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ASSIGNMENT
Choose from one of the activities or activity sets outlined in this module:
- Activity Set: Stars
- Activity Set: Space and Aliens
How would you use the activity in your classroom? Post a reflective piece (150 words min) to the forum as a reply to this post. You may include digital records of the activities.
Also, please respond to at least one other participant’s post. -
Activity: Stars
English:
Aiming this lesson towards infants, I would begin by teaching the classic nursery rhyme “Twinkle Twinkle”. I would ensure to have the word star printed in the classroom and refer to the word phonetically or children can look up at the word for letter formation. It would also be a great word for blending s-t-a-r = star. We will also use the word star to practise rhyming. Children will be invited to give words that rhyme with the word starMaths – Star shape, counting how many points to a typical maths star shape, what shape makes the points, ie. Triangles etc. I would reinforce this by simple activities such as tracing and cutting to consolidate learning
Art – I would introduce a star related story such as “How to catch a star”. I would then move on to do the lots and lots of stars activity from module 3.
SESE : Focus in on learning about stars in our solar system. I would begin by doing a think pair share to understand what the children know to date. I would then play https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07sMjGQasJM to help children learn about stars in our solar system. After, I would do a discussion in a circle. I would have a star (cut out of cardboard and decorated). Children would be invited to share what they have learned. As they share with others, they will hold the star.
Music: Tempo – Discussion about fast and slow. I will play Star Light, Star Bright and children listen and decide if the music is fast or slow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w79AosCp0I8
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Hey Eleanor, I love how much you can do with this classic nursery rhyme. I also am a big fan of integration so I love all the ideas for all the different subject areas using the nursery rhyme as a stimulus. Previous to this I would never have thought of this nursery rhyme as an invitation to teach about stars in our solar system. Thank you for this!
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Many thanks Eleanor for sharing your ideas. It was so well thought out and explained. I am in SET at present and some of my students who are on an autistic spectrum often enjoy (and indeed excel )in SESE and Science topics around the theme of space etc.
It’s so helpful how I can expand the theme to include maths, English and art.
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The activity I would love to try out in my classroom is the stars activity, making the plough. I will suggest it for a project across all year groups during STEM week next year as it integrates science, maths and design so well. It would also make an incredible display in the hall corridors, as students can see as they ascend the stairs their view of the stars appear different. Orians belt could be another constellation that could be done. I believe using these two will engage the students as they can so clearly be seen at night. We could encourage students to even take night photos of the constellations to add to a STEM school display, could this be extended to a summer project, asking students who travel abroad to take photos of the plough from a different geographical location? Could you take photos of the consellation at different seasons?
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Activity set – Space and Aliens
Introduction: Story – Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman.
1. Wax Crayon Painting
Needed: paper, white wax crayons, watery paint, paint brushes.
Children draw an alien from the story using white wax crayons. Ensure they press hard with white crayons while drawing, chunky white crayons work best.
Talk about what the children notice, can they see their drawings? …..explain its difficult to see as both paper and crayons are white.
Now do some magic painting to make their drawings appear.
Children paint over the top of their drawings with watery paint.
Why can they see their picture now?…….Watery paint won’t stick to the wax from the crayon.
2. Flying Alien
Needed: green balloons, markers, toilet roll, sellotape.
Draw an alien face on the (uninflated) balloons using the markers.
Blow up the balloons but do not tie them.
Using the sellotape attach some toilet roll to the slimmer end of the balloon to make a tail.
Let go of the balloon and watch your alien whizz around the room.
3. Grow a Balloon Alien
Needed: bottle, vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, balloon, marker.
Before beginning, blow up a balloon. Pinch the end closed and use a marker to draw an alien face on the balloon and then let out the air. This will make the balloon easier to inflate when doing the experiment.
Place two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda into the bottle.
Add 200ml of vinegar.
Immediately place the balloon over the mouth of the bottle and hold tightly.
Watch the alien grow as the balloon fills with gas.
If the reaction is slowing down, give the bottle a little shake to mix the ingredients together.
Carefully remove the balloon and tie it. -
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A great story to use as a starting point. The experiment with the balloon and bicarbonate of soda is a great alternative to using it for volcanos! Experiments like these are brilliant as the children can hypothesis what will happen. It really gets them talking and they can come up with the most wonderful ideas and guesses!
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Design a Martian lesson
Trigger: We would read the book “The Way Back Home” by Oliver Jeffers. This book is about a boy and a Martian that both land on the moon, and help each other before they both return home. We would chat about the story, we would look at the illustration of the Martian, and where the Martian had come from.
This would lead us into learning a little about Mars./ Wondering what it’s like, I found this video on YouTube. Much of the info might be too difficult but I did like that the images are clear, showing the moon lander. Journey to Mars/ SciShowKids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAGGntBUYFM
This fun Outer Space:We are the Planets Song also introduces each planet briefly, in a rap style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHAqT4hXnMw
When we had established that Mars is “The Red Planet” , is very cold and has huge dust storms, we would start thinking about what a Martian may look like….the same as in the book, or different? Children would sketch their own Martian. They would tell their partner about their design.
Children would be given the time to create their Martian. All children would sit in a circle at the end of the lesson so that they could talk about their creation, materials used. Children could say what they liked about each other’s work.
In a follow up lesson, children could create the model landscape of Mars as the setting for their Martians.
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Stars activity -module 3
I will be teaching Junior infants in September so I am planning on having a lot of playful learning activities and working in groups and stations .
Station 1: I will give the children pictures of various constellations -to start with the plough and Orion’s Belt.
We will make these constellations on geoboards with elastic bands and also create our own constellations .Station 2: every child gets a sheet of black paper and – sheet of sticker stars.
Looking at a picture of the plough on the whiteboard they must plot the stickers in the correct shape and then connect the stars together by painting with a cotton bud.Station 3: we have nexus threading boards in school for fine motor development. Children must plot a constellation on their nexus threading board .
Station 4: drawing – I loved the idea on this module from space net where you give the children a picture of the plough and say I’m not a bucket I am a………..
Station 5: drawing stars using 2 triangles. Counting points on star , what shapes are in the star ? Lots of scope for mathematical language-bigger, smaller, corners , triangles , etc
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Niamh,
as a patchworker, I love stars – they are easy to make from triangles and look amazing on quilts.
Depending on your local area, you may have a local quilter, and I bet they have made a star quilt! (https://www.adventuresofadiymom.com/2024/06/30-star-quilt-blocks-patterns.html)
While looking for a particular star quilt book that I have used I came across this gentle story: Elizabeth’s Constellation Quilt, by Olivia Fu
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Niamh your station ideas for teaching stars is absolutely fabulous and will definitely use some of them in September planning. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. Love that story Frances I had a little look on the link. I love linking SESE with a story for the week. I think it truly establishes links for the children and helps to consolidate their learning.
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Sinad, I really like your idea of using a story as a stimulus for your lesson on space. “Aliens Love Underpants” is a great story and is sure to gain the pupils’ interest and attention. I am very intrigued by the various art and science activities you have included here also! I particularly like the idea of growing your own alien. Thank you for this wonderful inspiration.
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Activity Set: Stars
Lesson- Looking at stars
To introduce young children to the concept of stars and the night sky through storytelling, creative activities, and observation.
Picture book- ‘How to Catch a star’ by Oliver Jeffers
Lesson Plan:
Introduction song- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Story TimeGather the children in a circle on a soft blanket or rug.
Dim the lights to create a calm atmosphere. Read a simple picture book about stars and the night sky- “How to Catch a Star” by Oliver JeffersAsk the children simple questions about the story, such as:
“Did you see the stars in the pictures?”
“What do you think stars look like in the sky?”
Explain that stars are bright lights we see in the night sky.
Show pictures or use a simple star projector to display stars on the ceiling or walls. Talk about how stars twinkle and shine.Creative Activity- Making a starry sky
The children paint a sheet of A4 paper to match the colour of the night. Explain that the real stars also come in different colours. Dipping the toothbrush in the paint and running it across the screen makes lots of tiny spots on the paper. These spots are the stars.By engaging young children with stories, crafts, and simple observations, this lesson plan aims to spark their curiosity about the stars and the night sky in an enjoyable and age-appropriate way.
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I would start by using the story Aliens wear underpants as a stimulus for discussing space and aliens.
We would discuss what we know about space and aliens.
I would ask what would an alien look like? We would draw or paint aliens, we would make our aliens using 3-d materials- clay/ construction materials/ playdough.
Then we would discuss and classify our aliens- 3 eyed aliens together, aliens with 3 heads together etc
We would then discuss the aliens home in space. We would create a small world area with constellations (stars) and the moon using concrete objects. Then we would play with our aliens in the space areas.
We would also create rockets and spaceships that we would use in the small world area.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
There are lots of opportunities here for imaginative play and creativity among the children.
I would begin with the story ‘Aliens Love Underpants’. There are lots of different images of aliens in this book. I would encourage the children to create their very own alien and to draw an image of it. I would then ask them to think about what planet their alien comes from? What food they eat? How do they communicate? We could explore the planets here in more detail and after this study we would then decide which planet would best suit their alien. create clay models of our aliens and using circle time or the ‘Artist’s Chair’ we would interview the alien to find out more about them, this could also be done in pairs.
Teacher in Role as an alien and children think of questions to ask the alien. -
Sarah,
Your idea of
We could explore the planets here in more detail and after this study we would then decide which planet would best suit their alien.
seems to be a perfect way to link science content (facts about the planet) to the created alien and access some pretty high order thinking skills! The child who can say – Venus is really hot with acid rain, so the alien with the thick skin will do best because their skin will protect them (like a hippo) is doing brilliantly.
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Hi Sarah, I’ve used this story with my infants too and they absolutely loved it. I did a very similar art lesson and also made some space ships from a paper plate and a paper bowl stuck together. We added paper windows and the children drew their idea of Aliens looking out. We hung them all in a line across the classroom alongside some underpants and a big Earth cut out at the end. They loved it.
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Activity Set: Stars
This lesson would focus on viewing constellations as stories.
Read the picture book “The Zoo in the Sky” by Jacqueline Mitton.
The teacher would display images of constellations on the interactive whiteboard. Using a pen connect the constellations to each other and ask the students what they see. Ask students to share what shapes they see in groups.
For visual arts, give students black card and white crayons/ chalk and allow them to create their own constellation story. Do artist on the chair and have each child sit on the chair and discuss their artwork with the class.
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The activity I would choose is Space and Aliens.
The Trigger: The Smeds and the Smoos by Julian Donaldson
We will begin the lesson by delving into what prior knowledge the children have on space and aliens. We will discuss the different planets in the solar system and watch a short video/song on the planets on YouTube.
We will then focus our attention to the planet Mars and watch a short video on Mars and its landscape – ‘What if we had to live on Mars’ by Dr Binocs Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oupKhIPIh7g. We will discuss living on Mars and what it would be like for humans. The conversation will then progress onto ‘What do you think a Martian would look like? Do they think it would look like the ‘Smeds or the Smoos’? We will sketch and discuss our Martian and the similarities and differences compared to humans. We will then try and create the Martian that we have drawn using different materials.
English – The book ‘The Smeds and the Smoos’ will also feature in English as we explore the theme of the book and what the book might be about – describe how the families are the same/different.
Maths: The Martian figures will be used for early number work and classifying.
History: The sequence of the story.
SPHE – similarities and differences between people.
Art – create another planet that The Smeds and the Smoos could live on.
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My idea would be to investigate Space and Aliens during Aistear time in Senior Infants. I would set up different stations for the children to use their investigative and scientific research skills! One station could be the ISS (International Space Station), one could be constructing a rocket in the construction station (to visit alienlife forms) and making passports in the writing station. The rockets could be built by using bicarbonate soda and vinegar in an empty bottle with a cork lid. Alternatively, a rocket could be launched by using paper and a straw. Observations and predications could be made to see which rocket went furthest and why!? The ISS could be built out of lego and so could different alien life forms! The children would alternate between stations on different days and they could present their findings at the end of aistear. The teacher could take pictures and post on ClassDojo or Seesaw.
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A good idea for Junior and Senior Infant classes would be to use Aistear as a way of teaching Space and Aliens. These would be some cross curricular ideas for the class to do.
Stories: ‘Space Story’, ‘A Space Adventure’ and ‘Astronauts..A Kids Guide.
Songs: ‘The Planets Song’ and ‘The Planets of our solar system’ ‘The Moon Song’
Writing station: Space passport and log book, practiced counting down from 10 and tracing the numbers.
Construction: Design and build a rocket.
Art: Made space helmets from cereal boxes and play-dough from scratch.
Small world: Alien-landing scenarios in a small village.
Role-play: Variety of imaginative scenarios including landing on different planets, rockets crashing etc.
Play-dough: Made stars, asteroids, craters on the moon, aliens, planets, rings for Saturn and rockets with flames.
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Cillian,
I really like the
Small world: Alien-landing scenarios in a small village.
since this is a science fiction staple. You could show movie posters of alien landings that are both gentle or slightly more scary.
Here is a list of the nice ones: https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/friendly-alien-invasion-films
although, Close Encounters scared the beejeebers out of me when it came out ( I was 11!), when the toddler was taken.
and ones with a more child friendly vibe:
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I would do work based on the theme of Space and Aliens. There are lots of different activities which could be integrated into the theme. I would use the story Aliens Love Underpants as a stimulus for the lesson. This would a nice literacy lesson based on the theme as well. From here we would do some work around aliens and I would provide the children with lots of scraps of paper, tin foil etc and I would ask them to create their own aliens. These would be displayed in the classroom them. We would use some aliens for counting activities and pattern work. For STEM the children would have to build a space ship for their aliens. This would require some planning so that the alien has a seat in the spaceship to sit on. We would do some work around the planets but as it is infants I wouldn’t teach anything too technical and the children would decide which planet their alien lives on and which planet it would like to visit. The class would then discuss the journey and which planets it would have to pass to get to its destination etc. For Irish we would do some work around Is mise and the children would give their alien a name.
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Theme-Space and aliens
Introduction- show The Ben and Holly cartoon of the alien coming in a space rocket to get the Wise Old Elf to fix their planet.
Development- discuss what the characters saw on the journey in space to the alien’s home planet. Focus the pupils’ attention on all the stars the characters saw.
A range of subjects can now be explored such as maths (2d shape star and its’ properties)
Art-use tin foil to collage a template of a star. Cut out all the pupils’ stars and make a display of Ben and Holly’s journey.
Geography- Look inside Space book by Usborne
The possibilities are infinite (just like space!!!)
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Activity Set; Stars
I would introduce the theme by reading the picture book ‘How to Catch a Star’ by Oliver Jeffers. ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ would be a great introduction too.
Create Art based on the picture book.
Use match sticks to create constellations. Incorporate Maths by asking the children to count the corners on the stars.
Star Charts: Use simple star charts to help students learn the names and locations of a few major stars and constellations.
Create constellations on the classroom ceiling or a dark piece of paper using glow-in-the-dark star stickers.Star Jars: Create “star jars” using jars, water, and glitter to represent stars and galaxies.
I picked up the idea of using pegboards to create constellations. I think this is a great idea.
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For this assignment I have chosen the Activity Set: Space and Aliens
I was fascinated by this module and really found the lesson on life in space appropriate and adaptable for use in my classroom first class. I particularly liked the ideas in ESERO lesson 19.
To introduce the lesson and integrate with literacy I would read “The Smeds and The Smoos’ – Julia Donaldson as a stimulus
I would firstly make a KWL chart with my class about aliens and life in space. Then we will discuss life on earth and what is so special about this, in groups I will let the children make their own mind maps about special things on earth to them- I will encourage drawing these and writing (art and literacy integration), we will share these as a whole class- including allowing children to act this out (drama integration) if they wish.
Then we will continue onto life on other planets and aliens and ask the children to describe and design their own alien using a range of materials- junk art, clay or drawing/paiont and then we will have a whole class discussion about these. (ESERO 19) -
Harriet,
A fairly new resource that might be of use if you want to look at Mars as the home for your aliens is this one from ESA:
https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/edu/PR58_Could_we_live_on_Mars_V3.pdf
It has images that compare Earth to Mars, which could support your plans to look at what makes Earth so special.
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Hi Eleanor
I really like the cross curricular approach to teaching the lesson. Science offers many opportunities to deliver lessons and learning objectives in a creative and cross curricular way. Teaching in this way allows us to be inclusive in our teaching and to ensure that all types of learner in our classes can engage in lessons
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Hi Eleanor, thanks for this great outline of cross curricular links to stars for infants! I will definitely make use of it next year with my junior infants. Infants would also love a sensory bag with a blindfold. They could pick out the star shapes or using sand they could draw stars in the sand or search for stars (specifically place din by teacher) in the sand.
In terms of art there are so many ways children could experiment with a variety of things such as paint, charcoal, pastels, clay, cutting, fabric and fibre……
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Aliens and Space lesson:
Engage:
Trigger: As part of my Literacy lesson I would introduce this rhyming story ‘Aliens Love Underpants’. It is fantastic for oral language and we would discuss the rhyming words and different elements of the story while paying particular to the aliens, what do they look like, colour, size, what are they travelling in, from where, to where etc. It would be on the IWB with this link.
Investigate & taking the next step.
We would recall our previous lessons on the different planets and write them on the board with words associated with each planet.
They would be split the group into pairs or teams of up to four children. Each group would have a fact sheet based on each planet. Instruct them to design an alien based on the environmental factors provided on the fact sheet for that planet paying attention to how your alien will have:
a way to breathe
a food source
protection from heat and/or cold
protection from cosmic radiation
a way to sense their environment
a way to moveConclusion: They present their alien to the class and explain the different characteristics of their alien and planet and the reasons behind their choices for the different characteristics.
Continue the activity into Art where they can use clay to create their alien.
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Activity Set: Stars
1.Introduction:Begin by introducing the topic of stars and space to the students. Discuss the importance of stars in the universe and their role in the night sky.
2. Reading Activity: Distribute copies of the “Lots and Lots of Stars” document to the students or display it on a screen for the class to read together. Encourage students to read the document individually or in small groups and highlight key points or interesting facts about stars.
3. Discussion: Facilitate a class discussion based on the information presented in the document. Encourage students to share their findings, ask questions, and express their thoughts on the topic of stars.
4. Hands-on Activities: Make a Star Lantern.
5. Creative Projects: Encourage students to create their own star-themed projects. They can design posters, write poems, create artwork or draw their own constellations.
6. Interactive Learning: Do a Kahoot Quiz to reinforce learning and make the topic of stars more engaging for students.
7. Conclusion :Conclude the lesson by summarizing the key takeaways about stars and space. Encourage students to reflect on what they’ve learned and how it has enhanced their understanding of the universe.
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Saoirse,
I think the images from Lots and Lots of Stars might be worth sharing, but not the full document.
Other beautiful night sky images can be found at ESO.
I like to share ESO images since many of them were taken with ground based telescopes, but images from Hubble or Webb may also be suitable.
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Aliens and Space
I would introduce this lesson by reading the children the story ‘When Alien Comes For Tea’ in a circle. We would discuss the events of the stories and I would question the children on Aliens. Questioning would occur surrounding do all aliens look the same, why/ why not? I would ask the children to share Aliens they may be familair with from books or tv shows. After this, I would divide the class into pairs. Each pair would recieve a variety of cards (eyes, body, feet, nose, arm, etc).I would model the activity first ‘My alien has 3 eyes, a purple body, wiggly arms and no legs’ The children would experiment with the different cards to create their own Alien. I would then ask the children to descibe their Alien to me. Discussion would occur surrouding the differences and similarities of the Aliens. In a follow on lesson, I would get the children to create their aliens using playdough and a variety of different materials such as string, googley eyes, lollypop sticks
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I would focus on the following activity set: Stars
With infant classes, I think some of the activities can certainly be modified to use and engage their interest.
I like the idea of Draw your own Constellation – For this I would use black sugar paper and gold star stickers and chalk. I would pre prepare some dots on which the pupils would have to stick the stars and then link the stars with chalk lines. This would be done to explore how to make and look at a constellation.
From here I would link into previous lessons on planets, and use the loo roll solar system plan with fruit to develop the concept of distance from the sun – a huge star which we cant find a fruit big enough to be in comparison to our other fruit planets.
Looking at the Draw your own Constellation template again, I think pegs and boards play and also display and discuss what they can see would be very interesting – pupils could join the dots and create what they see in the the constellations.
I would integrate this clip :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjBGpA2Muyc
as it would give the children some visual ideas and also develop the names in an interesting way.
In Maths I would elicit ideas for naming a star and hold a poll – displaying a data graph using coloured post it notes to display each child’s vote from a choice of four names and explain that it is possible to name a star.
Finally, I would develop the ideas from this pack using age appropriate templates for craft and aistear, such as https://inthebagkidscrafts.com/constellations-for-kids/
Art and Craft activities to build interest and promote language.
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Hi Ursula,
Tht link to the constellation song has just been added to my Space Travel Agent planning for next year – lovely simple air and gives a great sense of the constellations.
I also really like the idea of using the peg boards to create constellations – they could even cut string or straws to connect them.
The idea of naming a star is great and especially involving student voice and linking it to a poll in maths.
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Hi Usurla. I really like your ideas for teaching infants.
1. Draw Your Own Constellation: I really like this idea! Using black sugar paper, gold star stickers, and chalk to create constellations sounds engaging. Preparing dots for students to stick the stars and then connecting them with chalk lines is a great way to explore constellations.
2. Distance from the Sun: Ah, the loo roll solar system plan with fruit – brilliant! It’s a fun way to teach kids about the vast distances between planets. Comparing the sun (our huge star) to different fruits as planets is both creative and educational.
3. Pegs and Boards Play: I find this intriguing! Having students join the dots on the “Draw Your Own Constellation” template and discuss what they see in the constellations is a clever way to encourage observation and creativity.
4. YouTube Clip Integration: Excellent choice! Visual resources can enhance learning. The YouTube clip will provide visual ideas and make the lesson more interesting.
5. Naming a Star Poll: I love this interactive element! Eliciting ideas for star names and displaying children’s votes using colored post-it notes is a fantastic way to involve students and show that naming a star is possible.
6. Craft Templates: These age-appropriate templates from In the Bag Kids Crafts are perfect. Crafting and exploring constellations will not only build interest but also promote language skills.
Overall, this lesson seems engaging and well-rounded and fun. Thanks so much.
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Love this idea and the integration across subjects!
I especially like the “Draw Your Own Constellation” activity. Using black sugar paper, gold star stickers, and chalk is a fantastic, hands-on way for infants to learn. I currently teach first class and will definitely use some of these ideas! I would extend this by incorporating constellation myth stories. Children could research and present short stories about the myths behind different constellations.
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I would teach a lesson trying to explore the concept of space, planets, and imaginary aliens and to encourage creativity and imagination.
We would need: A copy of the picture book “Beegu” by Alexis Deacon, A4 paper, colours.
I would begin by showing the children the cover of the book “Beegu” and introduce the main character, Beegu, an adorable alien. I would also explain that we’ll be going on our own alien adventure today!
I would then read aloud the picture book “Beegu. I would also encourage the children to pay attention to Beegu’s experiences on Earth and how she interacts with humans. We could discuss the emotions Beegu feels and how she tries to find her way back home
After reading I would ask the children to imagine their own alien friends. I would then invite the children to draw their unique alien characters, thinking about what features their aliens might have (number of eyes, shape, colour, etc. The next step would be to have each child share their alien drawing with the group. I would encourage them to describe their alien’s personality, where it comes from, and what special abilities it has, reminding them that just like Beegu, their aliens can be friendly and curious. A good extension activity could be to write a Letter to Beegu .Or even the whole class might write a friendly letter to Beegu, telling her about our Earth and the special things we have here. We would try to mention the objects or animals we’d want Beegu to see if she visited us. Finally I would conclude the lesson by emphasizing the power of imagination and how stories like “Beegu” inspire us to explore beyond our world.
I would remind the children that even though real aliens haven’t been found yet, our imaginations can take us on incredible adventures. -
Aliens and space
I would begin my lessons with a story book called ‘The Smeds and The Smoos’ by Julia Donaldson & Alex Scheffler .The children would sit in a circle and enjoy the fabulous rhymes in the story. I would ask the children to describe the aliens before showing them the illustrations in the book. I would write the features of their aliens on the board .Having read the story we would compare our predictions with the actual aliens illustrated in the story.
The children would then work with their partner and using lots of materials ( card, buttons, eyes, pipe cleaners, playdough, etc ) make models of the Smeds and Smoos relations . One family is blue while the the other is red.
On completion the children would describe their character by attributes and categorize into a particular family. We would discuss the similarities and difference in appearance of each family.
The story emphasizes friendship, love, adventure and togetherness.
As a follow on lesson the children could add a chapter to the story using their created characters.
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The Smeds and the Smoos is one of my favourite picture books to use in Junior Infants. It is so useful for so many different topics. I often use it as a starter for colour mixing but I love you ideas of the children making their own Smeds and Smoos. This would be a very cute Junk Art activity during free play too.
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Claire,
I love the way you have brought interpreting the story to life with the simple task of “describe the aliens” from the description.
“they have strange hair upon their heads!”
Here’s Julia Donaldson reading her story – you’d have to be careful not to show the pictures though.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
How would you use the activity in your classroom?
Both activities in this set really work to develop further two activities that we did in Senior Infants recently.
We completed a drama activity whereby children had to work in groups to act out a scene of the arrival of an alien but the only word they were able to use was ‘Alien’. Doing the ESERO lesson Special Life prior to this would equip them to further develop the scene in greater detail and create better linkage across the curriculum.
We also completed a similar activity to the spaceweek.ie Mars – Design a Martian activity. We read a story by Colin McNaughton titled ‘Here Comes the Alien’ and we used this a springboard to design an alien using play-doh and craft materials. I really like how the spaceweek.ie activity takes it a step further, connecting it to real-life (Mars) and across the curriculum (sorting and classifying in Maths). It creates a better structure on the activity and is definitely something I will use in tandem with it in the future.
