosity. Back at school we would research a sunny spot which receives sunlight all day and is not obscured by trees or buildings. We would first construct the model of the sundial with the upturned flower pot and the bamboo stick. Children would be sent out in pairs during the school day to mark the shadow with chalk and a rock. Maybe children who live near the school could mark the shadows before and after school when the school is closed. We would then paint the lines with yard paint to make the sun dial a permanent fixture. I would also construct the card sun dials with the children that were demonstrated as it is a good way of introducing the compass points and initiating a discussion on daylight savings.
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Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day”
I would start with a discussion about the sun movements, and what the students know about day/night and the suns movements, as well as the suns relationship to shadows. I would then explain and assign different coloured chalk for different times of the day (e.g., red for 9 am, blue for 12 noon, and green for 2:30 pm). The students would predict what they think will happen, how will the yard look by 2:30pm etc.
The class will then go outside to a spacious, sunny area and mark their standing spots. At 9 am, have students pair up and trace each other’s shadows with red chalk, noting the time next to the tracing. Repeat this process at 12 noon with blue chalk and at 2:30 pm with green chalk. The students could take a photo using their Chrombooks to document each shadow for future display and analysis about the lesson. After the final tracing, the students will discuss and compare their lengths and directions, helping students understand the sun’s movement. The lesson could be integrated into maths with measuring the shadows or literacy with creative shadow stories. -
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2.Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed.
I would firstly refer to the ESERO Lesson on Use the sun.
Introduction: Ask the children if they know how we told the time before clocks were invented? Is there a large area in the school where there is sun for most of the day?
Luckily in my school there is a large playing pitch.I would explain that for a sundial to work that it has to have a shadow with a pointer and this must always point north.
I would use a torch and orange in class to explain that the earth turns on its axis so the position of the sun with regards to the earth is always changing.Construction of the sundial:
Use a compass to find the direction of true north.
Place a large protractor down facing north.
Stick a 1.5m stick in the ground facing north.
A diagram of this is indicated in the ESERO lesson.Development:
The children will note where the shadow of the stick falls. They will place a rock at this point each time. They are encouraged to write a number on each rock to indicate the hour time.Conclusion:
The children will be asked to not the time. How much time has passed etc.-
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!
I can see you have put thought into running this activity in your school and are fortunate to have a suitable location to create your sundial. The orange and torch are a great way to demonstrate how the sun’s position relative to the Earth changes throughout the day and provide learners with a meaningful demonstration of what is happening on a much larger scale.
This activity is rich in mathematical concepts, such as angles and the use of a protractor. It’s great to see how it can be adapted to include more challenges for senior learners, making it a versatile project. For instance, you could explore the accuracy of the sundial compared to a regular watch, or the average difference between them.
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Night and Day
I would begin with a trigger for this lesson. I would provide a world clock on the board with different time zones (link to Mathematics curriculum) that depict various times of the day and night. The children will be provided with a world map and they will match the time zone with the country. I would ask the children to look at the countries and depict whether it is night or day at that time. This will help the children to understand that at any given time it is night in some countries when it is day in other countries. I would chose the countries very carefully for this activity. The children will then come up with possible reasons why this is the case. I will put all of the possible reasons on the board using a whole class concept map and will help to see any common misconceptions that the children have about night and day.
The children will also come up with possible questions that they may have in groups and we will write them on the board.
Using the useful materials as outlined in the videos provided, I would turn off the lights in the classroom and get a classroom globe. One child will point a flashlight towards one part of the globe. The children will observe the countries that receive the most amount of light. The children will observe as the globe is rotated (turning on its asis) and will take note of the changes and how this relates to the initial photo stimulus of the various time zones all over the world. This will be an important visual description to see what the earth is doing in space (turning on its axis) to depict day and night all over the world. It shows how the earth blocks the some countries from reaching the sun which creates night.
The children will go back to the initial questions that they had before completing the activity and come up with answers for their questions based on the visual representations. This will inform the inquiry based learning process that is highlighted in the very useful Curious Minds / ESRO framework for inquiry in action.
I would then use the useful Paxi day and night video or a similar video to further develop the visual representation required to explain day and night https://youtu.be/MtRzy2TJAOQ?si=nepDR4zWFVbyz1UQ
This lesson can be extended to further develop the children understanding of seasons and the amount of daytime that we get during different seasons of the year and the reasons for this.
Many of the activities that have been outlined in Module 1 can be interlinked to help children to make sense of the earth’s rotation. These lesson’s would best suit older classes but can be adapted to suit the learning needs of younger children in a more age appropriate way.
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I will be addressing the option of planning how my 5th and 6th class students could observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day. This time last year I completed the course Discover Climate & Space with ESERO and it prompted me to start a climate log in the classroom for the first half term of the academic year. The children had a log book and a notice board and they recorded cloud type, rainfall, temperature and wind speed every school day for the month of September. They then spent October analysing, graphing the results and predicting weather based on their September observations. It was a hugely popular project which all of the children thoroughly enjoyed. I would love to take this prior learning and do a sun log this year with the children observing, logging, analysing and predicting sunrise and sunset data as well as sun positions throughout the day. The wonderful thing about this topic is that it also lends itself so readily to other curricular areas allowing for great integration such as for example The Planets by Holst and The Star Wars Suite by Williams in music. Art could entail painting sunrises and sunsets or constructing solar system models. Maths is a very easily integrated subject as we would be engaging with the data and averages concepts also.
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Hi Niamh, the project you completed with your class sounds very interesting and I would say that the children learned a lot form it. I have younger classes next year, but I could do a simplified version of this using pictographs and photos and drawings.
I also really liked your idea of integrating sunrise and sunset data with ‘The Star Wars Suite’ and painting. I think that it’s sometimes easy to forget that SESE can be integrated with the arts.
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Constructing a Sun Dial:
I think this stood out the most in Module 1. Some children may have seen one before. We live an hour from Coole Park and they have a gorgeous one and I have seen this some years ago.
But it’s such a good lesson for a cross-curricular approach. You can involve art/science/geography/maths/ language/ history here.
I think I would tackle the two types I saw here, the make and do one outside with the pot and stick and chalk. There is ample room in our yard. It would also allow kids to interact with other classes on yard as our yards rotate daily. But also on a rainy winters day we could make the small cardboard one inside and test it when we can, Students here would make this by following instructions and it has quite a mathematical and language heavy content so a challenge for my age group. Collaboration would occur naturally but I will aim for everyone to have one each.
Id also do a search online for place that have them in Ireland so the students could visit perhaps at a weekend and teach their parents etc.
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Francis and Danielle showed how to make a sundial. Using the sun and the shadows it casts to tell the time. A fantastic way to connect the children to the universe and “how shadows are formed”. This is a great hands-on way to demonstrate to children that light comes from the sun. I have senior infants in September and I think this will be a really great activity that I can use with them in conjunction with and older class that can act as the leaders of the project. I love the way that you introduce the concept by tracing shadows in chalk and observe how this will change over the day. We have an extensive yard at our school and I know that we already have a defined circle drawn in the middle of our yard which I hope is in the sun all day. The only barrier I might face is that the kids go home at 1:20pm so I think the link to the instructions on spaceweek.ie on how to make your own sundial out of cardboard will be a great activity I can send home the printed out template for parents to make with their children and then they can use our Class Dojo app to share their results with the class.
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I really like the idea of making the home/school link to explore making a sundial at home. This will also facilitate discussions between children and their parents and prompt them to hopefully use specific vocabulary that is being used in class. Home/school links allow parents to also get a better understanding of what is being done in school!
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Hi James
That sounds like a lovely lesson for your senior infants class using the yard to draw chalk shadows and the existing circle to demonstrate how the sundial works during the time that they are in school. Partnering with an older class is a great idea too to help the children with carrying out and understanding the tasks. I love the idea of the children making their own sundials at home with parents so they can track the progress of the sun over a longer time such as when they are at home at the weekend and I’m sure they will enjoy sharing their results on the Class Dojo.
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Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner.
I have chosen this activity to focus on as I think it is one which really allows for great discussion, hypothesising and integration with the maths topic of weight and also oral language development. I would firstly divide the class into groups of three to allow all children to experience hands on time as well as facilitate discussion within a small group setting. I would have sample tubes that were not labelled and ask the class as a whole to sequence the tubes in the order of the planets this will be prior to their researching information and finding out the exact weights etc. The children will focus on the language of prediction and trying to justify choices. Also it will develop justification skills in relation to oral language and clarifying their opinions and ideas.
Children will then build their own tubes and we will research the weight and then sequence them in the correct order. We will then loop back to check if our predictions were right/wrong and if so how can we correct the order. -
From reading ‘Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.’, I feel that my classroom’s STEM education is on the right track.
I have a multi-grade class (Junior infants- 2nd class) and a lot of my STEM education happens through play, discovery and problem solving, which Dr.Liston mentions as important building blocks of STEM education.I have chosen ‘One Year on Earth– Understanding the Seasons Resource (ESA)’ to discuss on this forum. I would engage the children in this lesson by presenting the photo of the trees as they go through the different seasons. I would ask the children to describe how the trees have changed and also why they think they have changed. I would ask them when they might see the various trees. As an end to the lesson, I would get the children to divide a piece of paper into four using a ruler, and get them to draw the 4 seasons in order and the different things that happen in the seasons.
