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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.
Download the Weather and Climate resource.
Open the teacher guide and pupil worksheet for activity 1 & 2
Activity 1: Is it weather or climate?
Activity 2: Weather Detectives
Carry out activities 1 and 2 and complete the pupil worksheets.Provide your feedback on these activities and how you could use them with your class.
Make reference to anything you think could be improved or added to the activities.Post your response (150 words minimum) as a reply to this post.
Please also comment on at least one other participant’s post.
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Having read Liston, and completed Activities 1 and 2 from the Weather and Climate resource, I found both activities effective for developing scientific thinking and cross-curricular skills that I could use and be adapted in my classroom, providing the children in my class with hands on activities to support their thinking and learning experiences.
Activity 1,
“Is it weather or climate?”
This activity uses clear, contextual examples that help learners distinguish short-term atmospheric conditions from long-term patterns. Pupils engaged well with the sorting task and follow-up discussion; connecting statements to local events made the abstract distinction concrete.
Activity 2
“Weather Detectives”, promoted observational skills and basic data-handling as pupils recorded temperature, precipitation, wind, and cloud cover over short intervals. The worksheet guided them to notice patterns and start making simple inferences, which is a good bridge to introducing concepts of variability and measurement error.
In my classroom I would use Activity 1 as an introductory lesson and link it to current local weather reports.
I would use Activity 2 as a class-wide project: small groups keep daily logs for several weeks, then pool data for graphs, calculate simple averages, and compare to online historical records—adding maths and digital literacy to the science focus.
To extend the children’s learning and understanding I would cross curricular plan activities to include: printable data tables, differentiation options, STEM activities for the hands on learners, a simple rubric for observation and data interpretation.
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In reply to Enya Roche it would be important to differentiate within the class setting and the activities would lend itself easily to this. Students that were hands on learners would be able to access the activity and there would be lots of opportunities for children to record, report, draw etc covering a variety of learning styles.
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Hi Enya,
Welcome to the course. Thanks for your feedback on the resources and activities in this module.
Activity 1 provides a good explanation of the difference between weather and climate and as you have mentioned there are links to local weather and the learners’ own experiences – such as weather on their birthday which help to support this.
Activity 2 is great for cross curricular learning as you have mentioned, giving the learners the opportunity to record their own data initially and then using different methods to represent this data. I like how you are also planning to link with historical records also. Lovely ideas, thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy the other modules across this course.
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Hi Fidelma,
I also agree that it would be important to include more differentiation options in teaching the lessons. I work in a DEIS school which also has a lot of children with English as an Additional Language. Many of the children in our school would find these lessons difficult without consideration given to multiple means of differentiating.
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A chairde,
I was also considering the language aspects when teaching weather & climate. While children in my context would have a good grasps of the english terminology, in a Gaelscoil context all STEM lessons become language lessons dur to teaching new terminology. Pictures are key to successful understanding for us in a Gaelscoil.
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I agree that it would be important to include an element of differentiation into the lessons. Some children may find the language in the lessons challenging and the teacher would be able to adjust this for those children. There may be gifted children who could perhaps do some of their own work on the topics e.g. doing some further research
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I think the weather journal example in the slides would be so easy to implement even in a younger class – have two pages divided into the 5 days of the week and then a different child could fill it out after morning meeting each day. Could just be part of the daily classroom routine. Or else maybe lunchtime could be a better time from a perspective of gathering more data? (I’m not sure if that’s scientifically accurate or not but mornings are so often cloudy?)
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Hi Catriona, I was really taken with keeping a weather journal too. As you said it’s a very simple idea that could easily be incorporated into the school day, younger children could draw what they see, older children could use ICT to create graphs etc. It’s very child centered, child are using their own environment, lots of opportunities for discussions re. weather patterns, seasonal changes etc.
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I reflected on what STEM looks like in my own classroom. I agree with the idea that STEM should involve more than simply completing a Science or Maths activity. It should provide children with opportunities to investigate, collaborate, solve problems and apply their learning to real-life situations.
I particularly enjoyed the Weather and Climate activities, especially Activity 2, ‘Weather Detectives’. I think children would enjoy collecting their own weather data and using it to create graphs, identify patterns and draw conclusions from their findings. Activity 1, ‘Is it Weather or Climate?’, would also be a useful way to introduce the difference between weather and climate through discussion, questioning and real-life examples.
With my own class, I would extend Activity 2 by allowing the children to decide what additional information they could collect, such as rainfall, wind direction and cloud cover. They could then compare their findings with data from Met Éireann and discuss possible reasons for any differences. I think this would give the children greater ownership of their learning while also making the activity more investigative, collaborative and meaningful.
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I really like your idea of giving the children ownership over what data they collect. I agree that this would make the activity more investigative and encourage them to think like scientists rather than simply following instructions. Comparing their results with Met Éireann would also be a great way to develop their understanding of data and encourage them to question why results might differ. I think the links between Science, Maths and real-life learning would make this a very meaningful STEM activity.
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The Eso has provided an easy to use lesson plan for children and teachers alike. Both activities Weather or Climate and Weather Detectives provide activities to explore aspects of weather and climate, work collaboratively and investigate data. There is ample opportunity for cross curricular links especially with maths – graphs, averages, researching online to compare data. Topics for discussions in activity 1 allows students to discuss statements and collabrate using their own lived experiences eg last year on my birthday it was sunny. I would use both activities in my classroom as they allow for enquiry, prediction, investigation and as mentioned cross curricular.
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Yes I really like the easy to use lesson plan. The children in my class would really like working as weather detectives to explore and record different types of weather. And again these lesson support cross curricular planning, which will make learning about data, more engaging and fun for the children.
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Hi Enya, I really liked your idea of extending the Weather Detectives activity over a number of weeks. Collecting data over a longer period would help pupils recognise patterns more clearly and would provide excellent opportunities to link with Maths through graphing and averages. I also agree that using local weather reports makes the learning more relevant and engaging for children.
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I agree that the ESO resources are very accessible and promote active, inquiry-based learning. I also have a similair opinion about using children’s own experiences to help distinguish between weather and climate, as this makes the concepts more meaningful. The strong links with the new maths curriculum through data collection, graphing, and averages also enhance the learning experience. These activities give rise to opportunities for collaboration, investigation, and developing scientific thinking across the curriculum
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I’m using my phone to submit these answers as I have don’t currently have access to my laptop unfortunately. Apologies if the formatting is still off, it’s not possible to avoid it without a real keyboard it would appear. But back to the course; I completely agree with your observations. The ESO lesson plans are very well structured and make learning about weather and climate engaging for pupils. I also like how the activities encourage collaboration, discussion, and the use of real-life experiences to deepen understanding. The cross-curricular links with Maths, particularly through graphing and analysing weather data, are a great way to reinforce key skills in a meaningful context. Your point about enquiry, prediction, and investigation really highlights the value of these lessons in developing scientific thinking. They provide an excellent balance of practical learning, teamwork, and critical thinking for the classroom
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Module 1 Assignment
The article Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. by Dr. Maeve Liston was certainly food for thought. It opened my mind to the idea that we do not really incorporate STEM fully into our lessons. Science and Maths are the obvious choices as we have been used to teaching these subjects however Engineering and Technology almost seem out of reach in a classroom of 30 children a jam-packed curriculum.
I was confident that I was ticked them STEM box as I conduct maths stations weekly and there is always a STEM station. This would involve some type of construction project involving concrete materials such as Kapla, Lego, octogons etc. The children loved it and sometimes I would give them a brief or a theme to base their construction on. I see now that I am completely underchallenging them and giving them a problem to solve would be more appropriate.
We do have a lot of resources in terms of electronics and indeed they are problems to be solved as I am not very techy minded so the children are on their own there and always seem to work collaboratively to figure things out.
The ESA kids resources are very well laid out lesson plans which will be of great use to me in the classroom. I think I would use these lessons over a term perhaps from September to Halloween. The learning, building, recording , analysing data are clearly laid out. The majority of the lesson is formed from pupil feedback as they present their work through talk and discussion, presentation of models and collection of data. This is where the learning really happens – when the children feed it all back to you.
A weather station would be a very welcome addition to the school yard and would provide opportunities for children to pass on their learning to the younger children as they enquire about the models. We have a quiet zone on our yard where there are no balls allowed so I think this would be the ideal space for a weather station as it would be out of harms way.
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Hi Triona,
I feel the same way about the STEM element, I also thought I was ticking the box, but I often left out one of the key parts.
I agree that the ESA resources would be great as a long term scheme and that the best learning will be when children get to experience these weather events and can discuss it in their own words.
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I love this idea. The concept of organising math’s through weekly learning stations is one that really appealed to me. In particular, I was inspired by the idea of including a STEM-based station, as it offers children the opportunity to apply their mathematical knowledge in practical and engaging ways. This is an approach I plan to introduce in my own classroom next year because it promotes investigation, teamwork, and creative thinking while strengthening problem-solving skills.
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A weather station would be a very welcome addition to the school yard and would provide opportunities for children to pass on their learning to the younger children as they enquire about the models. We have a quiet zone on our yard where there are no balls allowed so I think this would be the ideal space for a weather station as it would be out of harms way.
I love this idea of the children learning from each other, therfore reinforcing their own learning by demonstrating and explaining to other children. A weather station would definitely be an excellent addition to any school yard.
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The article Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics by Dr. Maeve Liston allowed me to think about how STEM is a part of my own teaching. I think Technology and Engineering aren’t covered as much but will be more so with the new Primary Curriculum. The article made me reflect what STEM can look like in the primary classroom. I really enjoy teaching the STEM subjects and try to use a lot of the nature of science and get the children to develop the skills of a scientist. I could do more technology and engineering in the future. The ESA Kids resources were very well structured. I definitely see myself incorporating these into my teaching in the future. The resources allow the children opportunities to explain their thinking through discussion and presentations. This allows the children to work together collaboratively and to also develop their confidence. I love the idea of having a weather station. It would afford the children to see Science in action and would give them a chance to work as scientists.
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After looking at the paper, Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (2018), Liston argues that STEM education should be understood as more than the teaching of separate disciplines. Instead, STEM should be viewed as an integrated approach to learning that develops students’ ability to solve problems through collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Liston argues that effective STEM learning requires meaningful integration from the outside world. This is so important. I always try to use the children’s immediate environment and own experiences as a starting point for learning. Another important point is the emphasis on inquiry-based and problem-based learning. This is definitely an area I focus on in the classroom and would say I have implemented quite well, Reflecting on my own teaching, I definitely think that I have looked at stem as separate subject areas rather than as a whole, this is something I can improve on. I think there will be a much greater shift with the new curriculum specification regarding this.
Activity 1: Is it weather or climate?
I would start this lesson off by giving the children clear definitions of weather and climate. As a class we would discuss the difference between both. In pairs I would then get the children to work through a variety of statements and decide whether they apply to weather or climate. For example: it is raining outside today applies to weather, but Spain generally has hot and dry summers applies to climate. It is importantly children have a clear understanding of both weather and climate before further learning can occurActivity 2: Weather Detectives
I would carry out an activity focusing on the weather on a rainy day. Discussion would occur surrounding the sky and clouds and how we often predict it may rain for example: dark clouds indicate rain is on the way, if the ground is wet it has recently rained, if children have wore rain coats or needed umbrellas on their commute to school, if there are puddles on the ground. From my observations, rain is one children are most interested in as it effects whether they get to go outside to yard or not during break time. If we did this activity on a Monday, for the next upcoming 3 Mondays we would do the same and see does it rain every Monday or does the weather pattern change-
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I think a wet and cloudy day is a good time to start this activity. There is so much stimulus for discussion – what do we see, feel hear etc. The children could be encouraged to contrast with a sunny day. I agree that the children should monitor weather over a prolonged period to see if they can begin to notice patterns in the weather.
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I really agree with your point about using the children’s own environment and experiences as a starting point for STEM learning. I particularly like your Weather Detectives idea, as the children can collect their own data and look for patterns over the four Mondays. I also agree that STEM can sometimes be taught as separate subjects. Activities like this are a great way to naturally combine Science, Maths and Geography while allowing children to investigate and draw their own conclusions.
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In my classroom, I would begin with Activity 1 before exploring local weather forecasts and discussing seasonal weather patterns in Ireland. Activity 2 could then become an ongoing class investigation where students work in groups to collect weather data over several weeks. They could present their findings using charts and graphs, compare results with official weather records, and discuss any similarities or differences.
To strengthen the learning experience, I would include differentiated recording sheets, additional practical STEM challenges, and opportunities for pupils to reflect on their observations. Including a simple assessment checklist and more extension activities for higher-achieving students would further enhance the resource
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Ciara, I really like your idea of making Activity 2 an ongoing investigation rather than a once-off lesson. Collecting data over several weeks would help pupils see how weather changes over time and make the distinction between weather and climate much clearer. I also agree that comparing their findings with official weather records would add another layer of learning and help develop data analysis skills. Your suggestion of differentiated recording sheets is a great idea too, as it would make the activities more accessible for all learners while still providing challenge for those who need it.
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Having read Unravelling STEM (Liston, 2018), I understand that effective STEM education is not about teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as separate subjects, but about creating meaningful learning experiences where pupils solve real-world problems through investigation, collaboration and critical thinking. I can see this approach reflected in my own classroom, where pupils are encouraged to ask questions, make predictions and work together to find solutions. I really enjoyed both the Is it Weather or Climate? and Weather Detectives activities.
Activity 1 was an excellent way to challenge common misconceptions about weather and climate. I particularly liked how pupils had to categorise statements and justify their thinking, as this encourages discussion rather than simply identifying the correct answer. Activity 2 was very practical and gave pupils ownership of their learning by collecting and analysing their own weather data. Recording daily temperatures, calculating averages and creating graphs integrates science with mathematics in a meaningful way.
I would use these activities with my class by setting up a simple weather station in a shaded area of the school grounds using a thermometer, rain gauge and wind sock. Pupils could take turns recording the weather each day, before displaying the results on a classroom or whole-school weather board. This would provide opportunities to develop scientific enquiry skills, mathematical skills through measuring and graphing data, technology by comparing our findings with online weather data, and engineering through designing or improving simple weather instruments.
One improvement I would make would be to extend the activities by including additional weather measurements such as rainfall, wind speed or cloud cover, allowing pupils to investigate a wider range of weather patterns. I would also encourage pupils to compare their findings with data from Met Éireann and discuss reasons for any differences. Overall, I found these resources engaging, practical and easy to implement, and I think they provide an excellent example of how STEM can be integrated across the primary curriculum through hands-on, inquiry-based learning.
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I really like the idea of setting up a simple weather station in the school grounds, as it gives pupils ownership of the learning and makes data collection more meaningful. I also think displaying the results on a classroom or whole-school weather board is a great way to keep pupils engaged. I would definitely try something similar with my own 6th class, particularly the idea of comparing our observations with Met Éireann’s data to encourage discussion about accuracy and weather patterns.
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Hi Ornaith,
Welcome to the course. It is great to hear that you liked the activities in the module and found them very practical.
Both activities encourage the learners to share their thoughts and observations in class discussions, while activity 2 does also allow for the development of mathematical and investigation skills. As you have mentioned, recording the weather and gathering their own data gives the learners ownership of their learning.
I think that comparing their own data with that of Met Eireann would also be very engaging for the learners and further enhance the real-life scenarios in STEM learning. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.
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Reviewing Unravelling STEM reinforces that effective STEM learning integrates Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics through meaningful, real-world activities rather than teaching each subject separately. As a 6th class teacher, I found both activities practical and engaging. ‘Activity 1: Is it Weather or Climate?’ encourages discussion and helps pupils understand the difference between weather and climate, while ‘Activity 2: Weather Detectives’ develops scientific enquiry and mathematical skills through collecting temperature data, calculating averages and creating graphs.
I would use these activities as part of a cross-curricular unit linking Science, Maths and Geography. Pupils could record their findings using digital tools and compare their results with official weather data. To strengthen the STEM focus, I would add an engineering challenge by asking pupils to design and build a simple weather shelter for the thermometer. Overall, these activities are well suited to 6th class and provide meaningful opportunities for collaboration, problem-solving and applying learning in a real-world context.
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Hi Robert,
Welcome to the course. It is great to hear that you found the activities practical and engaging. They do allow for lots of hands on learning in the senior classes and I like how you are considering the cross-curricular opportunities also.
I also like how you are planning for more STEM integration in designing the weather shelter to house the weather instruments such as the thermometer. As you have said it allows for collaboration, problem solving and making connections to real-life problems also. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.
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I really like your idea of adding an engineering challenge, particularly designing and building a weather shelter. I think this would make the STEM element even stronger and give the pupils an opportunity to apply their learning in a practical way. Comparing their own data with official weather data would also be a great way to encourage discussion and develop their understanding of how reliable their results are.
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Having read the paper by Dr. Maeve Liston, it leads me to reflect upon STEM within my own classroom. Upon reflection, I agree that many of the “STEM” lessons in my classroom are lacking the engineering element and therefore are just maths, science or technology lessons. Going forward I will keep this paper in mind when planning for STEM, especially alongside the rollout of the new curriculum where STEM takes on a bigger role.
Weather VS Climate
This would be a great resource to introduce the topic of weather VS climate. You could use this resource to scaffold the children in developing their own definition for weather and climate and to gain a deeper understanding of the two. You could further investigate this idea of weather vs climate through discussion of what typical weather is in a country. You could also extend the lesson by getting the children to research climates in different countries and where on the Earth this countries are to link it to the climate zones. If you wanted to keep developing this lesson you could engage the children in a discussion about why knowledge of climate and weather is important for a country e.g. Ireland relies on frequent rain for crops.Weather detectives
This would be an ongoing investigation. I think the resource is very well laid out and clear to use and I would use it in my own classroom. You could incorporate this lesson into a weather station. This could be a whole school lesson, where different year groups create different weather stations such as a temperature station, rain gauge etc. and then you could pair up the classes to discuss their findings. This would work really well with senior classes but could also be adapted to junior classes. You could also use the Nose up high in the sky – Observing and measuring weather conditions resource to support this lesson.The creation and montioring of the weather stations would provide plenty of opportunities for STEM, the children would be using the science of weather and climate and their knowledge of the subject. Technology to monitor weather and climate patterns and compare. Engineering where the children have to come up with designs that are functional for the stations and making sure they are accurate, e.g. if using a plastic bottle as a rain gauge, making sure it has a flat bottom. And maths in the measuring of the stations.