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I think children in Junior Infants would really enjoy the Design a Martian activity from the Space and Aliens activity set.
I’d begin by reading the story ‘The Way Back Home’ by Oliver Jeffers. Engage the children in a discussion about the Martian in the story. Have the children think about the following: I wonder what it’s like to live on Mars? Is it hot or cold?
Show the children the video ‘Meet the Mars Rovers’ to give the children the opportunity to see the Martian landscape. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujh-dtEvyIw What would a Martian need to survive in this landscape? What would this Martian look like?
From here the children will be challenged to design a Martian on their own or in pairs using 3D materials.
The children could record their model Martians in front of a green screen and we could add a suitable Martian landscape background to their videos.
As an extension the children could construct a vehicle that would bring their Martians back home.
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Thanks for sharing that video link Laura – it has lots of information about the rovers.
I wonder if children today aren’t as excited, since there are so many functioning rovers on Mars that they are just common place.
We had Dr Fuk Li share an overview of the rovers 14 years ago! This was before some of them were delayed. I like seeing them all together so that you can get a sense of the scale of them.
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Introduction: Ask your class what they see when they look up in the sky at night. Talk about how they see stars.
Wondering: What are stars made of, how do they light up the night sky. Explain to your students that stars are made up of gas and that’s how they light up the night sky.
Starter Question: Show students the cover of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Have students make predictions about what the story will be about. Record the answers.
The Lesson: Explain to the students that today they are going to make their very own starry night scene. Give each child a piece of paper, paintbrushes and paint. They children can choose to paint their page either black or blue. After the paint has dried, pass the paintings back out to your children. Pass out star stencils and crayons. Allow the children to place stars of various colours on their skies.
Interpreting results: Look at all the pictures, ask the children about the differences and remind them that the sky looks different for every person, why? Are the in a different country, time zone?
This lesson could be extended with phases of the moon.Teacher reflection with the class
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I would look at the lesson around aliens and space, as I think there would be a great interest in the infant classroom.
I would start the lesson with a clip from Toy Story with their idea of aliens, we would discuss their colour, features, and whether we think they would be able to speak to us etc.
We would then complete a group activity where we would do similarities and differences between humans and aliens on the whiteboard.
The children will then begin the design side of the lesson, where they will first sketch their martian before using clay to create them.
They would then create their clay martians, and paint them when dry.
The last part of this activity, would be a show and tell activity, where the children show their creations to their classmates.
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A lesson on Space and Aliens;
1. Storybook “Aliens Love Underpants” by Claire Freedman
2. Props such as toy spaceships, paper alien masks etc
3. Paper, twistables
4. Space-themed background music
Lesson will start by playing space-themed music such as Star Wars in the background to set the mood. I will elicit from the children what they already know about space and aliens. Record their responses on the whiteboard. Read the storybook ‘Aliens Love Underpants’, engaging the children by showing them the illustrations and encouraging them to ask questions. Ask leading questions; “What did the aliens look like?” “What do you think aliens eat?” “If you met an alien, what would you say to them?” Paper and colours are distributed and the children are encouraged to draw their own alien or spaceship, reminding them to be creative and use their imagination. An extension activity could be using an A3 sheet of paper folded in quarters. Class divided into 4 and each group given a specific body part to draw. This could be further tied into Maths by saying they could only use 2D shapes. We will listen to the song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbpCrp2mbjQ Time will be given at the end of the lesson to share their drawings or any new things they learned about space and aliens.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens.
I like this activity set and feel that it could be easily taught in second class. I particularly like this activity as it integrates drama, science, art and English and has endless possibilities in the class. I would start by explaining that Earth is a planet in space. Ask what they would want to show visitors from other planets about Earth. Encourage ideas about special objects or animals and how they might look to someone not from earth. Have them draw and act out a message to share Earth’s wonders.I would then expand to discuss aliens. Currently in second class, we spend each term focussing on different writing genres in English. Using this lesson on drawing aliens and acting out different scenes and stories, it links in great to narrative writing. In my classroom, I would use the drawing and descriptions on their aliens as a base for a narrative story on the theme of space. A book I have used before, ‘Aliens love underpants’ could be used a stimulus to get children thinking about aliens and different images of them. Pictures of aliens from popular children’s films, Monsters Inc, ET or Space Jam could be explored to create oral discussion. -
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The Activity Set I would choose is Space and Aliens.
I would most likely use this lesson below as a follow on from Planets and after having a look at the Mars landscape with the children. (Using lessons for the Space Week Workbook) We would have created our own models of a mars landscape through Art and Crafts using clay, sand, paint and modelling tools and completing a comparison lesson to Earths landscape.
I would start by reading a picture book- All Time favourite ‘Aliens love Underpants’ by Claire Freeman and Ben Cort in circle floor time. It really engages the children and brings even the more reserved pupil out of their shell with laughter. While there are great activities and lesson ideas you can take from this book for literacy , it is a greater starter for Talk and discussion on the activity Set Space and Aliens. Do Aliens exist? Have people ever found aliens? What might they look like? We would discuss the children’s ideas together before allowing them to draw their own alien/Marian on paper. Each child may show their alien to the class and describe it. (Children could be encouraged to use their maths shape and spatial language here.
Following on from this activity I would build an aistear plan for the week using the following stations.
1. Creative Arts and Crafts- Using your drawing can you make your alien from the modelling and craft materials. Maths language flash cards for shape, lines, length would be available to inspire the chidren to describe their aliens to others. We could encourage children to use language in describing their aliens to others without showing the finished product. Can the others follow your instructions.
2. Drama: Space Exploration . Using our Big Cardboard Box the children can turn it into a space ship to travel to and explore Mars where they will meet some Aliens. Children could use aliens drawing or 3D created models for small world play using their mars landscapes.
3. Construction: Lego The children could build alien spaceships for the 3d alien models
4. Communication: Puzzles and board games. Rockets and comets from Orchard Games. The children will play the games using space vocabulary developing good social and communication skills.
There are many cross curricular opportunities (Literacy, Maths, Geography, STEM, Art, Drama) and skills development opportunities while teaching this topic.
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For a space and aliens lesson for senior infant lesson I woould start by reading a fun and interactive storybook about space exploration and meeting friendly aliens. After the story, I would engage the children in a hands-on activity where they get to create their own alien using craft materials like coloured paper, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners. I would encourage them to think about what features their alien might have and what planet it comes from.
To further enhance the learning experience, I would set up a “space station” or “aistear” play area in the classroom where children can pretend to be astronauts exploring outer space and encountering different kinds of aliens. This will help them develop their imagination and creativity while learning more about space and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. I would incorporate simple space-related facts and vocabulary throughout the lesson to reinforce their understanding.
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Hi Colette,
Have you a particular book in mind? Other teachers love finding out specific stories that have been used successfully.
A teacher who took this summer course back when it was face-to-face started an Aistear corner, which other teachers have added to.
I attach a picture or two that I took when I visited that school last year.
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I would begin the lesson by gathering the children in a circle and showing them the cover of the book “The Stars” by Martha E. H. Rustad.
I would ask, “What do you see in the night sky?” and listen to their responses.
I would read the book aloud, discussing the illustrations and facts about stars.
I would then explain that stars are huge balls of burning gas that shine in the sky.I would introduce the concept of constellations and how people have used them to navigate.
Then I would hand out black construction paper and white crayons or chalk.
I would get the children to draw their own night sky filled with stars.
Encouraging them to create their own constellations by connecting the stars.
I would also hand out star stickers or cutouts for students to add to their drawings.
Then I would have the children share their starry night drawings with the class.
And ask each student to describe their constellation and what they named it.
You could sing a simple star-related song, such as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Reinforce the wonder of stars and encourage students to look up at the night sky with curiosity and imagination.I would also review key points: Stars are far away, they form patterns called constellations, and they have guided people for thousands of years.
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Aliens
Objective:
Students will use their imagination to learn about aliens, enhancing creativity and understanding of different life forms.Materials:
“Aliens Love Underpants” by Claire Freedman
Crayons, markers, and colored pencils
Construction paperFoam eggs
Googly eyes, stickers, and other craft supplies
Glue sticks and scissorsIntroduction:
Gather students in a circle.
Show the picture book cover and ask, “What do you think aliens look like?”
Read the picture book aloud, pausing to discuss the illustrations and story.Discussion:
Talk about what aliens might look like if they existed. Ask questions like, “How many eyes do you think an alien has?” or “What color is an alien’s skin?”
Activity:
Hand out construction paper and craft supplies.
Instruct students to draw and create their own aliens using the materials provided.
Encourage creativity: aliens can have multiple eyes, tentacles, colorful patterns, etc.
Help students glue on googly eyes, stickers, and other decorations to complete their alien creations.Sharing:
Have children sit in a circle and share their alien creations with the class.
Encourage each student to say one fun fact about their alien e.g., “My alien has three eyes and loves to eat space ice cream!”
Sing a simple, fun song about aliens (e.g., “The Aliens Go Marching” to the tune of “The Ants Go Marching”).Conclusion:
Reinforce the idea that imagination and creativity are important. Encourage students to continue thinking about what other imaginary creatures they might encounter in space -
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Topic : Space and Aliens
(I would do this lesson after extensive learning about the planets)
Engage:
I would start the lesson by singing the ‘family of the sun’ song to recall prior learning about the planets.
Then I would ask the children to think about what kinds of beings might live on various planets- which planets are more likely to have aliens ? why?
I would then read the story ‘ Welcome to Alien school’ by Caryl Hart and Ed Davis
We would discuss what the aliens in the story looked like. What special features did they have? How might these features help them to live in space?Investigation:
Then I pose the question – what would an alien look like?
I would ask the children to draw an alien and think , pair, share on why they gave their aliens particular features.
The children would then be encouraged to model their alien using morla and bits from the miscellaneous arts and crafts box ( pipe cleaners, buttons, sticks , googly eyes etc.)Take the next step:
Discuss how the features would allow the alien to live on various planets.
Ask the children to role play as their alien and describe the planet that they live on. -
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I am choosing Aliens!
Stimulus: Aliens love Underpants! A lovely story that is comical for children
I also would look at the Cantina scene from Star Wars which has an abundance of different alien species.
We would brainstorm what aliens might look like. Draw pictures or use playdough to create your own fantastical alien species! Next, we’ll travel to the library and explore books about space. Look for pictures of planets and imagine if any could support life. We can even write letters to friendly aliens, asking questions about their homes and families.
Scientists use powerful telescopes to search for planets outside our solar system. Maybe we can build our own “alien detectors” from cardboard boxes and flashlights! Remember, scientists haven’t found aliens yet, but they’re always looking! We can learn about the tools they use, like telescopes and rovers, and imagine what future discoveries might hold. By asking questions, exploring stories, and using our imaginations, we’ll be on our way to becoming experts on the search for life beyond Earth!
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Hi Dean
I love this book and the kids just love it too. This sounds great. The children would absolutely love to write to aliens to know more about them in their own home. You could even try this with the younger classes too where the teacher writes the letter to the aliens including all the questions the kids have for them!
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Activity Set: Stars
Introduction to Stars:
Begin with a brief discussion about stars. Show pictures of stars and simple constellations. Explain that stars are bright points of light in the night sky.
Sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” together to get the children excited about the activityCreating their own constellations:
Show the children simple constellation cards and explain that constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. Give children some star stickers and some paper/card. Using silver or white crayons and markers, help the children connect some of the star stickers on their paper to form their own constellations. They can use the constellation cards as a guide or create their own patterns.
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Give the children a cut out template of a star, (made from card or harder cardboard that they painted the day before) some string and star stickers. The children can stick the stickers onto the string and they can weave the string around the star template creating their own constellation pattern or copy one from the constellation cards. This also incorporated fine motor skills.
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I used to have a beautiful set of constellation cards that could be used to make star viewers.
A quick search has produced it here – but the original was from a museum in Australia. These are reversed, for use in star viewers, so that you punch from one side, but look from the other.
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That sounds like a fantastic activity set for introducing children to stars! Starting with a discussion and pictures of stars and constellations, followed by singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” is a wonderful way to engage and excite them. The hands-on activities, like creating their own constellations with star stickers and paper or weaving string around star templates, will not only spark their creativity but also develop their fine motor skills. Great job planning such an educational and fun experience!
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An Activity set that I would be interested in exploring in my classroom is the Stars set. An activity that particularly interests me in this set is the star constellation activity from Space Week. I would use this activity at the end of a lesson, following some investigation based on stars using the curious minds/ESERO inquiry framework. I would use this activity to conclude a lesson based on stars as I believe that it would encourage children to reflect. It would encourage children to reflect as it would promote quite a lot of discussion. It would promote discussion as in this activity the children would have to explain the different patterns they can identify in the same constellation. In this way it would tie a lesson together quite nicely as it would stimulate childrens imagination. The children would have to use their imagination to identify different shapes within the same constellation.
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Stars- I would use these activities with my class
Look at drawings of constellations. What do you see?
Can you recognize some of them?
Now make a star lantern which is going to project the constellation on the walls!
What do you need:
Needle, coloured paper, glue stick, flashlight , newspaper, brush, crepe paper, luminous paint, string, A4 paper, stapler
1. Copy a constellation or create your own on a piece of paper
2. Paint it with luminous paint on the coloured paper
3. Prick holes in the stars
4. Fold the paper in a circle and staple it.
5. Tie a piece of string across the cylinder.
6. Tie the flashlight to the stick.
7. Hang the lantern from the stick and decorate it.
8. Light it.Stars- Seeing Stars-Looking at the plough in two different ways
What you need for this activity
An A4 sheet of black cardboard
Bluetack
Seven 15x 15cm Squares of tin foil
Seven 30cm lengths of black wool
A ruler
Sellotape
A Pencil to poke hole in the cardboard.
Star map from Activity sheetMethod
1. To start stick the star map to the black cardboard using the sellotape
2. Poke a hole through each of the stars on the map so that there is a hole in the black cardboard.
3. Now make the stars , To do this use sellotape to stick the end of a piece of wool to the centre of a piece of tin foil.
4. When this is done crumple the foil up into a ball.
5. Do this until you have made seven stars.
6. Now starting from the black side of the model poke the free end of each piece of wool through the cardboard and the star map. Don’t pull the wool all the way through as we will use Maths to calculate how long each piece should be.
7. Each of the seven stars in the plough is actually a different distance from earth, the distance chart in the activity sheet lists how far each star is from our planet and gives a length for each piece of wool we will be using to hold our stars
8. As all our pieces of wool are 30cm long using the chart calculate how much wool needs to be pulled through the back of the paper
9. Make calculations and pull each piece of wool through to the correct length.
10. When all the stars are set they can be sellotaped in place at the back of the paper.
11. Now you have built your 3D model of the Plough
12. Use your bluetack to stick your Model to the ceiling or the underside of your table
13. When you look up at it you will see that your stars look just like the plough, but when you look at it from a different angle you see what the stars in the plough would look like from space.
These activities would be great as a group work within the classroom. Mixed ability groupings or putting an older class with a younger class to carry out the activity. Older children could help with the Maths calculations.
At Assembly the children could describe the process involved and display their Models in the hall for the whole school to appreciate.-
Mary,
do you feel these activities will be suitable for the children you work with? The fine motor skills that are needed with ‘Make the Plough’ mean that I would do the string and lengths with ages 10 and up – and use straws with younger children.
I have seen star lanterns made with mobile phone torches as the light source – they can be very effective in a dark room.
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Activity Set – Stars
I would use a video and some images of stars and constellations, encouraging the children to wonder about patterns, shapes, names etc.
I would show the children different constellations and ask them to discuss how they think they got their names.
The main activities I would have the children complete would be the Draw your own constellations. Magpie-ing from another post, I would also use peg boards to allow the children to create their own constellations.
I love the idea of linking Art and Science so the next step would be for the children to make their own star lanterns. Instead of the torch, I would use battery operated tea lights so the children could bring them home once complete and SESE focus has moved on to something else.
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Activity set – Stars
I would start by asking the children what they know about stars. We only see them at night, stars look like they twinkle, some stars seem brighter than others, they are very far away.
We can then create some star art activities such as – Use star cookie cutters to dip in paint on paper plates and stamp on paper for beautiful star print art. Use cookie cutters with play dough for a fun shape lesson. Try cutting cheese slices into star shapes for an exciting star-themed snack time.
Questions the children may have will be noted such as – Where do they come from? How do they shine? Are stars all the same? How long do they live for?
We will then examine some night sky images and describe what we see and record anymore questions that arise. The children can then watch the Stars in the solar system clip – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07sMjGQasJM which explains what a star is and the lifecycle of a star.
We will then look into the Lifecycle of a star i greater detail using print outs of the stages and a powerpoint presentation explaining these stages.
Birth – Stars start out in giant clouds of dust called nebulae. Gravity forces the dust to bunch together.
Main Sequence Star – Once a star, it will continue to burn energy and glow for billions of years. . The star will remain this way until it runs out of hydrogen.
Red Giant – When the hydrogen runs out, the outside of the star expands and it becomes a red giant.
Collapse – Eventually the core of the star will start to make iron. This will cause the star to collapse.As a conclusion the children in groups will sequence the images of the lifecycle 4 stages and discuss what they have learned.
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Hi Barbara,
what age would you do this with? Life cycle of a star was in the curriculum when I taught second level in the UK, but not anywhere in the Irish curriculum.
If you have children who are interested in this, you can engage everyone in the class by asking if they have noticed that stars at night are slightly different colours – in particular if you look at Orion, the top left star is slightly reddish tinged, and the bottom right star is a brighter blue-white. This has to do with the type of star they are.
Orion is visible in the early evening in January-February, so easy to see as soon as it gets dark. It disappears into the sunset in May.
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Introducing the “Stars” activity in my classroom would be a highly engaging and educational experience. To start, I would kick off the lesson with a brief, interactive presentation about stars, including fascinating facts about their types, life cycles, and constellations. This would be followed by an online google space session to observe stars and identify constellations.
Students would engage in a hands-on craft activity where they create their own constellations using black construction paper, star stickers, and chalk to draw the connections. Additionally, incorporating technology, students could use a star map app on tablets to explore different stars and constellations virtually.
To document the activity, students would write a short reflective journal entry about what they learned and their favorite part of the activity. These reflections, along with photos of their constellation crafts and screenshots from the star map app, would be compiled into a digital class scrapbook. This activity not only enhances their understanding of astronomy but also integrates art, technology, and writing skills, making it a great learning experience.
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1.Introduction: I would use a visual of a picture of a starlit night sky for the children to view and prompt discussion. I think I would use something factual from ESA’s satellite images, but Van Gogh’s ‘Starry NIght’ could be used too if it integrated into Art lessons/ themes in other subjects, etc.
2. Discussion:Discuss the pictures and do a KWL/ Mind Map with the class to see what they already know about stars, what they want to learn about them-jot down any questions they have about stars.
3. Hands-on Activities: Make a Star Constellation-they could use the plough template in the activity from this module. https://teachnet.ie/ej/pdf/dpsm_class_activity_the_plough.pdf or they could make their own using construction straws and play dough.
5. Integrated learning: They can write poems, stories based on stars or create artwork based on the star picture used as a visual aid/ prompt.
6. Digital Learning: Allow the children to investigate the Stellarium apps on the iPad. The Stellarium app could be shown by teacher on the IWB first of how to use it/ by using a QR code to share with the class etc. This may only work for 1st/ 2nd class rather than infant level.
7. Conclusion: To finish the lesson by summarizing what they have learned about stars-finishing their KWL Chart for what they’ve learned and name a few constellations that they found out about. -
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I like the lesson about Aliens and Mars.
To introduce we would collectively read the story ‘The Smeds and the Smoo’s by Julia Donaldson.
We would discuss and write down all the characteristics of each Alien, Talk about space travel, and also discuss the different Planets and their characteristics- making links to colours, textures of the surface and
If they think it is warm or cold there.To follow this I would ask students if they can name any planets and concentrating on mars, question in more detail what it is like. We would then discuss the facts about planet mars showing photos or short videos of the planet, we would also discuss Rover on Mars and why humans have not gone to Mars yet.
Students would then be asked to create a 3D model using clay of the surface of mars based on the facts and an Alien of their choice to live on Mars.
A follow on to this lesson would be to discuss the other planets in the solar system and their characteristics.
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Making Mars surfaces is so much fun! Particularly if you use reddish coloured clay material. I have done this on paper plates, and made little volcanoes with the clay.
To explore Mars up close you can use Google Earth, choose Mars from the drop down at the top. For some of the rover missions (Spirit and Opportunity), there is the ability to “fly into the image” and this can elicit more than a few ‘wows’ from viewers when you do this in the classroom.
You can search for the rover in the search panel in the left of the google earth screen.
Look for a little camera symbol on the route of the rover and then you can “fly in”.
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1.Introduction: I would use a visual of a picture of a starlit night sky for the children to view and prompt discussion. I think I would use something factual from ESA’s satellite images, but Van Gogh’s ‘Starry NIght’ could be used too if it integrated into Art lessons/ themes in other subjects, etc.
2. Discussion:Discuss the pictures and do a KWL/ Mind Map with the class to see what they already know about stars, what they want to learn about them-jot down any questions they have about stars.
3. Hands-on Activities: Make a Star Constellation-they could use the plough template in the activity from this module. https://teachnet.ie/ej/pdf/dpsm_class_activity_the_plough.pdf or they could make their own using construction straws and play dough.
5. Integrated learning: They can write poems, stories based on stars or create artwork based on the star picture used as a visual aid/ prompt.
6. Digital Learning: Allow the children to investigate the Stellarium apps on the iPad. The Stellarium app could be shown by teacher on the IWB first of how to use it/ by using a QR code to share with the class etc. This may only work for 1st/ 2nd class rather than infant level.
7. Conclusion: To finish the lesson by summarizing what they have learned about stars-finishing their KWL Chart for what they’ve learned and name a few constellations that they found out about.-
https://esahubble.org/images/potw1631a/ Something like this
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Apologies, my replies do not seem to post as soon as I post them and then I try again, and again, still can’t see them, panic, try to post again! and then half an hour later when I go to check, there are multiple of my posts there so apologies. I have been in contact with TEach Net about this yesterday.
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Topi : space and aliens
cross curricula : PE movement and dance , maths 3d shapes , art construction and materials , aistear space, literacy reading and writing, drama
start with the warm up song 10 aliens jumping on the bed or I’m a little Martian . Next introduce the book by mark brownlow . Children to describe the aliens , what happened to them, what words rhyme . Ch to draw their own alien and write or teacher to scribe what happens to them. If the are 10 aliens and then only 9 , how many disappeared etc … continue mathematical questioning. Introduce children to 3 d shapes . Using play dough who can make a sphere for the body etc…. Children to make their own play dough alien . Use different textures d.g. Pipe cleaners to add detail. Put ch in groups of 10 with their play dough aliens to act out the story
next discuss if children think aliens really exist? , watch are aliens real https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Smeg1KUa3qU and discuss
finish by asking children to think of a question they would like to ask an alien if they met one. Teacher to scribe
PE: can you travel across the floor like a space snake, zoom like a rocket, dance like an alien… etc ….
using gym equipment, model how the children can move over, under, through the galaxy, moon rock, shooting stars etc…
cool down stretch to I’m a little alien ( tune of I’m a little tea pot )
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
I would begin the lesson with the story ‘There’s an Alien in Your Book’ by Tom Fletcher. The basis of this story is about acceptance, and inclusion so it provides a great basis for SPHE and the oral language around this discussion. Other subjects I would also cover are:
Literacy: Story Sequencing/Caption writing and a debate about why aliens could or could not live on planet Earth.
Maths: Using shapes as a morning table top activity to build spaceships.
Music: Children compose accompanying sounds using percussion instruments to a read aloud of the story.
Art: Paper plate spaceship craft to launch our aliens back to Space/ making alien masks which could be used in Dramatic Play/ Aistear for Space Travel Agent. -
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I would choose the activity set: Stars
To engage the children I would show the One Billion + Stars videoNext I would do the activity from universe in a box where you out marbles in a jar and ask if there are more stars in the sky than marbles in the jar. Then add more marbles to the amount of pupils in the class, then fill the jar with marbles and ask if there are more stars.
Using the chromebooks the children will access the Britannica Launchpack Space Exploration Years 3 – 5 and look at the videos and do the activities in the pack.
Then we will listen to the constellation songIn maths we will do a poll for what to name a star. We will gather the information and graph the results.
Finally in Art we will draw an alien on white paper with white wax crayons. Then we will paint a dark sky background over it. To finish the children will add lots of stars using combs and toothbrushes. -
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I have actually completed many lessons with my Senior Infants this year. As a stimulus I read the book “Goldilocks in Space” by Peter Bentley. This is a fabulous book. The images are interesting, the story itself is a good length and the text is well written. The story itself is based upon the notion of the Goldilocks zone – this is the area around astar where an orbiting planet could host liquid water and hence support life. The planet needs to be “just right” like the Bears porridge. From this stimulus, the children were then encouraged to create their own planets. We then discussed the possibility of alien life of their planets. To further engage students, I would incorporate digital resources such as videos of space exploration or interactive simulations of alien encounters. Another story that fosters an interest and encourages the children’s scientific inquiry is the Smed’s and the Smoo’s.
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This sounds lovely, Deirdre! I was thinking of Goldilocks myself during this lesson, so that book would be a great addition to our library! I’ve used the Smeds and the Smoos, so it would be a nice way of considering how life adapts to different environments, and relate that to our place in space. Thanks for the idea!
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Thanks for sharing story suggestions Deirdre,
looks good for introducing the idea that planets can be quite different depending on their distance from their star.
We did a session on this with second level teachers as part of one of our teacher conferences with Dr Elizabeth Tasker – she added that in addition to the distance from the star, you need to consider what the planet is ‘wearing’ – as in, some planets have thick atmospheres, which keep heat in, and some have thin atmospheres which let heat out.