The next lesson in this series might be a bit difficult for my class, so I would end this first lesson by demonstrating the 3 ways that the earth moves around the sun. I would use 2 balls (one being the sun and one being the earth) to demonstrate the 3 different ways, focusing on how the earth tilts for the seasons to happen.
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I think constructing a sundial would be a great idea for to do with the children in a class. I had a senior class last year and I think they would really enjoy this.
Firstly, I would introduce the lesson of sundials by imposing a question on the children about the new concept.
When the theory and content of sundials is finished, as a class we will select a ground in the school which would be ideal for sundials. Give children their choice to pick their location of the sundials. When suitable place is selected, we will then look at what material we will use to construct our sundial so it is durable. We will then consider the best way to start and mark our sundial. We could start at 9am and consider using a line of stones maybe to mark the shadow the sun is creating. As a class, we could set a timer to every hour and come out and check the sundial and again we will follow the lines that the shadow is making. We will consider to do this a number of times during the day and then check our results.
When finished this activity, we could do a summary of what we have learnt and reflect on what we could to better the next time
I am back teaching the Junior end next year and I would really look into doing this activity again and differentiating it to a way that suits. -
From module 1 – Our Earth in space, I have chosen “ESERO 30 day and night in the world”
For this activity I have chosen for students to begin by discussing how different parts of the world experience day and night at the same time due to the Earth’s rotation. by using maps and interactive tools to show students the concept of a time zone and how they affect daylight hours globally.
I would then get students to create a “Virtual travel journal” where students would get to use their imaginations and imagine they are traveling around the world experiencing different day and night cycles. They can write about the activities they would do during night and day time in different locations. not only would they get to explore and research different day and night cycles but also how these cycles impact different cultures, wildlife, and daily activities world wide.
As I work in a school that is multi cultural this activity would work well with my students as they all come from all over the world and would help students by discussing their culture with each other and also build on social and friendship building skills.
Once students are finished with their “virtual travel journal” they will then present to their peers! I think, by incorporating discussions, hands on activities and global perspectives, students can gain a deeper understanding of day and night in the world.
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Hi Niamh,
I love the idea of the virtual travel journal. I think it would really engage the children. They love to imagine the places they will visit! My own school is multicultural and it would be great to show where grandparents etc are living in the day/night cycle. Presenting to peers gives lots of different perspectives. Thanks!
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Hi Nicole
I love your virtual travel journal idea. It is a great way to combine literacy with geography and STEM as the children have to research the different countries, use online maps and tools to explore time zones and use their own imaginations in their creative writing. You could perhaps assign different regions of the world to different students or allow them to pick from a list of countries so that a larger number of countries and timezones are represented, and they can share their work and learn from each other.
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Sun dial construction:
Building a sun-dial would be a highly engaging STEAM activity for almost any class in our school. This project offers extensive curricular integration, including History, Geography, Maths and the core elements of STEAM.
We have a flat, open area next to the yard which would be ideal for the sun-dial. The first activity for the senior class would be to research the pros and cons of using this area. The children would also need to consider the material requirements, ensuring the sun-dial is sturdy enough to withstand wind and durable enough to endure the various weather conditions.
Once installed, students could take hourly measurements during school hours and mark the positions indicated by the sun-dial. This project would be valuable to revisit at different times of the year, allowing students to observe how the sun-dial is affected by the sun’s angle and position during various seasons.-
Hi Niamh,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!
I am delighted to see that you have a suitable area for this and have plans that ensure this is a leaner-led activity-from discussing the pros and cons of the location to material choices and observations.It’s great to see that you plan to extend this activity by revisiting it throughout the year, and it could be interesting to align this with an hour change, giving rise to discussions about why there is a change in the hour and while this update happens automatically for our modern devices, it has no impact on the sundial. How will they need to adjust it when this happens?
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Hi Nicole,
Your ESERO 30 day and night in the world activity is great. I really like how you it is relevant to all children in the class and gives them an opportunity to share information about their home country. Presenting the results to the class also is a good way to incorporate various aspects of the New Language Curriculum.
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Creating a sundial in class is an engaging way to teach students about time, shadows, and the Earth’s rotation.
Before we would begin I think it is important to talk about sundials with the class and ensure they know how one works. Next we could research modern and historical sundials, watch some online videos demonstrating sundial construction and perhaps take a trip to the local library for books on sun and timekeeping and examine common features with sundials.
Through this exploration the children should realise that when selecting the best location for a sundial, we should consider a spot that receives ample sunlight throughout the day, ideally from sunrise to sunset. It is best to avoid shaded areas caused by trees, buildings, or other obstructions. The ground should be level to ensure accurate readings. We should choose a place where the sundial can be easily viewed and appreciated. It’s also beneficial to position it in a space that highlights its aesthetic appeal. Additionally, we should ensure the sundial is oriented correctly, aligning its gnomon (the part that casts a shadow) with true north for precise timekeeping.
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Hi Emma,
I love the research aspect of your lesson engagement. I know that in our school, the students love using the ipads, finding pictures and locating icons on google maps. You could follow up this task with, where in the students’ homes would get the best sundial results or a ‘county council’ designing sundials for the locality task.
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I think the third task of “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day” would be a fantastic task to explore that the children have exposure to almost daily, (weather dependent of course), but have probably never given too much thought to investigate.
Firstly, I would engage the children with a prediction cold task of having a wide-lens picture or outline of the school and sky from the gate. The children would have to put 3 suns in the picture; the sun when they entered school this morning, the sun when they have their outdoor play (circa midday) and when they leave school for home. Children discuss reasons for their guesses. With our school’s ipads, I would get a few focus groups to set up hyperlapses of the sky to run through the school day. Other groups would be given compasses and could set up hyperlapses of the sun from their choice of directions. When the data is collected, they could be compared to their cold-task predictions and compared with different groups to compare and contrast the positions of the sun, depending on their directions. -
Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner
This lesson really appealed to me for a number of reasons.
Firstly, I teach a 3rd and 4th class split so any lesson that’s integrates more than one subject is great as it can be challenging to cover the curriculum otherwise. This lesson links art, maths (weight) and science,
This activity is very suitable for the age group I teach and I feel they would be able to carry out the activity well in small groups.
The weight tubes are a great concrete method of explaining an abstract concept of weight/ mass and their differences and also the differences with other planets.
I like the idea that at the end of the lesson I can display the tubes in the classroom for the children to handle and explore over time.
I think this type of weighing lesson (weighing the sand or rice) with a purpose is great for this age level and more relevant than only weighing a variety of objects as we would usually do for maths.
Overall, I feel it is a lesson I will do with my class in the upcoming year, they will enjoy it and learn from it. Because so many skills and areas of the curriculum are explored, I feel every child will enjoy the lesson and experience success.
Of course the fact that will have to collect crisp tubes will also appeal greatly! -
I hope to construct a sundial in my school grounds in the coming year. I will be teaching 5th and 6th and I’m sure they will enjoy helping decide where to place it. I will encourage them to think about placement and consider other shadows, windy /sheltered spots & materials that will withstand the weather. We are lucky to have plenty of space around our school and a very large yard so I don’t think finding a suitable spot will be anyway difficult. It would be nice to involve the younger classes too and perhaps the older children can demonstrate how to use it at break times if we were to construct it on the yard. It would be interesting for the children to observe it each break time over several weeks and compare the placing of the shadow each day. My 5th 6th could of course check it at different times if the day and mark with stones where the shadow lies. We have plenty of pots and bamboo sticks so I might begin by getting them to construct a temporary one like the one in the video. Then I would encourage them to think about best materials for a more long term sundial. They could paint on stones and mark out the shadows each hour.
This is such a lovely fun activity and I feel it will naturally integrate history as we explore the importance of the sun in keeping track of time in the past (ancient civilisations, newgrange etc), geography (shadows), art (using shadows in paintings) and maths (recording, measuring etc).
What I also like is that the children will be using the school environment to it’s full potential, getting outside, getting actively involved in a hands on activity and working together to explore an interesting and engaging topic.
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Hi Lisa,
Thanks for your post. It sounds like your learners will enjoy this learner-led experience, with autonomy to explore and decide where the sundial should go. Of course, if and when things go wrong, this is all part of the learning and an opportunity for learners to develop their problem-solving skills to address issues that arise.
I couldn’t agree with you more about making full use of school facilities. As a site with plenty of space and a large yard, it’s great to have a reason like this to go out and engage with this activity. Fingers crossed for a sunny September ahead for conducting this activity with your 5th and 6th class learners!
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For the “Animals in the Night” activity in a Senior Infants classroom, begin by gathering the children to sit in a circle. Place photographs of both diurnal and nocturnal animals in the center. Initiate a discussion by asking the children if they think animals sleep at night just like people, and which animals might not. Engage them by exploring when these animals are awake. Gradually remove the photographs of diurnal animals, shifting the focus to the nocturnal ones. Use the images of a bat, an owl, a hedgehog, a fox, and a badger to discuss how nocturnal animals can be recognized by their larger eyes and other adaptations that help them live in the dark. Highlight that these features enable them to see and function better at night.