Overall I can see myself using these resources in the classroom in the next year.
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Hi Gillian,
I really like your idea for the whole school approach by creating a weather station. Creating differnt weather stations would make the lesson a lot more meaningful and it would be a great idea to compare results and investiagte if there is a pattern between temperature and rain ect. It would be alot of work for one class group so it is very achievable with the whole school appproach. Infant class teachers could also use the data and adapt it by using images and early numernacy skills to teach about weather/seasons ect.
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After reading Unravelling STEM by Liston, my understanding is that effective STEM education is not about teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as individual subjects, but instead is about creating meaningful learning experiences. Students should be encouraged to problem-solve by thinking critically, investigating and importantly through collaborating. When I think of my own classroom, I must reflect on how I have taught STEM as separate subjects and instead should create more of a link. I do encourage students to ask questions and make predictions, specifically during Science.
For Activity 1: Is it weather or climate?
I think it was a good activity to look way to identify the differences between weather and climate. I liked how it encouraged discussions and observing for the students which allows for lots of interaction. It also allows for opportunities to build critical thinking skills.
Activity 2: Weather Detectives
This activity is also very engaging and children are encouraged to predict, record and interpret their collected data. Students are able to work collaboratively which also requires good communication skills. I think students will really enjoy this activity. I also think it is an activity you could complete throughout the year on an ongoing basis.
A weather station would be a great addition to the school yard. Children could work together to create a rain gauge and a wind vane. I also think it would allow for older kids to collaborate with younger kids. I think it could be linked with Gaeilge and have students announce the weather every day as Gaeilge to the school. Linking with other subjects would be great. Also by creating a display, older students can work on creating graphs and analysing data. Younger children can draw the weather of the day.
I think these activities are engaging and will be a solid activity to complete in class. They also link the subjects of STEM well and encourage hands-on learning.
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Hi Sinead,
Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Liston’s paper and also on the activities in this module.
The activities allow for lots of discussion among the learners as you have mentioned, this can allow for critical thinking also as they explore the difference between weather and climate. Similarly, in the weather detectives there is an opportunity for skills development for both investigative work and also collaborating with their peers as you have said.
I like your plan for collaboration between classes also, an opportunity for both younger learners and older learners to work together and take ownership of their learning together.
Great ideas, thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy the other courses in this module.
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I would also agree that after reading Unravelling STEM by Liston and reflecting on my own practices, I too leave out a lot of the engineering aspect. I feel it is because I feel more confident in the Science, Technology and Maths aspect of STEM. I will definitely be more aware of this going forward and ensure to provide the children with meaningful opportunities to create and problem solve during STEM lessons, ensuring that there is an engineering aspect evident.
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I also agree with Ornaith and Ciara and think it is a great idea to make activity an ongoing investigation. By completing it over weeks and months, children can really identify the difference between weather and climate. As mentioned by Ciara, differentiated recording sheets would allow all learners to be able to gather data. It is also a great activity to push students be encouraging them to link with Met Éireann and local weather reports.
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After reading Liston (2018), I gained a better understanding of STEM as an integrated approach to learning rather than four separate subjects. The paper highlights the importance of encouraging children to investigate, problem-solve and make connections across different curriculum areas. In my classroom, I try to provide opportunities for hands-on learning where pupils work together to explore real-life problems, and these weather activities fit well with that approach.
I found Activity 1, Is it Weather or Climate?, to be an excellent introduction to the topic. The sorting activity encourages discussion and helps pupils understand the difference between weather, which changes from day to day, and climate, which describes patterns over a much longer period. Using examples from the children’s own experiences, such as discussing the weather during a recent school event or holiday, would make the lesson even more meaningful.
I also enjoyed Activity 2, Weather Detectives. It gives pupils the opportunity to observe, measure and record weather conditions, while developing important scientific enquiry skills. I would extend this activity by collecting weather data over several weeks and then using the information to create graphs and compare findings. This would strengthen links with Maths through data handling and with Geography by exploring seasonal weather patterns.
One improvement I would make would be to include extension activities for pupils who need an extra challenge, such as comparing Irish weather with weather in another country or investigating how weather affects plants, animals and people. Overall, I found both activities practical, engaging and easy to adapt for different class levels while supporting an integrated STEM approach.
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I really like your idea to further the learning by comparing Irish weather to another country. We have lots of children in our school who travel to visit family in other countries and this might be a nice idea to compare and contrast the weather we are experiencing in Ireland with what their wider family are experiencing elsewhere
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<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Hi John, I really like your idea of extending the Weather Detectives activity over a few weeks. I was thinking it could work really well as a whole-school activity too, with different classes taking turns recording the temperature, rainfall, wind and cloud cover.It would be a nice way of bringing the different areas of STEM together without making them feel like separate subjects. The children would be observing and measuring, recording their results, making graphs and calculating averages. They could even have a say in where the weather equipment should be placed and why. I also like the idea of sharing the results with the rest of the school, maybe through a weather board in the corridor or at a monthly assembly. I think giving the children responsibility for collecting and presenting the information would make it more meaningful for them and will also help them understand the difference between weather and climate.</span>
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Liston (2018) described planning integrated STEM activities such measuring and graphing weather data. These hands-on, real-world tasks encourage collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking while making learning meaningful and connected across subjects. The new Primary Curriculum Framework reflects this encouraging a ‘playful’ and integrated approach to teaching STEM.
The sorting activity at Activity 1 is an effective introduction to the concept of distinguishing between Weather and Climate because it encourages discussion, reasoning and collaborative learning rather than rote memorisation. However, some of the statements are quite abstract for example concepts such as 30-year averages and annual temperatures, might be difficult for younger children to grasp.
The practical investigation in Activity 2 seems more playful and fun where children actively measure temperature, record observations and identify patterns using authentic data. This inquiry-based approach develops scientific skills and mathematical understanding, making it more meaningful. Teacher modelling and scaffolding is required for this activity to be successful. It would also be important to remind children that Activity 2 is recording weather changes and not ‘climate’ changes, as the distinction between short term and long term can be confusing for some.-
Hi Susanne,
Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Liston’s paper and the other activities and resources in this module. While we have a new curriculum specification, there are many playful approaches in the activities in this module which represent the new approaches in the specification that you have mentioned.
For younger learners you would need to modify the tasks to ensure they are fully engaged as you have mentioned and the discussion at the start with links to their own birthdays is effective in introducing this concept in a child friendly manner.
Teacher modelling and scaffolding would really support the learners when recording the weather through observations and data collection and as you have said there are many opportunities for skills development in this task.
I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course. Thanks for sharing.
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Module 1 assignment:
Liston explains that STEM is more than teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as separate subjects. It is about making connections between these areas and applying learning to real-life situations. This links well with the “Is it weather or climate?” and “Weather Detectives” activities.
After completing both activities, I think they would work particularly well in my school based on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth. The local environment provides many opportunities to explore weather and climate, with the sea, mountains and surrounding countryside. For example, pupils could record the temperature, rainfall, wind direction and cloud cover around the school and use this information to create graphs and identify patterns.
I would use Activity 1 as an introduction to help pupils understand the difference between weather and climate, while Activity 2 would allow them to investigate weather through collecting their own data. I think the activities could be improved by including more local examples and real weather data from the Cooley Peninsula. This would make the learning more meaningful and help pupils connect STEM with their everyday environment. Overall, I feel these activities encourage curiosity, teamwork, observation and problem-solving while making STEM more engaging for pupils.
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I really agree with your points here. Both activities definitely have value in different ways, especially how Activity 1 encourages talk and shared thinking, while Activity 2 gives children a more active and meaningful experience. I also agree that teacher support is really important, particularly when helping children understand the difference between weather and climate. Your link to the new Primary Curriculum Framework is also really helpful.
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The ESA Kids Weather vs Climate resources were really good. They are very clear and easy to follow. I think activity 1 would be a great starting point for discussions. I like that lesson plans are thorough including answers without too much detail to wade through. I like the third exercise too that was the discussion point: Climate scientists say that the temperature is increasing but the weather today is rainy and cold. The Weather Detectives would be a fun hands on activity. I had a student teacher who did a similar exercise with my 5th class a few years ago and it went really well – making the rain gauges and anemometer in small groups worked well and they integrated it with digital literacy to share their results as data charts. I never thought of filling the bottom of the coke bottle with jelly to make it level before – such a simple solution, will definitely do it this year.
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I really enjoyed reading your post. I also thought the Weather Detectives activity was one of the best resources in the module because it gives children the opportunity to collect and analyse their own data. It’s great to hear that it worked so well with your 5th class. I hadn’t thought about using digital literacy to present the results in charts, so that’s definitely something I’d like to try in my own classroom.
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I agree Catriona ,it’s a perfect hands on activity for both the junior and senior end of the school .I completed it as part of my college placement with a 5th class who loved it.Weather is an excellent stimulus to engage students who may struggle with other subjects.Its so relevant now after the summer we’ve had.Im looking forward to completing some of these ideas once I’m back in school.
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I really enjoyed the resources in this module and thought they showed how STEM can be taught through practical, hands-on activities rather than as separate subjects. The Nose Up High in the Sky and Weather vs Climate lessons encourage children to observe, investigate and ask questions, which I think is the best way for them to learn. I especially liked the idea of setting up a weather station in the school grounds where pupils could record the daily weather, measure temperature and rainfall, and use the data to create graphs and identify patterns over time. This would develop a range of STEM skills, including scientific investigation, data handling, problem-solving and teamwork. I would also encourage pupils to share their findings with other classes through displays, assemblies or the school website so that weather and climate learning becomes a whole-school project. Overall, I think these activities are engaging, easy to adapt and would really encourage children’s curiosity about the world around them.
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I really enjoyed reading your post and agree with many of the points you made. I liked how you highlighted that STEM is most effective when it is taught through practical, hands-on activities rather than as separate subjects. I also think children learn best when they are actively involved in observing, investigating and asking questions instead of just reading about concepts.
Your idea of setting up a weather station in the school grounds is an excellent one. It would give pupils the opportunity to collect real data over time and see how weather changes from day to day. I also like that it naturally links Science with Maths through measuring, recording and creating graphs, while encouraging teamwork and communication.
I especially liked your suggestion of sharing the pupils’ findings with other classes through displays or assemblies. This would help make learning more meaningful and could inspire other pupils to become interested in weather and climate. Overall, I think your post shows how these activities can be extended beyond the classroom to create engaging, cross-curricular learning experiences that develop curiosity and important STEM skills.
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Activity 1: Is it Weather or Climate? helped pupils understand the difference between weather and climate by sorting statements into the correct category. It encouraged discussion and reinforced key vocabulary. I would ask pupils to explain their choices to check their understanding.
Activity 2: Weather Detectives gave pupils the opportunity to observe, record and analyse weather data. This practical activity develops scientific inquiry and data-handling skills while also linking with Maths. I would extend the lesson by having pupils compare their findings with local weather forecasts or create simple graphs of their results.
Overall, I think these activities are clear, interactive and easy to use in the classroom. To improve them, I would include more differentiated tasks, such as a word bank for support and an extension activity for early finishers. Adding a short outdoor observation task or using local weather data would also make the activities more engaging and relevant for pupils.-
I really liked your point about asking pupils to explain the reasoning behind their answers in Activity 1. I think this is a great way to identify any misconceptions while also encouraging children to use the correct scientific vocabulary. I also agree with your suggestion of comparing pupils’ observations with local weather forecasts in Activity 2, as it helps children make meaningful connections between what they observe and real-world weather reports. Your idea of including differentiated tasks is also very important, as it ensures that all pupils can participate successfully while providing an appropriate level of challenge for more confident learners. I think adding regular weather observations over several weeks could also help children recognise patterns over time and further reinforce the difference between weather and climate.
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Hi Gemma
As you sais asking children to explain their choices in the weather and climate activity is important to assess their understanding of the topic. Otherwise, it could just become a guessing exercise with children hitting on the correct answer by accident or simply agreeing with others without giving the question any real thought. Knowing that they could be asked to justify their answer will encourage them to really think about the question. I like your ideas for differentiation in the weather recording activity with scaffolding for those who strugggle with the task and extension activities for the early finishers
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I completely agree that combining conceptual sorting with real-world data collection gives pupils a much deeper grasp of weather vs. climate. Having them explain their reasoning in Activity 1 is such a simple yet effective formative assessment tool.
I love your idea of bringing in an outdoor observation task—getting pupils outside with clipboards always boosts engagement! If you decide to add the graphing extension or local forecast comparison, let me know how it goes; I’d love to try a similar idea in my classroom.
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Having reviewed Liston’s paper, I have a better understanding of how STEM education is all about building pupil’s learning making the links for pupils through integration across the school curriculum. I like the information on developing problem-solving, creativity and allowing pupils to work with others to figure concepts out. I am now more aware of allowing pupils to investigate real world problems by themselves and sourcing information rather than giving them too much information/pointing them directly to the likely answer. Talk and discussion on what pupils are thinking is just as important.
I found the ESA resources fairly practical, especially allowing pupils to investigate, predict, measure and communicate their own findings. I will use the ideas/videos from the slides in module 1 to hopefully set up a weather station at the back of our school playground. By doing this, pupils from my own class and different class levels can record the daily temperature at set times of the day, rainfall amounts, wind speed and direction. The senior classes could explore in in a deeper way the difference between weather and climate. I would lead staff and pupils in sharing findings through displays in the school corridors and at some of our school assemblies, along with some posts on our school’s social media. This will hopefully encourage the whole school to discuss and communicate climate matters and awareness.Activity 1: Is it Weather or Climate?, would be useful for developing pupils’ understanding of the difference between short term weather and longer term climate patterns.
Activity 2:Weather Detectives, would be good to encourage pupils to observe, record and interpret information. I could use this activity within my school for a school wide weather station project in the school grounds. This activity would be a good stimulus to investigate how local weather patterns may relate to climate change.-
Hi Fiona
Welcome to the course. It is great to hear that you found the resources practical and that they gave the learners the opportunity for skills development. I like how you are focusing on talk and discussion for the learners from Lison’s paper to allow for critical thinking and to give them ownership of their learning rather than waiting for answers.
I really like how you are planning for a whole school approach with this topic and to use displays and school social media to raise awareness of climate change. You could also consider focusing on the positive actions the learners could do in school and at home and sharing this on social media too.
Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.
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After reading Liston’s Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (2018), I was reminded that STEM is much more than teaching science, technology, engineering and maths as individual subjects. Instead, it is about providing children with opportunities to investigate, question, collaborate and apply their learning to real-life situations. I think this approach fits well with the Primary Curriculum Framework, where learning is becoming more connected and child-centred. Reflecting on my own classroom practice, I feel that I already use elements of STEM through hands-on investigations and group work, but I could make stronger links between the different subject areas when planning lessons. Encouraging children to solve problems, make predictions and explain their thinking will help them develop important skills that go beyond the classroom.
Activity 1: Is it Weather or Climate?
I found this activity to be a simple but effective way of helping children distinguish between weather and climate, as these terms are often confused. I would begin the lesson with a discussion about the weather outside on that particular day before introducing the definitions of weather and climate. Using photographs from different seasons and places around the world would help to make the concepts more meaningful. I would then ask the children to work in pairs to sort the statements into weather or climate, encouraging them to explain the reasons for their choices. This would promote discussion and help identify any misconceptions. To extend the activity, I would ask the children to create one or two of their own weather and climate statements for the class to sort.
Activity 2: Weather Detectives
I really liked the practical nature of this activity because it encourages children to observe the world around them. I would take the class outside to observe the current weather and record what they notice using their senses, such as cloud cover, temperature, wind and rainfall. We could compare our observations with the daily weather forecast and discuss whether the forecast was accurate. I would also like to extend this activity over several weeks by creating a classroom weather chart where children take turns recording the daily weather. This would allow them to identify patterns and understand that weather changes from day to day, while climate is based on observations over a much longer period.
Overall, I found both activities engaging and easy to adapt for different class levels. They promote discussion, observation and inquiry, all of which are key aspects of effective STEM education. One improvement I would suggest would be to include more opportunities for children to use digital technology, such as accessing weather forecasts online or using simple weather apps to compare local weather with other parts of Ireland or the world. This would strengthen the technology element of STEM while making the learning even more relevant and engaging for pupils.
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I really enjoyed Activities 1 and 2. I think they are very suitable for younger children as they encourage observation and discussion rather than focusing on learning facts. The Weather Detectives activity, in particular, is one I can see working really well with my 2nd class. Children are naturally interested in the weather, especially when it changes from day to day, so I think they would enjoy observing the weather outside, recording what they notice and talking about how it changes over time. I also liked how the activities encouraged children to use scientific vocabulary in a meaningful way. Instead of simply telling them the difference between weather and climate, they are given the opportunity to think about it for themselves and discuss their ideas with others. I think this would lead to some lovely conversations in the classroom.
One thing I would probably add is a simple weather diary that the children could complete over a week or two. I think this would help reinforce the idea that weather changes every day, while climate is based on patterns over a much longer period. It would also encourage children to become more aware of the world around them and make connections between what they are learning in school and what they see at home. Overall, I think these activities are practical, engaging and very easy to adapt for a 2nd class.
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Hi Kelly
Welcome to the course and I’m glad you liked the activities in module 1. As you have said, children (and adults) usually learn much more easily if they can find out information for themselves instead of being simply told the facts and the weather v climate activity is a great way to encourage them to think for themselves and figure out the difference. Combining the weather v climate activity with the weather detectives one allows them to explore these ideas further and make connections between their own work and the work that meterologists too. They can also see that while they are measuring weather, on a short term basis, weather data recorded and analysed over 30 years or more can give us the climate data that we need. The notebook is a good idea especially if it can be revisited througout the year in different seasons
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Before introducing Paxi and the greenhouse effect, I would spend some time helping my 2nd class understand the role of the Sun and why it is so important for life on Earth. I think it’s important that the children have this background knowledge first, as it will make it much easier for them to understand what the greenhouse effect is and why it matters.