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The activity for the plough and the stars (!) was such an interesting idea. I know that some elements are beyond the scope of infants, but I would still absolutely love to do it with my infants class. Even recognising numbers like 32, 28 etc. is a great stretch for more able children, and there are so many stages to the project that there are opportunities for every child to participate usefully. Space can be such an abstract concept for children, that I could see myself using this to usefully demonstrate the differences in star distances.
This could be combined nicely with an adventure in the forest (we have a grove of trees nearby) and we could talk about how the leaves and canopy look different when observing from the ground, compared to when we climb onto the branches (low and safe!). Looking at the stars would be similar if we could travel through space.
I was also thinking that I could use the “what I see” drawing activity, but I couldn’t decide whether I’d do it before the constellation creation or after. Perhaps after, since we’d have seen the stars from other directions too at that point.
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I would introduce the lesson by firstly getting the kids to recite the nursery rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and then discuss the things that they know about stars. How many corners ,edges etc What colour are they? How many do they think there are ? more grains of sand than stars?
There are many childrens books on the stars and our sky.’ The Sky is Full of Stars’ byFranklyn Banley. ‘Our Stars ‘ Anne Rockwell or ‘Zoo in the Sky’ by Jackqueline Mitton are to name some . I would read the book or evn better use the IWB ro show a video of the story to the kids. After in a darkened room I would use a Star Lamp to project stars around the room and with the children lying dowm getting them to look for patterns or shapes they may see. Tell them about constellations.Remind them that space is silent and could they imagine themselves as one of these stars.
I would then continue the lesson with some print making .
They will need a styrafoam tray, pencil , paint (black,dark blue,yellow) and a piece of plain white paper. The children will cut out the base of the tray and jusy have a smooth flat piece of styrafoam .The y will poke holes through it to represent the stars and then using the pencil trace lines to connect the stars just enough to see the lines . They then paint it black and then press on the plain paper to make a print o f their stars and constellation .They can then reprint with the blue paint . They could then name their constellation and display.
Finish off with some quite time gazind at the star projector lamp in the darkened classroom .
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I would base my lesson on the space and aliens activity set.
Students would learn basic facts about Mars using picture books about space and Mars as a prompt, e.g. The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield. I would show them posters and images of Mars, pointing out its red color, surface features like craters and volcanoes, and its two moons.
Class discussion and questioning, eg. “What do you think it would be like to visit Mars?” and “What kind of aliens might live there?”
I would provide students with red and orange construction paper, markers, crayons, scissors, and glue. Ask them to create their own alien that might live on Mars. What would their alien would need to survive on Mars. Will it have extra arms for digging? Big eyes for seeing in the dark? The children could build a Mars rover using a small box and foil. They could use playdoh to create the surface of Mars.
To reflect and assess the children could present their aliens, rovers and landscapes of Mars to the class.
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I would start off by reading the story Aliens love underpants and go through all space specific vocabulary to make sure it is understood.
We would then integrate with art to create an alien and spaceship of their own choice.
Hands on activity: Create a star lantern.
Interactive learning: Kahoot quiz in groups. This reinforces learning and assessment.
Nursery Rhymes: Twinkl Twinkl Little Star, Hey Diddle Diddle
Creative Projects: In groups on space
Questioning: Constant questions throughout -
The activity set I would explore in the junior classroom is Stars. I would introduce the lesson with the book ‘How to catch a star’. We would then brainstorm how the students would go about catching stars. Then we will make our very own shooting star in a jar.
Materials needed:
-Food colouring
-Water
-Small Jar with lid (one per table)
-Large clear glass jar, bottle, or vase
-vegetable oilMethod:
Fill each small jar half way full with oil.
Drop food colouring into the oil (these droplets will be the stars)
Shake the jar. (Shake up high, shake down low, blast off like a rocket ship, but don’t let go!!)
Add the contents of the small jar into the bigger jar filled with water.The gravity will bring the colours down into the water as they pull away from the oil creating a shooting star like pattern.
The children will enjoy seeing the speed at which the ‘stars’ are moving and this can be used to expand on with discussions of the galaxy and milky way etc. -
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I would love to try the looking at the plough lesson on the stars and definitely think it could be used across the whole school (during Science week).
I love the way it looks at the star from different perspectives.
Hook: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (to engage children and draw them in).
Discussion/Predictions: What do they already know about the stars. Where are they? How many are there? What is their purpose. Allow them to draw some on paper or offer them tool to do it.
Teach them some interesting facts about stars. Introduce them to the star plough. Go through the shape of stars (link to maths with the sides and corners).
Explain that they are going to be making one (in groups to start: 3 children), Model making it. Go through the steps and support groups (may need adult to support 2 groups).
I would encourage children to then discuss the stars and why they might look different from different directions.
This could be linked with Van Gogh Starry Night (should also be a winter lesson). I would also link it to the story Toys in Space.
Furthermore I would create stars in a jar using glass bottles, tin foil and tea candle led lights, scissors and drawing pin (under supervision).
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I would like to try the Star activity set, particularly the ‘making the plough’ lesson. At first, I was thinking that the lesson would be pitched too high for infants, but actually I think it’s very adaptable. I do think, however, that it would need to be done in small groups. It could be done in maths stations as there is integration there, or possibly during Aistear or play time. As a whole class ‘twinkle twinkle’ could be sung, or read ‘How to catch a star’. A little bit of chat about stars, and constellations and maybe watch a video on the constellations pitched to younger children.
The actual making the plough lesson, is also great for developing fine motor skills. It would also be easy to differentiate within the class. I would have the wool cut to the correct lengths for the children where measuring the length is too difficult, but I’m sure some children would love the challenge, which brings in the maths integration. I think the children would really love the finished products. As a conclusion the children could then draw their own constellations using some tracing sheets of other constellations.
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Michelle – if the Plough, with 7 stars to position is too challenging, you could try Cassiopeia, and that is described as activity 5.4 on page 149 of Universe in Box.
In that version, the stars are held on sticks.
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Activity set: The Stars
Hook: Story- Can You See The Stars Tonight?
Introduction: Whole class Mind map – what do we know about stars.
Display a photo of a farmer ploughing a field for group discussion. What shape is the tool? Can we use geoboards and bands to create the shape?
Introducing constellations: display the constellations of the Leo and Draco without identifying them by name. Children in pairs/ groups name name the constellations. Background on constellations. How they get their name? Can you suggest a better name?Looking at a variety of items from different perspectives eg. A tree as we see it and a bird’s eye view, a leaf as we see it and an insect.
Photo/video of constellation of the plough.
Create the constellation with string, blue tack or with skewers and mini marshmallows.-
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Hi Áine I love the idea with the names never even thought of that! The children will have so much fun here. You could even provide them with some names to make it more lower order/middle order and they can guess which name suits the constellation best. And when they create their own constellations to name them – I’m sure the names created will be fabulous and hilarious!
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The topic I have chosen for this module is the Stars.
As I have previously said I love looking at the stars but I have just returned to the classroom this year after many years of job sharing so my teaching experience of the solar system has been very limited.
I suppose if I were to teach a lesson about stars I would begin by reading the book How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers which is also available on YouTube as a read aloud book. we could learn out the various constellations via YouTube videos understanding that stars are huge balls of burning gas far away in space. We could make our own constellations by placing silver stars on by cards and the naming the and sharing them with the class.
I remember serval years ago we had a company/organisation visit the school, they had an inflatable dome shaped bouncy castle and the kids lay down inside and they projected the different constellations and told the kids all about them and the kids were mesmerised by it, it was fab and it’s something I’d love to look into doing again-
Elaine,
there a few portable planetarium providers in the country.
In the Dublin area try Big Bear Planetarium, Armagh Planetarium also travel. In the west try Exploration Dome and we (BCO) cover the south with our StarDome.
You can replicate it to a certain degree by using Stellarium with a projector onto the biggest wall you can find in a room that you can make fully dark.
BCO have also recently been making D.O.M.E.s with schools – out of cardboard. You can see the details and how-to here.
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For this Mdule I would choose Life in Space lesson from Esero
What is special?
Explain to the children that we live on Earth. Earth is a planet. There are many more planets in space. As far as we know there are no people living there. But if people did live there, what would the children like to show them here on Earth? What objects or animals here on Earth are so special that visitors from other planets should see them? Encourage the children to make a range of suggestions, and then decide what message to draw and act out. Give each child a sheet of A4 paper and colouring pencils. Encourage each child to draw what he or she has thought of, without letting the other children see. This maintains an element of surprise about what they will be acting out. The children think about how they can best act out their special object on Earth.
Act it out! Sit in a circle with the children. Ask a child to act out what is in their drawing, without showing the drawing to anyone. Let the other children guess what is being enacted. Does it match the drawing? Make sure every child has a turn.
Draw an alien .
Ask the children if they know what an alien is. What do they think an alien would look like? Encourage them to make a drawing of this. When they have finished, discuss what they have drawn. Why does their alien look like that? Explain that no-one has found any real aliens yet, so we don’t know if they exist or what they look like. -
Activity: Alien Craft
Materials needed:
Construction paper
Scissors
Glue stick
Googly eyes
Markers or crayons
Pipe cleaners
Popsicle sticks
Instructions:
First, cut out various shapes from the construction paper. The children will use their imagination and create alien body parts such as circles, squares, triangles, and ovals. They can also create spaceships, planets, and other outer space objects.
Once they have their shapes ready, they will use glue sticks and glue the shapes onto a larger piece of construction paper to create their alien characters. They can mix and match different shapes to create unique aliens.
After sticking the shapes, the children will get googly eyes to add to their alien’s face. They can choose the number of eyes their alien has and stick them on using glue.
The children will use markers or crayons to draw additional details on their aliens such as mouths, noses, antennas, and any other features they like.
To make the aliens even more interesting, the children will use pipe cleaners to create arms, legs, or antennas. They can twist and bend the pipe cleaners into different shapes and stick them onto their aliens.
Finally,popsicle sticks will be glued to their aliens onto the sticks. This will allow them to play with their creations and make them “fly” around like real aliens.
Once the aliens are complete, encourage the children to use their imagination and come up with stories or adventures for their aliens. They can pretend the aliens are exploring outer space or visiting Earth.
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Karen,
creating aliens from craft material is a great design and make task. If you wanted children to use their scientific understanding of living things, you could ask them to group the made aliens into families – or, for slightly older children – into ecosystems.
I have done this before, by asking — where would this alien live? it looks like it has big eyes, so is it like an owl that goes out at night? etc.
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The activity set that I have chosen is ‘Space and Aliens. There is a wide variety of different ways that children can explore the topic of Space and Aliens.
• Show the children a picture of space and ask the children do they know anything about the topic. After a few discussion points, show a fun picture of a friendly alien and ask the children what they think or know. Ask the children what they would like to show the alien here on earth – What animals, objects, places etc. Use Google Slides to make a slideshow of the different things the class would like to show the alien.
• Story Book – Aliens Love Underpants. Discuss the story and get children to say their favourite part.
• Drawing – The children must draw and colour what they think an alien would look like. Children can give the alien a name and they must present their alien to the class.
• Good Noodle Dance – Alien Boogie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWftd3b6zX0 -
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The activity set I have chosen for this assignment is The Stars.
I think an ideal time of year for this would be around Christmas where there are so many references to stars and the night sky happening for the pupils. Songs like Catch a Falling Star or When you wish upon a Star could be used to introduce the topic. Stories like How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers would also provide a great prompt.
I would use the ESERO lesson, Lots and lots of stars. I think this would be a very effective lesson to illustrate the vast number of stars. If I had another adult in the room, I would aim for group work with this as the different ‘starscapes’ produced would provide a great source of discussion and response for the pupils. If not, individual responses would work very well also.
I would make a conscious decision to give the pupils a mix of equipment so that we don’t have 24 splatterboards or 24 toothbrushes etc. The use of different tools means that the pupils would get to see the effect and results of the different methods and it would make the lesson more interesting for them.
I like the opportunities for integration of maths. The pieces of equipment can be counted as well as the stars on the worksheets at the end.
At the end of the lesson, I would display all of the pieces on the corridor/in the hall as a starry sky from our whole class and allow the opportunity for the pupils to explain their process and share what they have learned about stars at a school assembly or for visiting pupils from another class.
This Twinkl link has lots of great ideas and activities:
https://www.twinkl.ie/blog/astronomy-for-kids-with-star-facts-from-twinkl-kids-tv
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Valerie,
I’m kicking myself that I didn’t take a picture of a galaxy wall display that I once made with children. We all created one or more spatter star paintings on black card, then arranged them with denser regions and sparser regions to create a huge galaxy on the window. It was amazing and the children could see that stars make up galaxies.
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I would adapt the lesson ‘Lots and Lots of Stars’ for an infant class.
I would begin with the nursery rhyme ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ followed by asking the children simple questions about stars: Have you seen stars? Where do you usually see stars? Do stars give light? Is the sun a star?
I would then explain that you can see stars most clearly at night and that the sun is our closest star. It gives off so much light that we have light during the day. The light is so bright that we cannot see the other stars until it is night time (and the sky is clear!)
I would ask the children to guess how many stars there are in the universe. As we are fortunate enough in our school to be located close to the beach, we would go to the beach where I would explain that there are more stars than there are grains of sand on the whole of planet Earth! The children could explore the sand before returning to the classroom to continue our lesson.
For the next part of the lesson, we would make a starry sky. I have previously completed this lesson with an infant class, where the children used their fingers to flick the toothbrush with paint to create stars across the page – messy, but immensely enjoyable!
To consolidate the lesson, we would show and discuss our completed pictures before recapping over the learning. -
Lesson to introduce children to the concept of space and the idea of aliens in a fun and engaging way.
Materials Needed: Picture books about space and aliens – Colouring sheets of planets and aliens – Crayons and markers – Stickers of stars and planets – Space-themed musicIntroduction (10 minutes):
1. Welcome and Greeting: Start with a welcome song e.g. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
2. Discussion: Ask, “What do you think is up in the sky at night?” and listen to their answers.Story Time (15 minutes):
1. Read a Book: Choose an engaging picture book about space and aliens e.g. Welcome to Alien School by Caryl Hart
2. Questions: Ask questions about the story to encourage participation.Activity (15 minutes):
1. Colouring: Hand out colouring sheets of planets and aliens.
2. Decorating: Let the children use stickers to decorate their sheets.Movement Activity (10 minutes):
1. Space Adventure: Play space-themed music and pretend to be astronauts exploring space.Conclusion (10 minutes):
1. Show and Tell: Allow children to share their coloured sheets.
2. Closing: Remind them of the exciting things they learned about space and aliens. -
Set: Stars
Space copy: what do the stars look like? (Before lesson)
Lesson and videos on stars & constellations.
Space copy: what do stars look like? (After the lesson).
Discuss at your table or in pairs were you close? What is your favourite fact about stars?
Constellation stations:
Station 1: constellations pictures and chalk/whiteboard activities to draw them.
Station 2: create constellations using playdoh and toothpicks.
Station 3: star chart and star plough activity as shown in video (with teacher scaffolding).
Station 4: create your own constellations – draw.
After all children have completed their 4 stations children as a class create their constellations using playdoh and tooth picks and in turns fo a show and tell of their constellations.
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Naomi – this is a lovely way to support children learning about constellations.
With light pollution ever increasing, if you are a city based school there is a good chance that the children haven’t seen more than just the very brightest stars in the sky. Only children who are lucky enough to live in more remote areas can enjoy the sky 🙁
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Introduce lesson with the nursery rhyme ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little star’ to stimulate some discussion about stars.
Talk and discussion about stars- where do you see them and when? What do they remind you of? What do you think they do?
Explain to them that a group of stars that form a pattern or a picture is called a ‘Constellation’. We will look at some examples of constellations on IWB and discuss the names given Orion the Great hunter, Leo the Lion and Taurus the bull.
Using some card, string, tinfoil and cellotape we will make a constellation to hang up in our room- (whole class activity)
Children will then design and name their own constellation.
To conclude the lesson the children will listen to and respond through movement to the song ‘Sky full of stars’ by Coldplay. -
I would look at the topic of Space and Aliens for this module. I love using the Aliens love books as a stimulus for these lessons. The children in my classes have always really enjoyed these books and it would get them interested in the lesson. We would then have a class discussion about Aliens and Martians and what they might look like. We would also discuss about whether they think there might be life on other planets and what this might look like and how it would differ from our lives here on Earth. Following on from our discussions the children would be given the opportunity to create their own Aliens or Martians using play doh and other junk art materials like pipe cleaners, googly eyes, sequins etc. Once the children have all created their creature we would look at them all and see if we could group them at all into ‘families’ and look at the ways that they could be grouped. This would be a good way of using our Maths skills within the lesson.
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I also love the theme of Aliens and the Aliens love… books; also the Julia Donaldson book The Smeds and the Smoos. The children are fascinated by them and their imagination responds so well. I have also encouraged the children to design their own aliens in the Junk Art and playdough stations with pipe cleaners, googly eyes, sequins, sparkles, buttons, tinfoil, sticks, bottle caps etc. during Aistear and found it fantastic in helping them develop their creativity, fine motor skills and explore their thinking around Space further.
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Activity: Lots and lots of Stars
I will definitely be availing of this ESERO activity next year; perhaps in a thematic unit of work on stars during my Space month. I think I would introduce it after the Counting Can game and ask who thinks there are more stars than those marbles? We would count and move to a see-through container. I explain that there are more and ask are there more stars than there are children in the class? We count the number of children and put that many marbles in a second transparent container. I explain that there are even more and fill a third large container to the top. Explain that there are so many stars that we need computers to count how many there are. I would open up a discussion with questions such as: ‘Have you ever seen the stars? What did they look like? Were there a lot of them? Do stars give light? When do you usually see the stars? Is the Sun a star too?’ The photo of the starry sky would lead to more discussion and discovery and help me explain that the Sun gives off so much light that we have light during the day and this light is so bright that we can’t see the other stars. The children would discover that there are lots of stars in the universe.
My class would love creating their Starry Sky extension Art activity and this would really emphasize that there are so many stars; I would link this with Van Gogh’s Starry Night piece for Looking and Responding in art, star related stories and Twinkle Twinkle in literacy and Gaeilge Lonraigh, lonraigh, réalt os cionn https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=3XVxrgn73ps, the Maths counting worksheet and numerous other possibilities in Maths, Aistear and Geography: making constellations with playdough or Junk-Art, star themed musical and drama performances and activites etc.-
I love your ideas for the Lots and lots of Stars activity.
I will also be using this lesson as a thematic unit of work. I hope to link it with space in Oral Language and I will include the book ‘Where to hide a Star’ by Oliver Jeffers to the literacy resources I plan on using. I will also show ‘Starry Night’ by Van Gogh as part of my teaching.
I love your idea of singing and reciting Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star as part of the thematic work.
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The topic that I would like to use in my classroom next year is that of Stars. This module has helped me to reflect on how I would plan and develop this as a topic in an infant classroom. It has been particularly helpful in helping me think about using many curricular areas to teach science themes and topics..
I work in a DEIS school. We always try to place an emphasis on literacy. I love using books, especially picture books in the infant classroom to spark the children’s interest in a topic. For this topic I would use How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers. This is a beautiful book that really captures the children’s imagination and it’s a bonus that Oliver is an Irish author
I would introduce the lesson asking the children some questions
I wonder what is in the sky at night?
I wonder what a star is made of?
I wonder how many stars are in the sky at night ?
I would do a looking and responding activity with the children. I would show them the following three pieces of artVincent Van Gogh – Starry Night Over the Rhone
James Whistler – Nocturne in Black and Gold
Rita Oates – A Star
We would explore and discuss these artworks together, focusing on how each artist uniquely portrays the stars. During winter, I’d encourage the children to observe the stars before bedtime (although in summer, it stays light too late for this). Equipped with art supplies, the children would create a piece of art inspired by these artists, their imagination or their observations from the previous night. I would share their artwork with the entire class and establish a class gallery, where each child receives positive feedback from a classmate.Integration with maths – sorting stars from planets, making patterns with stars and various materials, word problems involving stars e.g. I saw two stars shining in the sky, then three more stars appeared. How many stars are in the sky now?
Integration with Aistear – going to Space theme
Integration with English – write star acrostic poems
Encourage the children to explore the night sky with their families and share their discoveries.
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Module 3 assignment
Activity Set: Space and Aliens
How would you use the activity in your classroom?
I plan to do a lesson about aliens and space, as I think it would be a fun one to do in the infant classroom. I would use the ESERO 19 Special life resource as a guide to the lesson.
I will explain to the children that we live on planet Earth and that there are many more planets in space. I will explain that as far as we know there are no people living on the other planets.
A discussion will occur where I will ask the children if aliens did live on the other planets what would the children like to show them here on Earth? What objects or animals here on Earth are so special that the aliens from other planets should see them or learn about them.
The children will be encouraged to make a range of suggestions and they will then decide what object to draw. I will give each child a sheet of A4 paper and crayons. Each child will draw what he/she has thought of.
The children will then think about how they can best act out their special object on Earth. The children will sit in a circle and each child will take a turn to act out his/her object in the centre of the circle. The rest of the children will then try guess what the object is.
Finally, the children will be invited to think about and visualise the alien. They are asked to think about what it looks like. Has it got any special features and what planet is it from. The children will then draw their alien. Afterwards they can find a partner and they can take turns to describe the alien they have drawn. These drawings can be displayed on the wow wall.
There’s a good link to the arts and literacy curriculums in this lesson and the children will benefit from listening to each other describing their aliens and from acting out their special objects.
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I love the idea of getting the children to draw what the alien looks like. This would especially be interesting in a Junior Infant class of boys as they love to use their imagination when it comes to drawing which is great to see. I think it would be a great idea and something that the children could share openly with the rest of the class as to their alien they have drawn (authors chair). I can just imagine the laughter the class would get out of some of the aliens that some of the children would come up with.
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Activity: Stars
I would introduce this lesson by reading the storybook ‘Can you see the stars tonight’ by Anna Terreros Martin. This should spark a discussion about stars in the night sky. I will ask the children have they every heard of the plough? We will then look at pictures of the plough and identify why it has its name.
We will then try to recreate our own classroom plough during an art lesson. I will give the children a variety of art materials such as black card, matchsticks, lollipop sticks, pipe cleaners etc. Every child will have an opportunity to recreate their own plough. This hopefully will help children understand its shape and help them identify the plough in the night sky. We will create a classroom display of our ploughs. We will then compare them to pictures of the Plough in the night sky and see how they are different/the same
I will email parents and ask them to help their children identify the Plough at night. This might be an nice activity to do during midterm in October, when the sky is very dark.-
Siobhan,
what a lovely book: https://annaterrerosmartin.co.uk/publications/can-you-see-the-stars-tonight
and links to light pollution, which is dear to my astronomer-heart.
I’ll take the time today to listen to this podcast with her.
Thanks for the recommendation.
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The activity that I would like to focus on is ESERO 19: Special Life. I feel this could be adapted for Aistear stations for the infants. I would use 3 stations with the following activities:
Oral Language – Using visuals I would invite the children to share the words that come into their head when we think of planet Earth, e.g. people, animals, objects, etc. I would explain that there are many more planets in space, but as far as we know there are no living people there. I would then ask the children to think about, if people did visit from other planets, what would they like to show them here on Earth? What makes Earth so special? I would record all of their answers on poster paper, which can then be moved with the children and displayed as a stimulus in the next area.
Role play – The children would then act out an alien visiting their planet and what they would tell them about Earth, what they would show them about Earth. Teacher can observe and partake in the role play if necessary.
Art – Invite the children to share what they think an alien would look like – discuss body parts, colours, shapes, textures etc. The children would then draw and design their own alien. I would provide the children with a range of materials to create different textures e.g. wool, fabric, plastic, etc.
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Aoife,
Your planning for Aistear around the special-ness of Earth is great. You could include picture of different parts of Earth if you wanted – or lots of photos of the immediate school area if that is your focus and the children could also describe the pictures and tell you what they think is important or special about the area.
I reminds me of a radio station that I listened to when I lived in London. Each week the DJ would choose a different part of London and ask listeners to ring in with what made it special. I learnt a lot about other areas from listening.
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A lesson I would like to do with my class around Space and Aliens is Design an Alien.
I would start the lesson by reading the students the story ‘Ten Little Aliens’. I would then ask the children to describe some of the characteristics and brainstorm together on the board. The students will then use their imaginations and draw what they think an Alien would look like. The students will then use clay to model an Alien, thinking about arms, legs and facial features. I would then link in literacy, the students would create a character profile for their alien, thinking about their likes/dislikes and creating a world for them. We will then compare and contrast the different creatures that were made, using oral language to come up with the similarities and differences.
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Stars
To begin we would sing the nursery rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and I’d read the story ‘ How to Catch a Star’ by Oliver Jeffers.
Question children about stars e.g.Have you ever seen a star? When can you see the stars? What can sometimes prevent us from seeing the stars eg clouds or too much artificial light. Can you see stars during the day. Explain to children that the sun is a star. Revise what we know about the sun i.e. light, heat, supports life.
Show pictures of some star patterns such as the Plough or Orion’s Belt. Show different pictures and ask them to identify a pattern.
Construct a 3 D model of the plough pattern using straws cut at the correct length, blue tack and tinfoil. Look at the pattern from different angles and choose the best position to view it in order to see the pattern.
Conclude the lesson by singing Twinkle Twinkle and displaying the model of the Plough on the ceiling.
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Intro: I would read ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ by Claire Freedman to engage and hook the children on the lesson. Have some props from the story perhaps teddies, puppets for children to refer to.
Literacy- Children focus on oral language talking about the different aliens in the book e.g. similarities and differences, physical description. Focus on description of an alien from the story.
Main Lesson: Art and design- Children design their Alien by drawing their own alien.
Literacy- Create vocabulary based on what they would like their Alien to be like (mind-map ideas or write lists). Write simple and complex sentences about your Alien.
Lesson 2: Create an alien using clay modelling or use junk modelling from recycled materials and art supplies different materials. This can also link with the science strand properties and characteristics of materials. Here children can create 3D models of their Alien. -
I like the lesson Design a Martian. I feel like I will definitely use this lesson next year with my Infant class.