To extend the learning experience, take the children for a walk in Killarney National Park, which is close to the school. Investigate how the lights from the town and traffic noise might impact the animals living there. Engage with the wildlife rangers in the park to provide the children with expert insights into the local nocturnal animals and the effects of human activity on their habitats. Through this interactive activity and field trip, children will learn to identify the unique characteristics of nocturnal animals and understand the concept of day and night in the natural world, while also gaining awareness of environmental impacts on wildlife.
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Hi Catherine,
Thanks for your post and welcome to the course. What a wonderful resource to have on your doorstep, the beautiful and biodiverse Killarney National Park. Your learners will gain a lot through engaging with the park’s wildlife rangers and participation on a field trip.
I like how your plan simply and effectively joins the dots by discussing human and animal behaviour, adaptive features, and the negative impact of artificial light on their lives. Your senior infant learners will begin to understand the problems of light pollution, which is relatively easy to solve, and I think this needs to be the focus. With some simple changes, we can make much less of an impact with lighting.
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Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day”
Objective: Students will observe and record the positions of the sun at various times of the day, specifically focusing on sunrise, sunset, and its position during school hours.
Engage:
Brainstorm the importance of the sun in our daily lives and how its position changes throughout the day and year.
Investigate-Daily Observations:
Three times per day (Morning, Noon, and Afternoon). Students will go outside to a designated observation spot with their notebooks and markers to record the sun’s position. The students will draw the position of the sun on their observation sheet and note the direction using the compass. They will also note the time of the observation.
Morning Observation: Between 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Noon Observation: Around 12:00 PM
Afternoon Observation: Between 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Sunrise and Sunset Observation:
Homework: Students will observe the sunrise and sunset at home with their parents’ help. They will note the time and position of the sun when it rises and sets. Optionally, take a photo. They will write down the time and direction (using the compass) in their notebooks.
Sharing: Interpreting the data / results:
-Discuss the changes in the sun’s position observed throughout the week.
-Compare different days and see if there are any noticeable patterns.
-Students will create a large chart in the classroom where they can mark the sun’s position observed throughout the week.
Assessment:
Observation Sheets: check the engagement and accuracy of the observation sheets.
Class Participation: engagement during discussions and activities.
Take the next step:
Discuss how the sun’s path changes over time and why it is important to understand its movement and its implications on their daily lives. -
2. Construct a Sundial and plan for where it could be placed on the school grounds.
I think the sundial activity definitely integrates well with History, Maths and Art.
With 3rd Class, I would look at the history of telling time and the history of the sundial. Looking at pictures of old sundials and comparing to modern ways of telling the time would be a nice activity.
I would have the children construct a sundial in groups and let them explore and come up with their own design, rather than prescribing them with a way. They could test them and then re-evaluate and adjust their sundials.
I would also set up a bigger, class sundial on a strip of pavement near the prefabs, which would be ideal for it. I think it would also be lovely to have the class show children from younger classes the sundial and explain how it works.
This activity also integrates really well with Time in Maths and is definitely a good way to extend the children’s learning.
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Hi Aisling,
Thanks for your post! The sundial activity is great for subject integration, and I like your plan to show pictures of old sundials. Some of them differ considerably, and there are some great examples across Ireland that have stood the test of time; perhaps if there is one close enough to your school, it could be worth a visit and asking the learners what they think it is. Here’s a link to an interesting article on these: Sundials: telling the time in medieval Ireland (irishheritagenews.ie)It’s a wonderful idea for your learners to present the sundial to younger classes, explain its purpose and how to read it, developing their communication skills.
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1. Gravity/Weight
Module 1 “Our Earth in Space” had lots of useful activities to use in the classroom to help children to understand about day and night, gravity and seasons. I particularly liked the planetary picnic activity where children experience how the force of gravity varies around the solar system by feeling how the weight of a familiar object would change on different planets. Children are always so much more engaged in learning when they are investigating and doing hands-on activities. I would like to try the weight and gravity activities. I would ask the children to come up with ideas on how we could represent gravity on each planet. They could work in groups to plan how they would create their planet and how they would demonstrate the correct level of gravity on their planet. Groups would have to consult with other groups in the class to come up with the best solution to show how gravity affects the different planets. I think the children would really enjoy this activity and it would involve lots of discussion, planning, designing, problem solving,
construction and cooperation. The finished product could be used to demonstrate to younger classes how gravity works.-
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Hi Amy
Welcome to the course and I’m happy that you are getting some good ideas for use in your classroom. I like the way you have placed such emphasis on group work and getting the children to problem solve about ways to represent gravity on the different planets. I’m sure it would be a really enjoyable activity for your class and having the different groups consult to learn from each other is a nice touch.
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I would use the ESERO 30 day and night lesson with my senior class. We would begin by looking at pictures diurnal and nocturnal animals as the trigger. I would also integrate maths and time by looking at world clocks and am/pm with the children. We would discuss why it might be am where we are and pm in Australia. We would create a kwl chart to see whwhat they already know about day and night and some interesting questions they have about day and night. I would then use the ESERO 30 tasks and ask the children to cut out the tasks. We would look at how a child in Europe experiences daytime while a child in Australia is in night and vice versa. Following this I would use the orange activity to show how the sun gives daylight and as the orange(earth) moves the daylight moves to a different part of the earth. The entire time I am doing this I would be encouraging the children to tell me what they see or think is happening.
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Your plan for using the ESERO 30 day and night lesson sounds engaging and educational. Combining visual aids with practical activities, like world clocks and the orange demonstration, will help make abstract concepts more concrete for the students. Encouraging them to share their observations and thoughts throughout the lesson will foster a deeper understanding of how day and night work globally.
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In the paper ‘Unravelling STEM’, there were a couple sentences that really spoke to me:
‘Engineering is the glue that integrates science, mathematics and technology and forces them towards workable solutions.’ For me, this is very encouraging, as in the senior classes, construction, design, hands-on, concrete learning can often be left aside in favour of book/rote learning. Challenging the pupils to solve real-world problems gives them a sense of purpose and also allows for many different answers/solutions‘Technology is anything that is made by human and used to solve a problem.’ A paperclip, a door stop, a biro the wheel – these everyday items become elevated. They had to be thought about, constructed, trialed, etc., but now that we use them everyday, we don’t even give them a thought. This Technology statement, frees the pupils to think small in order to be able to think big. It encourages them to observe, to see needs, to come up with solutions and to keep thinking.
For my assignment, I intend to construct a sundial with my class in the coming year.
I like this activity as it incorporates history, practicality, maths, construction and teamwork.
We have a very small garden that could possibly be used – so after looking at time keeping through the ages and discussing the possibility of an apocalyptic world with no electricity (it’s all over the tv nowadays – earth disasters/zombies etc.) The pupils could group up and look at how and where we could design a sundial in our school.
They would need to ascertain the direction that the garden faces and allow for the trees and walls etc. that will block their shadows (this they will find out through trial and error – I won’t be telling them) or maybe they will decide upon the paper design from the video.
Back in class they will present their ideas to the class who could suggest further ideas or note an issue.
For the next lesson – the pupils will need to work on the nuts and bolts of construction – what do they need? paper? glue? stones? chalk? and what time frame do they need to construct it (allowing for trial and error)
Then they can view each of the other sun dials and as a follow up to their own construction – they could note 2 things that went well for them and 1 thing that they would change the next time. -
Constructing a Sun Dial
This will be an excellent idea for my school.
We have many large open areas that would get the sun all day. This aspect would be brilliant for a Sun Dial as it would high light the path of the sun too. It would also give an excellent opportunity for the older classes to work with the younger classes in constructing and placing the sun dial.
WE would incorporate the construction with many other areas of the curriculum and the older classes can lead and guide the younger classes with their attained skills from over the years. They can consider the materials needed to construct and then the placement of the sundial. I would have made paper sundials before which could be used for each child so they can measure themselves at home.
Obviously they can only measure the sun within school hours but it will give a nice indication of the tracking of the sun over the day and if done at the same times each day.
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I reviewed ESERO 30 Day and Night in the World. I think this is a lovely lesson for my class which really highlights how people in different parts of the world experience day and night at different times.
I would also support the lesson and engage children at the beginning by asking if they have family (cousins, aunts, uncles etc) in other countries, and if they get to speak to them often depending on their location. At least one that I know of in my class for September has family in Australia, so this would be a good example. Using live webcam footage of beaches or cities around the world also gives the opportunity to see for themselves how the different places have different times, with day and night being evident. At the end of the lesson, I would show a world map and ask the children to pick a country or timezone and we can check for webcams and use our knowledge from this lesson to determine if it is day time or night time before we confirm it online. I would incorporate maths skills here too, and see if they could use the lines of longitude to figure out the exact time in the location they chose. -
I really think that making a sundial with children would be a fun and also educational project. It would also integrate very well with maths, art and history. Teaching 5th class I think they would really enjoy the task of finding a good location for the sundial and this in itself would lead to a lot of its own investigation and exploration of ideas.
Areas to focus on with the children would be:
* what a sundial is and how it works.
* how the position of the sun changes throughout the day and how this can be used to tell time.
* Using a compass to find true north.
* Marking the hours – how can we do this and why?
* Using the Sundial and comparing it to a clock
* What can we do to improve our success and accuracy?