Once the children have explored how the Sun provides heat and light, I would introduce the Paxi video on greenhouse gases. I really like this resource because it explains a complex topic in a way that is easy for young children to understand. As we watch the video, I would pause at different points to discuss new vocabulary and give the children the chance to ask questions or share their own ideas. I think this topic would lead to some really interesting discussions, particularly around the different ways people can help to protect the environment. One link I would make is to something the children are already familiar with. The trees outside our school are currently being removed to make way for new cycle lanes, and this has been a big talking point with the children. I think it would be a great opportunity to discuss how environmental issues are not always straightforward. On one hand, cutting down trees has a negative impact on wildlife and the environment, but on the other hand, creating safer cycle lanes encourages people to choose greener ways of travelling. I think this would help the children understand that sometimes there isn’t just one simple answer and that we need to think about different perspectives. Although I think the video is an excellent resource, I wouldn’t try to cover everything in one lesson. I would break the topic into a series of shorter lessons so the children have time to explore each idea, ask questions and make connections with their own experiences. I think this would make the learning much more meaningful and would help the children develop a better understanding of how they can play a part in looking after our planet.
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Having reviewed both the ‘Nose up High in the Sky’ and the ‘Weather vs Climate’ resources, I believe they will be very easy to implement in the classroom. The resources themselves are easy for the teacher to follow and I quite like the layout at the beginning of each that gives an overview.
I think simple drawings for the recording of weather with younger classes would work well. It could be an idea that each class (depending how many are in the school) take a fortnight or month (perhaps one week in the month) to record the weather. These findings could then be presented at an assembly and displayed as a bar chart or pictogram for younger classes. This would help make a link with maths also! This would tie in well with the second lesson of ‘Climate Detectives’ as the class could be split into 3 recording temperature, wind and rain.
For Activity 3 in the Nose up High in the Sky resource pack and with older classes in mind, I think it is a great idea to split them into groups. I think you could split the class into 4 groups with 2 focusing on rain and 2 focusing on wind. I would then give them a STEM challenge to create a rain gauge or anemometer showing examples of some on the board and giving lots of different materials. I think this would be a cross curricular link with maths for measurement and art for construction.
Overall, I think both resources are great and very easy for the teacher to implement into the classroom!
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Hi Megan
Welcome to the course. Thanks for your feedback on the different resources in this module.
I like how you are planning for a whole school approach to teaching the weather and recording the weather over a period of time in different classes. This would allow for multiple ways of recording the weather whether using pictures in the younger classes to symbols or words in the older classes. And as you have mentioned different types of graphs depending on the class level also.
Nose High Up in the Sky allows for the creation of anemometers and rain gauges and as you have said it would integrate well with maths and art in developing and making these weather instruments. I also like the integration with history in this activity as they explore weather proverbs or weather lore. You could also link with art to develop posters for these weather proverbs too.
Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.
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Liston (2018) highlights the importance of integrating STEM rather than teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as separate subjects. When exploring the Weather and Climate resources, this integration was evident.
I particularly enjoyed the ‘Weather Detectives’ activity as it was very hands-on and encouraged the children to work as scientists by considering variables for a fair-test, recording temperatures at the same time each day, calculating daily/weekly averages, and representing data through graphs. I could use this activity in my classroom by creating a class weather station where pupils collect, analyse and communicate weather data over a given time period.
I also enjoyed the ‘Is it Weather or Climate?’ activity as it uses children’s prior knowledge and experiences, such as reflecting on the weather on their birthday to develop understanding. The activity encouraged the children to collaborate and create their own definitions which will help consolidate the difference between short-term weather changes and long-term climate patterns.
All in all, I think they’re valuable resources and provide lots of opportunities for effective teaching and learning within the classroom.
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Hi Ailish,
Welcome to the course. It is great to hear that you enjoyed the different activities in this module.
As you have said these activities support teaching and learning in the classroom. Weather or Climate helps the learners understanding about the difference between these concepts. Weather Detectives builds on this knowledge and asks the learners to record their own observations on the weather and record data such as the temperature. There is excellent links with maths to explore data, graphs and averages with real life data which is very engaging for pupils. My own class have really enjoyed this too.
Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.
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I found this Module to be very interesting and I found the ESA resources to be very beneficial and something that I will bring back to my school next year in order to provide enjoyable and hands on learning experiences when exploring the topic of Weather and Climate.
I would go about exploring Activity 1 and 2 in the following ways.
Activity 1:
I think this provides lovely ideas. It gives the example of the birthday and getting children to recall the weather on their own birthday. This is a nice and fun way to explore the introduction of weather and climate. I would use brainstorming, think pair/share and KWL chart to also inrdouce the topic. I think the Activity booklet provides the children with clear explanatios which would definitely help consolidate their own learning and predictions.Activity 2:
This activity is an excellent idea and it would really put the childrens learning into practice. There are fantastic resources on keeping, recording and analaysing data over a preiod of the time. Getting the children to explore weather instruments is also a fantastic resource. Giving time to children to allow them go into groups in order to design and explore these instruments. I think it would be a great idea then to have a section of the school where they could set up these weather instruments. I could select weather monitors and those students could check the weather pattern over a number of days. Activity 2 is a fantastic idea as it also allows lots of integration in the area of Maths, Oral language and Visual Art. I think it is a great idea for the learning to come alive and enhance both problem solving and collaboration skills.These activities and resources are definitely something that I would take back to my classroom next year. I know my 3rd class would have good fun doing so.
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I really enjoyed reading your reflection. I agree that the activities provide such a practical and engaging way for children to explore these concepts. I really like your idea of using a KWL chart and think-pair-share to activate prior knowledge before beginning the topic, as this would allow children to share their own experiences and ideas about weather.
I also like your suggestion of having weather monitors as this could create a meaningful whole-school role for pupils. It would be great to see how the data collected could then be shared through displays or assemblies to encourage wider discussion about weather and climate across the school.
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Hi David
Welcome to the course and it is great to hear that you found the resources in this module very beneficial.
Activity 1 explores the concepts of weather and climate in an age appropriate way and as you have said the activity booklet helps to consolidate their learning too.
Activity 2 is great for hands on, playful learning experiences with lots of opportunity for cross curricular learning as you have mentioned. The collection of real life data is always great for the senior classes and they can represent this data using different charts and graphs. I like how you are planning for weather monitors and giving students responsibility over gathering the data and as you said put their learning on this topic into practice.
Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the many resources across the modules in this course.
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I really enjoyed reading your post David. I agree that the ESA resources are so practical and easy to use in the classroom. I loved your idea of using children’s birthdays to introduce weather and climate – it’s such a simple way to get everyone talking and thinking. The idea of having weather monitors is brilliant too, as it gives the children real responsibility and keeps them involved every day. I also liked how you linked the activities with other subjects, especially Maths and Art. Your class will definitely have great fun with these activities and I’m sure they’ll learn loads along the way!
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Hi David I agree the resources are very accessible. I have found that in the past giving children ownership of their learning and jobs works very well in the classroom so the idea of having a weather monitor is great. This data could then be shared with the class through a chart or possibly an ICT resource.
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Having read Liston’s article, it has reinforced the importance of student lead learning, where they are actively investigating, discussing, questioning, and solving real-world problems. It also highlighted that STEM should be integrated rather than taught as four separate subjects and encourage curiosity, collaboration, and critical thinking. The Is it Weather or Climate? activity encourages children to distinguish between weather and climate and supports the use of scientific vocabulary. It allows children to collaborate with each other. I also liked how it progressed naturally to other lessons such as building a meteorological station and measuring the weather. The Weather Detectives was engaging because it involved observing, collecting, and interpreting information. Pupils could work collaboratively to analyse weather data and draw conclusions. It also provides opportunities to integrate geography and digital technology if pupils use weather apps or online forecasts to compare local conditions. These activities would work well with my class because they are practical, discussion-based, and easily differentiated.
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Hi Alison
Welcome to the course. It is great that Maeve Liston’s article has encouraged you to think about how to teach STEM in your classroom and I’m glad that you see the lniks between Maeve Liston’s ideas and the activities outlined in this module, which encourage children to be active learners and critical and creative thinkers. Practical tasks are so important for teaching both concepts and skills and recording weather is something that is very relevant to the children’s lives. I hope you find the rest of the course equally useful
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I really liked both of these resources.
Activity 1:
I thought it was a great idea to capture the children’s interest through talk and old proverbs and I think this would really engage my students. I really liked the opportunities for collaboration and discussion as the children plan and construct weather stations. There are great opportunities for integration with Maths, especially the data topic and history when considering how weather data was collected in the past. I think this could become a long term project and data could be displayed for the whole school to observe and analyse. Different groups of children could take a turn at monitoring and recording results from the weather station. Its hands on and allows the children to be problem solvers, it would be very valuable for our children.
Activity 2:
I also really liked these activities, the ‘is it weather or climate?’ task was very relevant to our children’s lives and could help assess their understanding of the difference between the two in a very simple way. I think the climate reporters activity would work very well in the senior end of the school. I see firsthand how strongly our young people feel about climate issues on the green school committee, and I think this would be a good opportunity for them to research this and to share information with others. I like the table on the pupil worksheet, it is a good visual to demonstrate results and to compare data. Rather than making changes to any of these resources, I would let the children lead the way and see what they would like to do to follow up on this task. I think they would want to share their results with others outside the class. The children might decide to give a presentation, write a letter to the government, make a drama design a poster, research what we can do slow down climate change, make posters, etc which would be a nice
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Hi Brona,
Welcome to the course and it is great to hear that you liked the activities and resources in this module.
There are good opportunities for cross curricular integration across both activities such as data in maths and also persuasive writing in literacy as you have mentioned. This gives the learners the opportunity to make connections with real life situations and problems. I also like how you are planning to use the climate reporters with senior classes and also link in with the Green Schools Committee in the school. There are lots of ideas on how the learners can take action too. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.
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Having read the paper ‘Unravelling STEM’ I think that STEM always looks different in my classroom. Often it is hard to tell what subject I am actually teaching, as there is usually such a high level of integration. It is about giving children the chance to collaborate, ask questions, seek solutions and explain their thinking and learning with others. In my classroom this often happens through inquiry based learning, where we start with a question and go from there. As a result, the children very often lead the learning and what might start as science quickly becomes maths, literacy, engineering. I think when it is done well children are using skills like estimating, measuring, building, testing, designing, researching, creating, exploring etc. All of these are doing words, STEM is hands on and all children are active and involved.
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After reading Liston (2018), I see STEM as much more than teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths as separate subjects. It’s about helping children make connections through practical, hands-on activities and real-life problem-solving. In my classroom, STEM happens when pupils work together to investigate ideas, build, create, test and use technology to support their learning. I try to encourage curiosity, creativity and teamwork while giving children opportunities to think critically and learn from mistakes. I also encourage them to try out everyone’s ideas even if they are different to what others might think. Time is often a big constraint to doing this as often as I would like.
I thought the ESA resources were straightforward and gave plenty of ideas that I could actually use in the classroom. The activities explaining the difference between weather and climate were clear and would help children understand the topic without it feeling too complicated. I’d like to set up a simple weather station outside so the class could record the weather each day and look for patterns over time. It would be a nice way to develop STEM skills through measuring, recording results, using digital tools and discussing findings. I could also share the class’s work at assemblies or on a school display board so other classes could get involved and compare their own observations.
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Hi Emily,
Welcome to the course. It is great to hear your thoughts on the ESA resources in this module along with your reflection on Liston’s paper. It is great to allow student’s to collaborate and problem solve on STEM projects, but I agree that more often time constraints can impact this. However, with the new time for STEM in the curriculum specifications this might help.
Setting up a weather station would allow the learners in the class to take ownership of their learning and I like how you plan to share their work in assemblies or on a display board for the whole school community. Great idea to give them responsibility over their own learning and the opportunity to share it with others. Great ideas, thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy the other modules across this course.
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After reading Liston’s paper, I found it really made me think differently about STEM. I often think of science, technology, engineering and maths as separate subjects, but the paper highlighted how they work best when they are connected through real-life learning and problem-solving. I think this is very relevant with the new Primary Curriculum Framework, where there is a greater emphasis on children learning through inquiry, collaboration and hands-on experiences. Reflecting on my own teaching, I feel I already encourage children to ask questions and investigate, but I would like to make more deliberate links between the different STEM subjects rather than teaching them in isolation.
I enjoyed Activity 1, “Is it Weather or Climate?”, as it is a simple but effective way of helping children understand the difference between the two concepts. I would begin by talking about the weather outside that day and asking the children to think about what the weather was like on their birthdays or during different seasons. I think using examples from their own lives would make the lesson more meaningful before moving on to the worksheet. The activity encourages lots of discussion and helps children develop their scientific vocabulary while also building their understanding of geography.
I also really liked Activity 2, “Weather Detectives”. Children always enjoy being outdoors, so I think they would be very engaged in observing and recording the weather themselves. Taking real measurements and comparing results makes the learning much more practical than simply reading about weather in a textbook. I also like that the activity naturally brings maths into the lesson through measuring temperatures, recording results and looking for patterns in the data.
If I was using these activities with my class, I would extend them over a number of weeks rather than completing them as a once-off lesson. The children could keep a weather diary, create graphs of their results and compare their findings with the local weather forecast. This would help them recognise patterns over time and understand the difference between weather and climate even more clearly.
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Hi Aoife, I really agree with your point about STEM subjects being most effective when they are connected through real-life learning. I also liked your idea of linking the Is it Weather or Climate? activity to the children’s own experiences, as this would help make the learning more meaningful. I think extending the Weather Detectives activity over a number of weeks would be a great idea too, as children could take ownership of collecting data and noticing patterns over time.
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I really enjoyed reading about the different ESA Resources. In the past, I have got the children in my class involved in making their own weather instruments using recycled materials. It was great to integrate this with Art while promoting STEM skills such as Scientific Inquiry, Computational thinking and Design thinking. I love the idea of bringing resources and ideas together in the creation of a weather station. It could be an idea that some of the classes make the instruments and explain how they work to the school during an assembly. I love the idea of recording the weather in a weather log/journal.
I like the lesson and resources based on distinguishing weather Vs climate as I think this is something that can be very confusing especially in the older classes. I work in a DEIS school, and I think some of the vocabulary would be tricky for the children in my school. I think the use of visuals alongside the text somewhat supports this.-
Hi Claire,
I really like your idea of creating a weather station using instruments made by the children. This is something I could see working well in my own classroom, especially as it would allow the children to be creative while developing their STEM skills. I also like the idea of different classes making instruments and explaining them at an assembly. This would give the children a real purpose for their learning. The weather log or journal is another idea I would like to use, as it would encourage children to regularly observe and record changes in the weather. I also agree that the difference between weather and climate can be confusing, so using visuals would really help support understanding.
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Having read Liston’s article, I feel encouraged to teach STEM as an integrated subject providing pupils with many opportunities to problem solve, discuss, collaborate and to be creative. I wanted to focus on STEM this year with my class and didn’t really know where to start so I think it’s a great idea to use the children’s own experiences and incorporate their voice into lessons. This will ensure they are motivated throughout lessons.
I really liked both activities listed as part of this assignment.
Activity one provides plenty of opportunity to develop language and for children to work together. In order to ensure children reach objectives with the worksheet we would discuss weather and climate as a whole class. I think the ‘weather on your birthday’ question is great as it is something the children will remember and makes the lesson meaningful to them. The addition of making and using weather stations to further investigate climate and weather is something my pupils would really enjoy.
Activity 2 : ‘Weather detectives’ already sounds fun from the title. Children love to investigate and record information. This is a really hands on task and encourages use of pupils voice which I think is great. I would integrate this with data and children would present the information they have gathered in a variety of ways : block graph, pie chart etc.-
Hi Shauna,
Welcome to the course, and thanks for sharing your reflections.
It’s great to hear that you feel encouraged after reading Liston’s paper. As you point out, beginning with your students’ own experiences will help keep them motivated and interested in the lesson. Another great idea is to use what’s happening in your day to day school life, for example using a rainy day to explore materials that absorb and repel water.
Your reflection on the activities also shows how intergrated the investigations can be with other curricula such as languages, while also helping the students to build on important skills such as teamwork and curiosity.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.
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Activity 1: Is it Weather or Climate?
This task provides an excellent introduction to distinguishing between weather and climate. The sorting task encourages pupils to think critically about the characteristics of each concept rather than simply learning words they do not understand. It also gives each person a voice as pupils justify why they have categorised each statement as weather or climate. I would improve it by linking in photos of the local area to make it more meaningful for the pupils.
Activity 2: Weather Detectives
Pupils investigate weather data in a realistic context. It encourages observation, interpretation of information, and evidence-based conclusions. The activity also integrates mathematics through reading temperatures and interpreting weather demonstrating a clear STEM connection. I would improve it by using a physical weather calendar which we could interact with over the period of two weeks to enhance active learning in the class.-
I think there’s an opportunity to extend the learning for older pupils too by reviewing the predicted weather forecasts v’s their recorded weather events. This can open up the discussion more on predictive science encouraging even more inquiry. There could be a nice link here to gathering old/local weather predictions similar to those gathered here – 22 Weather Proverbs That Are Actually True | The Art of Manliness
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After reading Liston and completing Activities 1 and 2 from the <i>Weather and Climate resource, I found that both activities provide valuable opportunities to develop pupils’ scientific understanding while also supporting a range of cross-curricular skills. They encourage active participation through practical, hands-on learning experiences that can easily be adapted to suit the needs of my own classroom.
Activity 1: “Is it Weather or Climate?”
This activity clearly introduces the difference between weather and climate by using familiar, real-life examples. The sorting task and class discussion encourage pupils to think critically about whether examples describe short-term weather conditions or long-term climate patterns. Relating the activity to local weather helps make these concepts more meaningful and easier for children to understand.
Activity 2: “Weather Detectives”
The second activity develops pupils’ observation and recording skills as they collect information on temperature, rainfall, wind, and cloud cover over a period of time. Recording and analysing this data encourages children to identify patterns, make simple predictions, and begin to understand how scientists collect and interpret evidence. It also provides a natural introduction to ideas such as variation and the importance of accurate measurement.
In my own classroom, I would introduce Activity 1 at the beginning of a weather topic and connect it with current local weather forecasts to make the learning relevant and engaging.
I would then use Activity 2 as an ongoing class investigation, with pupils working in small groups to record daily weather observations over several weeks. The class could combine their results to create graphs, calculate averages, and compare their findings with historical weather data available online. This would strengthen links between science, mathematics, and digital literacy while developing pupils’ analytical skills.