I would first ask the children to use their imaginations and draw what they think a Martian would look like. In groups I would ask the children to act out in small groups how their aliens might move and communicate with each other.
To extend this lesson the children could then use play doh to make 3d models of their Martians.
To link this lesson with Maths these 3d models could be used as concrete materials in the teaching of classifying, pattern and number work.
We would explore further the topic of aliens through reading stories about aliens and looking at artists’ impressions of aliens.
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Barbara,
creating with science thinking is lovely way to bring Arts and STEM together. I LOVE your idea of
I would ask the children to act out in small groups how their aliens might move and communicate with each other.
My colleague did aliens as the theme for Space Week Art in 2022. You can find it here
and view at YouTube:
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Activity Set- Space and Aliens.
Design your own Martian/Alien.Introduction: I would begin the lesson by asking the children some questions to enhance their imaginations, e.g. What is mars like? What is the weather like on Mars, is it hot or cold? What kind of creature could live in this climate or environment? Predict what a martian may look like? I would then ask the children to draw a martian from their imagination.
Mian lesson: After the children have drawn their ideas of martians, we will discuss their ideas in groups. The children will then be given a variety of materials and will be asked to make a Martian using 3d materials.
Conclusion: Once the children have created their martian, they will engage in role play where they will ask their martian questions about their planet and they will tell them some things about earth. The children can name and introduce their martian to the rest of the class/group.
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Activity set: Space and Aliens
Introduction: Play ‘little alien space kids song’ for the children on Youtube.
Activity/Investigation: Begin by asking the children what makes us different to aliens? What might be similar between humans and aliens? If you were to meet an alien, what might they look/sound like?
Create a list of questions the children might like to ask if they ever met an alien.
Roll play: Teacher in role as alien who has landed from a planet, the children must ask the alien questions; where did you come from? What does your planet look like? Do you have gravity/water/living organisms on your planet? How far away are you from earth? Do you like earth? etc.
The children will then work to create their own aliens using playdough. Afterwards, they must create a full persona for the alien (name, favourite food, which planet you’re from)
Conclusion: The children will be encouraged to take turns to be in role as their individual alien whilst the other children in the class ‘interview’ the alien.
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Is this the song?
I really like the questioning the alien (teacher) – what a great way to use the questions and to rephrase as needed in the light of information that the teacher provides.
Connecting to science understanding by creating the full persona is super – and some children might work together to create an alien ecosystem. I sometimes do that with children who find the creating aspect challenging and have created “rocks” or lumps — I suggest that these are very well disguised aliens – they look like lumps if anyone else is around…!
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I am teaching 1st and 2nd class next year and I would like to use the Activity Set on Stars with my class.
Introduction: I would use the song Sky Full of Stars from Sing 2 with the children to initiate a discussion about stars. We would elicit what they know about stars and what they might like to find out about them.
Sing 2 (2021) – A Sky Full of Stars Scene | Movieclips
I have used this song before with my 1st and 2nd class and after doing this course I now see how useful it would be as a starter for the Lots and Lots of Stars activity from ESERO. The song could then be integrated into a music lesson.
I would also use The Starry Night picture by Van Gogh and use this for an art lesson.
As I have a sister who lives in Australia and I have seen the constellations in the Southern Hemisphere I would also explore with the children the fact that there are different constellations in the Northern and the Southern Hemisphere. I would encourage the class to come up with their own constellations too and name them themselves. It would be a great way to focus an oral language lesson and why they name their constellation the way they did.
After doing this module I see how broad the topic is and where it can lead you.-
Deirdre,
we used to have a sheet of dots that children could use to make their own constellations.
Similar to it are these set of the 3 night sky pictures, with 3 constellations to find from Project Astro – Constellation Detective.
I have these printed A3 size, laminated, and I tape them to the bottom of the table so that children can lie on their backs and look up at the “sky” to find the constellation.
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Lesson based on Stars:
• Start the lesson by eliciting from the children what they know about stars. Record this on a KWL Chart.
• Read the Story: “How to Catch a Star” by Oliver Jeffers
• Pick one of the activity sheets based on the story: Spot the Difference, Join the dots, make a mobile, maze sheets, colouring sheets.
• Create their own constellations: Show the children simple examples of constellation on cards and on the Interactive Whiteboard. Discuss that constellations are patterns of stars in the sky and go through some of the names they have. The children could use some star stickers and some paper/card. Using silver or white crayons and markers, help the children connect some of the star stickers on their paper to create their own constellations patterns. They can copy the constellation cards or create their own patterns.
• Video based on stars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeNuj2GH8xg
• Going back to the KWL chart and elicit from the children what they have learned from the lesson.-
Muireann,
the Geography Curriculum names 2 constellations in the exemplars for 5th and 6th class – the Great Bear and Pole Star, Orion.
So please try to point those out from an early age. Ursa Major is visible all year round, and children can use the Spaceweek.ie resource (https://www.spaceweek.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Draw-Your-Own-Constellation.pdf) to make their own shape for the Plough, Orion is visible in the early evening in January – April.
Older children might explore how the position of the Plough tells you the time of night, with this Plough Clock.
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There are so many options and activities that can be done when you introduce stars. the children are fascinated by them and rightly so.
However the activity set that I will be focusing on is space and Aliens. I think it opens such a creative element to space and the children love it. One of the stories I always start with is the Man on the Moon and the children find it hilarious. There are so many lovely storybooks around aliens such as Aliens love underpants and the Smeds and Smoos. we do so much Drama and art out of this and i find it always draws the children who are not confident to come out of their comfort zones as the sillier an alien looks the better.
We also link this in sometimes with Maths and get them to roll a dice for the eyes, arms, antennae, etc and they have to draw how many the dice says. and sometimes I get the children to fold up paper into 4 strips and play musical chairs. WHen the children land on the next chair, they draw the next part without seeing the previous drawing.Our Christmas play that I have done for anumber of years is called Christmas with the Aliens and it is a lovely transition from Space which I usualy do in November to our festive season.
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Is this the play? https://www.outoftheark.co.uk/christmas-with-the-aliens.html
Your playful take on aliens is super – may I share with teachers in my end of course summary?
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Lesson based on stars.
Introduction: Star-Gazing Activity: Create a mini planetarium using a darkened room and stick glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. Then, turn off the lights and use a flashlight to mimic different star constellations. Children can share stories about stars and children will be encouraged to make their own constellations.
Star Plough: Display an images of the star plough on the IWB, invite the children to look at the image and discuss what they see. Explain that the constellation looks like a plough in the sky. Invite the children to create their own drawings or 3-D models based on the famous star pattern. Link with maths (shapes) and art (construction). This will be an hands on activity, the children could work independently, in pairs or in small groups when completing this task.
Conclusion: Invite the children to sing the song ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. This will link with music, the children can sing this in small groups and then as a whole class.
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The activity set; Space and Aliens.
There are so many books listed in the comments that can be used the begin an activity about Aliens.
When Aliens come to tea.
Here come the Aliens
The way back Home.
The Darkest dark
Beegu.
I have use the story “Aliens Love underpants” as a stimulus for discussion about aliens . What will “The Alien” look like and how they might move, do they have eyes , a nose, ears, legs, arms, hands. What colour might the Alien be. We can use coloured paper to choose background and draw out Alien shape. Then we can glue googley eyes ,bits of foil, pipe cleaners or ribbon on to add features and texture. Teacher cuts out Alien to display.
We also have an option of colouring the Alien Underpants.
I have added a picture of the display from an activity with Early Start this year,
Children enjoyed the activity and also had fun moving like the Alien might move.
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Thanks so much for sharing your experience (and the pic of the underpants!!).
Can I check that these are the books you suggest? https://books.google.ie/books/about/When_Aliens_Come_to_Tea.html?id=XWfSAwAAQBAJ&s
https://www.google.ie/books/edition/Here_Come_the_Aliens/smFnQgAACAAJ?hl=en
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Activity Set – Stars
Trigger – read ‘How to catch a star’ by Oliver Jeffers.
Discussion – This can lead to discussion about starts – what they know about stars, and anything they would like to know about stars. Let them look at pictures of stars and of the constellations – without names . What do they see? – what shapes can they see? What would they call this constellation? Show children a variety of constellations and name them.
Song – Constellation song – BBC
Make a constellation activity – The Plough
Using a print out of The Plough constellation, black paper, string/ straws and pieces of tin foil. (as per ‘Seeing Stars’ activity on the Curious Minds website)
Allow children to work in pairs on this, allowing for group/ collaborative work. To differentiate this activity allow some children to work with and measure the string, others to use some pre-cut straws. This enables the lessons to be adapted for all childnre in the class.
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I would choose to teach the lesson set about alien life. This set of lessons lends itself to cross curricular integration through art, drama, SPHE and religion. I would begin by doing a circle time and pose the question “What makes earth so wonderful?” We would discuss the fact that earth is a planet and I would have images on the interactive whiteboard to show planet earth in space. I would ask the children to think about this and then we would discuss as a whole class. I would go on to say that as far as we know, there are no other living things on other planets. If we were to have a visitor from space, what amazing things from earth would you like to show them. I would then ask the children in pairs to act out their response to this. The other children could guess what it is they are imitating. At the end of the lesson they would then be given materials for drawing and I would ask them to draw what they think an alien visitor would look like. This lesson had lots of scope for further extension. I would read books such as “We’re off to look for aliens” by Colin McNaughton. We could hone our thoughts and think about how they might be different from us. The children could then go on to create a 3D model of their alien using playdough or clay.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens.
I like this activity as it incorporates a number of different topics such as Literacy, Drama and Science I would spend some time discussing what things they would like to show aliens if they ever visited our planet. I would discuss the features of animals or places. I would use the lesson to expand on listening skills of the children and I would call out instructions for the children to draw, I would describe unusual features of obscure animals such as the Platypus, Blobfish or the Angler Fish with the aim that the children would create unique, bizarre, alien-like pictures of the creatures. I would keep the language simple and aim it at the age range in my class. I hope that these drawings would lead to a conversation around what makes a creature an alien? With the added twist that these creatures do in fact actually exist on this planet of ours. In first class we are beginning to explore descriptive language and I would hope this lesson really taps into this area with lots of suggestions about what makes something look alien using lots of adjectives. I would use a book called “The Aliens are Coming by Colin McNaughton” as a stimulus for the lesson it’s a lovely, colourful book for younger children which also gives lots of descriptive language and adjectives about different aliens as they are coming to Earth.
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Activity: Space and aliens
Before beginning the lesson- Play the song ‘5 Little Men in a Flying Saucer’ https://youtu.be/2E3p_51tJx0?si=93csQJoTddG_ooL1 to begin the lesson. The song starts with 5 aliens in the flying saucer and they end up leaving the space craft one by one. (integrating maths)
Have a discussion as to ‘why do they think when the aliens were flying around the earth, that they didn’t like what they saw and one of them would fly away?’ ‘Would earth be a scary place for aliens?’ ‘What do they think is in space?’ ‘Do they think there are aliens in space?’ Display pictures of space, rockets, astronauts and aliens as prompts for discussion and for stimulus.
Read a space/alien themed book such as ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ by Claire Freeman and discuss with class the characters and the setting. This would then lead us into our activity of creating our own aliens. Each child is provided with materials to create their own alien. Teacher to encourage them to use their imagination. They can use googly eyes, pipe cleaners, glitter, crayons, paint, toilet roll tubes and colourful paper to make their aliens. Ask each child to name their alien and share a fun fact about it with the class like ‘what planet do they come from?’ to try and make links to previous lesson about the solar system. Children love this activity as it is fun and engaging, they also love to see what sort of aliens their classmates have made and to listen to the stories about the aliens.
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Module 3 Assignment:
Activity: Stars
ESERO 13: Lots and lots of Stars: Looking at the Stars
I would introduce the lesson with questions so get the children thinking, how many stars are there? More than 5? More than the number of children in this class? More than the number of marbles in this jar?
I would then show them the discussion sheet and some images of the Milky Way to get them engaged and focused.
I would then explain about the stars and the Milky Way and that the sun is a star, our nearest and brightest star.
We would follow this with the art lesson to create a starry night. I would show them Van Gogh’s famous Starry Night scene to get them thinking.
The children would use space themed play dough mats to create stars. I would add some glitter to the play dough to create a sparkling effect.
I would finish off the learning by reading ‘Where to hide a star’ by Oliver Jeffers to the children.
This is a delightful story about a boy who likes to play hide and seek with his two friends, the star and the penguin. The star was always easy to find as he is so bright but one day he goes missing. The boy radios a Martian for help and soon finds himself on an exciting spaceship rescue mission to the North Pole! But while there, he discovers that he isn’t the only one who dreams of having a star as a friend…
This is a lovely story about friendship that I know the children would enjoy and it would really consolidate their learning. -
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I would focus on using the ‘Stars’ activity in my Junior Infant classroom. To introduce the lesson and to elicit the children’s prior knowledge on the topic of ‘stars’ I would show the children a picture/video of a child friendly night sky full of stars. This would lead into an oral group discussion where the class teacher can ask open-ended questions to prompt engagement and curiosity of the children. Next, I would read the story ‘How to catch a star’ by Oliver Jeffers as this will further allow the children to explore their own personal perception of ‘I wonder how could we catch a star in the high sky etc., As a class we will use a white roll of paper across the floor so all children have access to it and each child will draw various stars of different shapes/size etc., (integration of Math/construction – visual art) across the paper. Next, the children will use glow in the dark paint and paint their stars various colours etc., once this dries we will cut out our stars and stick them onto black sugar card/paper. Next, we will turn off the lights/pull down the blinds etc., to make the room dark and for us to see our glow in the dark stars that we have created. Depending on the class, the teacher may need to model how to draw a star or have cut out templates at hand, otherwise the children are free to create their own versions of stars they see in the night sky. After this lesson we will reflect on what we have learned about stars etc., and if our predictions or thoughts about trying to catch a star has changed or stayed the same based on the L & L story read at the beginning of the lesson. (This activity can be integrated across Aistear/SESE & Visual Art). Whilst the children are working on their stars the class teacher is facilitating the children’s learning around the room by observing, using questioning/modelling etc.,
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This is a fabulous lesson Rachel, I really like the collaboration of the whole class drawing a range of stars in a shared piece of art and also using the glow in the dark paint to bring to life in a darkened classroom. I can see how effective this would be and would like to use with my class, many thanks!
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I love the idea of the hands on activities for studying stars.
I would use the books how to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers as a stimulus. This book will introduce the children to stars. We then will sing twinkle twinkle little star.
We would then move on to the lesson lots and lots of stars. Again I would use the KWL chart to introduce the knowledge we might already have. We would work together as a whole class on this or small groups. I would use the key questions at this point.
Have you ever seen the stars? What did they look like? Were there a lot of them? Do stars give light? When do you usually see the stars? Is the Sun a star too?’I love the ides of using marbles toad clear transparent jars to discuss stars. I may even use sweets like jellies to draw the children in.I thinks it would be lovely to create the paintings and stick them althoghetr as one big display to really show the children that there are lots and lots of stars.
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Lesson Topic- Stars
Title: Exploring StarsObjective: Introduce Junior and Senior Infant Children to stars and spark their curiosity about the night sky.
I would use various materials such as;
Picture books about stars
Flashcards with star images
Glow-in-the-dark stars stickers
Art supplies (glitter, colored paper, glue, scissors)
Large sheet
Children’s telescopei would introduce the lesson by showing a picture of stars and ask children if they have seen them before.
Explain that stars are glowing balls in the sky at night.I would Give children art supplies and ask them to create their own starry sky artwork.
Let them use their imagination to add as many stars as they want.
Share their artwork with the class.Moving on I would show flashcards with star images and ask children to count the stars on each card.
Increase the number of stars gradually.
Reward their efforts with glow-in-the-dark star stickers.Finally I would carry out a Stargazing Adventure with the childrten.
Create a simulated night sky using a large sheet.
Dim the lights and use a children’s telescope (if available) or project images of stars.
Point out constellations and explain their shapes using relatable examples.
Encourage children to imagine shapes in the stars.I would Discuss what the children learned about stars.
Recap the main points of the lesson.
Encourage them to explore the night sky with their families and share their discoveries.-
David,
I have used simple telescope shape tubes for young children to imagine they are looking at the stars – made from corrugated cardboard.
Optional is to then put a bit of black paper over the end with small holes poked through the black paper to make a star viewer.
All of it can be held together with elastic bands so it can be reused easily and stored together.
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This activity is highly useful as it combines art, counting, and interactive learning, making the concept of stars and constellations engaging and accessible for young children. By incorporating various methods like artwork, flashcards, and a simulated stargazing adventure, the lesson caters to different learning styles, reinforcing knowledge through both creativity and observation
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Topic – Aliens – What to martians look like?
I really like the idea of children creating and visualising their idea of what a martian would look like using clay.
We would begin with looking in mirrors and passing it around the circle. We would discuss how we are all human however we have different physical features or eye/hair colour.We would discuss shape – and revise 3D shapes n particular. I would display different 3D shapes at the top of the room and the children would then draw their idea of a martian on paper.
Following this they would then design and make their martians using the clay ensuring to adopt as many 3D shapes into their design as possible.
When complete our martians we would sort them, by size, by use of shape, number of eyes/arms etc
Finally we could make a whole class pictogram displaying the number of different 3D shapes we used in our creations. Discuss the most/least popular shape used.-
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The children would really love this activity. I think incorporating 3D shape is very clever and the students will have so much fun describing what their alien looks like! Playdough and tools could be useful too prior to using class. There is also a song ‘ I’m a Little Alien’ which is a hit!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqGPhiAlFjU
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Space and Aliens
I would first start by introducing my lesson by singing the nursery rhyme “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.
I would also read the story “Back to Earth with a bump” from Twinkl to the children and we would discuss this. I would question the children on what they think the boy might have seen on his journey up to Space and hopefully they would feedback aliens.
We would discuss what we think aliens would look like and I would start by saying “Mine has 3 Green eyes, a purple body and spots on his back”. I would go around and ask some of the children what their alien looks like. To tie in with a lesson on Shape in Maths I would have some different shapes cut up and some for the children to cut up and they would have to make their own Shape Alien. This would also incorporate motor skills and Visual Arts. -
I love the idea of using a song or a story about Aliens to introduce a lesson to an infant class. I think Aliens would really trigger interest in the small children and I can imagine the excitement as they describe what their very own alien would look like.
Stories which stand out to me which I have read before with infants and which they really enjoyed are ”The way back home” by Olivier Jeffers and “Aliens love Underpants” by Claire Freeman and Ben Cort. The latter would really raise a laugh and get the children excited about the lesson.
We would maybe act how you would react if you were to see an alien to integrate an element of drama. We would talk about what aliens might look like and I would give children a ball of clay each to create their own alien.
As a follow-on activity to this, We would paint our aliens as our art lesson for the week.
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I’d start by reading a story about stars, such as “How to Catch a Star” by Oliver Jeffers. Encourage the kids to ask questions and make observations about the stars in the story.
Star Sorting Activity: Provide star stickers or cut-outs of different colours and sizes. Have them sort the stars by size, colour, or shape. Discuss the similarities and differences between the stars they have sorted.
Star Art Activity: Each child would get a piece of black construction paper and yellow paint. Dip their fingers in the paint and make finger print stars on the paper. The children would be encouraged to get creative with their art and create different patterns with the stars.
Star Gazing: I would take the children outside or to a window and look up at the sky. Point out any visible stars and constellations. Discuss how stars twinkle and how they light up the night. Recap the lesson by asking the children to share one thing they learned about stars and conclude with the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star -
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Activity: Special Life (ESERO 19)
I was really interested in this activity when I came across it. I think it would be ideal for use in the infant classes and I believe it is adaptable to suit different needs that may arise in classes. I would explain to the children that we live on Earth, which is a planet in the solar system. I would show them a a globe and a picture of our solar system with all of the other planets. I would explain to them that people only live on earth and there is no evidence of human life on any other planet. I would tell them that we are going to pretend that people do live on these planets and they are coming to visit Earth. I would tell them that they want to see all of the special things on Earth. We would have a discussion about some special things on Earth and then the children would be able to choose how they want to represent their special object. They will be able to draw it/write about it/ make it out of playdough/ or use the iPads to get a picture of it online. Then everyone will gather in a circle and act out their special object while the other children guess what it is. When guessed they will reveal their representation of their special object. After this we will discuss aliens and what they are. Then they will choose the means of representation they prefer to construct an alien and we will display them to the class. I would ensure the children understand that no one has found aliens yet so we do not know if they really exist or what they look like. This means that everyone’s alien design is valid and unique.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
Role-play/ drama activity:
• Explain to the children that we live on Earth. Earth is a planet. There are many more planets in space. As far as we know there are no people living there. But if people did live there, what would the children like to show them here on Earth? What objects or animals here on Earth are so special that visitors from other planets should see them? The children could act out various scenarios and what they would say.
• Give each child a sheet of A4 paper and colouring pencils. Encourage each child to draw what he or she has thought of, without letting the other children see. This maintains an element of surprise about what they will be acting out. The children think about how they can best act out their special object on Earth.
• Sit in a circle with the children. Ask a child to act out what is in their drawing, without showing the drawing to anyone. Let the other children guess what is being acted out. Does it match the drawing? Make sure every child has a turn.
Art:
• Ask the children if they know what an alien is. What do they think an alien would look like? Encourage them to make a drawing of this. When they have finished, discuss what they have drawn. Why does their alien look like that? -
Aliens and Space
Junior end of the school.
Introduction: Elicit prior knowledge of space and Aliens.
Stimulus: The Smeds and The Smoos by Julia Donaldson.
Using my space projector, I would darken the classroom and turn on the projector of the solar system. I would ask the students to get into a comfy position. I would read the story aloud. I would ask the students questions based the book I read and about the image they have of the aliens.
Drama : Imagine you were one of the aliens in the book. I would like you to act out a scene in groups to show how an alien would handle 1) going to school 2) going swimming 3) going to the hospital 4) going food shopping.
Art lesson: using clay we would create what we think the aliens look like and present to the class.
Finally show the students the aliens in the story.
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Hi Ciara,
This sounds like a really lovely fun lesson. I have never heard of that particular book but I Like Julia Donaldson so I’m guessing it’s just as good as her other ones.
I like the idea of darkening the room and using space projector. It would be nice to play some space themed music too. It links in very well with the drama and art ideas you mentioned and could probably be tied in with English, PE, Music etc
I think it’s something I would like to try too.
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I would use the Activity Set : Stars.
I would start by engaging the children’s interest with the activity “How many stars are there?”. I would show the children five marbles and ask who thinks there are more stars than these five marbles. I would repeat this for the number of children in the class. Then I would fill a third container to the top with marbles and ask the question again. I would use questioning to gauge children’s prior knowledge of stars, eg What do stars look like?, When do you see stars?, Do stars give light?, Why do they look so small?. Through this discussion children would learn that there are lots of stars in the universe.
I would then look at drawings of constellations and ask children what they can see and if they recognise any of them. We could listen to some constellation stories to show children how different cultures might see different images in the constellations.
Then I would have them design and make a star lantern. They could choose whether to copy a constellation or create their own constellation. -
Module 3
The activity I would choose is based on stars. I’m going to be in SEN next year and one of the children I work with has a huge interest in space. I think he would enjoy the activity, “Looking at the Plough from 2 different perspectives”. I’d get him to follow the steps and make the 3D model shown in this module. He should be able to manage most of it himself, even measuring out the correct lengths of string. Then after looking at it from below and on the same level and discussing what he can see from both perspectives he could present it to his classmates and answer questions about it as this will be a confidence boost for him, It could be displayed in his classroom. I also think he would enjoy making a star lantern – he would probably prefer making actual constellations that exist rather than imaginary ones.
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I teach 2nd class, this activity is based on the stars. I would begin by discussing what stars are: massive, luminous spheres of plasma held together by gravity. Explain the lifecycle of a star, from birth in a nebula to possible end stages as white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes. I would introduce myths and legends involving the stars from different cultures and traditions, for example, in Greek mythology The story of Orion, the hunter, and how he was placed in the sky. Students would listen to, discuss, retell, and record these stories. They could draw pictures to illustrate the myths or write short summaries. Followed by teaching students how to observe the night sky. Discussing constellations and how to identify them. We would use star charts or apps to help locate specific stars and constellations. This could be followed by a hands-on activity such as a star map creation: Create a star map using black paper and white chalk or stickers to represent stars. Students can map out a constellation or make their own.
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Cliodhna,
some of the concepts you have suggested would be suitable for older children, where the Irish curriculum has (for 1st/2nd class)
“identify the sun, the moon, stars, day and night”
I’d think that going into the life cycle of stars is probably too much. I know that some children are interested in black holes and the ideas around them, but linking mass of a star to its ultimate fate is something I used to teach at second level.
There is background for teachers at https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/lifecycles/LC_main3.html
and a poster: file:///C:/Users/frances.mccarthy/Pictures/SummerSchool_2024/imagine.pdf
and there are some second level activities on that same page.
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I choose Aliens and Space.
Here are some ideas I would or have used.
Role Play: Space rocket, i used black bags to black out an area, I used old sheep dosing containers and turned them upside down and attached straps as backpacks, I used some old keyboards and made a control panel. I used my child’s night projector. I used a high back booster seat as the rockets seat.
Sensory: we made moon sand
Creation Station: Create aliens from recyclable materials
Playdough: Use playdough and craft items such as googly eyes, buttons, matchsticks, pipe cleanerss to create aliens
Small world: I got a wooden rocket in Aldi
Literacy: Aliens in Underpants Save the World,
SESE
· Recognise the difference between day and night
· Recognise the differences between the streetscape during the day/night
· Identify and discuss the sun, the moon and stars within the context of night and day
· Recognise the difference between day and night
· Identify and discuss the sun, the moon and stars within the context of night and day
Art:paper plate aliens
P.E.:Space Walk and Alien Dance, Play music and children move like they are in space(slow, floating movements) and then like aliens (creative, silly movements)
Sensory: Create Alien Slime, make slime withglue, baking soda, saline solution, food colouring, glitter and some small alien toys.