I think the children could try to make their own smaller sundials in groups or individually as an art lesson and then move onto creating larger outdoor class sundial that could be shared and explained to other classes in the school. I really think this sundial project will not only teach the children about timekeeping and the movement of the sun but will also allow them to engage in hands-on learning and creativity which really encourages the children to embrace the learning involved.-
I agree that making a sundial is a perfect activity for 5th class and one that they would really enjoy. It is very hands on and educational and would teach them about the sun and its movement. In fifth class in my school we always complete a unit in history about the Aztecs and I think this activity would link in really well with learning about the Aztec sun stones.
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Hi Catherine,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course. Your senior class of learners are a nice age to appreciate the history of sundials and take a leading role in their creation, measuring their accuracy, etc.
It can be interesting to discuss what happens when the hour change occurs to the sundial to get them thinking about how to solve this issue. By looking at examples from the past, learners can begin to appreciate how far this technology has come along, and there are some wonderful examples here in Ireland from medieval times.
With lots of new vocabulary, including gnomon, it may be worthwhile to capture terms on a poster and quiz learners on this via Kahoot or similar.
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In this lesson the children will observe and record the position of the Sun across a school day. I would allow them to ask questions and describe changes they observe in the sky. They could chat about the daily activities that occur at sunrise, noon and sunset.
We could go outside on a sunny day. The children will stand in a place where they can use chalk to mark out their shadows. I would ask the children to work in pairs to draw a shadow around each other. We would do this at three different times throughout the day – morning, lunchtime and before home time. This could be then recorded on a simple worksheet showing the different positions of their shadows throughout the day. On Twinkl there is a ‘Sun Moving Across the Sky Colouring Sheet’ which features an illustrative outline of a horizon with different positions of the sun moving across the sky – rising in the east and setting in the West – thus explaining the earth’s rotation.
Questions to think about during the activity:
• What does your shadow look like?
• Is it the exact shape of your partner? Why?
• When can you see your shadow best?
• Do you always have a shadow?
• How does your shadow change over the day?
As a finisher to the lesson I would allow them to play in the yard making shadows with their bodies or finding shadows made by other objects. They could look at their shapes, sizes, colour and the position of the Sun in relation to the objects and it’s shadow.-
I thought this activity was a lovely activity, and very suitable for all classes. It provides an opportunity to take the childrens learning outside in a very meaningful way. It also encourages the pupils to look around them and take note of changes they might observe in the sky. Very often we go through our day, never noticing changes in the natural environment. This activity encourages us all to be more clued into the world around us, and it also creates a very visualand direct link between what is happening up in the sky and what is happening on planet earth.
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I think the ESERO 30 day and night in the world is a lovely activity.
I would begin by giving each group of children the pictures of the animals and asking them to group them in any way they can and report back what they did. Some groups may group them into nocturnal and diurnal but if not I will give this task to each group too. We will then discuss the features of nocturnal animals and go into more detail about some animals.
I would then assign the children a task in pairs to investigate the nocturnal and diurnal animals that live in Ireland, half of the class for each.
I really like the ‘Children in the World’ and the ‘Day and Night in the World’ activity too. I would begin by accessing the children’s prior knowledge using think, pair, share. I would speak to the children about Australia and if they know anyone living there. We would speak about how they are on the opposite side of the world and how their day is our night and vice versa. I would then use the day and night activity to show this and for the children to explore other countries who are on opposite sides of the world.
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Hi Martina
I like the open ended task of asking the children to sort the animals. I really like this kind of sorting activity as it is interesting to see what features they observe in the animals and what criteria they use to sort them. As you said, some groups might think about sorting into nocturnal and diurnal animals but if not you can set this as a task. Moving on to focus on Irish animals is a really good next step and one that is often forgotten. I find that most children are very aware of animals that live in other countries that they may know from the zoo, from TV or from books but not as many can name native Irish mammals, birds, amphibians, invertebrates and our one native lizard.
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To engage the children in designing a sundial, I would start by introducing them to the concept of time and how the Sun’s position affects shadows. I would try and use simple, relatable language and hands-on demonstrations, like observing shadows at different times of the day.
Next, involve them in the planning process by asking questions like where the sundial should be placed for maximum sunlight and what materials they could use. Encourage creativity by allowing them to draw and colour their sundial designs.
As a group, we would decide on a final design and location. Assign roles, such as measuring the shadow’s length and direction at different times, marking the hours on the sundial, and decorating it.
We also have a sun dial in our local area – I would bring the children to see it and to think about the position of the sun at the time that we were there. This would be a help for them when thinking about where our school should position ours.
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I would choose to construct a sundial in my school grounds with my 4th class. To introduce the topic I would show pictures of various sundials and start think pair share to see the class prior knowledge. In our locality there is a sundial in the church ground I would include this in the pictures . After class discussion I would the ESERO plan on Use the sun and discuss how the sun casts shadows and when it changes the shadow changes. Using class torches to demonstrate this. In the school playground they can also explore their changing shadows throughout the day. I would give time daily for a week to do this and find a number of places that would be suitable to construct a sundial. To include the whole school I would get the children in group to create a short powerpoint to show the class and get the other classes to vote for the best to construct the sundial
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I think creating a sundial would be a fantastic project for my 4th class students. It’s a hands-on way to make history and science come alive, blending these subjects in a way that’s both engaging and educational. The idea of introducing them to how people in ancient times told time using the sun really appeals to me because it’s such a tangible connection to the past.
To kick off the project, I’d show them a video like the Earth rising, which I think would really grab their attention. Then, we could use a KWL chart to discuss what they know about time and how it’s measured. From there, the students could research the history of sundials and work out the angles needed to create their own.
Over the week, I’d guide them in selecting materials and finding the best locations around the school to place their sundials. By comparing measurements and observing changes throughout the year, they’d get a hands-on understanding of both history and science. I’m confident this project would be both fun and rewarding, giving my students a real sense of accomplishment as they see their sundials in action.
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I think creating a sundial would be a fantastic project for my 4th class students. It’s a hands-on way to make history and science come alive, blending these subjects in a way that’s both engaging and educational. The idea of introducing them to how people in ancient times told time using the sun really appeals to me because it’s such a tangible connection to the past.
To kick off the project, I’d show them a video like the Earth rising, which I think would really grab their attention. Then, we could use a KWL chart to discuss what they know about time and how it’s measured. From there, the students could research the history of sundials and work out the angles needed to create their own.
Over the week, I’d guide them in selecting materials and finding the best locations around the school to place their sundials. By comparing measurements and observing changes throughout the year, they’d get a hands-on understanding of both history and science. I’m confident this project would be both fun and rewarding, giving my students a real sense of accomplishment as they see their sundials in action.
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I have reviewed the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Liston 2018) and I agree that STEM education from an early age is crucially important for the learning and formation of future minds. I also agree that technology and innovation is an important part of the structure of an effective STEM lesson. I would add that art and creativity is as crucial to an effective STEM lesson and that the best ideas and innovation come out of creativity and play and looking at whatever the project is from a fun and playful perspective. As Special Education teacher in my school I would use the activity of how to construct a sundial to explain the concept of time and time passing. In the past I have taken 2nd class out into the yard to make sundials from their shadows as described.
However with the rain the chalk was soon washed away. It might be better to construct a cardboard sundial that the children can make for themselves. It’s actually fascinating that you can tell the time with your shadow isn’t it? And that time is basically measured by the movement of our planet around the sun. Consider Newgrange. Time is about light and shadow essentially. According to Scientific American official time is based on cesium. One second is 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the light emitted as cesium moves between two particular states. Amazing.
Anyway I made a rough cardboard sundial:
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I have reviewed the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Liston 2018) and I agree that STEM education from an early age is crucially important for the learning and formation of future minds. I also agree that technology and innovation is an important part of the structure of an effective STEM lesson. I would add that art and creativity is as crucial to an effective STEM lesson and that the best ideas and innovation come out of creativity and play and looking at whatever the project is from a fun and playful perspective. As Special Education teacher in my school I would use the activity of how to construct a sundial to explain the concept of time and time passing. In the past I have taken 2nd class out into the yard to make sundials from their shadows as described.
However with the rain the chalk was soon washed away. It might be better to construct a cardboard sundial that the children can make for themselves. It’s actually fascinating that you can tell the time with your shadow isn’t it? And that time is basically measured by the movement of our planet around the sun. Consider Newgrange. Time is about light and shadow essentially. According to Scientific American official time is based on cesium. One second is 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the light emitted as cesium moves between two particular states. Amazing.
Anyway I made a rough cardboard sundial:
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I have reviewed the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Liston 2018) and I agree that STEM education from an early age is crucially important for the learning and formation of future minds. I also agree that technology and innovation is an important part of the structure of an effective STEM lesson. I would add that art and creativity is as crucial to an effective STEM lesson and that the best ideas and innovation come out of creativity and play and looking at whatever the project is from a fun and playful perspective. As Special Education teacher in my school I would use the activity of how to construct a sundial to explain the concept of time and time passing. In the past I have taken 2nd class out into the yard to make sundials from their shadows as described.
However with the rain the chalk was soon washed away. It might be better to construct a cardboard sundial that the children can make for themselves. It’s actually fascinating that you can tell the time with your shadow isn’t it? And that time is basically measured by the movement of our planet around the sun. Consider Newgrange. Time is about light and shadow essentially. According to Scientific American official time is based on cesium. One second is 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the light emitted as cesium moves between two particular states. Amazing.