To further enhance learning, I would incorporate a range of cross-curricular activities, including differentiated recording sheets, printable data tables, practical STEM investigations, and opportunities for pupils to present and discuss their findings. I would also use a simple assessment rubric to evaluate their observational skills, accuracy in recording data, and ability to interpret the information they have collected.-
Hi John
Welcome to the course and I’m glad you found the resources in the first module useful. Recording the weather is a fantastic learning opportunity for children of all ages as they can see its relevance to their everyday lives and it imvolves so many important scientific skills. I love that you plan to carry our the weather recording over a longer period of time, to compare the data gathered to weather forecasts and online weather data. The recording can be done in a few minutes every day and after doing it as a class for a week or so and ensuring that everyone understands what they are doing, you could even assign different pupils to record each day so it takes very little out of your class time, but the more data you can gather, the more useful it will be for the children when creating graphs or interpreting what they find. I love the use of differentiated recording sheets so that everyone can work to their own strengths at at their own level.
Just a note on formatting. For future posts when typing your answers in another programme an pasting them in, right click on the wondow and choose “paste as plain text” from the drop down menu. This removes all the extra formatting and makes your posts easier to read.
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Having reviewed Unravelling STEM (Liston 2018), I agree with Liston’s approach to looking beyond the simple acronym to viewing the four subjects, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths as a rich set of practices for the real world. We should use these subjects to promote curiosity both inside and outside the classroom and to help children understand and shape the world. As a teacher I need to challenge the narrow definitions of STEM by supporting richer, inquiry-based approaches across the school day.
The Weather V’s Climate activities are great to really clarify the difference between short-term weather and long-term climate. I thought using the child-friendly ‘birthday weather’ hook was excellent to connect the children’s lived experience to the learning. The activities relating to observing and measuring weather in the ‘Nose up high in the sky’ resource is a lovely helpful guide to setting up our own weather station at school, mirroring real meteorological work. I would lead the school in studying weather and climate by firstly assigning jobs to the various classes e.g. Fifth and Sixth class might be responsible for building a school anemometer, Third and Fourth could build a rain gauge, First and Second could use a simple table or spread sheet on MS Word/Excel to track weather daily throughout the school year to notice the change in weather between the seasons, Juniors and Seniors could prepare a poster for tracking daily weather updates with simple pictures for a short period of time. The senior classes could collate and present their data on the school website getting input and feedback on learning from the younger classes.
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Reflecting on Liston and the Weather and Climate resource, I found both activities enjoyable and full of practical ideas that I could see myself using in my own classroom. As an NQT, I am still building my bank of teaching resources and I really appreciate activities that are hands-on and encourage children to think for themselves. I also have a 4th class this year, so I found myself thinking about how I could adapt these activities for my own pupils. I liked that both activities promoted curiosity and investigation rather than simply asking children to learn facts. They also provide plenty of opportunities for STEM learning and meaningful cross-curricular links.
Activity 1: Is it Weather or Climate?
I thought the Is it Weather or Climate? activity was a really effective way of introducing the difference between the two concepts. It is something that even adults can confuse, so I liked that the children had to sort different statements and justify their choices. I think this would lead to really valuable classroom discussions and would also allow me to identify any misconceptions before moving on. I also liked that the activity encourages children to think about long-term weather patterns rather than just today’s weather. I think this would work really well with my 4th class as they are at an age where they enjoy discussing ideas and explaining their thinking. It links naturally with Geography, and Science while also developing oral language as children explain and justify their answers. I could also extend the lesson by looking at climate data from different countries and comparing it with Ireland, creating opportunities to integrate Maths through interpreting tables and graphs.
Activity 2: Weather Detectives
The Weather Detectives activity was my favourite because I could imagine the children really enjoying collecting their own weather data. Setting up a weather station in the school grounds would make the learning much more meaningful, as the children would be observing and recording the weather in their own environment rather than using sample data. They could measure rainfall, temperature, cloud cover and wind direction before comparing their results with the daily weather forecast. I think my 4th class would really enjoy taking ownership of this project and would be excited to see how the weather changes over time.
There would definitely be some challenges to setting up a weather station. Choosing a suitable location, making sure the equipment is cared for and remembering to collect data regularly would all need to be planned carefully. However, I think these challenges could become part of the learning. Different groups of children could take responsibility each week, helping to develop teamwork and responsibility while ensuring the project is sustainable throughout the year.
I also think this activity develops a wide range of STEM skills in a very natural way. Children are observing, measuring, recording, predicting, analysing data and drawing conclusions based on real evidence. There are also excellent opportunities to integrate Maths through data handling and graphing, Geography through studying weather and climate, English through presenting findings and writing weather reports, and Digital Technologies by creating digital graphs or presentations.
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These activities are very interactive and interesting for the children. They could certainly be used in my classroom with 3rd class as part of SESE lessons with some integration with maths.
I would love to set up a weather station outside on the grass beside the school. Here, the children could record the rainfall and the wind levels. We would make our own rainfall container using a beans tin and pour this into a measuring jug inside after a few days. The children would also make their own anemometer using many materials such as paper cups, straws, lollipop sticks and elastic bands and cellotapes. The children could count how many times this spun.
Inside the classroom, the children could also measure and record the temperature using a thermometer over a couple of days.
We would also as a class discuss and talk about the difference between climate and weather. I would show the children some of the videos that were in this module to help them understand that difference. I would share with the school during a staff meeting the knowledge I gained from this course and give them ideas of how they could study about the difference between climate and weather. -
After reading Liston’s paper, I gained a better understanding of how STEM subjects are most effective when taught in an integrated way through real-world, inquiry-based learning. I often separated them and maybe even over complicated them. This aligns closely with the new Primary Curriculum Framework, which encourages collaboration, investigation and hands-on experiences. It also made me reflect on the importance of making stronger links between science, technology, engineering and mathematics in my own teaching.
I found both weather activities engaging and suitable for the primary classroom. “Is it Weather or Climate?” helps pupils distinguish between the two concepts by sorting statements, encouraging discussion and reinforcing scientific vocabulary. Asking pupils to explain their reasoning would further assess their understanding. “Weather Detectives” provides a practical opportunity for children to observe, record and analyse weather data while developing scientific inquiry and mathematical skills through measuring and graphing results. To extend the learning, I would have pupils keep a weather diary over several weeks, compare their findings with local weather forecasts, and identify patterns over time. Pupils could also choose countries around the world also and compare and contrast the weather and seasons etc. Link in with data in maths and allow autonomy as to how they represent their data. Differentiated supports, such as word banks and extension tasks, would also ensure the activities meet the needs of all learners.-
I really enjoyed reading your reflection. I agree that Liston’s paper highlights how STEM is much more effective when the four disciplines are connected rather than taught in isolation. I also liked your honest point about sometimes overcomplicating STEM—it made me reflect on my own practice too.
Your suggestions for extending Weather Detectives are excellent. Having pupils keep a weather diary over several weeks and compare their findings with weather forecasts would help them see patterns and make the learning more meaningful. I also like the idea of comparing weather and seasons in different countries, as it creates natural links with Geography and encourages global awareness. Giving pupils autonomy in how they represent their data is another great way to foster creativity while reinforcing mathematical skills. Your emphasis on differentiation ensures the activities are accessible and engaging for all learners
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I completed Activities 1 and 2 from the Weather and Climate resource and found them to be engaging and accessible. Activity 1, Is it Weather or Climate?, helped to clearly distinguish between weather and climate through practical examples. It encouraged discussion and challenged pupils’ misconceptions in an age-appropriate way. Activity 2, Weather Detectives, allowed pupils to observe, record and analyse weather conditions, helping them to develop scientific enquiry skills while also integrating mathematics through measuring and recording data
These activities could be used successfully in my classroom, particularly when teaching Geography, Science and Mathematics in an integrated way. Pupils could work collaboratively in groups to collect daily weather data over several weeks and use digital tools to create graphs or compare their findings with data from other locations. This would further strengthen links with technology and digital literacy.
One improvement would be to extend the activities by including opportunities for engineering design, such as challenging pupils to create a simple rain gauge or weather shelter using recycled materials. I would also include differentiated recording sheets and visual supports to ensure all learners, including pupils with additional educational needs, can participate fully. Overall, these activities are practical, engaging and provide an excellent example of authentic STEM learning by connecting classroom learning with real-world experiences.-
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I really like your suggestion of incorporating an engineering design challenge alonside the weather activities. Asking pupils to design and build a simple rain guage or weather shelter using recycled materials would make the learning even more hands on while encouraging creativity and problem-solving. I also agree with your point about using differentiated recording sheets and visual supports to ensure every pupil can participate meaninfully.
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Module 1 Assignment
I found the ESA resources very useful. The lesson plans are well-structured, engaging, and easy to follow, making them very accessible for classroom use. I like how the lessons guide children through investigating, designing, building, recording observations and analysing results. They provide opportunities for pupils to share their learning through discussion, presentations and reflection.I hope to provide opportunities for greater critical thinking, creativity and collaboration in my classroom. One idea that particularly appealed to me was creating a weather station. I think this would be a fantastic addition to our school grounds and would provide meaningful learning opportunities throughout the year. In our school, we have a quiet area in the yard where ball games are not allowed, and I think this would be an ideal location. It would be protected from damage while remaining easily accessible to classes. I also like the idea of the children taking ownership of the weather station and sharing their knowledge with younger classes, creating opportunities for leadership and collaborative learning across the school. Collaborating and working alongside other classes during this project is something I would definitely be interested in.
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Hi Bronagh, I really enjoyed reading your reflection. I agree that the ESA resources are very well structured and encourage pupils to learn through investigation. I especially liked your idea of locating the weather station in the quiet area of the yard, as it is both practical and accessible. It would also be interesting to compare weather data collected by different classes throughout the year and identify seasonal patterns.
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The ESA weather and climate resources provide engaging, inquiry-based activities that encourage pupils to investigate real-world scientific concepts. Setting up a weather station in the school grounds would allow children to collect and analyse data on temperature, rainfall and wind, developing observation, prediction and data-handling skills. The Weather vs Climate activities effectively help pupils distinguish between weather, which describes short-term atmospheric conditions, and climate, which refers to long-term weather patterns, while encouraging them to interpret graphs, compare data and consider future climate scenarios. These activities foster STEM skills through scientific investigation, the use of measuring instruments and digital technologies, engineering by designing weather instruments, and mathematics through recording, graphing and interpreting data. I would promote collective practice by assigning groups responsibility for monitoring different weather elements, sharing findings with the class, and collaboratively discussing trends and communicating evidence-based conclusions, helping pupils develop scientific understanding and effective communication skills.
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The ideas presented in Liston, 2018, support the idea that STEM education is most effective when the four disciplines are integrated through meaningful, real-world contexts rather than taught as isolated subjects. I have found in my classroom that STEM has been most successful when pupils investigate problems, collaborate, ask questions, and apply their learning across different curriculum areas.
I completed Activities 1 and 2, Is it Weather or Climate? and Weather Detectives, and found them engaging and age appropriate. The activities encourage observation, discussion, and evidence-based thinking while developing scientific vocabulary and data interpretation skills. I could absolutely use these lessons as part of a cross-curricular unit linking Science, Geography, Maths, and Digital Technologies by having pupils collect and analyse local weather data over several weeks and compare it with long-term climate patterns.
One improvement would be to include differentiated tasks or extension activities for pupils requiring an additional challenge, such as creating graphs using digital tools or investigating the impact of climate change on local weather patterns. Including opportunities for outdoor observations and links to local weather forecasts would also make the learning more authentic and strengthen pupils’ understanding of the difference between weather and climate.
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Hi Megan,
Welcome to the course.
You have drawn out an important message from Liston’s paper, that STEM becomes most meaningful when pupils are solving real problems, asking questions and making connections across subjects. I also like how you have linked this to your own classroom experience, where collaboration and investigation are already central.
Your approach to Activities 1 and 2 sounds very practical, and would give pupils a real sense of working scientifically, especially if they then compare their observations with forecasts or longer-term climate patterns. Your suggestion around differentiation is very valuable too. You as the teacher would know your students capabilities and its great to see you taking that into account. To strengthen the engineering element further, pupils could design or improve simple weather instruments, test how well they work, and adapt them based on their results. This would bring the Engineering Design Process into the activity in a very hands-on way.
Thanks so much for sharing, hope you enjoy the rest of the course.
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Activities 1 and 2 from the Weather and Climate resource are engaging and accessible. Activity 1, Is it Weather or Climate?, helped to differentiate between weather and climate through practical examples. . Activity 2, Weather Detectives, allowed pupils to record and analyse weather conditions, using inquiry based skills. The resources provided engaging hands on activities that would work well in my fourth class classroom. A simple weather station would encourage understanding of the difference between climate and weather as children can see the changes daily by using the various weather instruments. These activities develop STEM skills by encouraging accurate measuring, data recording, problem solving and analysing patterns.
These skills encourage cross curricular links to Maths and science, and the use of ICT could also be encouraged. To share learning children could display weekly weather reports and digital presentations. Here this is also an opportunity to link with drama and art. These collaborative activities promote discussion, communication and inquiry based learning while helping pupils appreciate how weather and climate influence our environment and everyday lives.
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Hi David,
Thank you for sharing your response to Module 1.
You have identified some very practical ways to use Activities 1 and 2 with your class. I really like your point about a simple weather station, as this would allow pupils to observe daily changes for themselves and begin to understand the difference between short-term weather and longer-term climate patterns. Your links to Maths, Science, ICT, Drama and Art are strong too. Weekly weather reports or digital presentations would give pupils a real audience for their findings, while also developing communication and teamwork skills.
It would be great to hear a little more about your reflection on Liston’s paper too, particularly how these activities support integrated STEM learning through inquiry, problem-solving, collaboration and real-world investigation.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the course!
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I agree that both activities provide an engaging and practical introduction to weather and climate. I particularly like the idea of using a simple weather station. It allows pupils to observe daily changes and develop a clearer understanding of the difference between weather and climate. The activities also provide strong cross-curricular opportunities, particularly with Maths and Science as you have said.
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I found Activities 1 and 2 from the Weather and Climate resource practical, engaging and easy to use in the primary classroom. Both activities encourage pupils to take an active role in their learning through investigation, discussion and observation. Activity 1: Is it Weather or Climate? is a good way to help pupils understand the difference between weather and climate by using everyday examples. It encourages children to explain their ideas and discuss their thinking with others, helping to address common misunderstandings.
Activity 2: Weather Detectives gives pupils the opportunity to collect, record and interpret weather data. I think this activity would work very well in my fourth-class classroom as it allows children to develop their observation and enquiry skills while learning from real-life experiences. I would set up a simple weather station in the school grounds where pupils could record daily weather conditions using equipment such as a thermometer and rain gauge. Observing changes over time would help them recognise the difference between daily weather and longer-term climate patterns.
These activities also provide many opportunities to develop STEM skills. Pupils practise measuring accurately, recording information, identifying patterns and drawing conclusions from the data they collect. They also encourage problem-solving and teamwork as children work together to investigate and share their findings.
I also like the strong cross-curricular links these activities provide. Pupils can apply mathematical skills by creating charts and graphs, while digital technology can be used to record data and create presentations. There are also opportunities to link with Geography, Art and Drama by producing weather reports, designing displays or presenting forecasts to the class. Overall, I think these activities provide an enjoyable and meaningful way for pupils to develop scientific understanding while building a wide range of skills through active, collaborative learning.-
Hi Aine
Welcome to the course. I’m gald you liked the activities in this module. As you said, recording daily weather data is one of the best ways to build STEM skills such as recording, measuring and working with data. It also teaches the importance of observation and accurate reporting. After the initial set up of the weather station and pupils earning how to use the weather instruments and record the information, the project is easily carried on throughout the school year, with 2 pupils assigned each day to spend a few minutes checking the weather instruments. This long term data can then be used throughout the year for maths work or to tie in with various STEM and SEE lessons and the project can continue from year to year allowing comparisons. Introducing the Weather vs Climate later in the year when the children have been gathering their weather data for a few months will allow you to use that data to emphasise the difference between weather and climate especially when combined with online weather data for previous years. Pupils can look at individual days within a month and also averages and (e.g. 6th November was a very dry day but on average November was a wet month) and this can be used to show how climate is measured by gathering data like this over a period of 30 years or more and looking at averages.
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The ESA resources “Nose Up High in the Sky” and “Weather vs Climate” provide engaging, inquiry-based activities that would be highly valuable in the primary classroom. I particularly liked how the resources encourage pupils to observe, measure and analyse real-world weather data rather than simply learning concepts from a textbook. I could use these activities to establish a weather station in the school grounds, allowing pupils to record temperature, rainfall, wind speed and cloud cover over time. This would help them explore the difference between daily weather patterns and long-term climate trends.
The activity would foster STEM skills through scientific observation, the use of technology and measuring instruments, engineering through designing and improving the weather station, and mathematical skills through data collection, graphs and analysis. I would encourage whole-school involvement by creating a weather and climate team, sharing findings through assemblies, displays and digital platforms. This would support collaborative practice by allowing students and staff to communicate their learning and develop greater awareness of climate and environmental issues.
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In looking at Dr. Maeve’s Liston’s paper on STEM I would say that my understanding of STEM up to this point would mainly have been each part of STEM existing independently- for example a science experiment would be a full lesson and that would, more than likely, be the end of that particular lesson.
This paper highlights that this experiment can lead to exploration of other areas in STEM and enable children to use the knowledge from the experiment as a basis for following through to other areas-for example Engineering. Technology being something as simple as a paper clip or a pen is also worth highlighting as we often associate it with huge machines when it fact it can be something so small, simple and familiar. This is a great way to get children involved and thinking independently about how they use and often invent their own simple technology as part of play and exploration.
Activity 1:
This is a very clear and engaging lesson/activity. Children love to relate learning to themselves so discussion on their birthdays in relation to weather and climate will definitely get them interested. Also- completing some additional work as homework can encourage discussion at home and begin general conversations at home in relation to climate change and the environment. The suggestions for older classes- looking at areas of the world and their particular climates also seems well pitched and appropriate.