Music: Alien Sound Hunt, pre-recorded sounds (space sounds, beeping, whoosing) Have children mimic the sounds and discuss what each sound might represent
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The activity Set I am going to pick for this module is ‘Stars’.
I would introduce the topic to the children by showing pictures of stars and constellations. We will look at the different shapes and see can the children identify them e.g. Leo, looks like a crouching lion, Ursa Major, forms the shape of a bear. I will encourage the children to go out at night and see can they identify them.
Experiment: Learn why stars appear to twinkle.
Fill a bowl two-thirds full with water. Crinkle up some aluminium foil and wrap it around the bowl. Darken the room and switch on a torch. Point the torch into the bowl. Tap the bowl to ripple the water and see twinkling light. The light is bent as it passes through the rippling water, in the same way the starlight is bent as it passes through the air around the Earth.-
Rachel.
the experiment can make a good demo to prompt an inquiry, so I’s show this to a small group, let them play around (explore) with the equipment, and then see if they can devise a question that they can predict the answer to – and then try it out.
They might wonder – does it have to be a torch? could you use a laser pointer (there are often pointers in remote controls if you have an old one lying around), what happens if you change the angle of the torch -shine it in from the top, or the side, or from the bottom? etc
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Mind map: Constellations, telescope, stars, plough, spectroscope, refactor, orrery, martian canal, landscape,. surface, stargazing
I loved so many of the lesson ideas in the module. It really shows how easy it is to make learning about space fun and engaging. The lesson I am going to choose to explore is:
Space and Aliens: Special life- Life in SpaceLearning outcomes To:
• know that as far as we know there are no alien beings in space • know what they find special about life on Earth • dramatise their own drawings • use their imagination to draw an alien beingExplain to the children that we live on Earth. Earth is a planet. There are many more planets in space. As far as we know there are no people living there. But if people did live there, what would the children like to show them here on Earth? What objects or animals here on Earth are so special that visitors from other planets should see them? Encourage the children to make a range of suggestions, and then decide what message to draw and act out. Give each child a sheet of A4 paper and colouring pencils. Encourage each child to draw what he or she has thought of, without letting the other children see. This maintains an element of surprise about what they will be acting out.
Sit in a circle with the children. Ask a child to act out what is in their drawing, without showing the drawing to anyone. Let the other children guess what is being enacted. Does it match the drawing? Make sure every child has a turn.
Discuss how successful the enactment was. Was it difficult? Discuss with the children whether acting something out made it easy for them to show what they think is so special about Earth. Draw an alien 15 min. Ask the children if they know what an alien is. What do they think an alien would look like? Encourage them to make a drawing of this. When they have finished, discuss what they have drawn. Why does their alien look like that? Explain that no-one has found any real aliens yet, so we don’t know if they exist or what they look like. -
As an infant teacher also I really like your ideas for teaching stars Eleanor. It’s a topic that children love and the integration into so many other subjects is excellent.
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ESERO- Space and Aliens
I would begin with a brief discussion about space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. I would show pictures or a short video clip about different planets and moons in our solar system, emphasising their unique environments.
Then I would explain the basic conditions necessary for life as we know it: water, suitable temperature range, atmosphere, and nutrients.
Discuss how scientists look for these conditions on other planets and moons. Introduce the concept of extremophiles – organisms that live in extreme environments on Earth – as examples of how life might adapt elsewhere.
I would then divide the class into small groups and provide each group with a planetary fact sheet from the ESERO activity set.Each group will use the information on their fact sheet to design an alien that could survive on their assigned planet or moon.
I would finally have each group present their alien design to the class, explaining how it is adapted to survive on its specific planet or moon.
Encourage other students to ask questions and provide positive feedback. -
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Content Activity chosen: Aliens
Special life: life in space
I think this activity has a lovely reflective aspect to it, and can help celebrate the unique ideas and creativity of each pupil.
When asked to consider meeting an alien, I would initially envoke their feelings about such an encounter, reassuring them that this is a positive and safe imaginary space we are going to visit, not to be feared.
When considering the responses of pupils, whether orally initially or subsequently in written or drawn media, it is important to respect the views of each individual response as to what they think is unique in their world. There could potentially be a wide variation here, and some very interesting responses.
A comparison with The Snowman book by Raymond Briggs would be beneficial here, to demonstrate that what might seem mondain to us, could be of interest to someone who has yet to have such an experience.
One example is cold, and the freezer for the snowman. Or the motor car -how normal it seems to us.
Further analysis for older pupils could involve potential dangers for visitors and safety warnings that would be required.I would close this lesson with some quiet self-reflection of experiences that I am grateful to have had that others may not have, in a very broad sense.
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I loved the activity where students make their own constellations. In order to adapt it for junior classes, I would stick the constellation pages onto the card and cut the string to the correct length before the lesson. To start we would discuss stars and whether they know the names of any stars. I would show them some pictures of constellations and ask what shapes they see. I would show them a picture of the plough alongside a photo of an actual plough, we would compare them. I would have the children complete the hands-on activity of making their constellation as shown in the video with tin foil, blue tack and string. When they are finished we would talk about the differences between looking at the constellations from different angles, what do they notice. I would also ask them if they think it looks like anything else other than a plough. To finish we could discuss any other shapes or pictures that they see in their constellations.
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I have chosen the ‘stars activity’. To start, I would introduce the topic with a simple, engaging story about constellations and their mythological origins. This storytelling approach not only captures the students’ imagination but also provides a cultural context for our study of the stars.
Next, we would create star charts and constellations using black construction paper and glow-in-the-dark stickers. Each student could choose a constellation to recreate, learning its name and story as they work. This hands-on activity makes the learning process interactive and enjoyable, and students can take their star charts home to share with their families.
To integrate technology, I would use interactive apps that simulate the night sky. These tools allow students to explore the stars and constellations in real time, even during the day. We could have a “virtual stargasing” session in the classroom, where students can identify constellations and stars using the app.
Additionally, I would encourage students to keep a “Star Journal.” In this journal, they could draw their favorite constellations, write down interesting facts about stars, and note any questions they have. This journal serves as a creative outlet and a way to document their learning journey.
For cross-curricular connections, in art a lesson could involve creating starry night paintings, inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night.”
Throughout these activities, I would encourage the students to ask questions and share their observations.
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Rhonda,
you can find some of those constellation stories in the UNAWE material. Other cultures can be found here: https://assa.saao.ac.za/astronomy-in-south-africa/ethnoastronomy/
What is interesting is that the Irish language stories about constellations are few. See this article https://telescoper.blog/2023/08/29/celestial-echoes-the-night-sky-in-irish-folklore/
For Starry night – check out the spaceweek tv broadcast made by my colleagues Danielle and Donna.
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This is a topic that I really enjoy teaching to young children. I would start by making a little library of all the space and alien related books for the children to browse through and I would read one to them daily. Below is a list of some of the books I would use:
Mousetronaut
Aliens love Underpants
Q Pootle 5
Roaring Rockets
Here come the Aliens
I would get the children to brainstorm ideas about how they would like their monster to look. We would draw their monsters first and maybe do a wax resist picture. Then I would let the children make a model of their alien using clay.
We would use adjectives to describe our aliens to each other and list all the characteristics of the aliens on a chart. The children could label their alien depending on their level of ability.
I would also integrate some maths by counting eyes, legs and arms of our collective group of aliens. Another nice idea would be to create a graph e.g. how many people have aliens with 1 eye, 2 eyes, 3 eyes etc. We could do some graph reading from the results of this.
I would ask the children to look at the planets in the solar system and decide which planet their alien may have come from and why.I would play a space game in PE where the children could move to music like aliens and when the music stops, go to a “planet” in a group of e.g. 3 or 4
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I would start with stories /songs and poems about the stars and night sky. There are so many wonderful resources available on line. This will peak their interest and stimulate so much interest in the activity to come.
So much Art /Craft can be integrated and linked to the activity. We could make star mobiles/decorate the night sky with stars which they could colour.
In Maths we could make up our own star problems during Maths talk.
By now they are ready and set to start the
Star Activity: Draw your own constellation
It’s a most beautiful activity which lends itself to so much oral language as I am circulating. The children will use their imaginations to draw their own constellations with the template provided.
With my own templates then I can provide star constellations in shapes of various animals and they will have great fun talking about their constellations and giving them names
They can then cut around their constellations and paste them on to a black background which will serve as the night sky.
Finally, we can create oral stories about the adventures of their animal constellations in the sky.!
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
The activity set I have chosen is ‘Space and Aliens’. I like this activity set because it allows for an imaginative theme within the students’ learning. I would use this activity set with first class or second class. I would focus on the ‘Classroom Resource Booklet – Mars’ that was produced for Space Week by Discover Primary Science and Maths. I think the ‘Mars: Junior Activities’ are excellent. They link very well to STEM activities as the students engage in a design challenge when they are designing a martian. A good link to the students’ literacy, in particular the ‘Writing’ stand could be to write a character description about the martian they have designed. They could also write the description for the setting based on a landscape suitable for their martian. To link with the ‘Oral Language’ strand the students could work in pairs to talk about how they could describe Earth to an alien using the ‘Where Do You Live?’ resource from Esero. A link to Digital Technology could be using the iPads to explore Mars with Google Mars from Google Earth. As a link to Visual Art, the students could sketch or draw their martian. If time allowed, they could create their martian using 3D materials or recyclable materials.
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Activity – Stars
literacyread the book how to catch a star by Oliver Jeffers to get the children into the world of magical stars .word on rhyming words / cvc and ccvc words / shared reading and shared writing on dreams and perseverance and success and disappointment
Art
Draw and paint pictures of stars, constellations, and galaxies.
Create star-themed crafts, like glittery night skiesmusic
Sing songs about stars, such as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Create simple instruments to make “star sounds” and compose star-inspired music.maths
count stars in pictures / add and subtract using star stickers /finish pattern activity using different coloured stars /use different sized stars and order then small to big
PE
do star jumps / make constellations in groups / star tag / mindfulness activities to relax mind and body by looking up at night sky
Lots of cross curricular learning from this topic
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
It was very useful to see the DPSM/ESRO Framework for Inquiry applied in The Classroom Resource Booklet on Mars. I think this would work really well during Science Week where pupil’s complete challenges:
Challenge 1 – Can you create a landscape like Mars?
– Explore Google Mars on ipads.
– Discuss and investigate landscapes using different trays containing soil, sand with duplo small world space characters.
– Use play dough to experiment making Mars with modelling accessories, then groups take tour of each others work.Challenge 2 – Can you create an alien to live on Mars?
– In pairs look at a range of books including Moving to Mars, Toys in Space, Aliens in Underpants Save the World, Here Come the Aliens, then brainstorm ideas in groups.
– Complete individual designs.
– Use clay to make alien and paint.
– Name alien and hot seat as character, pupils to ask questions about their life on Mars etc. -
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The activities in this set are really helpful to further develop the theme we have in my Senior Infant class, Space Travel Agent.
We actually completed Esero 19 Special Life last year and I would use it again next year. As a stimulus we read the story Aliens Love Underpants. We then had a really in-depth discussion about aliens. It tied into our Ethical Education lessons as focused on opinion and that it is a matter of opinion whether we think aliens exist. I reiterated throughout the lesson that there is no proof that they do exist. We then brainstormed what items on Earth we think aliens would find fascinating.We had previously read the story Aliens Love Underpants so a lot of children said that. They then drew the items they brainstormed on their mini whiteboards. In groups the children then completed the drama activity described in Esero 19. We finished the lesson by each child drawing a picture of an alien. As this led into art time I used this as my art lesson for the week and we were looking at directed drawing, so we used Art for Kids Hub on youtube and followed a tutorial to draw the aliens. The children loved it, it was probably their favourite art lesson of the year.
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Katie-
I hadn’t thought about sharing opinions – and it such a good way to connect space to ethics.
Science opinions should reference facts -so could you ask children to explain why they think a certain way? I’m often asked if I think aliens exist and I answer “Yes and No” Yes – there are so many stars in so many galaxies that even if the chance of life on another planet was 1 in a million, when you have 200 billion (which is 200, thousand million) in just our galaxy, then that is 200,000 possible planets with life. And there are 2 trillion galaxies.
The No is because space is big, so I don’t think the Earth has ever been visited by aliens (even though I love alien science fiction!)
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Introduction to Stars for Senior Infants
Objective:
• To introduce young children to the concept of stars, their characteristics, and their importance in space.
Materials Needed:
• Picture book – Stars by Mary Lyn Ray
• Star stickers
• Black card
• White chalk or crayons
• Glow-in-the-dark star stickers
• A torch
1. Introduction
o Begin with a simple question: “Who has seen stars in the night sky?”
o Show a picture book about stars, discuss a few pages to spark interest.
2. Discussion: What are Stars?
o Explain that stars are big balls of burning gas far away in space.
o Use simple language: “Stars are like big, hot lights in the sky. They are much bigger and hotter than our sun, but they look small because they are so far away.”
o Show pictures of different stars and constellations.
3. Activity: Star Creation
o Give each child a piece of black card and white chalk or crayons.
o Encourage them to draw stars on their paper.
o Hand out star stickers for them to add to their drawings.
o Discuss the constellations they created, explaining that people see pictures in the way stars are arranged in the sky.
4. Interactive Demonstration: How Stars Shine
o In a darkened room, use a torch to represent a star.
o Explain that just like the torch shines bright light, stars shine because they are very hot and bright.
o Let each child take a turn holding the torch and shining it in the room to understand how light travels from stars to us.
5. Conclusion:
o Review key points: Stars are far away, very hot, and shine brightly in the sky.
o Ask a few questions to reinforce learning:
“What are stars made of?”
“Why do they look small?”
“Can you name something that stars help us with?” (Guide them towards understanding navigation, light, and beauty in the night sky)-
Grace,
interesting choice of book:
it seems to be about a lot of different usages of stars (as rewards, as calendar markers, as something to keep in your pocket), but finishes up with a bit of night sky.
Given that SESE Geography expects Infants to identify and discuss the sun, the moon and stars
I’d try to keep the discussion on similarities and differences.
Be careful with statements like: “They are much bigger and hotter than our sun” since some stars are bigger and hotter, but in the immediate region of space near the Sun, it is one of the biggest. Smaller and cooler stars are harder to see, so the stars we see in the night sky are preferentially the nearer and naturally brighter ones. This advanced level activity lists stars by proximity and brightness.
How long would you expect to take with this sequence of activities and would you arrange this as stations?
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I would love to do the activity on ‘Special Life’ with my class. We would first read a book maybe ‘Adams Amazing Space Adventure’ and discuss space and earth. We would talk about why we like living on planet earth. We would make a mind map of some of the ideas why we think earth is special. Then the children would be split into groups and they would make roleplays of the different ideas they have come up with. Each group could make some drawings to help them visualize their ideas. We would discuss each roleplay and talk about what was tricky, and share ideas of what we liked about each groups drama activity.
Then , all children would have the opportunity to design their own alien! We would talk about what they might look like, what features would they have and what name we would each give our alien. They will discuss what they have drawn and show all their lovely drawings to the class.-
Thank you for sharing that book suggestion. https://www.adamscloud.com/products/adams-amazing-space-adventure
I think there is the opportunity to discuss the language and descriptions of the Moon, Sun and planets from the book, and compare them to Earth.
‘The Moon is too bumpy, the Sun is too hot, Saturn’s air is so bad’ etc.
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I would choose the activity ‘making a star’. This is a real hands on activity and lots of room for differentiation within the lesson. I would begin with some star wars music in the background while the children share any songs or rhymes they know with the word star in them. Have you ever looked up at the stars at night, what have you noticed. Do the stars make shapes? Are some brighter than others?
I will them show them some images of constellations, the plough, orions belt etc.
Using black card with the glued on template the children will create the plough constellation in pairs. Tin foil will be used for the stars and wool for the distance. I will have the distances written on the templates the children are using so all they need to do is use a ruler to measure. I like the idea of hanging the constellation on the ceiling and under their desks so they get the idea of how stars appear from different directions.
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The activity I would choose from this module is Special Life – Life in space. The learning outcomes will investigate the possibility of alien life in space, followed by a discussion on what they find special about living on Earth. Exploration of life on earth and what they would like to show visitors from other planets could prove interesting and further develop their appreciation of our planet. Incorporating art and drama by asking the children to sketch/draw special animals or objects on earth and acting out their messages. Following on with discussion how successful the enactment was. Was it easier to act out their special object?
A follow on lesson from this I would introduce is from the Mars Classroom resource booklet. Investigating and designing a 3D Martian using clay and a variety of materials would be appropriate for 1st/2nd class. To conclude we would determine that no-one has found any real aliens yet, so we don’t know if they exist or what they look like. -
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The activity I chose is Draw Your Own Constellation. I would start with a discussion about what people would have done at night before electricity , tv etc. to show the children the importance of storytelling and the connection that people had with the natural world. Light pollution could be brought into this as well as dark sky reserves. Then I would tell them some myths and legends about the constellations from in-the-sky.org.
Following that I would show the children simple pictures and names of constellations and ask them to match the picture and the name and to explain their choice. This should help them to visualize connecting the stars to create a whole image.
I would then use Stellarium to show them the night sky. Stellarium gives you an option of viewing the night sky with or without the constellations marked. I would ask the children to try and spot constellations before revealing them.
I would use dot / graf paper at the start when encouraging the children to create their own constellations. I think the structure may help them create a picture and could tie in with math. It may also help them understand that they are not a perfect outline of the intended image. At the start their partner could join the dots to reveal their constellation. When the children are more comfortable creating their constellation they could draw some free hand.
Follow on activities could be night sky art drawn with the children lying under their tables and their paper tacked above them or a creative writing / storytelling activity creating their own constellation story. -
Activity Set: Space and Aliens
I would combine the special life lesson from ESERO and the Mars lesson from the science week website to create a fun lesson on Aliens.
Introduction:
Discuss that we do not know of any other life forms in our solar system so we are unique and special here on earth, as outlined in the ESERO lesson I would get the children to think about what they would like to show an alien about life here on earth if they did exist. They will work in pairs and act these out.
Development:
Children will be given paper and pencil to sketch out what they think an alien would look like and will then be given clay to create their own alien, however they wish.
Conclusion:
Children will present their alien to the class and give a description about any interesting features of their alien. They will also be asked about the environment where the alien lives and what they need to survive.
Extension: In an extension activity as a whole class we will design a home for the aliens on a large IKEA roll of paper which will form the ground and backdrop to display the clay aliens. Each child will help to create this and ensure that they include whatever their own alien needs to survive.
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The activity set that I would choose to use in my classroom would have to Space and Aliens.
I would first begin by reading allowed the book ‘Aliens have underpants’, I find that stories and even educational videos are amazing triggers to encourage the children to the creatively on the subject in question. After reading the book I would then supply the children with paper, markers, crayons etc and allow them to draw and create their own aliens. We would then discuss the aliens as a class, sharing ideas and opinions to encourage further thinking. I would have some trigger questions prepared for the class , ‘where do aliens live ?’ ‘Do aliens know we exist ?’ ‘Would we be considered aliens in space?’. I would hope we could use the questions in a discussion, as it is of vital importance that the children not only learn the topic in question but team work skills and constructive debates where they can share thoughts positively. for a continuation of the topic , I would allow the children to create 3d versions of the aliens they have previously drawn (using supplies such as clay ,playdough, paints etc …)and following that allow them to play and interact with each others aliens in whatever way they believe aliens would.
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I would use the activity set: Space and Aliens.
I would start by using a story ‘Aliens in Underpants Save the World’ I have read with my own children, who loved it. Read Aloud Kids Book: Aliens in Underpants Save the World by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort (youtube.com)
I alternate between reading the books or using a nice version on YouTube as I find that the children can all see the pictures better using the interactive whiteboard and it also gives them a break from listening to my voice.
From this story we can discuss what we think aliens look like: colour, shape, features – eyes, mouth, hands, feet etc.
Next the children will draw/design their own alien – some might prefer to draw their own alien using markers and crayon while others can use straws, string, button, wool etc. or they can use both.
Next is the important part as they get to name their alien and write a small bit about what planet their aliens are from and how they live their lives: is it hot/cold, what type of house they live in, what job do they have, how they travel around, where do they go on holidays?
To finish, the class will present their alien, tell us their name and how they live and the other children will get an opportunity to ask questions.
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Using the stars activity set I would teach the children a lesson on stars. This lesson is for children in first class. I would start with a 15-minute discussion by sitting in a circle and showing five marbles. Ask if there are more stars than these marbles, and gradually increase the number of marbles to illustrate that there are far more stars than can fit in the containers. Ask questions like, “Have you ever seen the stars?” and “Is the Sun a star too?” I would show a picture of a starry sky and explain that stars give light and are most visible at night, while the Sun, also a star, is too bright to see other stars during the day. For the next 15 minutes, I would have the children paint a sheet of A4 paper to resemble the night sky, then use toothbrushes and splatter painting screens to create stars in various colors. I would spend the final 15 minutes discussing their artwork and completing a worksheet where children count and draw stars, reinforcing their understanding of stars.
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Space and aliens
An infant based lesson that can also be extended for older classes on space and aliens
Begin with discussion about what space looks like and what might be out there.
First, we’ll learn about the planets in our solar system and discuss how each one might look and feel different. Use of pictures and models to see examples of rocky planets like Earth and Mars, and gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn.
Next, a sensory activity! Have available in tubs or trays different stations with materials representing the surfaces of planets. For rocky planets, we might use sandpaper to feel rough textures, and for gas giants, we could use balloons filled with air to feel smooth surfaces.
Discuss what felt at each station and compare it to the planets learned about. Talk about why planets have different surfaces and what makes them unique.
Art extension- create own planets using clay or playdough. Each child will make a planet with a surface texture they choose, like smooth or bumpy, to represent what they’ve learned.
To extend and discuss life on other planets
Read simple space books “Is there anybody out there ?” By Laura Krantz would be a good choice
This lesson can be extended in coming weeks to look at designing and landing a space shuttle, based on the surface of the planet what would be required ? What would we need to survive there? What must an alien be like to exist on the chosen planet?
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Felicity,
did you know that due to lack of erosion, the lunar surface rock (which is called regolith) is very sharp and this makes it sticky.
Some lunar dust recently was sold:
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Module 3 – Assignment.
Stars.I loved the idea of making constellations out of tin foil and straws, and this activity is a perfect way to introduce junior infants to astronomy. I would start by showing a picture of the Plough constellation and explaining its significance in simple terms.
I would give each child a piece of black construction paper, small pieces of tin foil to form the stars, and pre-cut straws to connect the stars. As they place the tin foil pieces on the paper and connect them with the straws, I would guide them, explaining the positions of each star.
To make the lesson more engaging, I would read a picture book like “How to Catch a Star” by Oliver Jeffers. This book captures the wonder of the night sky and complements the activity perfectly. Also, I would incorporate nursery rhymes like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to reinforce the theme and add a musical element to the lesson. I would try incorporate star jumps in PE.
We would finish by having the children share their creations with the class. This hands-on activity, combined with the picture book and nursery rhymes, makes learning about stars fun and memorable for young learners.
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Sharon,
one of our colleagues at Blackrock Castle ends her planetarium shows with “what is one difference between a planet and a star? — not sure — well, think of the old favourite ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Planet’ — what? I said it wrong? — then there’s a difference.”
I have seen these made with star stickers or yellow plasticine stars, all can be effective. The interesting learning around mathematics will come when the children look at the models from different angles and see that the Plough Shape is only visible if you are directly above, or, if you hang these on the ceiling , directly below the model.
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I also thought that this was an excellent and engaging lesson also. It would be interesting for the children to come up with their own constellation shapes and names – it would be a very engaging lesson and with many different outcomes. I liked how they showed an alternative for younger classes also.
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Activity Set: Stars-The Constellations Class:3rd/4th
Introduction: Begin by introducing the topic of constellations with the students. Discuss the importance of stars in the universe and their role in the night sky. Pose questions and facilitate a class discussion on the following: Where do these points of light come from? How do they form? How do they shine and why do they twinkle? Why do scientists study stars? Why are stars important? Are stars all the same? If stars are born do they die?
Watch the YouTube Clip GAIA and 1 billion + stars: This provides a visual to stimulate their imagination and curiosity and enhance their interest to learn more about the constellations. Literacy: Students read about ‘the world of constellations’ from module 5 universe in a box resource and discuss. Art Activity: Draw their own constellation using the template from space week, then look at their drawing and discuss. History: link to the history of astronomy and its Greek origin. Read constellation stories from (universe in a box). Conclusion: Teacher would ask the same questions as at the beginning of the lesson and the children would answer them. The children would reflect on what they have learnt and recap on the key vocabulary they have learnt. Science/Art follow up activity: Make a star lantern using science week resource sheet.
As a fun activity and with the permission of their parents they could become star gazers for a particular night at home weather permitting -
I would choose the “Stars” activity set to use in an infant classroom. This activity is suitable for infants as it encourages exploration and discovery through sensory experiences. I would set up a darkened room with twinkling lights or glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling to create a night sky effect. Infants would be able to explore and discover the stars using their senses, making connections between the visual and auditory stimuli. I would also provide soft, star-shaped objects for them to touch and manipulate, further developing their tactile sense. This activity would be a great way to engage infants in learning about the concept of the stars and night sky, while also promoting their cognitive and motor skills development.
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Eimear,
Please review the activities in the module, where Draw a Constellation or Make a Star Lantern ask the children to use their mathematical awareness around the theme of stars.
The sensory activity you have mentioned
I would set up a darkened room with twinkling lights or glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling to create a night sky effect
seem more suitable to actual infant children, rather than Infants in the Irish primary school system. Similarly, soft star objects for tactile sense seems a bit too juvenile.