Anyway I made a rough cardboard sundial:
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I have reviewed the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Liston 2018) and I agree that STEM education from an early age is crucially important for the learning and formation of future minds. I also agree that technology and innovation is an important part of the structure of an effective STEM lesson. I would add that art and creativity is as crucial to an effective STEM lesson and that the best ideas and innovation come out of creativity and play and looking at whatever the project is from a fun and playful perspective. As Special Education teacher in my school I would use the activity of how to construct a sundial to explain the concept of time and time passing. In the past I have taken 2nd class out into the yard to make sundials from their shadows as described.
However with the rain the chalk was soon washed away. It might be better to construct a cardboard sundial that the children can make for themselves. It’s actually fascinating that you can tell the time with your shadow isn’t it? And that time is basically measured by the movement of our planet around the sun. Consider Newgrange. Time is about light and shadow essentially. According to Scientific American official time is based on cesium. One second is 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the light emitted as cesium moves between two particular states. Amazing.
Anyway I made a rough cardboard sundial:
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I have reviewed the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Liston 2018) and I agree that STEM education from an early age is crucially important for the learning and formation of future minds. I also agree that technology and innovation is an important part of the structure of an effective STEM lesson. I would add that art and creativity is as crucial to an effective STEM lesson and that the best ideas and innovation come out of creativity and play and looking at whatever the project is from a fun and playful perspective. As Special Education teacher in my school I would use the activity of how to construct a sundial to explain the concept of time and time passing. In the past I have taken 2nd class out into the yard to make sundials from their shadows as described.
However with the rain the chalk was soon washed away. It might be better to construct a cardboard sundial that the children can make for themselves. It’s actually fascinating that you can tell the time with your shadow isn’t it? And that time is basically measured by the movement of our planet around the sun. Consider Newgrange. Time is about light and shadow essentially. According to Scientific American official time is based on cesium. One second is 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the light emitted as cesium moves between two particular states. Amazing.
Anyway I made a rough cardboard sundial:
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I agree Caitriona that play is the absolute key here followed by art and creativity. Play based learning in STEM would reap lots of fun and creativity. We have started using lego SPIKE with the technology and tablets and what the children can do amazes me when left to play on their own, in fact even at the junior end they can outsmart the teachers with their building and robotics.
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I think the Planetary Picnic activity from the Ogden Trust would be a great activity to do with my 6th class. I would do the activity during Space Week, as part of a wider theme on The Solar System. I would put the class into groups and each group would research one of the planets, creating a fact file and drawing of each planet. We would also look at gravity and how the force of gravity keeps the planets in orbit around the sun. The YouTube video of planet earth’s sunrise as seen from the moon could be used as a springboard for engagement and discussion. We would also look at the YouTube clip of the astronaut strolling on the moon. We would measure how high we can jump and compare that to how the astronaut jumps on the moon. This could lead to a discussion on weight and mass, and show the pupils that objects can have different weight on different planets. We would then use rice and sand to create the different weight a box of 200g crisps would have in each of the planets. The group would finish by looking at image of their planet in space and create a suitable cover for their box if crisps that represents the planet they have been researching. There are lots of opportunities in this lesson for linking curricular objectives with maths, oral language and art.
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Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed.
I would complete this activity with my class.
I would begin by discussing the differences between day and night, light and shade and explore how shadows are formed. The children could predict and then investigate how shadows change depending on the position of the sun by going outside and working in pairs, tracing over each other’s shadow.
Once children have gained an understanding of shadows, they can being their sundial activity.
The children could start by exploring ways in which people can tell the time. How did they tell the time before watches were invented? I would explain that 600 years ago nobody had a watch. How did they tell the time? They used the sun.
I would then explore sundials. Have children ever seen a sun dial? I would explain that a sundial has a pointer that makes a shadow – this is called the gnomon. In order for the sundial to work, the gnomon needs to point North in the Northern hemisphere. The earth turns on its axis and therefore the position of the sun in relation to the earth is always changing, this is how the sundial works.
Next the children would investigate in groups an area in the school grounds that would be appropriate for the placement of a sundial.
Each group would present their idea for the placement of the dial, justifying their choice. Once a consensus had been made, the children would construct their sundial.
First, using a compass, they will mark the direction of north. Next, using a large protractor, they will stick a stick into the ground at the correct angle, facing north. Every hour, the children will place a stone on the ground where the shadow of the stick falls. The number of the hour can be written on the stone with a marker.
Children can then explore the accuracy of the sun dial following its construction.
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Construct a sun- dial:
This is an excellent activity for all class levels. I will have 4th class this year, and this activity would allow for excellent cross curricular links. There’s a wide scope of learning in all SESE curriculums, Maths and STEM.
To begin the construction of sundials, we would first focus on the history of sun- dials to generate discussion and interest in the topic. Pupils would then be given time in groups to research sun-dials using the following questions to guide their learning: (These questions can be generated with the help of the pupils)
– What are sun-dials used for?
-When were sun-dials established and by who?
-How are sun-dials constructed?
-What materials can be used to make a sun-dial?
-How does a sun-dial tell the time?
-Where can we find some in Ireland?Following the groups research on sun-dials, a whole class discussion on everyone’s finding would occur. This will give all pupils a chance to find out the key information on sun-dials.
Before construction, we would go on a sun-dial walk around school to identify key areas for a sundial. A whole class discussion on the best location would help pick the area. Once an area is decided, the class would in groups research and identify the best materials needed to make one. They would need to think about durability and strength against Ireland’s every changing weather. A brief on how to make a sun-dial would be given then and each group would make their sun-dial with the materials they have decided to use.
Once made, all sun- dials would be placed in the chosen area. The groups can then identify the positions and angles of the sun-dials on the hour, throughout the day. And this can be revisited throughout the year to see if sun-dials angles/ positioning changes with the different seasons. The groups can also see how durable and strong their sun-dials are throughout the year and document their observations. Also, the groups could discuss and compare their sun-dials recording to see if the positions of the different sun-dials gave different results and if so, why.
I am excited to try this activity out with my class!!!
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I feel the best way to begin this lesson would be to spark the curiosity on my pupils. To do this I would pose the question “ Before clocks were invented how did people know what time of the day it was? After some discussion I would then use the resource Sundials in Ireland (sundials-ireland.com) to show examples of sundials from medieval times.
As a team we will then brainstorm and collect the needed materials to construct a sundial in our school grounds. We would then explore the school grounds discussing what area would be best to construct the sun dial, weighing up the pros and cons of each suggested area.
Once our area is selected we will construct our sundial starting our observations on the hour. At each hour mark we will document the shadow cast. This could be done by taking photos, time-lapse video , using stones or chalk , etc.
At the end of the day we can engage in open reflection on what we have learnt and what we could do differently next time. -
Liston’s (2018) paper critically examines the concept of STEM education, arguing that it is more than just an acronym representing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The author emphasizes that STEM should not be approached merely as a collection of subjects but as an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to learning that fosters problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity. The paper highlights the importance of moving beyond traditional teaching methods to embrace hands-on, project-based learning that connects STEM concepts to real-world applications. Liston also critiques the tendency to prioritize STEM subjects at the expense of the arts and humanities, advocating for a more holistic educational model that values diverse ways of knowing and learning.
In my classroom, STEM education is implemented through project-based learning that encourages students to explore concepts across disciplines. For example, when teaching about gravity and weight, students assemble an “Earth Tube” and another planet tube, such as Mars. These tubes represent the gravitational forces on different planets. Students decorate the tubes to reflect the characteristics of each planet, enhancing their understanding of gravity in a creative and engaging way. This activity exemplifies how STEM education in my classroom is not just about mastering isolated facts but about connecting ideas, fostering creativity, and making learning meaningful by linking it to the broader universe.
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Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day.
https://www.spaceweek.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Sun-and-Shadows-Toolkit.pdf
Having read through this I think there are excellent ideas for introducing the sundial to the class. I would use ideas from this document alongside learning from the course itself and indeed the forum. There have been excellent ideas so far.
I would engage the children and set the focus by visiting the real sundial we have in our garden. We would discuss shadows, time etc. linking with maths, geography and history of the sundial. This would instigate a research project before engaging in the make and do element of the lesson. Once the background had been established we would engage in shadow work ideas outlined in the document using the chalk on the pavement. The children would monitor their shadows and different times throughout the day. The children would then create their sundials in pairs. Again there are ideas in the pdf for this or in the course video. I would use both for inspiration. The children would record their insights. Feedback and discussion would follow. I think a nice extension activity would be doing this at different seasons and times of the day to compare and contrast.
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I love the idea of a sundial on the yard for the children to explore at break times. We have alot of curious little minds that would love to check out a sundial on at breaktimes. I think as I work in a Junior school the idea of getting the children to go outside at different times during the day and mark their shadows with chalk would be a good beginner. The video showing the bucket and rod would also be an engaging lesson. We previously had a science court with a sundial, weather vane etc but it was completely set up by the teachers. I think engaging the older classes in the planning of such a court with a sundial, what materials would be needed, how we could permanently set it up would be so interesting for them, completely child led,
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I completely agree with you here Annette. It is something that I have not really thought of before but I think that using the yard and yard time to engage the children in something like this is a brilliant idea. As you mentioned, children have such curious minds and I think that they would be fascinated with a sun dial. I think that engaging the children in active activities in the yard will really appeal to their interest in the topic. I love the idea of tracing their shadows etc in the yard!