Activity 2:
This activity gets all the children involved in taking measurements, deciding where to put the thermometer and engaging in active learning. It also highlights the use of STEM as the thermometer may lead to discussion on maths-positive and negative numbers, technology- how the thermometer works etc. The children would enjoy analyzing the results and discussing the conclusions. -
Reading Liston (2018) helped me see STEM as an integrated approach to learning rather than four separate subjects. For me, STEM is most effective when children are given practical opportunities to explore, question, design and test ideas in meaningful contexts. In the classroom, this happens when pupils work collaboratively to solve problems, build models, investigate concepts and use technology to support their understanding. I aim to create an environment where curiosity, creativity, resilience and critical thinking are valued, and where children feel confident sharing different ideas and learning through trial and error. One of the main challenges, however, is finding enough time to plan and deliver these experiences regularly.
I found the ESA resources clear, engaging and realistic for classroom use. The activities on weather and climate explained the distinction simply and in a way that children could understand. I would like to extend this learning by creating an outdoor weather station and pairing older and younger classes to record daily observations together. Mixed-age collaboration can encourage mentoring, responsibility and stronger social relationships while giving children authentic opportunities to measure, record and interpret data. Sharing the findings through assemblies or displays could also help involve the wider school community.
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I love the idea of pairing the younger and older children together for STEM activities. It’s something we do organically with reading and maths trails etc but I think your suggestion for extending that into STEM is excellent. In my experience, with large class numbers, it can be difficult to ensure every child is fully engaged. By pairing them as leaders or buddies, it adds another really positive dimension and motivation to concentrate to their learning.
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I also like the idea of organising a particular STEM project and mixing class groups and ages. It would work particularly well in a smaller school and allow older pupils to take on leadership roles and assign particular jobs to every member of the group. The younger pupils would gain great insights and develop their social skills and confidence in such a set-up.
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The paper Unravelling STEM looks at STEM as a whole and not as separate subjects. It reinforces the idea of children using their knowledge from all four areas to solve real-life problems in an active and hands on way. In my own teaching I see the value of integrating subjects and try to do this as much as possible. A child centered, hands on approach that allows children to be curious, that makes connections to their lives and experiences is something I would encourage.
Activity 1 would be a great introduction to the topic of ‘Weather or Climate.’ It challenges common misconceptions, allows for a great deal of class discussion and offers pupils the chance to think critically while making all important links to local weather and the pupils experiences.
Activity 2 Weather Detectives develops scientific enquiry, observational skills and data handling. There is great scope to extend these lessons and encourage class projects over a number of weeks/months. Lots of opportunities for child led learning.
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Having gone through Liston’s (2018) paper I reflected on how STEM is present in my own classroom in many different ways and links with many other subjects in different ways. STEM is my classroom is about giving pupils the freedom to creative, problem-solve their own problems and questions without always finding the answer, pupils working together to solve and investigate, critical thinking and inquiry based learning to investigate real-life issues. In my classroom in recent years I have become better at integrating across the curriculum through projects where pupils, investigate issues, research the information and present possible solutions. However, Liston’s paper has made me think deeper about STEM and makes be look at STEM in a new way.
The Weather and Climate activities would be great for pupils to engage with STEM.
Activity 1: Is it weather or climate?, would be a good way to develop pupils’ understanding of the difference between short-term and long weather patterns. This activity would create talk and talk and discussion around the main differences in senior classes. It could be enhanced further by researching the science/theories behind recent global weather events or local weather events in Ireland such as flooding in our local area.Activity 2: Weather Detectives, would be good to teach pupils about observing and recording weather and information related to local weather. I could use this activity in my school when setting up a school weather station at the back of the school. My class could collect data over the course of a school term or terms.
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Hi Patrick,
Welcome to the course.
I really like how you describe STEM in your classroom, in particular how it is ok to not have all the answers and to encourage ownership by the pupils themselves of what they are investigating. That links very well with Liston’s view of STEM as an integrated, inquiry-based approach rather than a set of separate subjects.
Your ideas for extending Activities 1 and 2 are strong too. Linking weather and climate to recent local events, such as flooding, would make the learning more meaningful for pupils. Setting up a school weather station would also give pupils an authentic way to collect data over time, spot patterns and develop their skills in observation, measuring, recording and analysis.
hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.
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In Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics by Liston, I agree that STEM has become popular way to describe any event that does not incorporate all the facets of STEM. I also agree that we should strive towards full STEM lessons, allowing for innovation, critical thinking, problem solving and group work. I love to start maths lessons by giving the children concrete materials to explore with and problem solve. However, I feel sometimes Mathematics or Science need to be taught in isolation. Sometimes children need to practice equations. I was fascinated to learn that technology is any innovation used to meet a human need.
I really like the lessons in the Weather and Climate resource. Looking back on birthdays or photos of birthdays will really spark interest. For my own child’s birthday, we had a bouncy castle and it was pouring rain so they all slipped around in the rain. I think it made it more fun. I think the worksheet would work well for group work.
Activity 2, provides a great hands on activity for the pupils, incorporating science and maths.-
I agree Ciara that STEM can sometimes be used too broadly, without genuinely integrating all four areas. I particularly agree with the point that Mathematics and Science sometimes need to be taught independently, especially when developing core skills such as equations. I also liked the birthday weather example, as it shows how personal experiences can make learning more meaningful and engaging.
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Hi Ciara,
Welcome to the course. I really appreciate your balanced reflection on Liston’s paper, particularly the observation that Maths or Science may sometimes need focused teaching in isolation. The key seems to be knowing when pupils need direct practice and when they are ready to apply that learning through a richer, integrated STEM task.
Your birthday example is lovely, and shows exactly why the Weather and Climate resource could work so well. Personal memories make the learning more meaningful and give pupils a natural starting point for discussion. Activity 2 could build on this nicely by having pupils collect real weather data, compare observations and perhaps even design simple weather instruments, bringing in the Engineering Design Process more explicitly.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.
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Dr. Maeve Liston’s paper gives a really positive, innovative approach to STEM. I liked the idea that STEM isn’t about teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths as separate subjects, but giving children opportunities to solve real problems by bringing these areas together. I already use plenty of practical investigations, but the paper encouraged me to think more about making stronger links across the curriculum.
I enjoyed both Weather and Climate activities. The first activity clearly explained the difference between weather and climate, while the Weather Detectives activity encouraged children to observe, record and discuss their own findings. I could see my class really enjoying collecting weather data over several weeks and then presenting it using graphs in Maths.
One improvement I’d suggest would be adding a digital element. The children could compare their observations with the relevant Met Éireann forecast for that day or coming day and discuss any differences. An extension activity where pupils predict the next day’s weather before checking the official forecast would also encourage more critical thinking. Use of websites that provide very easy to use graphic charts such as Ventusky is another option. Overall, I found the activities practical, engaging and easy to use in the primary classroom.
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Hi Richard,
Welcome to the course. It is great to hear your feedback on Maeve Liston’s paper and how you plan to consider more stronger links to the curriculum in your own practice.
Thanks for your feedback on the weather based activities. I like how you are considering the digital element with using official data such as Met Eireann with the learners own data and compare the results. I also like how you will focus on the learners own predictions to encourage more critical thinking and make stronger connections between what they know and what they have practiced when recording the weather data.
Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the other modules in the course.
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Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics made me reflect on how STEM is currently approached in my classroom. I realised that although I regularly include STEM activities, I have tended to treat Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as individual areas rather than connecting them through a shared problem-solving process. For example, during weekly maths stations, pupils often use Lego, Kapla and other construction materials, but I could develop these activities further by presenting pupils with real problems or challenges to investigate.
The article also highlighted the importance of curiosity, teamwork, creativity and learning through investigation. These are areas I already encourage, particularly by using pupils’ experiences and surroundings as a starting point for learning. The ESA resources would provide valuable opportunities for pupils to design, construct, collect information, analyse results and communicate their findings.
I would like to explore weather as a context for STEM learning by investigating the differences between weather and climate and encouraging pupils to observe and record weather patterns. A school weather station could provide an engaging, long-term project and allow pupils to share their learning with younger classes
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Having completed both of these activities, I think they provide a useful introduction to the concepts of weather and climate and could work very well in my multigrade class of 2nd to 4th next year.
Activity 1: Is it Weather or Climate?
I really like using the context of pupils’ birthdays as an introduction, as it connects the topic to their own real life experiences. My own parents have even told me about the stormy weather, the night that I was born! In a multigrade class, pupils could work in mixed-age pairs, with older pupils supporting younger pupils as some of the terminology, such as continental and temperate, may be quite advanced for 2nd class. I really like the use of a sorting activity because it allows children the opportunity for discussion and having to justify their answers.Activity 2: Weather Detectives
This is an excellent hands-on activity because pupils collect real data and develop observation, measurement and numeracy skills. I would run it for at least two weeks if possible, allowing different pupils to take responsibility for the daily measurement. I think that it would be interesting for the children to complete the activity during different seasons, such as autumn and summer, and compare the differences. This learning could be extended through cross-curricular links such as creating graphs in Maths and An Aimsir in Gaeilge.
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I reviewed Liston’s (2018) paper, and reflected on what STEM education could look like in my Senior Infant classroom. The emphasis placed on innovation and critical thinking inspired me to use a problem-solving approach in teaching weather and climate to children, while making cross-curricular links to ensure the topic is integrated into a range of subjects.
Activity 1 helped me consider how weather and climate could be introduced to young children. As weather is part of their everyday lives, I would begin by asking, “What is the weather like today?” Rather than completing the original worksheet independently, I would use pictures and whole-class sorting activities to distinguish between weather and climate. Discussing what the weather was like on the children’s birthdays would be an engaging introduction for younger classes.
Activity 2, Weather Detectives, provides opportunities for children to observe, record and interpret real weather data. However, the original activity involves measuring temperatures, creating graphs and calculating averages, which would need significant adaptation for Senior Infants. I would simplify this by having a daily “Weather Detective” record the temperature, weather symbol and whether it feels warm, cool or cold. We could create a large class weather chart together.
Overall, I found both activities engaging and practical, but they require differentiation for younger pupils. I would make them more visual, play-based and hands-on by using photographs, symbols and simple vocabulary. I would also introduce a classroom weather station.
This reflects Liston’s (2018) view that authentic STEM involves creativity, problem-solving, teamwork and real-world applications. These activities would therefore support early scientific enquiry, mathematical thinking, observation and problem-solving in an age-appropriate way.
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Module 1
- I read the paper on Unravelling Stem etc. and honestly found it a very interesting summer read and I’m glad I had the time to read it.
I thought I had a good understanding of STEM but really I had only a good understanding of basic science and maths. This is not STEM per se but only a small part of it. I obviously must up my game!! I will include more Engineering and Technology in my planning. I generally like these topics, I like planning these topics and I can see myself doing this thanks to the benefits and importance of a complete STEM Education outlined in this paper. Improvements in critical thinking and working collaboratively would certainly want me focussing more time on STEM.
- In my own classroom as it stands I do a lot of “pretalking” as it were re work on maths and science …so as such I am priming the children for critical thinking. We always begin with what we are trying to do /what way d they think they could do it /any other ways /what do we need etc.
- Feedback on Activities
Act 1: I loved the way it challenged the way we naturally think about think. It certainly challenged misconceptions. It encouraged critical thinking and collaborative work by having the children justify and account for their answers. It didn’t make it easy for them!!
- Act 2:What a lovely practical activity ! All the children would find it very easy to get involved in an activity like this.
I would definitely use these activities with my class
Improvements: I would probably tune into Kids TV …in particular the Weather…to make it more real.
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I really liked your point about thinking you had a good understanding of STEM but then realising that you were mainly focusing on Science and Maths. I think it is easy to do this without really thinking about the Engineering and Technology side of STEM. I also liked your idea of using Kids TV and the weather to make Activity 2 more real for the children. They could watch the weather forecast and then compare it with their own observations and predictions. I think your idea of the “pretalking” is really useful too. Giving children time to discuss what they think, suggest different ways of doing something and explain their ideas before starting the activity is a great way to build their critical thinking skills.
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Liston believes STEM should connect subjects through problem-solving, creativity and teamwork. Active learning and scientific investigation are central to my teaching. I use children’s experiences and surroundings to support inquiry-based learning. However, I often teach STEM subjects separately. The new curriculum should help me create stronger connections between them.
Activity 1: Is it weather or climate?
This activity provides a clear and engaging way to explain the difference between weather and climate using familiar, everyday examples. The sorting task develops children’s observation, reasoning and critical-thinking skills. The “birthday weather” prompt is especially effective because it is personal and meaningful, helping children connect their own experiences of short-term weather with longer-term climate patterns. I would begin with a whole-class discussion before having children work together in small groups.Activity 2: Weather Detectives
This activity develops important STEM skills through practical investigation. Children take daily temperature readings at the same time and place, learning how to collect reliable data. Creating graphs helps them identify patterns and calculate averages. Comparing classroom results with online information develops digital skills and teaches children to interpret real-world data. We could also share our findings at whole-school assemblies. -
Activity 1: Weather vs Climate
In the infant classroom, weather is typically taught as a daily concept during morning meetings. Children observe the immediate weather byh looking out the window and deciphering the weather as it stands in that moment. It often leads to rich discussion about how weather is interchangeable from how it was initially that morning vs. now and comparing day by day. Climate can be explained by linking to children’s understanding of climate and the typical weather experienced on a constant basis in their home nation (ireland) while ccomparing to a country they might have travelled to on summer holidays.
Activity 2: Weather Detectives:
This activity offers an opportunity to practice key STEM skills and concepts through daily practical investigation where the children take ownership of the learning. Children could read & record daily temperature readings at the same time and place, learning how to collect reliable data. This could be carried out across the school year to compare weather throughout the seasons. A junior class could identify patterns & place data on graphs using pictorial approaches. Older classes could link with Maths skills through the Data strand. Children may need to be supported in reading the temperature with lots of practice within the class or by asking an SNA or older child to support the activity when reading outside.
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Hi Ailbhe,
Welcome ot the course. I really like how you have considered the infant classroom context, where weather is already part of daily routines such as morning meetings. This is a very natural starting point, as pupils can observe what is happening outside in the moment before gradually building towards the more abstract idea of climate.
Your suggestion of linking climate to typical weather in Ireland, and comparing it with places children may have visited, is a lovely way to make the concept more accessible. Using pictorial graphs for younger classes and support from an older pupil is a thoughtful way to scaffold the activity and encourage peer-to-peer learning. It would also be great to hear how this connects with Liston’s ideas around integrated STEM learning in your classroom.
Hope you enjoy the course.
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Having completed the activities and read Liston (2018), I reflected on how STEM education can be more effectively integrated in my 3rd and 4th class. Liston emphasises that authentic STEM should connect different subject areas through real-world problems, while developing creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork which is an important point to remember and not a stand alone lesson. I found “Is it Weather or Climate?” very effective for helping children distinguish between short-term weather and longer-term climate patterns. “Weather Detectives” would work particularly well in our rural school, as pupils could record local temperatures daily, graph their results and calculate averages, creating meaningful links between Science, Geography and Maths. I would extend the activities by setting up a class weather station and including rainfall and wind measurements. Pupils could compare our rural weather data with information from another Irish location. This would make the learning more relevant to their own environment while developing data-handling and investigative skills. I would also use digital weather forecasts and satellite images, allowing pupils to compare their own observations with professional forecasts. This would strengthen the technology element and create a more integrated STEM learning experience.
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I have always found teaching science to be challenging in my class. Reading Listons article it mentions ‘removing the barriers’ to STEM and not treating it as separate subjects.
I think if I focus more on integrating a topic or theme across other subjects it will be much more beneficial to the children.
For example teaching about climate and weather. In the infant classes, a class chat about different types of weather we experience and also in other countries. Elicit from the children why they think some parts of the world get more sun /snow than we do.
From this we could explore how we as humans adapt to the weather eg the clothes we wear , foods we heat, heating our homes etc
How animals adapt to changes in weather is something that all class levels would enjoy investigating. This provides the children with links to geography ( learning about other countries & cultures) SPHE ( our world around us )english ( wealth of oral language opportunities)
A class weather journal could be used to support the topic of weather in Irish language lessons.
Giving the children opportunities to watch weather forecasts TV /radio, asking questions about what they have heard. Providing weather report play opportunities during aistear/roleplay time.
Other ways to explore with the children could be setting up a weather station and measuring rainfall, comparing accuracy of weather reports to what the weather turned out to be.
Finally and most importantly educating the children on how we in our school can slow down climate change and the negative effects it is having on our planet.-
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Hi Niamh
Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your thoughts following the different activities in this module.
I like how you have taken the approach in Liston’s article and consider how to develop cross curricular approaches to the weather topic. I agree that exploring this topic across multiple curricular areas such as drama, science, geography and all you have mentioned allows for more meaningful learning and for the learners to make connections to their own lives. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.
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Activity 1:
I think this is a lovely activity for younger kids. It gives the children a very easy to see example of weather by discussing their birthdays and comparing it to others in the class. The sorting task is a good way of helping the children to look at their own learning and assessing whether they are able to categorise the different statements. It would be important to question the children as to why they think different statements fit in different categories to ensure that they aare not just copying others or making guesses.
Activity 2:
This task is a good activity which I think is probably a bit more appropriate for older children. The links to maths are great and would provide the children with opportunities to link their learning in different subjects. The practical nature of the activity is great for the children. It could be simplified for younger kids by using a pictogram to track and having less of a focus on averages.
Both these activities lend themselves to Liston’s (2018) ideas on STEM and the interconnectivity that should be present when approaching STEM subjects. I have tried integrating more in my classes but definitely could do with more work in this area.
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Hi Donal,
Welcome to the course. It is great to hear your thoughts on activity 1 & 2 in this module.
I agree that activity 1 allows for younger learners to explore the concepts of weather and climate and the use of weather on their birthday brings connection to their own lives also. The sorting activity would allow for lots of discussion and critical thinking as you have said where children can justify why a statement is in a particular category.
Activity 2 allows for lots of cross curricular links with opportunity to explore data using real life data sets or encouraging the learners to collect their own data. As Sarah has mentioned, the choice of data chart or graph can be adapted depending on the class level.
Lovely ideas, thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy the course.
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After reading Liston’s paper and completing Activities 1 and 2, I think the Weather and Climate resource is a good way to introduce STEM in the classroom. Activity 1 helps pupils understand the difference between weather and climate, while Activity 2 allows them to collect and record weather data.