Note that the curriculum expects:
stars in Geography (Infants: identify and discuss the sun, the moon
and stars)and the Sun in Science (recognise that the sun gives us heat and light, without which we could not survive and become aware of the dangers of looking directly at the sun in 1st class)
You could link stars to day and night with globes and models, or by having bright lights with dimmer lights near them to model the Sun ‘overpowering’ the much fainter stars.
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I have chosen the activity set ‘Stars’. I would introduce the topic by reading ‘How to Catch a Star’ by Oliver Jeffers. I would then ask the children to describe a previous occasion where they saw the stars. We would discuss what they know about stars already. I would play the first minute and a half of the video ‘What are Stars?’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrS3Ye8p61Y). I would ask them in pairs to guess how many stars they think there are. I would then give the children a photo of the night sky and ask them to count how many stars there are by separating the photo into sections and counting each section. We will discuss this and I will tell the class that there are so many stars that we need computers to count them for us and that in just our galaxy there are 100 billion stars.
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Muireann,
counting sections of an image is a great way to use estimation to gather data.
If your image includes a swathe of the Milky Way, this can lead to an purposeful discussion about how stars are not evenly distributed around us. For a further step, you could ask the children if it would be possible to tell where the Sun and Earth are in the Milky Way by looking at the star counts in different directions.
The image from Lots and Lots of Stars could work, or this image from ESO called GigaGalaxy Zoom and here.
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Muireann, I too like this idea of counting the amount of stars they can see in a section of a photo and following it up with a discussion of the collossal numbr of stars are actually out there! It would lead too to a discussion on how we can’t see all the stars with the naked eye when we look up into the night sky.
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I would use the activity set “space and aliens” aimed at infant classes.
I would begin by reading the book “aliens love underpants” as a stimulus to this lesson.
We would discuss what the aliens look like, how many eyes, arms, hands, etc. Discuss the colours and sizes of aliens I the story.
We would then discuss where aliens live. I would introduce the planet song from YouTube to teach the children abit more about the planets. We would discuss the most suitable planets for aliens to live on, giving reasons for out choices.
I would ask the children to design/draw their own alien and to give it a unique name.
Finally, I would do a construction/STEM lesson where the children would design and make a suitable home for their alien to live in.
We would conclude by letting the children intoruduce their alien, describe his/her unique features etc. Then they would describe the homes they have created for their aliens.
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I chose the activity set ‘Space and Aliens’. I would start the lesson by reading the book ‘Life on Mars’ (https://youtu.be/Y5sL4Q9zSAI) and asking students if they think there are any living things on Mars, we would also discuss the term martian.
Students would look at pictures of the landscape of Mars and discuss what they see. The teacher could ask guiding questions like is there water? Do you see any plants? Then I would ask them what they think a martian would look like, what kind of features would they need to survive on Mars? Discuss the features of animals from different climates like fur, colour, scales, etc.
Students would then be given the opportunity to sketch what their martian will look like in their copybooks. The martians could be made out of clay or recycled materials like cardboard depending on what was available. After the martians have been constructed they could be painted or decorated with googly eyes, feathers, straws, or whatever other materials are in the classroom.
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Robyn,
what a gorgeous little story! I can see so many spots where children could stop and discuss what they know.
To explore Mars, use google Mars (from Google Earth) and zoom into the images to show what Mars looks like from the rover’s viewpoint.
Mars is one of the first workshops we offered at BCO, and still popular today.
My Brownie Guide leader is shuddering at the picking of the flower – what happened to Leave No Trace!
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Module 3:
For this assignment, I choose the star’s activity. I would begin by getting the children to sing ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ and design a star during an art activity. We would discuss when stars can be seen. I would use the ‘Seeing Stars’ video from SFI as a resource for teaching the pupils about constellations. I would also use the ‘Draw your own constellation’. Focusing on lines and the eight stars of the plough, the pupils would design a constellation while integrating a mathematical element. The pupils could then name and present their designs. In groups, the pupils can recreate their constellations using their bodies.
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Rachel,
how much fun to recreate the constellations with bodies. My Brownie Guides did a similar activity at an adventure centre, they had to make different letters of the alphabet while lying on the ground, and use all the members of the six.
Do you think your children will design 4 pointed, 5 pointed, 6 pointed stars? You could show them some found in art or in quilting, where 8 pointed stars are common.
I have used this folding activity to make a 5 pointed star -good for 2nd and up because of the hand strength needed to cut through 10 layers of paper.
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Topic: Space and Aliens
I would begin by using a picture book to capture the children’s imagination (Adam’s Amazing Space Adventure is one that I have used with my class). After this we would have a discussion about the many different aspects of space visited by the characters. We could break into groups and choose different areas to draw and then order these to sequence the story.
After this we would focus on Mars and use some ideas from ‘Mars Space week’. I would firstly get an idea of the children’s prior knowledge of Mars and see what new facts they are interested to learn. Using some different images, we would discuss and see the similarities and differences to Earth. Also important to make a link to Mars by showing some images of it in the night sky and encouraging them to observe it at night. Talk about a Martian and design their own Martian in small groups. Do some simple maths activities with the Martians and see how Martians would exist on Mars. Allow the children to use these figures during Aistear/free play to make sense of their new learning.
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The activity set I’ve chosen to focus on is ‘stars’. This lesson would be aimed at the infant classes. I would begin the lesson by having a discussion about what we see in the sky in the night. I would then read the book ‘How to catch a star’, by Oliver Jeffers.
After this, I would show the children a short video of a night’s sky and question the children using higher and lower order questions.
Game. I would split the children into pairs and give then 2 hula hoops each. One would signify day and would signify night. I would give the children some pre-made pictures of things you would do during the day and night to differentiate between the two.
After the pair activity, we would engage in a group activity. Each group would get a shoe box several holes punched on the lid. They would also get some black string and tinfoil for making their stars. To end their activity, each group could present their star box creations. -
I have chosen the activity set of ‘stars’ and would aim this for 2nd class students.
I would display pictures of the constellations and ask the students what they think they look like. Then we would discuss what their official names are and what they are commonly said to look like.The activity that I would look to recreate would be the ‘looking at the plough in two different ways’ activity. I would differentiate the activity, with very capable students completing the activity as described in the video, perhaps with the tinfoil squares already cut out for them, but requiring them to measure out the lengths of string and assemble as described. Teacher support would be provided when required.
A related adaptation for other students would be that they could be given the dark construction paper/card and required to pierce holes the card in the correct positions of the stars, as instructed on the supplied template. They could join the ‘stars’ using white chalk to create the shape of the constellation on their page. They could display their work to the class by darkening the room and shining a lamp/torch behind their sheet so that the ‘constellation’ is projected on to the classroom wall.
These two activities together would create familiarity of the ‘plough’ constellation amongst the students, who would all get a chance to observe each other’s creations.
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I would choose to use the Stars activity set there are some fantastic, interesting activities that my class would love to try out. I can see the activities generating more questions that would require further inquiry.
The activity I’m choosing is the Loo Roll Solar System. As an introduction, I would read The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield. This book is inspired by the childhood of real-life astronaut Chris Hadfield, who overcame his fear of the dark by dreaming of space exploration. I think this book would be a great way to introduce the idea of exploring our Space neighbourhood and consider the distances between the planets in our solar system and the challenges involved in reaching them to explore more deeply.
We could consider how long we think it would take and the type of speeds we would need to travel at to travel to different planets in our solar system. I love the fact that if the planets were placed at the correct distances in relation to the sizes of the fruit, we would need more than 2km of loo roll! I think this fact would really capture the imagination of the children.
After the activity, we could revise our predictions and further discuss the challenges of interplanetary exploration. This could open the door to looking at manned flight versus unmanned probes and some of the exploration missions that have taken place and missions that are planned for the future.-
David,
a good summary of the various planetary missions is at the Planetary Society. I find this site useful since it includes the many space agencies around the world, not just the one that most children know.
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Lesson Plan: Learning About Stars
1st/2nd Class
Objectives
WALT: We Are Learning To understand what stars are, recognise their importance in the night sky, and create our own constellations.Introduction:
Starry Night Song:
I will play the song “Starry Night” and ask the children to listen .
We will discuss the beauty and mystery of stars in the night sky.
Basic Facts About Stars:
I will explain that stars are huge balls of gas far away in space.
I will mention that stars come out at night and twinkle in the sky.
I will introduce constellations as patterns of stars that form pictures in the sky.Creating Constellations
I will give each student a piece of dark construction paper.
They will cut paper straws into smaller pieces to represent stars.
Using blue tack, students will create their own constellations on the paper.
Each student will then present their constellation to the class and explain what they have created.Night Sky Exploration
Looking at Night Sky Pictures:
I will tape pictures of the night sky under the desks beforehand as suggested by Frances MacCarthy in the Module 3 forum . She suggests using a set of the 3 night sky pictures, with 3 constellations to find from Project Astro – Constellation Detective.
Students will lie on the ground and look up at the pictures under their desks.
I will encourage them to identify any constellations they might recognise and will give them constellations to find.
Conclusion
Story Time:
I will gather the students and read the story “How to Catch a Star” by Oliver Jeffers:
Discussion:
I will ask the students what they liked about the story.
I will encourage them to think about how dreams can come true in unexpected ways, just like the boy’s dream in the story.I will encourage students to look at the stars with their families
I will remind them to try and spot constellations they learned about
Integration: Art
Art Appreciation:
I will show the painting “Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh.
Students will observe the painting and describe what they see.
We will discuss how van Gogh depicted the night sky and stars.
Creative Art Activity:
Students will create their own “Starry Night” inspired artwork using dark construction paper and chalk or pastels.
They will draw swirling night skies and bright stars, similar to van Gogh’s style.-
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I am really interested in covering the stars with my class this coming year. I think they would enjoy many of the activities discussed in this module. One particular lesson that I am eager to try is the one focusing on making the Plough constellation. This would be a great activity for all year groups during next year’s STEM week because it combines science, math, and art in a fun way. Plus, it would make a great display in our school hallways, where students can see how the stars look different as they move up the stairs. We can also explore Orion’s Belt since it’s easy to spot at night.
To make it more exciting, we can ask students to take night photos of these constellations and add them to our STEM display. This could even turn into a summer project, with students traveling abroad taking photos of the Plough from different places. We can also compare photos of the constellations taken in different seasons.
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For Senior Infants class I would do the “Design a Martian” activity. I think this would be both age appropriate and a lot of fun.
1. To start we would look at an image of earth and describe its characteristics. What does earth have on it that we need to live here eg. air, water etc. Also describe what does it look like, how does it feel in the desert, north pole etc. I think this would provide an important foundation before thinking about what Mars might be like.
2. Look at images of Mars, what do we see, what do you think it feels like etc. Do you think we could live there? Why or Why not?
3. What might a Martian look like/need to live here? Draw a picture of what you think a Martian would look like. Build a 3D model of the Martian based from discussions and plans. The children would be provided with a selection of materials such as playdough or clay, matchsticks, feathers and beads to allow them choice in their design.
The children should be able to orally explain their choices and thinking behind their design.
Depending on ability of class or individual pupils this could be extended to write some words or simple sentences about their Martians.
I like the idea of starting these units with a story to spark interest, and I am getting some great ideas of good space themed books for children from reading other posts.
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Ellen,
there is so much science that can come into the children’s designing of a Martian.
I think it is great that you plan for “The children should be able to orally explain their choices and thinking behind their design” – if they have designed an Martian with a wooly coat, they understand that Mars is cold and that wooly coats can keep animals warm on Earth. Great stuff.
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Children are always very enthusiastic to learn about space and I love teaching Space through Aistear. One of our stations is usually junk art/ creative and I think the Design a Martian activity lends itself very well to this.
I would start with a book such as ‘Míp’ which is about space and discuss what the children perceive Martians to look like. I like some of the trigger questions in the activity as it encourages the children to think about the similarities and differences with Earth. (How are animals adapted for places that are very cold or very warm? (Polar bears have thick fur)• Are other planets the same as the Earth?
This lesson lends itself well to a three week theme like we have. I would give the children different materials to work with. They could then be extended to thinking about the surface of Mars and how their Martian would get around. Would regular wheels work? This gives lots of opportunity to use the Irish words the children know including body parts, numbers and colours.
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Síle,
did you realise that most of the Mars rovers have 6 wheels? Part of the reason is if one or two break, the rover can still keep moving.
One of the small rovers – Opportunity I think, had a problem with a wheel, so used to drive backwards part of the time. You can see this in the wheel tracks on the Martian sand.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
This lesson is taught out assuming we have been covering the topic of space and aliens. I’m also directing this lesson to my SET setting.
I feel drawn to having to do a lesson on space and aliens- how fun!.
Introduction:
I would set up a space exploration station. Here, the children can touch different textures like smooth foil representing spaceships, soft cotton balls as clouds, scrunched foil as craters, sensory bottles filled with glitter and shiny stars, cuddly toy aliens, sandpaper to represent the moon’s surface. As the children explore the box we will engage in lots of talk and discussion reinforcing the vocabulary of space.
- what would we see if we went to space?
- what do you think aliens look like?
- are we able to travel to space?
- how could we travel to space?
Main body:
Create an alien friend who has come to visit you on earth.
what would they look like- provide various materials including googly eyes, pipe cleaners, match sticks etc.
- what shape, colour size would they be?
- what food would they eat?
- what liquid would they drink?
- where would they live?
- what would you call them?
- what’s their favourite activity?
- how do they travel? walk, crawl, fly, hop?
Once completed the children could engage in pair work, whereby their alien friends meet. What would they talk about? what questions would they ask each other?
Conclusion:
I would close the lesson with a yoga session- based on going to meet an alien in space https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kanagmDoZw
Next lesson: we would create a diorama for the alien using a shoebox and base it on the information given in this lesson about where they said their alien would live.
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Activity Set – Space and Aliens
I like using a book to introduce a topic or activity with a class and I feel this time the story ‘Aliens wear Underpants’ would be a fantastic was to introduce a lesson on designing aliens, while discussing space and Martians.
I would make use of a KWL activity again by using a mind map with the class with the centre point being space and aliens.
As the children learn new pieces of information, they would add them to their mind map.
We would make use of a variety of materials to create our aliens; for one lesson we could focus on painting making use of ‘one colour’. For example a green alien but by adding a little bit of white paint/black paint they could change the colour slightly to create a tonal alien. We could also make our aliens 3D by making use of clay, construction materials or even marla.There are so many opportunities to integrate this topic with other subjects, which is fantastic. This lesson’s focus would be integrating with art so I was thinking that each pupil could create a diorama by themselves or with a group and their 3D Martians would have their own little ‘habitat’.
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Choose from one of the activities or activity sets outlined in this module:
• Activity Set: Stars
• Activity Set: Space and Aliens
How would you use the activity in your classroom?I would choose the activity set ‘Stars’. I really liked the ESERO 13: Lots and lots of Stars lesson.
The link with Maths is a great way to build in numeracy activities throughout other subjects. As I mentioned before, I think that for the infant classes covering topics in a themed, cross-curricular way works best. There is great potential in this introduction for extending the children’s learning for any high achievers while still catering to the majority of children.If I was doing this activity, I think it could work really well as an Aistear station. The children would be able to choose the colour of the night sky that they wanted to pick and they could also pick the colour of the stars. Letting the children have a choice and control over their play is really important. The downside to doing an art activity like this with paint is that it has the potential to be very messy, so I would probably wait for a time that I had another adult in the room so that this table would be supervised during the art activity.
Thanks,
Ciara-
Ciara,
I think the mess potential is quite high – I have done this with slightly older 7-9 year olds, and we covered one large table with newspaper and went at it!. From the star splatters we decided how to assemble them to make a huge collage of a galaxy, with rich star regions and more sparse outlying areas.
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Space and Aliens
My learning objective for this topic would be to encourage imagination in the children. I liked the way this lesson was presented in module 3 and I would extend this lesson further. I would encourage the children to explore the idea that life could exist on other planets. We would explore the basic needs of humans and ask ourselves if life on other planets would have the same needs.
This also can be linked to SPHEThis lesson could be introduced with a book like “Zog” by Julia Donaldson. The children could be encouraged to design their own aliens as well as the planet that their alien lives on. Using rocks, sand etc is a great idea so that children could feel their planets with their own hands.
Life on our planet need our sun. Children could also be introduced to the fact the the universe has many suns that are much bigger than ours
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I have devised this lesson based to suit my First Class students.
Lesson: The Martian Maths Helpers
Objectives:
Students will create puppet Martians inspired by “The Boy from Mars.”
Students will use their puppet Martians to engage in early number work, sorting, and classifying activities.
Students will practice counting, sorting, and classifying objects with the help of their puppet Martians.Materials:
“The Boy from Mars” storybook by Simon James –Craft supplies for making puppet Martians (paper bags, googley eyes, construction paper, markers, glue, scissors)
Assorted objects for sorting and classifying (buttons, beads, colored blocks, etc.)
Sorting trays or containers
Number cards (1-10)Introduction (10 minutes)
Gather students on the carpet.
Read “The Boy from Mars” by Simon James to the class.
Discuss the story briefly, focusing on the concept of Martians and space.
Ask students: “What do you think a Martian would look like? What kind of things would they help us with?”Activity 1: Creating Puppet Martians (15 minutes)
Explain that each student will create their own puppet Martian who will help them with maths activities.
Provide each student with a paper bag and craft supplies.
Demonstrate how to make a simple puppet using the materials provided.
Allow students to create and decorate their Martian puppets.Activity 2: Martian Math Helpers (15 minutes)
Once the puppets are ready, explain that the Martian friends will help with maths tasks.
Set up sorting trays or containers with assorted objects (buttons, beads, blocks).
Demonstrate a sorting activity: “Let’s sort these objects by color. Can your Martian help you sort all the red objects into one tray and all the blue objects into another tray?”Activity 3: Counting and Classifying (10 minutes)
Provide each student with number cards (1-10).
Ask students to count out the correct number of objects that match each number card with their Martian’s help.
For example, “Can your Martian find 5 red beads and put them next to the number 5 card?”
Encourage students to use their puppets to explain their sorting and counting process to a partner.Conclusion (5 minutes)
Gather students back on the carpet with their Martian puppets.
Ask students to share one thing their Martian helped them learn today.
Praise students for their creativity and teamwork with their Martian helpers.Extension Activity:
Create a Martian Maths Centre in the classroom where students can use their puppet Martians to engage in various maths activities throughout the week.Assessment:
Observe student participation and engagement during the puppet-making activity.
Monitor students’ ability to sort and classify objects correctly with their puppet’s help.
Listen to students’ explanations during the sharing session to assess their understanding of counting, sorting, and classifying. -
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To introduce a lesson I would read Aliens love Underpants with the class.
After this We would talk about the aliens in the story and what you think an alien would look like. I would encourage children to be very creative here by asking them questions such as “How many legs does the alien have?” and “What colour is the aliens body?’
I would pass out modelling clay to each group- different colours placed at each table and ask the children to make their own alien/martian.
To conclude this lesson the children would come up to the front of the class and show off their alien and the other children would say something they liked about the alien. The children would then be asked to find one other person who had the same colour or features and we would talk about the similarities and differences reminding children that we are all unique.
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Activity Set – Space and Aliens.
Design your own Martian/Alien.To begin the lesson I would ask the children their prior knowledge on Mars and ask them to fill in a KWL chart. Each child would get a chance to give their thoughts and questions about what they’d like to know. I would prompt them if needed with questions such as ‘What does Mars look like?’ Or ‘Do they have mountains, rivers, lakes etc on Mars?
I would ask the children if they think anyone lives on mars. I would explain what the word Martian meant and ask the children to come up with ideas as to how this Martian would look. I would draw on the whiteboard as they give me ideas.
The children would have a chance to draw their own martians as a draft and I would ask them to design their martians using clay. The children would make their 3D models and paint them once they were dry.
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Topic: Aliens
Resources: The Special Life – Life in Space Activity pages / Smeds and Smoos Storybook
Begin with recap with whole class discussion on prior learning about the solar system lesson (Sing the Planet Song).
I would show children the front cover of the Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler storybook The Smeds and The Smoos and take predictions about the story/characters/location/events.
Pre-reading activity: have circle time discussing how we live on Earth and there are many more planets in space. As far as we know there are no people living there. But if people did live there, what would the children like to show them here on Earth? What objects or animals here on Earth are so special that visitors from other planets should see them?
Model oral language to encourage imagination, curiosity and possibility.
· I wonder if..
· Maybe..
· Do you think..
· Possibly..
- Imagine if..
· Would it be funny if…
Give children the opportunity to talk in pairs about their special object/animal on earth that they would show an alien.
End lesson by reading The Smeds and The Smoos to the class.
Extended Art Activity: Draw your Alien and choose an Alien name for them.
Gallery: Whole Class present and discuss drawings and find a positive praise for each one.
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I would begin by creating a circle discussion on what the children already know about aliens. I would use prompting questions such as ‘what do you think?’ and ‘how would they look?’. I would then base this lesson around the storybook ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ by Claire Freedman. This would be most suited to infant children and would capture their attention from the beginning due to the language used and colourful pictures throughout. I would ask relevant questions throughout the reading of the story to ensure that all children understand. I would then ask the children to complete an activity based on making their own alien. I would ask them to do this by following an outline of an alien on an A4 page using their colours and pencils. Finally, I would end the lesson by performing an ‘alien dance’ to a song. Children will be asked to create moves that they believe an alien might make. Ensuring that the children have fun and are learning throughout is key.
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Activity for learning about the constellations in the sky.
Senior Infants Level
Using the picture book The Squirrel that watched the Stars by Tom Kerss. This book could be used as a stimulus for the children to learn about constellations and the patterns stars make in the sky. After reading the book the children could create the Cygnus constellation and other star constellations using the star chart in the book or pictures of the night sky. The following activity could be used to create constellations with the kids. Afterwards they could create their own constellations using ‘Draw your own constellation’
Materials: Black construction paper, battery tea lights, pictures of constellations.
Activity: Show images of simple constellations like the Big Dipper or Orion. Children can recreate these constellations on black paper using chalk or battery tea lights. Using the picture of constellations the children lay out the battery tea lights in the formation of the constellation or use templates of the constellations such as Big Dipper or Orion and place the battery tea lights on them. Use a flashlight in a dark room to simulate a night sky and the switched on battery tea lights. -
I would choose ‘Space and Alien’ focusing on ‘Special Life’ (ESERO).
To begin the lesson I would pass around/show a globe to the children. I would question them-
What is this? Where do we live? Do aliens live anywhere on this globe etc.
I would show them some pictures- the beach, the supermarket, the cinema (obvious places Aliens wouldn’t live!!) and then show them photos of space, planets etc. and ask them if they thought Aliens might live in any of these places- why/why not?
Middle of the lesson- I would then get the children to imagine that an Alien was coming to our show and tell on Friday in school. What would they like to bring in to show the Alien. They must draw the object.
Conclusion – They can show their picture to the class and the class must guess what it is and they must explain why they have chosen the object.
Further cross curricular exploration-
Maths – Draw and shape Alien/ Rocket
Drama- Children Act out the Alien using their drawn object.
Extension of the lesson- Children could be put into groups and given a range of objects. They must chose which object the Alien might like to take back to Space with him and why.
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Activity Set: Space & Aliens. How I would use this in my classroom.
Introduction:
Firstly I would elicit prior knowledge about aliens from the children. I would show them various images on line and play clips of aliens in space. I would then put them into smaller groups of five. Research can be completed on Chrome books via Epic and Britannica.
English Lesson
The children are to create an alien name in the group. They would write a short story based on their alien. They would also draw what their alien would look like. A short story about the alien can be created via Book Creator. The speech to text tool may also be used to write the story.
Extension activites
Write a Haiku poem
Art
Create the aliens from plasticine. The groups use the Fis film programme to create a short film based on the story.
Gaeilge
The film could be translated into Irish
Music
Music and sound effects can be composed for the film using percussion instruments and body percussion.
Presentation of the work to the class
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Stars activity.
I would begin the lesson with a KWL chart to find out what the children already know and what they would like to learn. What does the sky look like at night? We would speak about the word constellation and it’s meaning. Do they know the name of any constellations? I really like the activity of making the plough. There is so much learning in it and a lovely creation at the end. I am always looking for ways to kill 2 birds with 1 stone so its a great way of doing length at the same time as learning about the stars. & Art!
I would love to display them in the classroom or as someone else mentioned in the hallway, for all students to see. The children could observe the sky and look out for the different constellations as part of the homework. I think designing their own constellation would be a lovely extension activity.
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I found all the activities contained within this module to be very interesting and insightful and also, most of all, very practical for use within the classroom and easy to follow too. I particularly like the Special Life lesson as I will be teaching junior infants in September and I feel like this lesson is very appropriate for this age group and would definitely appeal to young children.
I would begin by discussing planet earth with the class – perhaps by looking at a globe and pointing out where we live. We would then discuss the other planets and how we don’t know of anyone living there and that earth is special because people live here. I would then discuss with the children what they think is so special about earth. They would work in pairs to draw something that they feel is special about earth and these would then be presented to the class during a circle time. Following this we would discuss the concept of aliens and what we think they might look like. Children would then, in pairs, draw and share what they imagine an alien would look like.
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Activity: Space and Aliens
I would begin this activity with a yoga and storytelling activity: Going to meet an alien!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kanagmDoZw (Get up and move with yogapalooza)
Most children will have heard about aliens- so Brainstorm what they know etc.
Then introduce the word martian to the class- see what they know. Are aliens and martians the same or different etc
This will allow for the development and exploration of Mars. Make a fact sheet with the class.
Begin the Design a Martian lesson (from the Mars Workbook Activity) make a drawing/ 3d martian.
We can read the story Martian Rock by Carol Diggory Shields.
Compare their creations to the ones seen in the book. How do they differ? Are any similar.
Group their creations accordingly. (same amount of eyes etc.