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I really liked the ESERO 30 day and night activity. They activity on nocturnal and diurnal animals is great. I like the idea of giving the set of pictures to pairs/groups and asking them to sort them into groups…. and explain your groupings. This creates a lot of critical thinking and observations. Some groups may classify according to nocturnal/ diurnal … interesting dialogue is created in any case. The teacher can then focus on the nocturnal and diurnal category. Children can once again explore similarities and differences… then discussion around the features or adaptations. This can then lead to researching nocturnal animals – creating projects based on these animals and interesting facts or perhaps posing a question and asking the children to research this in groups. It allows for the children to take ownership of the topic and create projects collaboratively- children are given autonomy over how to produce these projects. The teacher can incorporate a choice board on what animals to research and what tools to use e.g. On large sheets of paper/ typed on computer using word and printed/ powerpoint presentation etc. for example- a child with severe sld who uses assistive technology can make the choice of typing using word (voice to text) and will not stand out as different to the rest of the class peers. Also the child can fully engage without writing or spelling being a barrier. Each child can take on a specific role within the group, or buddy up (peer tutoring). Again this allows for each child to engage and also for all to feel included. The children can work collaboratively and present their work. I love the idea of giving the children as much freedom to explore and engage with a topic as possible. Teacher’s role is to organise (ensure groupings are well matched with mixed abilities/ peer mentoring opportunities) facilitate and clarify. Ensuring all children engage at their level without highlighting anyone as different following the universal design for learning approach.
I think all children are fascinated with animals, science and facts at this age. One there is a high interest in the topic the children will really engage and love the idea of creating projects. I feel any age group from 1st class up can engage in this inquiry based approach.-
Hi Deirdre
Your plan here shows the value of inquiry based STEM teaching. This is a very simple activity but by taking the approach of guiding the children in their research and allowing them autonomy in what animals they choose to research, how they will carry out their research and how they present their projects, you are fostering a range of scientific skills and incorporating the use of technology to support the learning needs and styles of each child. I would suggest setting the condition that the animals researched should be Irish animals or those who migrate to Ireland to mak eit more relevant to their own experience.
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I chose the One Year on Earth resource (Understanding the Seasons). I particularly liked this resource and topic as it can be tailored for different age groups. I can think of ways in which to teach the children about seasons from Junior Infants to sixth.
This resource has a number of fantastic lesson ideas in it. From identifying the difference in trees and satellite images of earth during different seasons to understanding why the earth has different seasons. I would definitely start through engaging the children in activities based on different seasons we experience on earth first. I would ensure that they understand and identify different seasons. I particularly like the activity on identifying the difference in trees during winter and summer etc. I would definitely teach this through art and have the children do arts and crafts on trees for different seasons.
Once the children have a good understanding of the seasons then I would engage them on a conversation about why we have different seasons. I think that this would be appropriate for 5th and 6th classes most. I would definitely complete the activity ‘Build a sun earth model’ with the children. I would do a demonstration and explanation first. Then I would get the children to complete the activity in groups. I think that the children would be engaged in this group activity and also they would be scaffolded in their learning.-
Hi Hannah
Welcome to the course. I’m glad you like this resource so much and that you have ideas for adapting the resource for all class levels. Using pictures, art and craft and the Sun Earth model are all really great ways of explaining the differences between the seasons. As you said younger classes can concentrate on exploring and discussing the differences between the seasons and what happens with light levels and the amount of darkness and also with studying what changes occur in nature in the different seasons and how these changes are related to the amount of daylight and the changes in temperature and moisture levels, while older classes can start to explore why these changes occur and what causes the seasons. Of course no lesson on the seasons with any class level would be complete without going outside in each season to observe seasonal changes first hand.
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Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed.
How would you engage your students with this activity?Descriptor:
Learning outcomes:
• Observe, describe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting, and the changing lengths of day and night during the seasons.
• Investigate shadows, directions and sunlight.
• Begin to understand the influence of the sun on weather and atmospheric conditions.I would begin with a mind-map activity to establish prior knowledge about the sun. What is the sun? (A star.) At which cardinal directions does the sun rise and set? How does the sun affect us from day to day/throughout the year?
I would then follow up by introducing the key words and concepts.
Then, I would show the pupils a video about the positions of the sun. Models could be used to demonstrate how the Earth rotates while orbiting the sun.
We would then have a discussion based on what a shadow is and how it is formed. If it was a sunny day, we would explore shadows outdoors. If it was a cloudy day, we could create shadows in the classroom using torches.
The pupils would then split into groups and construct sundials and use them in a suitable area on the school grounds.To extend the activity, the pupils could find out more about sundials used in ancient civilisations such as Greece, Rome and Egypt. They could also research famous sundials at big houses in Ireland.
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Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed.
I am a mainstream teacher currently teaching 5th class, I can see huge opportunity for cross-curricular links for constructing a sun-dial.
This construction would be based on STEAM therefore engaging primarily with the subjects Maths, Geography, History, Art, Science and Literacy would be needed in researching about the sun-dial and reading/writing instructions. 5th and 6th class children would enjoy the challenge of creating something like this and it is academically engaging.
Fortunately, our school is built in a circular shape with a courtyard in the middle which all classrooms look out on. I would select this area as it means the sundial is visible for all classes and therefore all classes can use it once it is constructed and that children from different ages can engage in peer learning from my class who can teach others about it.
Children would have to research what materials would be most suitable for the construction based on durability, weathering and effectiveness. Children could take it in turns to take measurements and readings of the sundial.
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I particularly enjoyed the one year on Earth resource (understanding the seasons) as it is a lovely one to explore with my group of children, in my moderate level class in a special school. My children love working outside and many of the lessons can incorporate going outside. This is a theme where the understanding is better in the present, rather than talking about the summer in Winter. So we would link science/geography/language lessons each term to complete out observations of the changing seasons. We would dedicate a notice board in our classroom and divide it up with a border into quarters, each season, sticking up an art representation of a tree that we have observed – with leaves, some leaves, no leaves etc. We would also make sure to have a representation of the sun position and a class photo to show what clothes we are wearing this season – hat/gloves/raincoat/t shirt, sandals etc. We will also have a symbol to show which if any event/celebration takes place during this season – christmas decoration, easter egg, shamprock, heart etc.
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Building a sundial for the schoolyard.
I love the idea of constructing a sundial with my 6th class. It allows the children to work with their hands, explore a time-telling method and learn about ancient history.
First of all, I would discuss with my class their knowledge of a sundial—the history surrounding them all the way back to ancient Egypt. I would be asking questions such as what were they used for. Are they still usable today? Etc. We would then discuss setting our stick at a 40-degree angle to allow for the tilt of the sun throughout the seasons. We would have a further discussion on the set-up of the stick. Which way should it be tilting to allow for a shadow that is measurable for Irish time? I would ask some higher-order questions by challenging the students with if we were in Australia would our setup be the same? Why or why not?
I would then place the students into their mixed-ability groups of three. In this they would have to plan their steps of completion, drawing a diagram and labelling would allow for a clear transfer of skills from the classroom to their project outside. Once set up we would have to leave the classroom every hour to mark our time in the yard. The benefit of this lesson is the follow-up over the coming weeks and months even with the discussion of losing the hour for winter time.
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Creating a Sundial using everyday materials in the classroom.
Steps to Make the Sundial:
Mark the Center:Take the paper plate or piece of cardboard and find the center. You can do this by measuring the diameter and dividing it by two. Mark this spot with a small dot.
Create the Gnomon:Place the pencil or stick upright at the center of the plate or cardboard. You can attach it by pushing it through the plate or by using a bit of modeling clay or playdough to hold it in place.
Use a compass to find the direction of true north. This is important because the sundial needs to be oriented correctly to work. Align the top of your sundial (the 12 o’clock position) with true north.
Mark the Hours:Take your sundial outside in a sunny spot. At each hour, mark where the shadow of the stick falls on the plate or cardboard. Start at noon if possible, marking the spot where the shadow points at 12 PM. Repeat this every hour (e.g., 1 PM, 2 PM) to mark the other hours.
If you’re short on time, you can estimate where the other hour marks will go by spacing them evenly around the plate or using a pre-drawn template.
Label the Hours:Once you’ve marked all the hour positions, label them with numbers from 6 AM to 6 PM (or whichever hours you’ve managed to mark). This is now your sundial’s clock face.
Test Your Sundial:Leave the sundial in a sunny spot and check it at different times of the day. The shadow should point to the correct hour.
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Constructing a sundial is an engaging way to teach primary school students about the movement of the sun and the concept of time. To begin this activity, I would first introduce the students to the idea of a sundial and explain how it works by using the sun’s position in the sky to cast a shadow that indicates the time of day. We would discuss how ancient civilizations relied on sundials before the invention of clocks, linking the activity to history and science.
To ensure the students are fully engaged, I would involve them in choosing the best location for our sundial. We would explore the school grounds together, looking for an open, sunny spot where shadows are consistently cast throughout the day, free from obstructions like trees or buildings. This exploration would also serve as a lesson in observation and critical thinking, as students consider how the sun’s path affects the placement of the sundial.