As I will have 3rd Class in the coming year, I think these activities would be suitable for their age. I would begin with Activity 1 before looking at local weather forecasts and discussing seasonal weather patterns in Ireland. Activity 2 could then become an ongoing class investigation, with pupils working in groups to collect data over a few weeks and present their findings using charts and graphs.
I would use differentiated recording sheets to support different abilities. I think adding more practical STEM challenges, extension activities and a simple assessment checklist would improve the resource further.
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Having read the ESA Weather and Climate teacher guide and completed Activities 1 and 2, I found them effective for developing pupils’ scientific thinking, observation and data-handling skills. The European Space Agency uses satellite technology to observe Earth, weather and long-term climate patterns, making these resources meaningful for classroom learning.
Activity 1, Is it Weather or Climate?, helped me distinguish between short-term weather conditions and long-term climate patterns. I would connect the sorting task to local examples and traditional sayings such as “Red sky at night.” Pupils could interview grandparents about traditional weather predictions and discuss their reliability.
Activity 2, Weather Detectives, would develop observation and recording skills. With 5th class, I would make a homemade rain gauge, using set jelly in the bottom to create a flat, stable base. They could compare the effectiveness to a shop bought rain gauge. Pupils could record rainfall daily for a month, create charts and identify patterns.
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Hi Eimear,
Welcome to the course. Thanks for your feedback on the activities and how they promote skills development along with knowledge of climate and weather.
Activity 1 explores the concepts of weather and climate in an age-appropriate way and I like how you are also exploring traditional weather lore with this task which could create links with home and older relatives.
While I have made rain gauges with my class, I hadn’t thought of using jelly in the bottom to make it more stable. Great idea, thanks for sharing. I think allowing the learners to create their own weather instruments and collect their own data is very engaging and gives them ownership of their learning.
Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.
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Eimear, I really like your ideas! Especially the suggestion of interviewing grandparents about traditional weather sayings. I think this would be a great way to connect the children’s learning with their own families and experiences, while also getting them to think critically about whether these predictions are actually reliable.
I also really like the hands-on idea of making a homemade rain gauge and then comparing it with a shop-bought one. I think the children would really enjoy this, and it would give them a chance to investigate which one works best and why. It makes the learning much more practical and meaningful while developing their observation and problem-solving skills.
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Activity 1:
I think this is an effective introductory activity as it simplifies the difference between weather and climate and helps pupils develop a clear understanding of both concepts. I would begin by discussing the definitions before asking pupils to work in pairs to classify statements as weather or climate. This encourages collaboration and discussion, linking with Liston’s emphasis on inquiry-based learning.
Having previously worked in an IB school in Dubai, where integration across subjects was strongly encouraged, I particularly value activities that can connect science with geography, literacy and mathematics. Last year, our school also participated in the Creative Clusters programme, which focused on weather and climate, so this activity would provide a useful opportunity to revisit that learning.
Activity 2:
I really like the practical and investigative nature of this activity. Pupils could observe signs of rain, such as dark clouds, puddles and wet ground, and relate these to their own experiences, particularly how rain affects outdoor play.I would extend the activity by having pupils record the weather over four consecutive Mondays, including temperature, cloud cover and rainfall. They could then compare their findings and identify patterns. This would develop prediction, data collection, mathematical skills and critical thinking. Another idea could be to pair up with another school in a different part of the country eg. Clare and Dublin. The classes could zoom and discuss the results and question why there might be more rainfall in one part of the country than the other etc. You could also watch the weather daily and try spot weather patterns and make it relevant to the students and the area they are living in.
I would also encourage pupils to consider whether their observations relate to weather or climate, reinforcing the learning from Activity 1. Overall, these activities provide a simple but engaging way to integrate STEM through pupils’ everyday experiences.
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Liston (2018) talks about how to create a true STEM activity where she talks about real world engineering design challenges, applying deeper science and maths concepts, include open ended problem solving and fostering creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. In the Weather v Climate activity there is an opportunity to do all of this.
The Children will use critical thinking skills to learn and identify the difference between climate and weather. Using photo evidence to investigate and question bit also to become familiar with climatic zones. I would use globes rather than maps to further engage the children and to make it more real world.
The Weather Detectives activities require the students to apply deeper science and maths concepts. This activity will crossover with data in maths and allow group work in the classroom. This activity is very complicated and I think it would be best completed during an in class support time. However, I think it ticks all the boxes mentioned in Liston’s report.
Overall, I can see myself using each of these activities in the classroom. -
After reading Liston (2018), I was struck by the idea that STEM should be more than simply teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as separate subjects. Authentic STEM should encourage pupils to make connections between subjects, solve meaningful problems, think critically, work collaboratively and apply their learning to real-life situations. Liston particularly highlights the importance of integrating the different STEM areas rather than simply labelling a science or technology lesson as STEM.
In my First Class classroom, I try to make STEM practical and discussion-based, with opportunities for pupils to observe, predict, investigate and explain their thinking. The Weather and Climate activities would work well with this approach.
Activity 1 was a useful way of distinguishing weather from climate. The answers classify A, B, E and G as weather, while C, D, F, H and I relate to climate. I particularly liked the suggestion of discussing the weather on pupils’ birthdays, as this makes the topic personal and helps children understand that weather changes from day to day.
Activity 2, Weather Detectives, would be very engaging because pupils become active investigators. They measure temperature in the same shaded, well-ventilated location at approximately the same time each day before graphing and analysing their results. This develops mathematical skills through recording, graphing and calculating averages as well as scientific skills such as observing and measuring.
For First Class, I would simplify the worksheet and complete the graph and calculations collaboratively rather than expecting pupils to calculate averages independently. I would also expand the investigation by recording rainfall, wind and cloud cover, as the course resource identifies these as additional ways of recording weather. I would possibly let groups create simple rain gauges or wind-measuring devices, which would add more designing and making and make the lesson an even stronger example of integrated STEM.
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Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. by Dr. Maeve Liston was an interesting read. I try to promote STEM in the classroom by using a range of strategies to help pupils understand and apply concepts in order to solve problems.
‘Is it weather or climate?’ is a good resource and is very well laid-out and I really think that there is a lot of learning in the extension activity. I would like to use some ideas from this resource with the younger classes. I love the idea of using the children’s birthday months as a hook. In my own experience, I have found that children, especially younger children, love referencing their birthdays. Young children understand the concept of weather and they understand that it is ever-changing. The concept of climate might be more difficult for some children to grasp easily.
The ‘Weather Detectives’ activity is a great way to introduce children in how to use/read a thermometer. Recording at the same time each day and with cross-curricular links to maths brings maths to life with an interesting relevant study.-
Hi Bernadette,
Welcome to the course. It is great to hear your feedback on the resources in this module. As you have said, they are well laid-out and there are opportunities to extend the learning in the extension activities.
The discussion on the weather on their birthdays is very engaging and as you have said ideal for the younger learners too. The concept of climate may be more difficult for younger learners to grasp as you have said. But this activity introduces the concepts in a child-friendly way.
Weather Detectives is great for all classes and as you have said there are lots of opportunities to link with maths and the use of data. I have found that when my class were gathering data themselves, they were so engaged in creating their own charts and graphs too.
Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the other modules in the course.
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After reading Liston (2018), one thing that stood out to me was the idea that we can sometimes label an activity as STEM when really it might just be a science or technology activity. It made me think about my own classroom and whether I am actually linking the different areas of STEM or just assuming I am because an activity is practical or involves problem solving. I liked Activity 1 as it is simple and doesn’t need a lot of resources. I think the weather or climate statements would lead to good discussion, especially as children would have to explain why they chose their answer rather than just guess. I would probably change some of the examples depending on the age group and use places or weather events that the children are familiar with.I enjoyed Activity 2 more as I think children generally respond well when they are actually outside measuring and investigating something themselves. I would give small groups responsibility for taking the temperature at the same place and time and then compare the results. I think it could lead to interesting questions too, for example, why the thermometer shouldn’t be left in direct sunlight or why two groups might get slightly different readings. One thing I would add is more opportunity for the children to decide how to carry out the investigation themselves before giving them all the instructions. They could discuss where the best place to take measurements would be, what might affect their results and how they could make the investigation fair. For me, this would bring more of the problem solving side of STEM into the activity and give the children more ownership of it.
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The article Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, by Dr. Maeve Liston, was certainly thought-provoking. It encouraged me to consider the idea that STEM is not always fully integrated into our lessons. Although Science and Mathematics are commonly taught as separate subjects, Engineering and Technology can sometimes be overlooked. These subjects can, however, provide valuable opportunities for practical learning and can be incorporated into the classroom even within an already busy curriculum. This is also seen in the new curriculum framework in which the teacher provides the learning experience, but the children lead the inquiry in question by deciding how they will approach and solve problems. This supports their critical thinking skills and gives them a deeper understanding of the maths/science concepts.
Activity 1: I thought this was a useful activity for introducing the difference between weather and climate, particularly as children can sometimes use these terms interchangeably. I would start by asking the children to describe what the weather is like on the day of the lesson and record some of their observations, they could also draw what the weather is like and discuss what is their favourite type of weather and why. I would then introduce the meanings of both weather and climate, using images showing different locations, seasons and weather conditions to support their understanding. The children could then work with a partner to decide whether a selection of statements relate to weather or climate. I would encourage them to discuss their answers and explain how they reached their decisions. This would give me an opportunity to check their understanding and address any misconceptions that arise. As a follow-on activity, I would ask the children to write a few statements of their own, which could then be shared with the class for everyone to decide whether they describe weather or climate.
Activity 2: I really like the inquiry-based approach to this activity and as it is hands on it would enable the children to take ownership of their learning and make it more meaningful. It would be a challenge to ensure the temperature is taken at the same time everyday due to the busy nature of the classroom. The numeracy skills required to graph the data and calculate the average would have to be taught prior to the experiment, depending on the class level this would impact the time of year this could be carried out.
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Hi Siobhan
Welcome to the course. It is great to hear your thoughts on Liston’s paper and how this is reflected in the new STEM Curriculum Specfication.
It is great to hear you liked the activities in this module also. Activity 1 is very useful, as you have said, to address the concepts and highlight the differences. I like how you plan to extend the learning with the learners writing their own sentences, this would really demonstrate their own learning for assessment purposes.
Checking the temperature in the classroom every day at the same time will be a challenge and possibly even become a reminder on the phone, (after the roll call alarm) Recording the temperature and gathering the data is very engaging for the learners and would allow for real life connections when covering data in the class. As you have said, they would need to have the knowledge of averages and creating graphs to fully engage.
Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.
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I really liked both of these activities, and both would be appropriate to teach in my class (5th) next year.
I think the Weather versus climate activity would be a really good starting point for this topic as many children don’t realise there is a difference between these terms. We spend a lot of time discussing the weather and describing it (as Gaeilge) and they will have heard the term climate (especially in the context of ‘climate change’) but they might not know the difference. This would lead nicely into the Weather Detectives activity. I think they would enjoy collecting and recording the daily temperatures and then using their STEM/Maths skills to create a graph (with real data they have collected) and work out an average.
I also think a school weather station would be a great idea. We could make the anemometer (although I think we might even have some weather recording equipment that we bought a few years ago in a cupboard somewhere!) It would be great to set it up in a safe area and monitor it daily. The weather in Ireland is changeable enough to make this an interesting activity.
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I really enjoyed completing Activities 1 and 2 from the Weather and Climate resource. Activity 1, Is it Weather or Climate?, was particularly useful as it highlighted how easily the two terms can be confused. I think this would be a good introductory activity with my class as it encourages children to think about the difference between what is happening around us today and patterns that occur over a much longer period of time.
I also liked Activity 2, Weather Detectives, as it gives children an opportunity to become more involved in observing and recording weather rather than simply talking about it. I could see myself using this as an ongoing class activity, perhaps recording the weather each morning and discussing changes throughout the week. It would also provide opportunities to incorporate Maths through recording temperatures, creating charts and comparing data.
One thing I would add is more opportunities for children to make predictions before collecting their data. It would be interesting for them to predict what they think the weather will be and then compare this with their observations. I think photographs or a simple class weather station could also make the activities more interactive and meaningful for younger pupils. Overall, I found both activities practical and easy to adapt to the classroom, while also providing opportunities for Science, Maths, discussion and data collection to be integrated naturally.-
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Hi Katie,
Welcome to the course. It is great to hear that you enjoyed the different activities in this module.
Weather or Climate is an age-appropriate resource to highlight the difference between these two concepts as they can often be confused as you have said.
There is great scope for development of Activity 2 in gathering and collecting their own data and I like how you are considering it as an on-going activity. I think encouraging the learners to make predictions about the weather would also enhance this activity. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.
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Liston (2018) explains that real STEM is about solving real-world problems by combining science, technology, engineering and maths. In my DEIS Band 1 city-centre school, technology is limited, but our students are strong collaborators. They enjoy hands-on projects that build creativity, communication and problem-solving skills. I need to move beyond focusing on our limited technology and make better use of engineering and teamwork in STEM lessons. This reminds me that authentic STEM is not about having lots of devices; it is about giving children meaningful opportunities to design, create and solve problems together.
With regards to the activities, both activities would work well with my class as they are practical, hands-on and encourage collaboration without relying heavily on technology. Activity 1 connects learning to pupils’ own experiences, and I would add a simple weather diary to help develop understanding. Activity 2 gives pupils responsibility for measuring and recording temperatures and creating graphs. I would include prediction activities and more opportunities for discussion. However, I feel more differentiation is needed to ensure all learners are catered for. Tasks could be adapted with simpler language, visual supports, extension questions and different levels of recording. This would allow all pupils to participate successfully.
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Hi Amanda,
Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts after reading Liston’s paper. It is great to hear that your learners are strong collaborators which is a fantastic skill in life. It sounds like your school allows for many hands on activities and that you intend to plan for more meaningful learning opportunities to design, create and problem solve together.
It is great to hear your feedback on the activities from this module and that you may need to adapt the lessons to suit the learners in your own class. While the lesson plans outline hands on activities, we must all look at the vocabulary and resources needed to ensure we can adapt them for our own class.
Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.
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Reflecting on Liston’s *Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics* (2018), I was reminded that authentic STEM education is much more than teaching the four subjects separately. Liston emphasises that effective STEM learning is integrated, problem-based, collaborative and centred on real-world challenges, with engineering acting as the link. STEM learning should encourage creativity, critical thinking, communication and the application of knowledge to meaningful contexts.
In my senior autism classroom, STEM works best when children are actively involved in investigating problems and working together to find solutions. Activities such as experiments, designing models and using digital tools allow pupils to make connections across subjects rather than viewing them in isolation.
I completed Activities 1 and 2 from the Weather and Climate resource and found them highly engaging. *Is it Weather or Climate?* helps pupils to distinguish between short-term weather events and long-term climate patterns through discussion and sorting tasks. *Weather Detectives* promoted observation, recording and interpretation of data, while also developing literacy and mathematical skills. These activities would work well in my class as part of an integrated SESE and STEM topic, linking science, geography and maths. Al ot of my teaching is thematic which would suit this well.
One improvement could be the inclusion of more opportunities for pupils to use digital technology, such as weather apps or online climate graphs, to strengthen the technology aspect of STEM.
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After reading Liston’s (2018) paper Unravelling STEM, I understand that STEM should be more than teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as separate subjects. It should be an integrated approach that encourages children to develop problem-solving, creativity, collaboration and critical-thinking skills. I particularly agree with the idea of connecting learning to children’s real-life experiences and surroundings, as this is something I already try to do in my classroom. Inquiry and problem-based learning are also areas I feel I have developed well. However, I recognise that I often teach STEM subjects separately rather than connecting them, which is something I would like to improve. I think the new curriculum specification will provide more opportunities for this.
Activity 1: Weather or Climate?
I would introduce clear definitions of weather and climate before giving children statements to sort into the correct category. This would ensure they understand the difference.
Activity 2: Weather Detectives
Children would observe a rainy day, looking at clouds, puddles and signs of recent rain. We could repeat this on four Mondays and compare our observations to identify patterns and changes in the weather.-
Hi Nessa, I really liked your idea of repeating the weather observations over four Mondays. I think this would be a great, simple way for children to start noticing patterns/changes in the weather. I also agree with your points on STEM. I would also like to develop this integrated approach in my classroom.
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Hi Nessa, I also really loved your idea about checking the weather over four Mondays! It’s such a simple, practical way to get the kids spotting real patterns over time. Totally agree on the STEM points too—building that integrated approach in the classroom is something I’m definitely working on as well.
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Having read Liston (2018), I realised that STEM is about integrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to solve meaningful, real world problems, rather than teaching the subjects separately. This made me reflect on how I currently use STEM in my own classroom.
I enjoyed the resources Nose Up High in the Sky and Weather vs Climate and think they would work well with my class. I particularly liked Is it Weather or Climate? as it encourages children to discuss examples and understand the difference between weather and climate. I think Weather Detectives would be a good ongoing activity as children can collect daily weather data, record it, calculate averages and create graphs.
I would like to build on these activities by developing a whole school weather station, with different classes investigating different aspects of the weather. Younger classes could observe and draw the weather and take simple measurements, while other classes could focus on rainfall, wind speed or cloud cover. The children could collect and analyse the data, calculate averages and look for patterns. They could then share their findings through corridor displays or during assembly. This would bring the four areas of STEM together through a practical, real world activity while encouraging collaboration, problem solving and communication across the school.
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Hi Hollie, I really like the whole-school weather station idea, it’s a great way to scale Weather Detectives beyond one classroom and get real cross-class collaboration going. Splitting responsibilities by age (younger classes observing/drawing, older classes measuring rainfall, wind, cloud cover) is smart differentiation and ties in nicely with Liston’s point about STEM as integration rather than isolated subjects. Sharing findings through displays or assembly also adds a genuine communication/audience element that’s often missing from classroom-only data projects. Would you build in a rotation so pupils experience different measurement roles over the year?
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I think this could be a very good year to explore the topic of weather/climate particularly due to the hot summer and extreme temperatures we have recently experienced. It would provide an excellent to explore activity 1 and illicit what language and information the children have encountered over the summer holidays. I would like to create a journal of events possibly of the weather during the summer and continue during the year, I will encourage the children to keep this journal through their school years and help to draw conclusions on climate, it may be possible for them to compare the weather over the years and draw their own conclusions on climate in their own view.