When all martians are completed see if the children can as a group come up with a way that they can make their own red planet on the tuff tray. This will be used to display all their martians. Write on the board what the red planet would need to look like. Can they think what materials could they use etc. Teacher can then provide the necessary materials. If a variety of ideas are suggested the teacher could allow this to be completed during aistear time. This would link nicely into Art and cover a range of strands- clay/ fabric and fibre etc. -
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To introduce the lesson I would gather students in circle time and ask them to discuss where they see stars. They will typically say in the sky and I will explain that there are many other places we can find stars and star shapes. I will use the IWB to display the book, A Star in My Orange by Dana Meachen Rau. I will then demonstrate the star in the orange by cutting into an orange, The children will then handle the fruit to see the star shape in the middle.
I will provide the class with paper stars and they can decorate them with fabric, crayons, markers, ect. I will then help them to staple the stars to long straws. I will also encourage the class to devise pictures of their interpretation of a night sky using various art materials including stickers.
To conclude the lesson we would have a star party and listen to the song Star Light, Star Bright.-
Hi Lauren,
A Star in my Orange is such a beautiful idea, I have never heard of this but it’s one of my favourite activities I have taken away from this forum so far. Thanks for such a wonderful lesson idea, I think the children would be really fascinated by it and peeling the orange is such an engaging way to begin a lesson. I also really love the creative element of it. Thanks again!
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The activity set that I would chose is ‘Stars’. I would begin the lesson with a circle time discussion about the sky at night – what can we see? How does the night sky differ to the sky by day? I would continue by reading the story ‘How to catch a star’ by Oliver Jeffers. I would then show the children pictures of the constellations: The Big Dipper and Orion. The children would then complete an art activity. I would give them a sheet of black sugar paper and some white chalk. I would invite them to either replicate one of the constellations that we learned about or to design their own night sky featuring their own unique constellation. The children could continue their learning by using marshmallows and toothpicks to create a 3-D constellation. I would finish the lesson by singing the nursery rhyme ‘ Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’.
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I would use the Stars activity set in my classroom. I teach first class and am always trying to think of ways to make learning playful, engaging and fun. This activity is inherently playful and provides scope for integration with subjects such as drama, art and literacy.
I would begin the topic through the medium of art. We would look at Van Gogh’s starry night painting and try to guess how many stars there are. We would recreate this painting in our own way with paint. I would ask children to look out on a clear night and try to count how many stars they can see.
I would then show them some real-life photographs of the stars taken by telescope. We would again discuss the amount of stars we can see.
As part of our reflection, I would show the children the videos on how many stars there are in the sky. They love a bit of closure on our open-ended/investigative discussions!
If children were interested in more, I would bring in the idea of constellations. We would try to pick out patterns in a starry sky image ourselves first; “Can anyone trace the dots to make a picture?” I would provide them with a print out of the stars to allow them to have a go at tracing them.
I would then show them a few examples of constellations that can be seen from Ireland at the moment. We would spend time listening to the stories of the constellations. I would challenge them to go out at night and have a look for one.
I would bring in marshmallows and toothpicks. We would spend time trying to recreate some constellations or make our own (before eating up our sweet stars afterwards). -
The topic I have chosen for this module is stars. If I were to teach a lesson about stars I would begin by reading the book ‘How to Catch a Star’, by Oliver Jeffers. We would then learn about stars and what they’re made up of using a powerpoint and also learn about the various star constellations via YouTube videos. I would ask Blackrock observatory to visit the school with their inflatable dome where the children lay down inside and they project the different constellations onto the ceiling of the dome. This would further educate the children on this topic. After this, as an art lesson, we could make our own constellations by sticking small pieces of silver tinfoil onto black card. Each student would then present their constellation to the class and explain what they have created. They could also write a few sentences on it to link it with an English writing activity.
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Activity Set – Stars
I would begin this lesson by introducing the children to the story ‘How to catch a star’ Oliver Jeffers as we sit in a circle. We would discuss the title, front cover and back cover. I would then ask the children what they think the story is about. As I open the book a letter falls out. A letter from the little boy in the story asking them for help to catch a star. I will read the letter and ask the children to go to their groups and come up with a plan – how are we going to help this boy catch a star? Each group will have a worksheet where they can draw out their plans. Some options for an add on are allowing the children to make their rocket/star catcher machine/ etc using junk art materials or using the different type of building blocks we have in class. After each group have presented their ideas we will read the book and see how the little boy tried to catch a star. At the end we will discuss if any of their ideas would have worked or if we can actually catch a star at all.
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Dayna,
thank you for sharing a lovely lesson outline, so suitable for infants.
Have you seen this site with further ideas and a delightful stop motion animation version of the story?
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Lesson Plan: Exploring the Plough (Big Dipper) through the Stars
Objective: Encourage children to explore and understand different ways of looking at the Plough constellation using inquiry-based learning.Introduction (10 minutes)
Start with a question: “What do you know about the stars and constellations?”
Show a picture of the Plough (Big Dipper) and ask: “Have you seen this in the night sky?”
Activity 1: Observation and Inquiry (15 minutes)Take the children outside at night or use a star chart app to find the Plough.
Ask: “What shape do you see? How does it look to you?”
Discuss how the Plough is part of the larger Ursa Major constellation.
Activity 2: Cultural Perspectives (15 minutes)Share stories of the Plough from different cultures (e.g., “The Great Bear” in Greek mythology, “The Drinking Gourd” used by escaping slaves in the USA).
Ask: “Why do you think different cultures see different shapes and stories in the same stars?”
Reflection and Discussion (10 minutes)Encourage children to draw their own version of the Plough and create a story around it.
Ask: “How does your version compare to the ones we discussed?”
Conclusion (10 minutes)Recap what they learned about the Plough and constellations.
Prompt them to ask more questions and explore other constellations on their own.
By encouraging observation, cultural exploration, and creativity, children engage deeply with the concept of constellations and learn that there are multiple ways to see and interpret the same stars.-
Aoife,
there is more information about the Drinking Gourd here. I’d suggest reviewing the night sky in class and then setting a homework of viewing it. You might use this resource from SpaceWeek.ie The Plough Clock with an older class, this will show the Plough in the correct orientation for the time of night and time of year.
Their own version of the Plough is part of this activity.
Both of these Plough themed activities can assist the children in identifying the asterism of the Plough, but I think it would be tricky to extend this into a true Inquiry activity that uses the full Framework of Inquiry as outlined in Module 1.
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Aliens in Space
Firstly I would try to elict from the children their current knowledge or belief on Aliens. What do they think Aliens loom like? If an alien visited our classroom what would they need to know?
1 Link with Art
Children would draw a picture of their alien. They should incorporate features/ what does the alien look like? what is their diet? Where do they live? What is their ecosystem like? What is their diet? How do they survive?
2. Link with Drama
Children will have an opportunity to hot seat as their alien – being interviewed by the other children. This will further help to develop their characterisations.
3. Link with English
Based on The information developed during the hot seating activities children would write an informational profile about their alien introducing them to the group. We would finish the class by asking the children if they believe there were Aliens in space.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
I feel like this activity set would be great for using with junior classes. There would be plenty of opportunities for creative thinking and imaginative play.
I like to start new topics with a book and feel like ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ would be a great way to start it. It has plenty of different images of aliens in the book that would give the children some inspiration for creating their own alien.
I would have the children draw an alien mask on A3 card and then cut little slits and fold the, over and staple it so that it creates a 3D mask that the children can then use while discussing their alien. I would have them use the mask and talk about their habitat.
I would also have children make their own 3d alien using either clay or play dough. They could then work in groups to make the habitat for their martians-
Aaron,
connecting the imaginative world of aliens to the scientific details of their habitat is a great way to connect science into the topic. At Blackrock Castle we run a workshop on “Planets and Aliens” and make aliens from tin foil in a similar way to this:
https://youtu.be/mTQVrnCDRsQ?si=upFCK6PcSO2r_tuz
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Many people in this forum have mentioned this stimulus but i just love the book ‘Aliens Wear Underpants’. I find this to be a really gripping stimulus for discussing space and aliens.
We would then do a KWL chart and we would discuss what we already know about space and aliens.
Once we have discussed all we know I would ask each child what they think an alien looks like? We would draw or paint aliens, we would make our aliens using 3-d materials – clay, construction, playdough.
Then we would discuss and classify our aliens. We would then talk about the aliens home in space. We would create a small world area with constellations (stars) and the moon using concrete objects. Then we would play with our aliens in the space areas. I would make these lessons as interactive as possible. I think using the tuff tray for this would be best.
We would also create rockets and spaceships these could then be used in the small world area so we could really incorporate it with AISTEAR
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I’d like to do the activity set on Stars with my Senior Infants class. The obvious choice for a starting point would be the song ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. I’d sing the song with them adding in finger actions focusing on stars in the sky and some shooting stars too. This would be done through circle time. We can then move onto identifying rhyming words in the song and make various lists of rhyming words. I would then read the lovely book ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ by Iza Trapani. We would finish this English lesson with a sequencing and writing activity in little groups.
We could also do some pattern tracing and cutting skills using this song.
For Maths, I’d use the ‘Lots and lots of stars’ lesson with the marbles for counting and asking the various questions of ‘ who thinks there are more stars in the sky than these marbles?’. I’d explain there are billions of stars in the sky more than all the grains of sand in the world! I told my own 7 year old this when I read it in this module and she was fascinated! I’d use the worksheet for counting, numbering and drawing the correct number of stars.
For Art, I’d complete the ‘Starry Sky’ activity. Prior to this, we’d discuss the discussion sheet of the starry sky and then complete the activity using toothbrushes. -
Activity set: Stars
There are a few ways to integrate subject areas around the this theme of Stars.
Link with English:
Firstly, I think using a picture book to promote discussion around Space is a great way to hear what the pupils already know about stars. I would use the book “How to catch a star” by Oliver Jeffers, as this book has great illustrations and vocabulary based on this theme.
I would then create a brainstorm on the whiteboard with the word ‘stars’ in the middle and we would write down any facts the children know about stars and what they would like to find out.Link with Art:
The children would have the opportunity to make ‘The Plough’ through following the tutorial on the SFI website. This is a lovely 3-D model for the children to grasp what the Plough looks like in real life from different angles.Link with Maths:
The children can use rulers to measure the distance between each star and mark it out on their page as they create their Plough.-
Emma,
it is interesting to measure the distance between stars, since when we observe stars, we see them on a ‘celestial sphere’ and we can measure the angular distance between them as if they were all the same distance away from us. For most people, a hand made into a fist and held up at arms length spans about 10 degrees. (see this article: https://lco.global/spacebook/sky/using-angles-describe-positions-and-apparent-sizes-objects/)
Of course, they are not all the same distance, and the Plough activity tries to show that.
What distance would you have the children measure?
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens for Senior Infants.
Introduction: Using the stimulus of the book Aliens love Underpants, we will read and discuss the story.
Development: Children will create their own aliens using playdoh. They can add details using buttons, goggly eyes, pipe cleaners etc. We will make fun styles of underpants using construction card. Children can change their alien’s underpants outfit by sticking different ones on.
Conclusion: Present their creations to the class.
Extension: Maths: Create various patterns/ 2D shapes on the aliens underpants.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
In introducing this topic with a junior class, I would use ‘The Way Back Home” by Oliver Jeffers as a stimulus. Following on from the life in space resource, I would ask the children to imagine the Martian was coming to Earth to visit the boy, what would be the best things to show him about the Earth.
I would also discuss with the children that not all Martians look the same. I would use an oral language alien drawing game. I would model first describing an alien (e.g. long arms, 5 eyes, green head and red body etc). The children will all draw based on what they hear (without looking at anyone elses) and at the end we will reveal them all. Some children will then be invited to be the leader.
I would then engage the children in creating their own aliens. Once these have been created, during maths time, we would engage in sorting the aliens based on different features (by colour, size, number of legs, eyes, etc.)
In SESE, I would invite the children to submit questions to the Martian about life on Mars (children dictating questions and with me notetaking). These question and answers would provide the basis for learning about life on Mars/about Mars (along with some fun questions).
In a following art lesson, we could work on creating the Mars landscape. Once completed, it can serve as a display and basis for a discussion for the difference between Earth and Mars.
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Niamh,
this is a lovely set of activities on the theme of aliens, touching so many parts of the curriculum. May I share it more widely at the end of the course in the summary document I produce each year?
(see these previous ones: https://www.spaceweek.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SpaceWeekJunior_2023.pdf)
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
In introducing this topic with a junior class, I would use ‘The Way Back Home” by Oliver Jeffers as a stimulus. Following on from the life in space resource, I would ask the children to imagine the Martian was coming to Earth to visit the boy, what would be the best things to show him about the Earth.
I would also discuss with the children that not all Martians look the same. I would use an oral language alien drawing game. I would model first describing an alien (e.g. long arms, 5 eyes, green head and red body etc). The children will all draw based on what they hear (without looking at anyone elses) and at the end we will reveal them all. Some children will then be invited to be the leader.
I would then engage the children in creating their own aliens. Once these have been created, during maths time, we would engage in sorting the aliens based on different features (by colour, size, number of legs, eyes, etc.)
In SESE, I would invite the children to submit questions to the Martian about life on Mars (children dictating questions and with me notetaking). These question and answers would provide the basis for learning about life on Mars/about Mars (along with some fun questions).
In a following art lesson, we could work on creating the Mars landscape. Once completed, it can serve as a display and basis for a discussion for the difference between Earth and Mars.
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Hi Niamh,
I love the listening game: Drawing the Alien -we all know how important listening skills are these days. I also love that you are placing all the onus on the children to listen, think and ask the questions. They have so much they’d love to know and I’m sure you would have lots of questions to answer. It sounds like lots of fun!
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I think that a lesson about designing an alien being would not only engage students creativity but also allow them to think about life beyond the Earth and the geography and science of different planets and moons. After discussing the possibility of life in space and how that might look we can discuss the variety of life on earth and how animals are adapted to live in a variety of environments eg deserts and the poles. Working in groups the children will research the landscape and atmosphere of various planets and moons and design an alien which could survive in that environment. Their alien might be adapted to live in very hot/cold temperatures, low-gravity, high-pressure, toxic, dusty environments etc. After sketching their alien they could create it using clay and paint, give it a name and introduce it to their classmates. The activity could be extended into a writing class where the children write a story or poem incorporating their alien.
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I again found this module very interesting and full of ideas and resources. I like that the activities put the complex information into such simple and clear language for the children.
I would like to try an activity from the Stars set : Lots of stars.
How many stars: The lesson plan is well laid out and easy to follow. I really liked the idea of using clear containers and marbles to explore this concept. The idea of adding 5 then maybe 30 then a full jar. The discussion sheet provided would also be great here.
Making a Starry Sky: This is an activity that children would really enjoy. I like that it introduces the concept that stars are different colours too. I think I would do it as a group activity using a very large sheet of paper. I think this would be messy but fun ! The children would enjoy splattering the paint using toothbrushes, combs and lollypop sticks also. Asking them to try and count the stars after would be fun also and then you could explain that there are so many stars that humans need to use a computer to count them.
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Again, this module is so interesting and full of lovely ideas and resources. I particularly love the Design a Martian activity.
I intend to do a theme of Space for the month, so after learning about the sun, moon and stars, I would focus on the planets – Mars in particular.
The children would watch and look at images of Mars from the Mars Webcam or the Red plaet Report. We would discuss shape, size, colours, texture of the surface,weather, etc.After reading a book like There’s an Alien in Your Book, by Tom Fletcher and based on what they have learned about Mars, the children would then be asked to imagine what a martian might look like. They would be put into groups at first, to encourage listening skills but also to encourage the children to use their imagination and to have fun with it. There would be lots of oral language and scaffolding here, if necessary.
Once they have discussed in groups, the chidlren are left to sketch their own martian. The images and vocabulary from the book as well as the open discussion should get the creative juices flowing.Art: The children would then use clay, pipe cleaners, googly eyesand a range of other materials to make their own martian. Children always surprise me wiith the ideas they have. They are able to use anything to create. After they finish, we would disucss colours / shapes /etc incorporating more OL and Maths into the lesson.
Maths: Children could sort the martians into groups by size / colour / number of arms, legs eyes. They would compare the different martians.
Literacy:
Oral Language is obviously a huge part of the lesson.
Sight words / phonics could be incorporated when discussing.
Senior Infants and some Junior Infants (depending on ability and the time of year), could label their alien, write a letter to their martian to come to earth – including why Earth is so special. (This would obviously have to be pre taught and discussed in a diffrent lesson).Music: I’m not overly keen on the songs about Mars that I gooogled, but I’m sure I’d find one, or we could make up a Mars rap!
Drama: Dramatise the story of the martians landing on earth and what happpens next!
We would finish up with a display of our Martians and a disccusion to reinforce vocabulary. This could also be extended by asking the chidlren to go back to Mars with the martian. This could lead to a lesson on designing the Mars landscape – similar to the one of the moon in the previous module.
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Colette,
I wasn’t familiar with the Red Planet Report – is it this one? http://redplanet.asu.edu/
and for the Mars Webcam – this one? https://blogs.esa.int/vmc/
I’ve tended to go for Google Mars (from Google Earth) and zoom into the images from Spirit and Opportunity rovers (both no longer functioning).
This is the view:
The latest rover images can be found at https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/raw-images/
and we produced a 2nd level image making guide to work with these images for Space Week, it is at https://www.spaceweek.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SolarSystemImages.pdf
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I would begin my lesson by reading the book Aliens love Underpants by Claire Freedman. The illustrations in the book would provide a stimulus for talking about aliens and help when asking the children to describe the aliens.
I would then ask the pupils to draw a picture of an alien, hiding it from their partner. Their partner would then describe their alien and ask the other pupil to draw based on descriptions given. This is integrating both art and literacy.
Coming together as a class, it would be a nice idea to ask the pupils where they would recommend their alien to visit based on their favourite areas in Dublin or indeed Ireland. I would ask the pupils to give reasons for their recommendations, integrating persuasive writing into the lesson. This can be done orally or in written form depending on the level of the class.
Finally, as my class really enjoy using playdoh, I would ask them to create their own alien and share their creations with the class. -
Activity Set: Space and Aliens
I would start by using the story Aliens wear underpants as a stimulus for discussing space and aliens.
We would discuss what we know about space and aliens as a group. We could the look at footage of aliens
As an art lesson we would create an alien and add features such as google eyes and foil to create different affects and integrating materials. We could then incorporate some drama by making the aliens come to life and they could tell their story of what it is like in space. What do they do all day, what do they eat, how do the communicate etc
I would then incorporate some phonics aspect to the lesson possibly labelling their alien and giving it a name. We could then use language from the book aliens wear underpants and sound out the words on the IWB to incorporate a phonics aspect to the lesson. -
This module had some great ideas for lessons and I look forward to using many of them next year.I would base my lesson on stars around the book “The Stars” by Martha E. H. Rustad
Read the story “The Stars” to the class.
Ask questions such as: “What do you see in the night sky?” and listen to their responses.
Read the picture book aloud, discussing the illustrations and facts about stars. Explain that stars are huge balls of burning gas that shine in the sky.
Introduce the concept of constellations and how people have used them to navigate.
Hand out black construction paper and white crayons or chalk.
Instruct students to draw their own night sky filled with stars.
Encourage them to create their own constellations by connecting the stars.
Provide star stickers or cutouts for students to add to their drawings.
Have students share their starry night drawings with the class.
Ask each student to describe their constellation and what they named it.
Sing a simple star-related song, such as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Conclusion:Reinforce the wonder of stars and encourage students to look up at the night sky with curiosity and imagination.-
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Matthew,
thanks for sharing that book recommendation. It appears to be one of a series of books by a prolific writer of non fiction for children.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/243967-out-in-space
There are limited previews of the book available, but it appears to have photographs and very simple text.
We have used a simple set of night sky drawings to help children find constellations, you can find them at Constellation Detective from Project Astro: https://astrosociety.org/file_download/inline/808cd9d5-3a2e-4880-88d0-c29a6ecb60d5
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I have been signposted to so many new and valuable resources. On my deep dive into all things space I found this little gem for books. You inspired me to share Niall. Thank you
https://www.planetary.org/articles/space-books-kids
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My topic would be Stars.
Firstly, I would begin with reading the story How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers. We would discuss what stars are and using the ESERO activity sheet Lots and lots of stars, I would question the children to elicit prior knowledge. This could be recorded on a KWL. What is a star? How many stars are there in the universe, is the sun a star?
The children would use black card to complete the starry night art activity using paint and a toothbrush and comb. Next we would discuss star constellations. I would explain that a star constellation is group of stars together and these constellations are sometimes named after animals and mythological creatures. Constellations are seen after sunset and before sunrise.
I would give the children simple star constellation template sheets and using stick on stars the children recreate some simple star constellations. These would be displayed in the classroom with the starry night artwork. We would revise all new words and facts that we have learned and create a class display.
Other activities would include constructing stars using shapes, counting stars, sorting stars by colour/size. Using play dough the children cut out stars using cutters. We would listen to and sing TwinkleTwinkle.
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Finola,
see also the activity from Project Astro on Constellation Detectives (https://astrosociety.org/file_download/inline/808cd9d5-3a2e-4880-88d0-c29a6ecb60d5).
We have these printed A3 size, laminated, and tape them to the undersides of desks for children to lie on their backs and look up at the ‘stars’.
Some “simple star constellation template sheets” can be found at Mayo Dark Skies as https://www.mayodarkskypark.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MDSP-Constellations-v1.pdf
or you could use the Stellarium software (described in Module 4) to show constellation outlines and artwork on the IWB.
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The lesson I would use in my classroom would be ‘Special Life’. I think this would work well in the infant classroom as it is aimed at a younger age group and definitely encourages the use of imagination and creativity. I would link this lesson to Earth Day which we put a lot of emphasis on in our school. I would begin by discussing planet Earth with the children and eliciting all that is special and important about our planet. I would then encourage the children to work in pairs to choose their favourite thing about planet Earth and we would use the role play suggestion in the lesson plan as part of a drama lesson. I really liked the idea of the children drawing an alien. I think this would be a really fun activity to do with the class as an art lesson. The extension activity of making a Martian would also be a great lesson however I think careful planning would be needed especially with infants. Particularly in relation to what materials could be used and the level of support that some children would need to make their Martian. However it is definitely possible once it is planned appropriately. I really liked the idea of using the Martians for maths work. I think the children would love this and would connect their learning across the different subjects.
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Activity Set: Stars
Introduction: Ask the pupils what they might see in the sky at night? Ask pupils what role of stars in the night sky might be?
Pupils would then been shown the cover of the book “How to catch a star” by Oliver Jeffers.
Development: A class discussion will take place, encouraging children to share their thoughts and ask questions on the topic of stars. I will then explain that stars are big balls of hot gas that shine in the sky.
Introduce the topic of constellations (patters of stars in the sky). I would then get the children to draw their own night sky filled with stars (stencils to scaffold). Children would be encouraged to connect their stars creating a constellation.
Conclusion: Children would share their creations with the class. Thumbs up/down reviewing key points from the lesson.
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Niamh,
would you touch on the role of light pollution in limiting our view of the sky? A long running project that asks participants to report on their view of a certain constellation each month is Globe at Night.
During the darkest part of the month you are asked to go outside about an hour after sunset and compare what you see to magnitude charts. For October 2024 the dates are
24 September 2024 – 03 October 2024 and then 24 October 2024 – 02 November 2024 for Cygnus and Pegasus.
The closer to the winter solstice you leave this activity, the earlier they will be able to go outside.
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Space and aliens activity
I would start off the lesson by asking a wondering question about space and aliens. For example: I wonder what aliens look like? I wonder what kind of things you would see in space? I would then ask the children to discuss this with their groups and draw something related to the questions. I will then play a Space and Alien game that can be found on Youtube to attract the attention of the children. We will then learn some songs and some facts about space and talk about aliens and what that means to them. The children will be given some junk art materials and in their groups they will be asked to make their version of what they think space looks like with aliens in it. We will finish off by exploring what kinds of things would aliens like/dislike about living on Earth and the reasons for this.
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Rachel,
this can be a lovely activity of drawing early in a unit on space and aliens, and if you retain the drawings, they can return to them at the end of the unit and compare how much more they understand at the end. This is similar to the assessment in the EU-UNAWE, Universe in Your Classroom that we mention in module 4.
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As an activity I would use the story ‘How to catch a star’ by Oliver Jeffers in the infant classroom.
Before I introduce the story I would ask the children if they have even seen a star. What does a star look like? When can we see them? Can we touch them etc. I allow for plenty of discussion. I would then read them the story again allowing for discussion at the end. In the story the boy finally catches his star so I tell the children we are going to make our own stars.
Using clay and star shapes the children will cut out stars and once dry decorate them to their liking.
As a follow on from this having looked at images of the plough and carrying out some fun tracing activities the children in small groups can re create it using their own individual stars. They can place them on large sheets of card placed on the ground and trace around them to re create the image. -
Elaine,
there is the opportunity here to discuss how some stars are brighter, some are dimmer. This is linked to both how far away they are from us and how naturally bright they really are.
Would you offer different size and different point star shapes? Some cookie cutters come in different points, but 5 pointed stars seem to be the most common.
This could make an extra layer to the large Plough asterism that the children create, how would they represent the slightly brighter stars that make it up?
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Activity Stars:
I would begin by singing twinkle twinkle little star with the children. Next using their whiteboards and get them to draw their idea of a star. Next I would do think-pair-share and ask them what a star is.
Then I would use the marbles activity from the ESERO: Lots and Lots of Stars activity sheet.
Next I would play this video for the children. https://youtu.be/lSuAPFMXcYM?si=vV6PoFnBA050NQQ- I think it is important and most children think a star has to be yellow and have 5 points.
I would then explain about the Sun and how it is a Star and that it is the closest one to us that was it is so big. Children find it difficult to sometimes understand the concept of the Sun as a Star.
I would then divide the children into groups and using the recommendation provided in this module I would have pre-cut straws ready for each group and get them to make the Plough from the You Tube Clip in this module.
Finally to conclude I would with this
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Lesson: Design a Martian
Trigger: Play this video about Mars for the kids https://youtu.be/rlBbkWJXoP0 and discuss the facts we learned about mars e.g it is cold, it has two moons etc. Create an anchor chart using pictures to demonstrate these facts.