Once the location is chosen, we would begin constructing the sundial. I would use simple materials like a stick (the gnomon) and a flat surface, such as a large piece of cardboard or a designated area on the ground, marked with hour lines. I would involve the students in marking the hours, emphasising the importance of accuracy and precision in setting up the sundial. We would begin this activity at noon, aligning the gnomon so that the shadow falls exactly north, ensuring accurate time readings.
Throughout the day, students would take turns observing the sundial, noting how the shadow moves as time passes. They would record their observations, comparing them to a clock to understand how the sundial reflects the passage of time. To deepen their engagement, I would encourage students to hypothesize how the sundial’s accuracy might change with the seasons and suggest experiments to test their ideas over time.
By constructing and observing the sundial, students would gain hands-on experience with concepts like the Earth’s rotation, the relationship between the sun’s position and time, and the practical application of ancient technology. This activity not only makes abstract scientific concepts tangible but also fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and teamwork among the students.-
Hi Helen,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the sun dial activity and how you could approach it with your own class.
It is an ideal opportunity to integrate with other areas such as history as you have mentioned. If the pupils are active in deciding on the location of their own sundial it will allow for critical thinking and the pupils taking ownership of their learning along with teamwork as you have mentioned.
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Q. 1 Assemble and Earth tube.
I am really enjoying this course as I have little knowledge myself about space or how to tackle exciting lessons for the children.
As I am in a junior school, I think my classes would really enjoy the earth tubes. Firstly we would research and explore the different planets, their properties and names. I would also teach weight in maths at the same time and make sure the children are aware of KG and grams. We would learn the planet ryhme, songs and lots of different videos on gravity in space from the erso website.
We would gather Pringles cannisters ( 8) per group label each tube by planets. This will give all the children roles to play which will allow for more play based inquiry. Predict how much rice will be needed for each tube based on the planets and then weigh and fill each tube correctly by Phizzi’s planetary picnic chart.
I really like the idea or writing what they learn’t about each planet on the individual tubes. The junior classes can then decorate with pictures, stickers and glitter of course!-
Hi leanne I work in a junior school and I’m also trying to expand my own knowledge of space to enhance teaching and learning. I love how much you integrated the creation of planet tubes across so many curricular areas, literacy, art, maths, science and geog to name a few. An activity I look forward to doing some time next year myself
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Creating a sun dial
Firstly, I would pose the question “how come the sun shines in our classroom in the morning but not in the afternoon?”
obviously this lesson is very tailor made to my own classrooms positioning and experience.
After the children try answer this with their own ideas we would conclude that the sun must move.We would look and sun dials and how people used them before wearing watches or having a clock indoors. we would create 1 large sundial and place it outside in the morning. Every hour we would go out and check it recording where the shadow is falling and the time it is. This is a fantastic visual for all the children regardless of ability. The children would then make their own sundials to take home and experiment with at home. Their homework that week/ day could be to record themselves using their sundials at home.
This activity can be tailored to suit any class level in the school. Making sun dials is such a wonder hands on learning experience.
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Hi Katie-Jo
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on creating a sun dial with your class. I like how you are using the stimulus of why the sun shines in the classroom in the morning and not in the afternoon as it is relating to the pupils’ own experiences. The sun dial also allows for opportunities to integrate with history and how people could tell the time before watches. I agree that it is a great learning opportunity for all and that it could be adapted to suit the class level or needs within the class.
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Module 1 Assignment: Understanding the Seasons Resource (ESA)
SESE Geography Lesson: How we observe the seasons
Lesson aimed at 5th or 6th class. Children will be familiar with effects of seasons. I would use the resources discussed from ESERO in module 1.
Trigger for lesson: Ask children particular questions to generate curiosity and observe their knowledge:
• Duration of daytime over different seasons
• Time of sunrise and sunset
• Direction of sunrise and sunset
• Position of the Sun at different times of the day and at different times of the year.Do mind- map with children’s feedback and highlight key words.
Investigation:Activity 1: I would use the resource given in module one and show the video and by referencing: Learning about Seasons: A Guide for Teachers and Curriculum Developers Article in Astronomy Education Review · December 2011
Misconceptions about the seasons have been explored in A Private Universe: resource given -
Constructing a sun-dial would provide ample opportunities especially in the senior rooms for integration amongst many different curricular areas. It can be linked to the history and past civilisations. Georography and current weather reporting methods.
In my school we are lucky to have so much free space for such projects to be successful. There’s an area at the back of the school which would be ideal. I would encourage the children to decide what materials they feel would best suit for the sun dial to ensure it is capable of with standing various types of weather. The children could then create a rota and take turns every hour or every couple of hours to record any changes. This could be done throughout the year to make comparisons during different seasons.
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Engaging children in constructing a sundial in school can be an exciting and educational experience that blends science, creativity, and hands-on learning. Start by introducing the concept of timekeeping and how ancient civilizations used the sun’s position to tell time. This will spark their curiosity and provide context for the project.
Next, break the class into small groups to foster teamwork, assigning roles such as the designer, builder, and recorder. Provide simple, child-friendly materials like cardboard, clay, or sticks to create the sundial. Allow them to experiment with different materials to see what works best. Encourage creativity in the design while ensuring the gnomon (the part of the sundial that casts the shadow) is correctly aligned with the Earth’s axis.
Take the class outside to a sunny spot, and have the children set up their sundials, marking the shadow’s position every hour. This process not only teaches them about the Earth’s rotation but also about patience and observation. To deepen understanding, encourage them to compare their sundials with clocks and discuss why shadows change length and direction throughout the day.
Finish the project with a reflection session, where the children share their findings and discuss what they learned about time, the sun, and Earth’s movement.
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how to construct a sun dial.
I work in a special school where we have children from 4 years up to 18 years. I think constructing and finding a place for our sun dial would really interest some of our students. As we are currently moving in to a new extension of our school there are many more areas that are potential places to put the sundial. Many areas of the curriculum can be used to complete the activity. It could be a whole school project, some students can construct it, some students can find a good place for it and some students can monitor it. A core group of students could meet to discuss what materials they might use to make the sundial and how they would do it. This activity would cover areas of maths, history, geography, art and construction and language and communication. Lots of pictures and youtube clips could be shown to the students for them to have a clear understanding of what a sundial looks like, what it does and how it works.
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Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed.
I teach in the senior end of a mixed, rural primary school in County Meath. With my 6th class this year I plan to engage students in planning and constructing a sundial on school grounds. I plan to start by introducing the concept of time measurement in ancient civilizations, sparking curiosity about how people told time before clocks. I would then divide the class into small groups, each responsible for researching different aspects: the science behind sundials, types of sundials, and the role of geography (latitude and longitude) in their accuracy.
Next, we would explore our school grounds (remaining in the groups) to find the ideal location, discussing factors like sunlight exposure and orientation. Luckily we have a large outdoor area in our school, so we would have plenty of options to explore. Each group would present their findings, and together we’d select the best site. We’d then collaborate on design ideas, encouraging creativity in integrating the sundial into the school’s aesthetic.
During construction, students would take on roles according to their strengths—measuring, marking the hours, building the base, and decorating. Throughout the process, I’d guide discussions on the mathematics of angles and the earth’s rotation, making the project a hands-on learning experience. Once complete, we’d reflect on the project, allowing students to share what they learned and how their contributions made the project successful. This approach fosters teamwork, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of time and space.
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I have chosen the lesson Esero 30 Day and Night. I would engage my students in this lesson as follows:
Engage- I would begin by opening the conversation about day and night by showing them a picture of the earth, with half the earth in light and half in darkness. I would ask them what they see and what they think is happening. Why is part of the earth in darkness? This will lend itself to great discussion where I can elicit what the children already know and understand.
Investigate- at this stage I would pose the question ‘does the sun stay in the same place all day?’ We would then go outside to the yard and the children can draw or write a description of exactly where the sun is in the sky. We will plan to come back out to the yard before the end of the school track and map where the sun is now.
Next steps- looking at the information we gathered as the children why the sun moved? Put it to them that could it be us moving instead. Once the children have the understanding that it is the earth rotating, use models to demonstrate this to them. We need to support them to understand that it is the earth rotating that is causing day and night. how the children the Paxi video explaining this concept in order to further help their understanding.
Reflect-the children can write in their learning journal, what they have learned and understood about day and night.
The children could make their own models of the sun and earth as an art activity and this could be used to help teach the concept with the use of torches also. -
Making a sundial.
I would probably come at this from a whole unit of cross curricular work. I might show pictures of a sundial and use is as a primary source of historical evidence and as an artefact. I would facilitated brainstorms on what it is and how it would affect the daily lives of people. From here we might look at how the sun affects our lives, our physical and mental health, the circadian rhythm and seasons. Then we might go out to yhe yard and pick a spot for an experiment and see where shadows line up and track this across a day and seasons. From here I’d like to create an art project where pairs or groups make their own sundials (as seen on sfi)
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To introduce this lesson I would show students a read-aloud video of Anno’s Sundial (https://youtu.be/X_LWViutZ14), this book discusses the history of sundials and the science behind them. After watching the video students would construct and decorate a sundial in art class, using paper plates and straws or pencils. When students are finished constructing their sundials we would take them outside to the playground and find a sunny place to put them. Once they’ve found a spot they can make sure the straw or pencil casts a shadow, mark its position on the plate, and write down the time.