Through activity 2 I would like for the children to measure temperatures in the school through the use of a weather station. Now that we live in a time where lots of homes and buildings have thermostats along with our vehicles. I will ask the kids to observe and record temperatures if they see them. I will design a work sheet for the children to do this, some of these could be added to their weather journals.
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<p data-path-to-node=”0″>That’s a brilliant angle! Using the recent heatwave as a jumping-off point for Activity 1 is such a clever hook. Kids always engage so much more when you start with something they’ve actually lived through, and it’s a brilliant way to unpack any confusion between a hot spell and actual climate patterns.</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”1″>The long-term weather journal idea is fantastic. Having them keep track of data over time gives them real ownership of their learning, and letting them look back at their own records to spot trends brings in that maths and data side of STEM in a really natural way.</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”2″>I also really like how you’ve tied Activity 2 to everyday tech like car dashboards and home thermostats. It’s such a practical way to show them that data collection isn’t just something we do in school—it’s happening all around them. Sounds like a great setup for the term ahead!</p>
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In an infant class, the language can be confusing for some students. However the resources make the explanations simple. The videos shown in the slides are great aswell and include fun animations and songs.
Activity 2 resources are great especially for children with additional and/or sensory needs. These hands on activities will help them apply the learning to real life situations. Activities like making the rain gauge or the anemometer are practical activities to solidify the learning. It also can be differentiated by the levels of support given. For the weather forecast or weekly weather diary, differentiation can be applied easily as some students can write the words, others can draw pictures, others can just stick on the weather stickers from the ESA resource.
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Hi Sarah,
Thank you for sharing your response to Module 1.
You make a very important point about language, especially in an infant classroom. Weather and climate vocabulary can be confusing at first, so the animations, songs and simple explanations in the resources would be very helpful for introducing the ideas in an accessible way.
I also really like how you have considered children with additional and sensory needs. Hands-on activities such as making a rain gauge or anemometer would allow pupils to explore weather in a concrete, practical way rather than relying only on verbal explanation. Your differentiation ideas are very strong too. Allowing pupils to write words, draw pictures or use weather stickers means that all children can participate meaningfully.
It would also be lovely to hear how these activities connect with Liston’s ideas around integrated STEM, particularly through making, observing, recording and problem-solving.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the course.
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Reading Liston (2018) reminded me how easy it is to reduce STEM to “S” and “M” in practice, especially in a busy DEIS classroom where time and resources are tight. Engineering and Technology often get squeezed out unless I deliberately build them in.
Activity 1, “Is it weather or climate?”, worked well as a discussion starter. Sorting the statements gave pupils a concrete way into an abstract distinction, and linking it to their own experience (birthday weather, local climate) made it accessible even for children with weaker English or background knowledge – useful in a multicultural classroom where “climate” back home might look very different to Dublin’s.
Activity 2, “Weather Detectives”, was the stronger STEM task: real data collection, graphing, and calculating averages gave genuine purpose to the maths, and pupils had to reason about anomalies rather than just record numbers.
For my class I’d stretch Activity 2 over a full month rather than a week to get more meaningful data, and pair mixed-ability groups so language and maths skills support each other. I’d also add a simple engineering angle – designing and testing a shelter for the thermometer – to bring in the “E” that Liston argues is missing, and a picture-based recording option for pupils who need less text-heavy worksheets.
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I totally agree with Michael that these resources and activites could be stretched over a liger period of time. I think to fully embed learning regarding Climate and weather, it is something that could be done throughout the year. I would incorporate it into my Gaeilge lesson each morning where we would discuss the weather as Gaeilge and then we could engage in a discussion surrounding weather, climate and activities from the resources that I have bcome aware of having compeleted Module 1.
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Looking back at Liston’s (2018) paper was a handy reminder that proper STEM teaching isn’t just about running a quick science experiment and checking the box. It’s really about weaving science, tech, engineering, and maths together through genuine, hands-on learning. I’ll admit I often fall into the trap of leaning way too heavily on the science side of things in my own classroom, so these activities felt like a really practical way to balance things out.
For Activity 1 (Is it weather or climate?), I think it works as a great starter for ironing out misconceptions. The distinction between daily conditions and long-term climate is something my class regularly mixes up. I’d probably run this as a quick group card-sorting task on the carpet first. That gives the kids a chance to chat, debate their reasoning, and practice using the key terms before sitting down at their desks with the worksheet. If I were to tweak it to bring in more maths and tech, we could look up our local live forecast online and plot it on a graph next to the 30-year climate averages for our area.
Activity 2 (Weather Detectives) is a brilliant hook—children always respond well to anything framed as a puzzle or mystery. It gets them sifting through clues and picking out data patterns without feeling like they’re doing a dry data-handling exercise. To improve it and plug the missing engineering element, I’d extend the lesson by having the children design and build their own basic rain gauges or wind vanes using recycled plastic bottles and junk art bits.
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I now understand that STEM is not just doing a science experiment or using a computer. A good STEM activity should involve different subjects and give children a chance to work together, solve problems and learn through doing.
I liked Activity 1 as it explained the difference betwaen weather and climate in a simple way. Sorting the statements would create plenty of discussion. I also liked the idea of asking children about the weather on their birthdays, as this is something they could relate to. The pictures of the different climate zones would also be useful. Activity 2 was my favourite because the children get to collect real weather information. My class could measure the temperature at the same time and place each day. They could record the results, work out the avrage and make a graph.I would add to this activity by getting the children to make a rain gauge or anemometer in groups. We could also compare our results with Met Éireann. I would make the worksheets a little simpler for younger classes and carry out the activity for a month, as a week might not provide enough information. -
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Having read Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of STEM (Liston 2018), I gained a deeper insight into what is necessary to teach STEM in the classroom allowing more time for problem solving, discussion, critical thinking, pair work, group work. Pupils must be engaged and active learners and the process is more important than the product. I thoroughly enjoyed Activity 1: Is it weather or climate? & Activity 2: Weather Detectives and I could see myself using these resources in the classroom. They are engaging and worthwhile. Activity 1 is very important and something that I had never reflected on before. I feel pupils would gain a greater understanding between climate and weather in a fun engaging way and would pave the way to the pupils themselves realising that we all have a role to play in protecting the environment and creating a more sustainable future.
Activity 2: Weather Detectives would be so much fun and I love the idea of setting up a weather station and allowing pupils the opportuntiy to break up into groups and create their own anemometer to measure wind speed and a water gauge to measure rainfall etc. The opportunity for integration with Maths, Art, Geography, Gaeilge (Réamhaisnéis na hAimsire) etc. is immense. I would definitely keep a Weather Journal in class throughout the year as I feel it would create a culture in the class where we take note of weather and climate.
Differentating would be very important but I feel this is comething that could be done easily. I look forward to using these resources in September.
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Hi Teresa,
Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your reflection on teaching STEM in light of reading Liston’s paper. This paper encourages more problem solving and discussion among the learners which also allows for critical thinking.
It is great to hear that you would use the resources in the classroom. There are very practical and engaging for the learners. Setting up a weather station and making weather instruments is engaging for the learners and would allow them to take ownership of their learning while also developing different skills. I like how you have outlined all the different curricular areas this could also integrate with such as the weather journal.
Great ideas, thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy the course.
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I really liked your point about the weather station giving the children ownership of their learning. It made me think about how easy it would be to link this with Gaeilge as well. We could use the weather journal throughout the year to build up our ‘Aimsir’ vocabulary and have the children record and discuss the weather as Gaeilge. It would be a nice way of using Irish naturally rather than only focusing on Aimsir for a few weeks during the year.
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Liston (2018) challenges the idea that STEM is simply the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as four separate subjects. A key message from the paper is that not every activity involving technology, science or mathematics can automatically be described as STEM. Authentic STEM education should remove the barriers between the four disciplines and provide pupils with real-world problems that require creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, problem-solving and the engineering design process.
Reflecting on my own classroom, I can see that there are already elements of STEM in the learning experiences I provide, particularly through Science, Mathematics and the increasing use of digital technology. For example, pupils regularly investigate scientific questions, collect and analyse data, use technology to research and present information, and work together to solve problems. However, Liston’s paper has made me realise that there are many area I need to develop. These include the engineering element of STEM and an increased focus on student-led investigation.
I love the child friendly nature of the ESA Resources. They are easy to use and provide the children with a framework in which they can lead investigations, experiments and analyse their results. Activity 1 straight away challenges the widely held belief that weather and Climate are the same thing. Throughout this lesson I would refer to Local weather conditions and the children’s own experiences of weather.
Activity 2 is more data based but provides loads of opportunity for student led investigation through ideas such as a school weather station. This gives the chance for students to collect and analyse their own data and as others have mentioned allows for this sort of learning to take place over a longer period of time. -
After reading Liston’s (2018) paper, Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, I reflected on how STEM is used in my own classroom. I agree with Liston that STEM should not be taught as four separate subjects but should encourage children to solve problems, think creatively, work together and apply their learning to real-life situations. I feel I already use some of these approaches in my classroom, particularly through hands-on activities and questioning, but I could make stronger links between the different STEM areas.
Activity 1, Is it Weather or Climate?: This activity is a simple and effective way of introducing the difference between weather and climate. I would use this as a whole-class discussion before allowing children to sort different examples in pairs. I would also link it to our own experiences of the weather in Ireland.
Activity 2, Weather Detectives : This activity was particularly engaging as it allows children to become actively involved in observing and recording weather conditions. I would develop this further by setting up a small weather station in the school grounds, where pupils could record temperature, rainfall, wind and cloud cover over several weeks. They could then use the data to create graphs and identify patterns.
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I agree that these activities provide a great opportunity to make STEM learning practical and meaningful. I particularly like your idea of creating a weather station, as pupils could collect real data and use it to create graphs and identify patterns. Using tablets or Chromebooks to record and present their findings would also strengthen the links between Science, Maths and Technology.
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After reading Listons(2018) paper it struck me that STEM in itself is cross circular.Looking back on my recent years in infants where play and inquiry based learning are particularly prevelant it is clear that I have used STEM in many subjects .During play based learning maths and engineering is used in construction play,science and technology would be integrated into art and sociodramatic play stations (how to play with the sand/slime/ to create the correct results on the tuft tray for example).
Activity 1: Is it weather or climate.The videos provided and real life examples would be a great way to introduce this topic .I would add to the questions provided on the worksheet and ask the class 2 or 3 daily to bring their attention back to the topic and prompt further discussions.One way I would add to this activity would be to create an interactive map (for senior classes) or a real life card map( for junior classes) and pick a couple of countries a day where we decide and discuss what their weather might be ,then research what it actually is that day and then discuss what their climate is while highlighting the differences between both.
<p style=”text-align: right;”>Activity 2:I would agree with Enyas feedback about using this second activity as a class wide project.I would even consider using it as a school wide project rotating class levels so that each class got a turn taking the measurements.I would encourage the junior classes to design some artwork for the top of the anemometer and the senior classes could engineer and implement the design.The recording of the measurements would integrate maths across the classes.The results could be shared around the school using different graphs and pictograms and a class group could share their displays in a quick 10 minutes recap during assembly.</p>-
Hi Aine,
Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your reflection on your own STEM teaching and learning in light of Liston’s paper. In the infants classroom it is very much based on a playful pedagogy which would address all the areas of STEM. It is great that in the new STEM specifications the important of playful learning is across all stages.
I really like your idea to extend the learning about weather and climate and look at predicting the weather in different countries based on their climate. This is a very playful and engaging approach to work on these concepts.
Using a weather station is a great whole school approach and would allow different classes to record the data each month which would give them ownership of their learning and I like how you plan to share the results around the school using different graphs and charts. Great ideas, thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy the course.
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The article was really eye opening for me as to how I teach and incorporate STEM in my classroom. This part stood out to me most “Engineering is the glue that integrates science, mathematics and technology and forces them towards workable solutions. STEM activities and lessons use the Engineering Design Process (EDP) as a systematic, orderly, open-ended way of approaching problems and designing solutions for those problems”. I haven’t been placing as much emphasis on the Engineering aspect of STEM and using the EDP is something I will use going forward. Another aspect that stood out to me was ; “Many lessons are science lessons that do not incorporate any type of design, real world applications or core ideas of engineering”. This is something I also will be keeping in mind when planning lessons going forward.
Activity 1 Feedback: I really liked this activity, and I think it gives wonderful opportunities for collaboration and peer discussion. I also think it would be interesting to see if anyone spent their birthday in a different country other than Ireland and to be able to describe the weather there too. Children will be able to compare and contrast weather patterns. After completing this activity, I think children will really gain a deeper understanding of weather and climate. Also, I have played the game “Globle” with my students and it incorporates clues on climate. It’s a great way for children to get to know the world’s climate zones while also developing geographical skills.
Activity 2 Feedback: Children in my class would adore this activity. They love responsibility and committing to a task or job. I can sense excitement when they get to check everyday if there are changes in temperature across a period of time. It’s certainly an activity that can be adapted and changed for students from Junior Infants all the way to 6th class. -
I found Activity 1 to be a useful and accessible introduction to the difference between weather and climate. The activity asks pupils to consider different statements and decide whether they relate to short-term weather conditions or longer-term climate patterns. This is an important distinction for children, as the terms weather and climate are often used interchangeably. The resource explains that weather relates to conditions over a short period, such as hours or days, whereas climate describes patterns over much longer periods
I would also adapt the activity to include examples that are familiar to Irish children. For example, pupils could compare the weather they experience in Ireland with the climate of another country they may have visited or learned about. Images, maps and short videos could also be incorporated to support pupils who benefit from visual learning.I particularly enjoyed Activity 2 because it provides a practical opportunity for pupils to collect and analyse real data. Pupils measure air temperature over a period of time and then graph and calculate averages from their results. The activity therefore naturally connects Science and Mathematics and develops important data-handling skills.
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I agree that Activity 1 is a very accessible way of helping children understand the difference between weather and climate, particularly as these terms can easily be confused. I like your idea of using familiar Irish examples, as this would make the learning more relevant to the children. I also think Activity 2 is particularly effective because the children are collecting their own data rather than simply working with information provided to them. Linking this with Maths through graphs and averages would make the learning more meaningful and give the children a clear purpose for collecting the data.
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Hi Sarah, I also agree with you on the accessibility stand point. I liked the idea of comparing our own weather with a country pupils have visited would make Activity 1 far more meaningful and memorable than the generic statements alone… you could also incorporate children from different nationalities here and give them opportunities to discuss their home countries. I like the idea of adding videos and pictures for visual learners.
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After reading Liston (2018), I was reminded that STEM is not just about teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths separately. It is about giving children opportunities to investigate, solve problems, work together and make connections between subjects. This is something I try to do in my classroom through hands-on and inquiry-based activities.
I found both Weather and Climate activities useful, particularly because they are straightforward and would be easy to use with my class. Activity 1, “Is it Weather or Climate?”, would be a good starting point for discussing the difference between the two terms, as I think children can easily confuse them. Activity 2, “Weather Detectives”, would allow the children to investigate weather in a more practical way and could link well with Maths through recording and comparing data. I think I would add some local elements to the activities, such as keeping a weather record for our school over a number of weeks and comparing our findings with weather forecasts. I would also give the children more opportunities to work in groups and discuss their predictions. Overall, I think these activities would fit well with the hands-on STEM approach I am trying to develop in my classroom.-
Hi Siobhan
Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your reflection on your own STEM teaching and learning in light of Liston’s paper. Hands-on learning experiences give the learners the opportunity to explore and make connections with the world around them through problem solving and inquiry based learning.
Adding more local elements to the activities in this module would support and enhance the learning as it allows for real life connections. I think that keeping a weather record in the school allows for lots of real life connections and gives the learners ownership of the learning as they record the weather each day.
Great to hear these activities will fit in with your approaches in your classroom. I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.
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Having reflected on my own practice of STEM teaching, I enjoy giving children opportunities for hands-on and collaborative tasks and engineering and Mathematical tasks that are all age appropriate depending on the class group I’m teaching.
In line with the New Primary Curriculum Framework, it gives a lot of opportunities for the teaching of STEM in collaboration instead of in isolation. Tasks can be created to get children to think about the concepts of each subject within for example a science project.
I completed activity 2 around Air temperature. Weather tools could be used throughout the school to record weather such as a thermometer, a weather gauge.
I find this lesson would provide excellent opportunities to compare and contrast the difference between weather and climate and following the warm weather we have experienced this summer in Ireland and throughout Europe, it would be an excellent learning experience for children of all ages.
Integration with real life scientists could be developed too organising Meet the Scientist webinars for suitable age-groups.
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Hi Fionnuala,
Welcome to the course.
Its great to hear your response to Liston’s paper and how you have connected STEM teaching with hands-on, collaborative and age-appropriate learning in your classroom. Your point about the New Primary Curriculum Framework is very relevant, as it encourages us to see STEM not as isolated subjects, but as learning that can naturally happen through meaningful projects and investigations.
Using weather tools across the school would be a very practical way to build pupils’ understanding of weather and climate over time. It could also create a strong whole-school link, with different classes recording, comparing or presenting weather data in ways suited to their level. Your suggestion of linking with real-life scientists is excellent. A Meet the Scientist webinar could help pupils see STEM as something active, current and connected to real people and real-world issues, while encouraging them to become citizen scientists themselves.
Thanks for sharing, and hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.
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After reading Maeve Liston’s (2018) paper Unravelling STEM, I reflected on what STEM looks like in my classroom. I liked the idea that STEM should not just mean doing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths separately. It should give children opportunities to solve problems, work together, ask questions and use their learning in real-life situations. I found Activities 1 and 2 from the Weather and Climate resource useful and easy to follow. Activity 1, Is it Weather or Climate?, helped pupils understand the difference between weather and climate. Activity 2, Weather Detectives, was enjoyable because pupils collected and recorded their own weather information. The activities would work well in my school in rural Tipperary as the children could relate the learning to the weather they experience every day and there is a big culture within the school to use our outdoor classrooms.I would improve Activity 2 by doing it over a longer period so pupils could compare weather at different times of the year. I would also add a simple project where pupils could design and make their own weather station. Overall, I found the activities practical, interesting and suitable for my class.