Every hour we would go check on the sundials marking down the new positions of the shadow and times. Students could predict where they think the shadow will be the next time we come outside. Students’ homework that day could be to take the sundial home and continue recording every hour until sunset.-
Hi Robyn
That looks like a great video to start a project on sundials. I didn’t watch the full thing, but I did skim through and there seems to be some great information there on both the history and science of sundials. A discussion on what they have learned would be a great way to follow this up. As you have introduced the ideas in the video and the children should have some idea of what is needed to create a sundial, perhaps you make this a Design and Make project rather than just providing them all with the same materials. You could ask them to discuss what materials they might use to construct their own sundials and draw out a plan. They could then assemble some materials from home, perhaps augmented by a selection of materials that you have in the classroom, and construct their sundials in class on a later day either individually or in groups. Allowing them to choose their own locations to place the sundials and evaluate the location they have chosen afterwards would complete the activity.
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If I was to choose any of the topics mentioned above I would probably go with constructing a sun-dial in school environment.
I would start by triggering their interest and shows them images of old and new sundials and asking them if they know what they are and what they are used for. Then we would investigate the following; the importance of the sun in space, understanding how sundials work and researching different types of sundials.
Investigation, I would get the children to make a simple sundial using simple materials like paper plates, straws, and a pencil. I would guide them through the process of aligning the sundial with the sun and marking it.
As the day goes on I would take the children outside to observe the movement of the sun on their sundials.This will link directly with Maths and the strand unit of time.
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Assignment 1
For my sundial lesson, I would first do some discovery learning about light & shadows in the classroom using torches and other light sources. We would discuss what leads to good shadows being formed….light source, obstructions, proximity to light source, time of day, movement of shadows according to how the light travels etc and through questioning & discussion lead children to link their discoveries to the sun as a source of light.
Through curricular integration we would explore the history and ancient relevance of sundials and discuss how we could use this in our school.
In introducing the lesson of creating a sundial, I would pose a set of questions to select an appropriate location: where do the children think would be suitable….what would we need to consider in terms of location. We could compare & contrast different sites e.g. the open playground which is large but has a perimeter of trees versus a higher located grassy football pitch with less obstruction versus a smaller courtyard which gathers the warmth of the sun but is surrounded by buildings.
We would discuss suitable materials and children could work in groups using different materials in different locations and then discuss their results.
We would create our structures, identify cardinal points and track the shadows throughout the day.
We would wonder about what we may need to consider if we were to do the same lesson at different times during the year…..is there a better time to record results, or track the movement of the sun?
We could create a bank of vocabulary related to the theme: cardinal points, gnomon, solar, etc
I think this would be an ideal lesson to share with other classes who could then use the sundial(s) for their own tracking/recording. Children could use powerpoint to build a presentation or create a kahoot quiz from their learning. It lends well to peer teaching. -
Assignment 1
For my sundial lesson, I would first do some discovery learning about light & shadows in the classroom using torches and other light sources. We would discuss what leads to good shadows being formed….light source, obstructions, proximity to light source, time of day, movement of shadows according to how the light travels etc and through questioning & discussion lead children to link their discoveries to the sun as a source of light.
Through curricular integration we would explore the history and ancient relevance of sundials and discuss how we could use this in our school.
In introducing the lesson of creating a sundial, I would pose a set of questions to select an appropriate location: where do the children think would be suitable….what would we need to consider in terms of location. We could compare & contrast different sites e.g. the open playground which is large but has a perimeter of trees versus a higher located grassy football pitch with less obstruction versus a smaller courtyard which gathers the warmth of the sun but is surrounded by buildings.
We would discuss suitable materials and children could work in groups using different materials in different locations and then discuss their results.
We would create our structures, identify cardinal points and track the shadows throughout the day.
We would wonder about what we may need to consider if we were to do the same lesson at different times during the year…..is there a better time to record results, or track the movement of the sun?
We could create a bank of vocabulary related to the theme: cardinal points, gnomon, solar, etc
I think this would be an ideal lesson to share with other classes who could then use the sundial(s) for their own tracking/recording. Children could use powerpoint to build a presentation or create a kahoot quiz from their learning. It lends well to peer teaching. -
Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner.
This activity would be engaging for pupils for a variety of reasons. It can be integrated into so many other subject areas that it would appeal to pupils varying interests. For example, designing the planet tubes would engage pupil’s creativity and make them think about how to represent their planet on the tube. You could also include a research element by inviting pupils to include planetary facts in their design. This would encourage independent research and would provide an opportunity to further broaden their learning.
To implement this activity, I would begin by exploring the idea that weight and mass are two different components in how gravity is measured. I would demonstrate how to fill the tube for a particular planet by using the chart provided. I think this activity would best work in pairs or small groups so at this stage I would allow the groups of pupils to work on preparing their planet tubes. When all tubes are prepared we would work as a whole class group to determine the planets with the strongest/ weakest gravitational pull. I would conclude the lesson by showing the children some videos from the international space station where they demonstrate daily tasks completed in zero gravity. We would discuss the positives and challenges of life there.
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Hi Mary
I love the idea of incorporating facts about the planets into the design of the planetary tubes to incorporate both independent research and creativity. This could form part of a lovely display for a school science fair as part of Step 5 of the Curious Minds awards or a demonstration for other classes. Using videos from the ISS of working in zero gravity is a lovely way to help explain the concept of gravity.
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To help my students observe and record the sun’s position throughout the day, I’d start with a simple introduction to how the Earth’s rotation affects the sun’s apparent movement across the sky. We’d kick off by heading outside early in the morning to note where the sun rises, using a compass to mark the direction. Throughout the day, we’d step out at intervals—mid-morning, noon, and mid-afternoon—to sketch the sun’s position and track its movement. At sunset, we’d record where it sets.
To make this fun and engaging, I’d turn it into a class project, with students working in small teams to create sun-tracking charts. Each team would use a big poster to plot the sun’s path, and we’d compare the charts at the end of the day. This hands-on activity would not only spark curiosity but also deepen their understanding of Earth’s rotation and the sun’s apparent movement.
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ESERO 30 Day and Night in the World
I found this activity very interesting and engaging. I think it provides great opportunities for cross-curricular links within the SESE curriculum through the discussion of natural environments in geography and living things in science. There is also a possibility for integration with English genre writing such as explanation or report writing on nocturnal or diurnal animals. I found this lesson engaging as it had visual stimuli, opportunities for discussion and hands-on activities. Each of these aspects contribute to the clear and concise lesson structure. Enquiry based learning is embedded throughout the lesson. This lesson could be adapted or extended depending on the age group and it contains very accessible material. The idea of the orange and making the class dark provides a visual and immersive experience for the children whereby they can explain the concept of day and night in their own words. The hands on activities with the paper add variety and provide opportunities for collaborative and practical learning.-
Hi Laoise,
Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your thoughts on module 1. O agree that there are many opportunities for cross curricular links in the many resources in this module including ESERO 30 Day and Night in the World.
I also agree that the visual supports in this lesson are very engaging for all pupils and they are easily adapted depending on your own class. I hope you enjoy the course.
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Choose one of the following
1. Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed. I teach in a special school and think the sun-dial activity would be a great lesson to integrate many areas of the curriculum for the older pupils and could be made relatable to their every day lives e.g. the importance of time and having a sense of time. The math’s areas of time and the passage of time come into my head initially as an area where to start this topic. I also think the history of reading time and the sundial as mentioned in the forum would put the construction of a sundial into context. Close to my school is Lough Gur and some years ago a stone sundial sculpture was unveiled. We could visit this first before deciding the best location in the school yard for ours and what materials we could use. A design process could be undertaken and pupils could present their ideas and their why’s. We would also take into account the seasons and weather and the impact this has on our sundial. -
Prior Learning:
I would introduce the concept of a sundial by showing pictures of a real sundial. I will explain that a sundial uses the sun’s light and shadows to tell time.
Activity: Constructing a Sundial
I would take the students outdoors to an area that receives direct sunlight.
Sundial Construction:
1: Give each student a paper plate. Explain that this will be their sundial face.
2: Students place their dowel or stick through the dot in the centre of the plate so it stands up straight
3. Students to use markers or crayons to draw numbersObserve Shadows:
Students will now observe where the shadow falls on their sundial at various intervals.
This will help them notice how the shadow moves throughout the day.Discussion:
After observing, gather students back and discuss what they noticed.
Ask questions like: “Did the shadow move? What time do you think it is when the shadow is pointing to this number?” -
The topic I choose to examine was ‘One year on Earth’, with a special focus on the understanding of the various seasons we experience. To begin with, I would explore the prior knowledge and experience the children have of each season. From sequencing seasonal activities through visuals aids, examining what each season offers us through talk and discussion, to keeping a seasonal record diary in the junior end to fully explore what the seasons have to offer. In the senior end I would focus on why these changes occur and how Earth’s movements impact these events by exploring the differences in various countries. Using the resources on the ESA website to support these lessons would be hugely beneficial. These resources offer a lovely range of practical and visual aids for the students to gain more knowledge of this topic. I especially love the Earth observation satellites that can monitor the seasonal changes on Earth from space.
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