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I really enjoyed reading Liston and it has given me the confidence to do STEM work based on the weather and the climate. The pupils will be engaging with each other, using hands on learning experiences, having fun, all while developing their scientific understanding and engaging in other cross curricular areas.
The children will learn the difference between climate and weather easily from activity 1. The class discussion and sorting task will keep all pupils engaged and active listeners.
Activity two will give the pupils an insight into how scientists collect and record data, With the beautiful weather we have had in Ireland this summer, I really think the children will enjoy collecting information based on rainfall, temperatures and wind and comparing their finding to previous years gone by. This would tie in well with maths e.g graphs and digital literacy. Pupils will love the idea of being a weather detective and as the lesson plan is there for the teacher, I will definitely feel confident using it with my class this year.
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<p class=”isSelectedEnd”>After reflecting on what STEM looks like in my own classroom, I agree with the idea that STEM should not just mean doing a Science or Maths activity. It should give children opportunities to investigate, work together, solve problems and apply their learning to real-life situations.</p>
<p class=”isSelectedEnd”>I enjoyed the Weather and Climate activities, particularly Activity 2, ‘Weather Detectives’. I think children would enjoy collecting their own weather data and then using it to create graphs and look for patterns. Activity 1, ‘Is it weather or climate?’, would also be a good way of introducing the difference between weather and climate through discussion and examples.</p>
With my class, I would extend Activity 2 by allowing the children to decide what other information they could record, such as rainfall, wind direction or cloud cover. They could compare their results with Met Éireann data and discuss why they might be different. I think this would give the children more ownership and make the activity more investigative and meaningful. -
Liston argues that authentic STEM involves more than combining Science and Maths, with engineering and real-world problem-solving being central.
After completing Activities 1 and 2 from the Weather and Climate resource, I found both useful and practical for the classroom. They encourage children to learn through discussion, observation and practical activities.
Activity 1 – “Is it weather or climate?”
I thought this was a good introduction to the difference between weather and climate. The sorting activity encourages children to discuss their ideas and explain their thinking. I would link it to local weather reports and examples they are familiar with, helping them understand the difference between daily weather and longer-term climate patterns.
Activity 2 – “Weather Detectives”
I liked the practical nature of this activity, as children record and observe different weather conditions. I would adapt it into a class project where groups record temperature, rainfall, wind and cloud cover. They could then create graphs and discuss patterns in the data.
Both activities also provide opportunities to develop Maths, ICT and scientific skills through recording, analysing and presenting information.
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Hi Orla,
Thank you for sharing your response to Module 1.
You have drawn out a key point from Liston’s paper: that authentic STEM learning needs to include real-world problem-solving and not simply combining subjects. I like how you have connected this to the Weather and Climate activities, as both lend themselves well to discussion, investigation and practical learning.
Your idea of linking Activity 1 to local weather reports is great. Using familiar examples would help pupils understand the difference between everyday weather and longer-term climate patterns in a more meaningful way.
I also like your plan to extend Weather Detectives into a group project. Recording temperature, rainfall, wind and cloud cover would give pupils real data to work with. To strengthen the engineering element further, pupils could design or improve simple weather instruments before comparing their results.
Thanks and hope you enjoy the rest of the course.
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Liston argues that authentic STEM learning should remove the barriers between the four disciplines and provide pupils with meaningful, real world problems that require creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration. The weather and climate activities provide opportunities for this type of learning to occur as they make connections to children’s everyday lives and ensure they are active in their learning. Activity 1 is a helpful introduction to the distinction between weather and climate. Children learn that one unusual day does not tell us what the climate of a place is. Climate is based on patterns observed over a much longer period.The use of relatable examples in this activity is meaningful to children because children regularly talk about the weather. This provides an immediate connection between classroom learning and their everyday lives. I found Activity 2 was valuable as it enabled children become active participants rather than simply learning about weather from a book. They take measurements, record and analyse data.
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I think the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics is quite thought provoking in that it makes you consider how you teach STEM in your classroom. It is arguing that a true STEM lesson should include all four areas, science, technology, engineering and maths. It does make you think about the lessons that have been labelled ‘STEM’ but might actually only have one of the elements in them. It is something I will consider going forward when planning for STEM in my classroom.
Having looked at the climate vs weather resource I have considered how I would teach this to 5th and 6th class. I think as an opening to the topic we would discuss the weather on that given day. I would then ask the children if they think the weather would be the same on this day next year. This will introduce their thinking towards climate vs. weather. We will then look at the definitions of weather and climate and discuss. We will then engage in the first activity. The pupils will engage in group work to discuss which statements are weather and which are climate. I will then ask the groups to explain weather and climate in their own words. I think the groupwork aspect will help children who may find this concept challenging as the groups will be of mixed ability facilitating peer learning.
For activity two we will firstly discuss some temperature predictions. I will ask the pupils to predict what the temperature is outside and also discuss how we can accurately measure it. We will then discuss where the thermometer should be placed and why it should be in a certain area. We will then record the temperature of the school yard over the period of a week and then work on plotting the results on a graph. This lesson is effective as it incorporates lots of oral language and I particularly like the way it includes some maths work with presenting the data at the end.
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I really enjoyed this module and actually learned a lot myself from doing the activities. I think the ‘Unravelling STEM’ paper made me look at STEM in a different way. It’s not just about doing experiments or using technology; it’s about children asking questions, investigating things, solving problems and working together.
I really liked the “Is it Weather or Climate?” activity because weather and climate can be confusing for children, but it gives them a simple way to understand the difference. Living in rural Mayo, weather is something we talk about all the time – almost as much as football! It would be easy to make this really relevant to the children by using examples from our own local weather and asking them what they think the weather will be like each day.
The ‘Weather Detectives’ activity would also be great fun. I could see the children getting really into recording the weather, making predictions and checking if they were right. I would possibly set up a class weather station and have the children collect data over a few weeks. They could then create graphs and look for patterns.
I think these activities are a great example of how STEM can be made practical and relevant. The children are learning Science and Maths, but they are also developing communication, teamwork, observation and problem-solving skills without necessarily realising it.
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I agree that these activities make STEM practical and relevant to the children’s own lives. Using the local weather in Mayo would make the learning much more meaningful, and I think the children would really enjoy making predictions and checking if they were correct. A class weather station would also be a great way to develop teamwork, observation and problem-solving skills.
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After reading Liston’s paper, I realised that STEM education is more than simply teaching science, technology, engineering and maths within the same week. Authentic STEM learning should connect different subjects through practical, real-life experiences and allow children to investigate, collaborate and find solutions.
In my Visual Arts module in college, I explored how STEM could be integrated into art. We looked at tracking information, such as different activities or weather conditions, by creating symbols and visual codes to represent each one. I found this very interesting, as it incorporated STEM into a playful and creative art activity. This connects well with Liston’s paper because the different subject areas were not taught separately but were combined through one meaningful experience.
I found both Weather and Climate activities useful, although they would need to be adapted for my Junior Infants. For Activity 1, I would use pictures and simple weather symbols to help the children sort and discuss different weather conditions. The idea of climate may be quite abstract at this age, so I would focus mainly on daily weather and seasonal patterns.
Activity 2 could work well as a whole-class investigation. We could become “weather detectives”, check the weather and temperature at the same time each day and record our findings using visual symbols and codes. The children could then create a colourful weather chart or collaborative artwork based on the results.
I also think this could become a fun STEM project integrated throughout the whole school. Different classes could take responsibility for measuring temperature, rainfall or wind and then share their findings. Older pupils could create graphs or digital presentations, while younger pupils could record the weather using pictures and symbols. Each class could contribute at its own level, bringing science, maths, technology, engineering and art together in an enjoyable and meaningful way.-
<p dir=”ltr”>The symbols and visual codes idea is the bit I’d take from this. Recording data with pictures gets around the writing barrier with infants, and I hadn’t thought of it. Agreed that climate is a stretch at that age, so daily weather and seasons is plenty.</p>
<p dir=”ltr”>The whole-school version is a good shout too. Older classes measuring and graphing, Infants recording with pictures, all feeding the one chart.</p>
<p dir=”ltr”>Where would you put the thermometer with Junior Infants? Somewhere they can read it themselves, or would you take the reading?</p>
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Module 1 Assignment
STEM education is about combining science, technology, engineering and maths in a practical way. It encourages children to ask questions, solve problems, work together and learn through real-life activities.
I would use the “Nose Up High in the Sky” activity with my class. Before starting, we could set up a weather station in the school grounds. Children could record the temperature, rainfall, wind and cloud cover each day.
This activity would develop STEM skills because pupils would observe, measure, record results and use simple technology to look at weather patterns. They could use maths to make charts or graphs of their results.
I would lead the school by encouraging other classes to take part and share their findings. We could display our results on a school weather board and discuss how weather and climate are different.
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I found the article rang true for me. Her point about engineering being the glue, and the E being the letter nobody uses, made me question if my lessons have really had STEM at the heart of them. Good inquiry, some tech, but the design bit is often the bit that gets a bit diluted.
I’m on a supply panel, so I need things I can pick up cold. Activity 1 does that. The birthday hook is the strongest part. asking what the weather was on their last birthday, then the year before, gets them to the short-term/long-term idea without me telling them. The statement sort works, though the day-to-day observations one is far more abstract than the rest, and I’d expect a few children to read the Canary Islands line maybe as someon’es holiday.
Activity 2 was the better of the two. The discussion before any measuring about the saame spot, same time, shaded, ventilated, five minutes to settle is real science. The maths is real too: plot, average, draw the line, spot the outliers. Best question in the resource is the last one, comparing your own average to a figure found online and explaining the gap.What I’d add: an engineering brief before the measuring, building a shelter for the thermometer with set materials and a size limit. The could have two designs tested against each other. Met Éireann data instead of a general search. And I’d make cure to tell them that a week of readings can’t show climate. This might help them learn weather vs climate.
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Liston (2018) argues that true STEM education removes the barriers between science, technology, engineering and mathematics, integrating them into real-world, relevant learning experiences rather than teaching disciplines side by side. This made me reconsider what I’ve previously labelled “STEM” — often it was a science lesson with an app added, missing the engineering design element Liston identifies as the “glue” holding the disciplines together.
My closest example of authentic STEM was the rainforest shoebox project, where pupils designed and built a structure to represent a habitat, applying maths (measurement, scale) and science (ecosystems) through a genuine engineering process of planning, building and refining. Liston’s point that engineering must take centre stage for an activity to truly count as STEM is a useful check going forward — asking not just “does this use science and maths?” but “are pupils actually designing a solution?”
In terms of the Weather and Climate resource… both activities are well-structured and easy to adapt for 3rd Class. Activity 1’s sorting statements work well as a whole-class discussion starter. Activity 2 links nicely to real data collection, though I’d add a simplified average-temperature method for younger pupils, as the way described may be too abstract without extra scaffolding.-
Hi Eimear
Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your response to module 1 and reflection on STEM in your own class in light of Liston’s paper.
I really like your rainforest shoebox project. It sounds like a great idea to get the learners engaged and applying different STEM skills and applying their knowledge of the rainforest too.
Thanks for your feedback on the different activities in this module. They are well-structured as you have said and can be adapted to suit the learners in our classes. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas. I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.
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Module 1:
The article by Dr. Maeve Liston made me think more about what STEM looks like in my classroom. I realised that I use Science and Maths a lot, but I could include more Technology and Engineering.I enjoyed the Weather and Climate activities. Activity 1 helped me understand the difference between weather and climate. Activity 2 was also useful as the children became weather detectives and collected information. I think the activities would work well with my class because they include discussion, teamwork and practical learning.
I would use these activities over a number of lessons. The children could collect weather data each day and record their findings. They could then compare the data and discuss what they noticed.
I think a weather station would be a great addition to our school yard. The children could use it to collect real data. I would also add more opportunities for the children to solve problems and explain their ideas.
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The ESA resources are very engaging and provide practical approaches for children wanting to explore and discover the weather. In my classroom, I feel I would like to introduce a class weather station and will incorporate the idea of a class weather log book for each of the children in my class. By doing this, the student will develop a better understanding of weather patterns by recording rainfall, clouds, and wind on a given day. This can then be linked with Maths by recording data and maybe drawing graphs to show the weather for maybe a given month. The ESA Weather vs. Climate activity will help children understand differences between short and long term climates. the nose in the sky activity would allow for a more hands on approach by learning, creating, and using weather instruments. these activities reflected on Liston’s view that STEM should be connected to real life problems that the children could then reflect on with each other through their findings and present with presentations. Learning through song could for levels such as infants would help make the topic more enjoyable and memorable.
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Hi Mark, I think the idea of a weather log book would be a very nice thing to have over the year. It could be very interesting for students to refer and compare weather today to a month ago for example. Perhaps they could also practice some predicting, possibly even bringing some of the high and low pressure trends into account in more senior classes!
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Reflecting on my own classroom practice, I can see that there are elements of STEM already present, particularly through problem-solving, inquiry, experimentation and the use of technology. Liston’s article has made me wonder whether all of these activities can genuinely be described as STEM. For example, using an app or an interactive whiteboard during a science lesson does not automatically make the lesson STEM.Similarly, completing a science experiment may involve inquiry and technology without requiring students to integrate the four STEM disciplines.
I particularly enjoyed the Weather and Climate activities, particularly Activity 2, ‘Weather Detectives’. I think this would be an engaging activity for children as they would have the opportunity to collect their own weather data, create graphs, identify patterns and draw conclusions based on their findings. Activity 1, ‘Is it Weather or Climate?’, would also be a useful introduction, allowing children to explore the difference between weather and climate through discussion, questioning and examples from everyday life.
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Hi Leann,
Thank you for sharing your reflection on Module 1.
I really like the question you have raised around what we genuinely call STEM. Your point that using technology during a lesson does not automatically make it a STEM lesson is very important. Liston’s paper encourages us to think more intentionally about how pupils are using science, technology, engineering and maths together to investigate, design, problem-solve or make decisions.
Your response to the Weather and Climate activities connects well with this. Weather Detectives has strong potential for integrated STEM, as pupils can collect real data, create graphs, notice patterns and draw conclusions from evidence. To strengthen the engineering element further, pupils could design or improve simple weather instruments and test how reliable they are.
Just a small technical note: some formatting code seems to have pasted into your post. Using right click and “paste as plain text” can help avoid this.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.
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<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Our school has a wonderful location for a weather station, on a mound that is located to the back of the school. It is accessible by all classes. Having one weather station would be lovely here, but I think it would be nice to place multiple weather stations around the school, maybe three? We could create a weather trail out of it! Certainly if students are working in groups to create equipment (anemometer, rain gauge) themselves from recycled materials brought from home. In our school, it would be important to ensure that any weather stations are placed away from the school yard, in an area where the class will be with adult supervision only. The worksheets in these resources are very versatile, and can be used in multiple classrooms, but perhaps senior classes could create a weather questionnaire about the weather station, or a weather trail, that younger classes could complete. By having multiple around the school, students can collect data, graph it and analyse it, comparing different areas of the school such as areas in shade compared with sunny areas. This could include some orienteering, to incorporate PE. Art and Science would also be involved with the making of the equipment. These activities would foster SESE skills such as questioning, observing, predicting, investigating/experimenting, estimating/measuring and Analysing. They would also foster skills in the area of Science, such as designing and making, exploring, planning and evaluating, while Geography skills such as ‘a sense of place and space’ and graphical skills are explored. </span>
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Hi Becky,
Welcome to the course.
I love the idea of developing a weather trail rather than having just one weather station. Placing stations in different parts of the school grounds would give pupils a much richer investigation, as you have suggested, they could compare sunny, shaded, sheltered and open areas, then graph and analyse the differences.
Your point about safety and supervision is important too, especially if the stations are located away from the yard. I also like how you have thought about whole-school involvement, with senior pupils creating questionnaires or trail activities for younger classes. This would build leadership, communication and peer learning.
The links you make across SESE, Maths, PE, Art and Science are very strong. It would also be great to hear how this connects with Liston’s ideas around integrated STEM and real-world problem-solving.
Just a small note: using right click and “paste as plain text” can help remove formatting code.
Thanks for sharing, and hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.
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Liston (2018) highlights that STEM education should go beyond simply teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics separately. It should encourage creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. I feel this is reflected in my classroom, where pupils learn best through practical, hands-on activities and opportunities to investigate real-world problems.
Activities 1 and 2 from the Weather and Climate resource were engaging ways to develop these skills. “Is it Weather or Climate?” helps pupils understand that weather describes short-term conditions, while climate refers to patterns over a much longer period. “Weather Detectives” encourages pupils to observe, measure and record weather conditions, developing their observation, prediction and data-handling skills. I particularly liked the practical nature of the activities, as pupils become active participants rather than passive learners. These activities also provide opportunities for discussion, teamwork and cross-curricular learning. Overall, they demonstrate how meaningful STEM education can connect classroom learning with the pupils’ everyday experiences and the world around them.
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Hi Pauline,
Welcome to the course. It is great to hear your approach in your classroom to practical hands on activities to address all areas of STEM.
It is great to hear that you found the activities in this module practical also. I agree that when the learners are more active than passive learners they are more engaged with the tasks. As you have mentioned, there are opportunities for cross curricular integration also and allow for meaningful connections with the world around them.
Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.
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After working through Liston and completing Activities 1 and 2 from the Weather and Climate resource, I found both activities to be useful and engaging ways of introducing children to the difference between weather and climate. They encourage children to explore the concepts through practical tasks, discussion and observation, rather than relying only on teacher explanation.
Activity 1 – Is it Weather or Climate?
I think this activity is a simple but effective way to introduce the difference between weather and climate. The examples give children something concrete to work with and the sorting activity encourages them to think about whether an event is happening over a short or long period of time. I would connect this to the children’s own experiences by discussing the weather they have experienced recently and looking at local weather reports.
Activity 2 – Weather DetectivesI particularly liked the practical nature of this activity. Children have the opportunity to observe different weather conditions and record information such as temperature, rainfall, wind and cloud cover. I would develop this into a class weather diary, with groups responsible for collecting and recording data each day. After a few weeks, the class could examine the results, identify patterns and create graphs.
Both activities could also be extended through Maths, STEM and Digital Learning. I would provide different recording templates and practical tasks to allow for differentiation and ensure that all pupils can participate.
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