Wondering: Discuss what you think it might be like to live on Mars?
Exploring: Look at pictures of Mars, describing its features. Look at Mars on google maps.
Investigation – Design a Martian
Start to discuss what you think a Martian would look like – think, pair, share. Sketch/Draw a picture of your Martian including all the relevant features – how many eyes/arms?, What colour is your Martian? etc
Listen to the read aloud of “Marshmallows for Martians” on YouTube.
Dis anyone see a Martian that looked like there drawing in the book? List similarities and differences. Give the children the opportunity to make changes to their Martian if they wish. Share their final sketch with the class describing their Martians features and explaining what materials they will use to create their Martian.(oral language) – Some children could write some simple words/sentences to describe their Martian.
Create their Martian using clay and appropriate materials. Paint their Martian a colour of their choice.
Follow up activity: Create a Martian Landscape for their Martian using appropriate materials and using picture of mars as a stimulus and display in the classroom.
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This lesson would be aimed at the infant classes. I would begin by asking the children what they know about day and night? I will ask them to think about what we see in the sky in the night and describe it for the class . I would then call the children up for storytime in the reading corner to read ‘How to catch a star’, by Oliver Jeffers.
Next, I would show the children a video clip of the sky at night and engage the children in questioning.
Game. We would play “Starry Night Hunt,” where you hide small star-shaped stickers around the yard or room and have the kids search for them using mini flashlights.
Finally after completing the game, we would partake in a group activity. Each group would get a shoe box several holes punched on the lid. They would also get some black string and tinfoil for making their stars. Early finishers would be making their own constellations by connecting the dots/stars. I would also engage them the following day in making constellations in 2 ways activity as outlined in the slides.
I would ensure lots of talk and discussion and questioning is going on throughout the lesson to ensure active engagement.
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Josie,
I’m not completely clear on the shoebox constellations. I found this example of making one with holes punched to let light through, but I’m not clear on the string and tin foil with the shoe box.
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Activity :Space and Aliens
There are some elements of the Space and Aliens set that I would use with a combination of other ideas
I would Introduce the children to the concept of life in space, focusing on astronauts, space habitats, and what living in space is like through engaging and age-appropriate activities. Starting with a simple question: “Who knows what an astronaut is?” and Can you name an astronaut? These will somehow always involve Buzz Lightyear.
We would then look at images or a short video of astronauts working in space to capture their attention and explain that astronauts are people who travel and live in space to learn more about it. The children would be introduced to Chris Hadfield videos like the one below
This would give them an insight into life in space. The children would engage in activities based on videos from Chris Hadfield eg create your own astronaut using pictures of items needed in space.
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Fionnuala,
we created a nice short activity on living in space and what would you take. You can find it at Mission to the Moon on spaceweek.ie.
I’m glad you name checked my fellow Canadian Chris Hadfield – I’m a big fan!
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Activity set: Space and Aliens.
To begin learning about stars and constellations.
I would introduce the story Aliens Love Underpants. We would discuss whether all aliens were the same.
Children close their eyes and imagine they are looking at the night sky. They describe what they see – moon, etc. Where were they when they saw a very starry night. They use as many words as they can to describe the stars. Just as aliens were not all the same in the story, children will learn that the stars can make patterns and that these are called constellations.Children will look at images of simple constellations and describe the pattern they form. They can replicate these patterns physically in a PE lesson or paint them in an art lesson against a starry sky, having also looked at Van Gogh’s representation. Children in groups could also invent and name their own constellations and each group would have a specific number of stars to arrange.
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I am definitely going to do some of the class activities around the theme of stars, constellations, and aliens. I am a total visual learner and I love teaching art so these activities are right up my street!
I would begin the art lesson by looking at drawings of constellations on the Interactive Whiteboard and having a whole class discussion around these. Asking the children what they see, what they recognise.
Then we will make the Star Lantern. I would model how to do it, talking them through the steps and showing them through what they need: a needle, some coloured paper, a brush, glue, a stick, a flashlight, crepe paper, luminous card, string, A4 white paper and a stapler.
The children would display their lanterns in the school lobby before bringing them home.
We would integrate this work with English First Steps Writing when doing procedures and write the process we followed. -
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Activity Set: Stars
I would use this activity in the infant classroom by introducing stars and constellations with some pictures and a simple explanation that stars are like our sun but much farther away. We would learn the song “Catch a Falling Star” and revise “Twinkle Twinkle” in our music lessons. I would like to take the children outside for a space-themed scavenger hunt. Giving each group a constellation card and a flashlight, I would hide star stickers around the yard and have the kids find and place them on their papers to recreate their constellations. After this, I would invite each group to present their constellation and share any stories or myths about it.
For an older class, an extension of this lesson would be researching and presenting on different constellations, including their history and cultural significance. We could also incorporate a night-time stargazing event to identify constellations in the real night sky, deepening their understanding and appreciation of astronomy.
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Shauna,
for night time observing I’d suggest waiting until December, since the sky will then be dark early enough that they could do this before 6pm.
You could share sky maps of the month (a great free source is here, but they only publish a few days before the start of each month. August is not yet available.) and then they really could spot the constellations. In Cork, we reckon to have 50 clear nights per year, so you may have to schedule this in late November and keep your fingers crossed!
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The activity set I would choose to teach would be ‘Space and Aliens’ as it’s a topic I feel that could be reached in a fun and emgaging way. Teaching young children about Space and Aliens can be both fun and educational through an inquiry-based approach.
I would begin by facilitating a story. I would use a short picture book about space and aliens. Before looking at the book, I would ask ask the children what they think aliens might look like, where they might live, and what they might do. I would write down their ideas on a flipchart.
I would then map the earth with the children. I would show the children a globe or map of Earth. I would explain that Earth is a planet in space and ask if they know other planets. We would have a chat about the other planets.
We would then imagine Alien Worlds. I would ask the children to think about what other planets might be like and how aliens on those planets might live. For example, might an alien on a hot planet look different from one on a cold planet? The children would then create an alien and alien world.
In conclusion, we would discuss what we have learned and I would give the children a small star or planet sticker as a reminder of their alien adventure.-
Maeve,
You can bring inquiry into this activity by recording the children’s predictions about the conditions on other planets based on their understanding. They might think that planets that are close to their Sun are hotter than planets that are further away. They could then verify this – a simple and quick inquiry process adapted from the Framework for Inquiry.
Flying Tiger currently have a cute set of alien pencils and bookmarkers that might be nice items to have in the classroom when you take your Alien Worlds tour.
You could also share these exoplanet travel posters from NASA, which have guided tours (for example: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/alien-worlds/exoplanet-travel-bureau/hd-40307g-guided-tour/) a commentary on the art and also colouring pages that let the children express their own views on how the planet might look.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
I chose this topic as I thought it would be a fun and engaging lesson that I would like to implement in my teaching in the coming year. It promotes creativity and imagination.
I would begin the lesson by reading the story Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman. Following the story we would have a whole class discussion about the Aliens and how they looked and acted. This would then follow onto a discussion about Mars and Martians. I would get the children to draw a picture of what they think a Martian might look like. I would hand out modelling clay in various colours to each table and each child would bring their martian to life using the modelling clay and some various other classroom materials such as googley eyes and pipe cleaners. I will invite the children to come up and show the class their martians.
This lesson can be extended and integrated into Mathematics e.g. counting, data (how many red/ blue martians were created?).
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Learning Outcome:
To introduce infants to the concept of space, planets, and the idea of aliens in a fun and imaginative way.
IntroductionI will get the children together n a circle and start by discussing space. I will ask questions like, “What do you think is in space?” and “Have you ever seen pictures of planets or stars?”
I will show pictures of planets and explain briefly that planets are in space and each one is different.
I will then read a storybook about aliens. A good example is “Aliens Love Underpants” by Claire Freedman.
After reading, I will ask the children questions about the story to spark their imagination, such as “What do you think aliens look like?” and “What would you do if you met an alien?”
Alien Craft Activity
I will give each child with a piece of construction paper, glue, googly eyes, and markers or crayons.
I will ask them to create their own alien by drawing a body and using googly eyes and other craft materials to decorate it. I will encourage them to give their alien a name and describe what their alien likes to do.
Space Adventure Song and Movement I will teach the children a simple song ‘Five Little Aliens’
The children will act out the song by pretending to fly like aliens in a spaceship and exploring planets.
Conclusion: The children will sit in a circle again and I will ask them to share their alien crafts.
I will ask each child to say one fun fact about their alien.-
Deirdre,
I’m not familiar with Five little Aliens.
I found these words : https://kcls.org/content/five-little-aliens/
Five Little Aliens Flying Out in Space
the first one said, let’s have a race.
The second one said, watch me go
The third one said, that’s so slow
The fourth one said, my ship’s fast
The fifth one said, I’m always last.There is also Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer here:
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Hi Deirdre,
I always find discussions about space to be so interesting with a class. Regardless of the age and level, there are always a few children who have some interesting facts to share and it is always a topic of interest for many!
It’s a great idea to follow the discussion with a book, perhaps many questions the children had might be answered during their reading!
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I found it helpful that this module outlined links to the new primary maths curriculum. This was helpful as I am just getting used to planning for my senior infants with this document in mind.
I also appreciated the links to videos for teacher background knowledge, as I wouldn’t be overly confident in my own knowledge about space.
The series of activities based on stars would work well in the infant classroom. The support document “Lots and Lots of Stars” activity “Looking at the stars- How many stars are there?” where the teacher uses containers of marbles to emphasize how many stars are in the sky would really help children in the younger years with their conceptual understanding of number. The discussion element of the lesson helps the children use their language skills and vocabulary to help explain their thinking to their peers. The follow on activity of making a starry sky by using a splatter paint screen would be a fun, visual way to help them understand the huge number of stars in space.
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Caoimhe,
numbers related to space are literally astronomical! A frequently shared “space fact” is that 1 millions Earths would fit into the Sun.
This is actually pretty easy to demonstrate — by putting a scale Earth next to a scale Sun on the IWB (I use helioviewer.org, which can easily generate screenshots).
Show that a 1cm Earth takes up a tiny bit of a 1m Sun (I enlarge the image and then get a cm rule and a m stick to show the size of the image).
Ask – what size would it be if we had 100 Earths this way (x) 100 Earths this way (y) and 100 Earths up (y) – and form a cube from 3 meter sticks.
100 * 100 * 100 = 1 million!
With your spatter stars, the children could be prompted to compare rich star regions where there are a lot of stars, to more sparsely populated areas, and this is actually the case in the Milky Way – there are places with more stars, and places with fewer.
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These activity sets are filled with ideas for the classroom. One activity set that I am particularly interested in using is the Stars activity set. Following the Curious Minds Framework for Inquiry, I have tried this lesson before and found it worked really well. Our inquiry was based on wondering ‘How to catch a star’.
Engage: Read ‘How to catch a star’ by Oliver Jeffers. Start a discussion on the stars and land on the ‘I wonder’ question: ‘I wonder…How can we catch a star?’.
Investigate: Allow the children to think and wonder and come up with ideas on how we can catch a star. Previously, I had children suggest that we blast a rocket into space and reach out to catch a star, land on the moon and wait until a star falls, etc. Most of the time, their ideas involve flying into outer space. The children can then, in groups, design and make a rocket that we can use to blast into space and catch a star! -
The overall theme for my lesson in First class would be Space and Aliens. I would link it with Literacy (Adjectives and Pronouns), SPHE (Maslow’s Basic needs) Geography (Habitats), Numeracy (Shape and Space) Art (Design and Make)
The Trigger would be to for the children to explore a 3D model and a flat pictorial image of the universe with the 9 planets in small groups. The planets are made to scale and in order from the sun. Introduce the rhyme “My Very Easy Method Just Set Up Nine Planets”
Then I would ask them to wonder about aliens – what an alien might look like/eat/drink/act/suggest names for aliens
Explore ideas where in the universe they might live
Then I would pose questions/problems to further investigate reasons the children think aliens might or might not live in various parts of the universe/what do they think aliens need to live/what do we need to live – food/water/oxygen
Then I would show the video “Are Aliens Real” by Sci Show Kids consolidates the inquiry based learning above.
To apply this learning children are asked to create their very own Alien using cardboard paper doll cut-outs, and using a variety of materials(buttons/cotton/plastic/thread/wool/glue/felt/glitter/coloured card etc) to design and make their very own imaginary alien and give it a name.
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Lovely video
https://youtu.be/Smeg1KUa3qU?si=t-gBXfYhbUf9WY7q
I like the “aliens come from our imagination” and then links to conditions for life.
water, atmosphere with oxygen, food (mentioned with respect to soil, but note that plants use light and gases for food).
Interestingly, we think that life evolved on Earth without oxygen and the presence of oxygen itself (or might not!), since oxygen reacts with so many things, that if it is present in the atmosphere of another planet, it must be being produced – and one of the ways to produce oxygen is from plants/life.
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I would link an activity about aliens to learning about ourselves and our body parts.
Trigger story: Aliens love underpants
Read story and discuss. Look at illustrations, describe the aliens. What colour are they? What shape? How many eyes do they have? How are they similar to us? How are they different?
Make a similarities and differences chart.
Get children to cut out and stick their body parts to a template. 2 eyes, 2 ears, one nose, mouth, 2 arms, 2 legs, etc.
Use a traditional dice numbered 1-6, use a blank dice and write heads, eyes, ears, arms, legs, noses. Children roll both dice and have to draw the number of parts on to their alien template e.g 3 legs, etc.
Children take turns and compare their aliens with their partners, focus on math language more/less. My alien has more eyes than yours. Who’s alien has the most arms?
Get the children to colour in their aliens and make an interactive display for the classroom. Get the children to sort the aliens, what criteria? All aliens with more than 3 eyes.
Children to come up with sorting criteria, do some aliens fit into more than on category?
There is so many cross-curricular links with this lesson. Literacy, maths, art to name a few.
I think this will be a fun and engaging activity that will appeal to children’s natural curiosity and imagination.
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The activity set that I would choose is the ‘Space and Aliens’ activity set.
Having focused on the planets from Module 2, I feel like following up learning all about the planets with space and aliens would tie in really well.
I would introduce the topic to the children by reading the poem ‘I’d like to meet an Alien’ by Kenn Nesbitt’. We will chat about the poem and the children can share their thoughts on it.
The children will then be given opportunity to create their own alien, I will give them some simple questions before they start to get their imaginations flowing eg. ‘ how many eyes’, ‘how many legs’ , ‘what colour’ is you alien. The children then paint their aliens before recreating them using modeling clay are various other materials, pipe cleaners, googly eyes etc. For circle time the children can introduce their alien to the class, telling everyone their aliens name, what they like to eat and using the knowledge they have from learning about the planets, they can tell us what planet their alien comes from.
We would the discuss what they think aliens would be amazed by if they ever arrived on planet earth. Would they understand our language? Would like like our food? Would they have ever felt water before?
Throughout the week I would also read the books ‘Aliens love Underpants’ and ‘The Smeds and the Smoos’. -
I will definitely be using the ESERO activity Lots and Lots of Stars. Children often find the sheer expanse of what we are talking about when referring to space difficult to understand but I think the jar activity is a great way to give them an idea of the reality of space and the vastness of stars in space. I also love the follow art activity of spatter painting and this is well linked to the science lesson It is a great opportunity for children understand there are billions of stars in the sky and how they are all different.
The UNAWE activities are great for younger children. I will be teaching these lessons to junior classes. Constellation Shapes activity is particularly appropriate for this age group and could be an extension of the jar activity above. These activities would be very fitting for science week and space week too as often it is difficult to find appropriate activities that are interesting and engaging for the younger classes. -
I’d chose ‘Space and Aliens’
I’d start with a brief discussion about space, explaining that it’s a vast area where we find stars, planets, and moons. Visual aids on google and youtube would support this. Next I’d read “Aliens Love Underpants”. It introduces aliens in a playful context and connects to everyday items (underpants) that children are familiar with. Following the story I’d facilitate a discussion about aliens and get the children thinking about their appearance, if they’re friendly or scary etc.
I’d then incoorporate art into the lesson by getting the children to make their own alien using marerials like aper plates, coloured paper, glue, googly eyes, markers, pipe cleaners etc. I’d get the children to introduce their alien to the class and to describe their features for oral language. -
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Activity – Stars
It is important for kids to learn about the science of stars and constellations, both for educational purposes and also to fuel their sense of wonder, discovery and imagination.
I would incorporate this topic into a lesson to teach the students of the different constellations in our night sky, such as the Plough, Orions belt etc.
I would start by displaying a constellation on the whiteboard (plough). Each student has a nexus threading board and elastic bands. They each plot the shape of the constellation on their board. This would be fun and would also develop their visualization and fine motor skills. Upon completing each of the constellation displayed, they can then create their own constellation and come up with a fun name for it.
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Catherine,
I like the idea of the 2-d representation of constellation patterns. Some are more distinctive than others (the asterism of the Plough for example), so would be more straightforward.
A small favourite of mine is Delphinus, visible near Cyngus in the summer months. It is a distinctive diamond with a small tail.
It could be interesting to give the class the same sheet of randomly spotted paper (representing the stars) and ask them to compare the shapes that they chose to make constellations from.
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The activity set I would choose from is stars.
As I have stated in previous posts I like t use a story or song as a starting point for my lessons. My students at times find it hard to engage with lessons. I find stories and songs capture their attention. I would use the story ‘How to Catch a Star’ by Oliver Jeffers. As I teach an autism class, I sometimes use the physical storybook and a youtube version of the story as some students like to feel and touch the book and others like to watch it on the screen. Once we have watched the story and identify the topic as being stars, I would use a tuft tray to examine and play with types of stars. I would use popsicles for some children to create stars, others may like to use their fingers in sand to draw stars with support. One of my students loves space so I would differentiate his lesson further to involve constellations. He is very good at making planets out of playdough and paper so I like the idea of him creating his own constellation. I think he would really like this idea.
I would again use stars as a topic throughout many lessons such as music with Twinkle Twinkle as a previous participant has mentioned. Maths for shape and counting stars, grouping stars of different colours together. Art I would use the idea mentioned in Lots of Stars article of using a splatter painting screen and a tooth brush to create a Starry sky. We could display our finished pictures and compare them to a photograph of a starry night.
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In teaching the children in my class about stars, I would begin with the marbles activity in the Lots and Lots of Stars resource. This would be my introductory discussion with the class. The children would then create their starry sky pieces of art, using A4 paper painted to look like the night sky, and then splatter painting with white or yellow paint to represent the stars. I love the idea of representing the Plough in 3D to show perspective. However, I agree with the narrator of the Module that infant classes would be too young to do it as described in the video. I would use precut straws to help the children create the 3D models. I would also incorporate and integrate the topic of stars into several subjects and lessons. In English, I would use Wishing Upon a Star as a creative writing prompt for the children to discuss what they would wish for. We would also learn and recite “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. In Maths, stars can be used for counting, simple addition and subtraction, shapes, comparing (bigger or smaller), and several other topics. In P.E., I would incorporate stars into a warm up game, where the children would carry out different actions according to my instruction (star jumps, fast as a shooting star, etc.). Thematic learning is a fantastic way to embed and reinforce learning across a range of subjects.
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In my classroom I would use the ESERO activity Lots and Lots of Stars. I really liked this activity as it provided different ways for the children to access the learning. There was visual learning and hands on learning incorporated within the lesson. I would begin my lesson by showing the children a video of the song twinkle twinkle little star. I would then begin a discussion based on the video asking the students if they have seen a star before and when do they see stars? This would then link nicely into the jar of marble activity outlined in the ESERO activity. I would use this activity to ask the children how many stars do they think are in the sky and compare it to the number of children in the class and school and if they think there is more. I would then move onto the hands on activity of making a starry night. This hands on activity allows the children to create their own stars and physically see how many stars they’re might be. I would then introduce the count the stars activity. Each group would get a picture and work together to count how many stars they think are in the picture. For students who have difficult counting past 10 I would encourage them to place a small cube on each star and at the end I would display the picture on the board and count with the class together. At the end of the lesson I would ask the children to answer a couple of question to check for understanding. For example give me a thumbs up or thumbs down if we see stars at nighttime ?
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Literacy
As an introduction to the topic of stars I would read the story ‘Laura’s Star’ by Klaus Baumgart. If people don’t already have the book, I use a great website called Internet Archive, which is a free online library. You can access the book online as an e-book to read with the children. It’s a lovely story about a little girl who befriends a star that has fallen from the sky. ( I usually read the story Laura’s Christmas Star at Christmas which is a follow on from this story). Science
I have found Dr Binocs Show good for kids. In this short video, Dr Binocs (cartoon character) talks about the types of stars in the sky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSuAPFMXcYM
Math / Visual Arts
Star Origami: Depending on the age of the pupils, probably 1st/ 2nd Class, the pupils will fold origami stars. As part of the lesson we would discuss star formation and geometric shapes. This video demonstrates the technique very clearly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1c7FIQt5UE
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Margaret,
I’ve made this one with ages 7-10, it is very simple and they loved choosing their own colours and making stars with different coloured points. Some stuck them together as suggested, others turned the points around.
I used regular orgami paper (15cm by 15cm) that I had cut into 4 squares, each square being 7.5cm on a side, so that each star point turns out about 10cm long and 5cm across. You need the equivalent of 2 sheets per star (8 points).
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Hi Margaret,
I absolutely love your integration ideas here. I read the story that you’ve mentioned when I was a child and had completely forgotten about it until now. It would be such a lovely stimulus to get the children interested and I am delighted to see that there is a way of accessing the eBook as I feel like I never stop buying picture books!
The origami stars is such a fun idea and I always find origami to be one of the art lessons that really sticks with the children. Every time I have done origami I’ve noticed so many children carry on making the item over and over again during the year at any given opportunity. I also think this is a lovely way to lead into the ‘how many stars’ activity mentioned in this module as we could discuss how many stars are at each group, display and discuss how many are in the whole class, how many would be in the whole school and then wonder are there more stars than this?
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Activity set: Space and Aliens for senior infants.
Beginning of lesson: Story: The Smeds and the Smoos. Children will be encouraged to pick out the funny vocabulary they hear throughout the story such as: loobular lake, humplety hill, wurpular wood and jerberry coot. The children can then make up their own vocabulary to suit a planet of their choice. All planets will be discussed with a short fact about each one given.
Middle of lesson: Children can design their own symmetrical paper cut aliens. Using a sheet of paper folded in half with a pencil they can design one half of their alien and then cut along this line. Children can then decorate their aliens using crayons, markers, stickers, wiggly eyes, pom poms, feathers, beads and paint.
End of lesson: Children will listen to ‘The Planet Song’ and watch the video on Youtube. Children can then go over to the ‘Space Station’ Aistear area in the classroom in small groups and enjoy seeing what it would be like being an astronaut.
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I am looking forward to using the ESERO resource – Lots and Lots of Stars along with the resource for making Star Lanterns (spaceweek.ie).
The plan is to create a starry sky by firstly looking at relevant images of night skies. Afterwards painting an A4 sheet to match the sky at night. Once this is dry the class will make stars using paint and toothbrushes. We will discuss the starry sky and use the worksheet to count the stars in the sky explaining that there are so many stars it takes a computer to count accurately.
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Emma,
counting stars is a nice way to introduce sampling and estimation with a slightly older class.
With a large image – how do we check how many of a thing are shown? We sample a small part of the image and then multiply it out.
This is particularly important with galaxies, where we have only take deep sky images of a fraction of the sky, so we use the density of galaxies in one area to extrapolate out.
See this article about it: https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/deep-space/a32109712/how-many-galaxies/
The Webb telescope is so good, that galaxies appear in almost every image it takes – even when it is looking at something much closer!
New Webb Image Captures Clearest View of Neptune’s Rings in Decades
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I would base my lesson on the ESERO Special Life unit which looks at life on Earth and life in space. The learning outcomes are to identify what is special about the Earth, learn that there are no alien beings as far as we know and to use their imagination to draw an alien.
I would use the Oliver Jeffers’ story The Way Back Home as my lesson stimulus. I would show the children the cover and ask them to predict what the story is about and explain why. Through questioning I would aim to lead the children to concluding that we live on Earth and that the boy is travelling to space. I would then ask the children to do a walking debate based on life in space asking questions such as ‘would you like to live in space?’ and asking them to explain their reasoning.
I would read the story, pausing when the boy meets the alien to discuss aliens. Do we know if there are any real aliens? What would you tell the alien about why we live on earth etc. I would ask the children to write on a post it why human live on earth and stick it on the earth template. We would then discuss.
When we had finished the story I would then ask the children to imagine and draw their own alien friend.
Using the drawings I would select children to pretend to be their alien and ask the class to interview the alien.
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For this lesson I would like to use the activity set: Space and Aliens – Special life, Life in Space. This lesson would begin with the story Aliens in Underpants. The end of the story will act as the trigger – “So when you put your pants on. Freshly washed and nice and clean. Just check in case an alien still lurks inside, unseen!” What would you do if you found an alien who was left behind? The children will be asked to introduce the alien to the special things in their life. What would you want them to experience here on Earth? Who would you like them to meet? There are excellent opportunities to integrate lessons on this theme. SPHE lessons on how others may feel in new surroundings, literacy lessons on writing a narrative piece where they meet their alien and introduce them to their world on Earth and art lessons where the children create their alien in clay form and decorate using paint and colour.
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Ailbhe,
as someone who was the right age when ET came out (cough 1982) – I love this idea of the alien left behind.
Would you show the children the ET poster?
or the trailer?
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I would use the ESERO What can you see? Looking at constellations resource https://esero.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/34_What-can-you-see.pdf to introduce the children to the concept of constellations. Then I would model how to use Stellarium https://stellarium.org/ posting details on the home-school communication App so parents can also see how to use it. In small groups the children would be given a constellation to research and create a star lantern https://www.spaceweek.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Make-a-Star-Lantern.pdf
As an extension activity I would challenge the children to find their constellation at night as part of their homework and invite them to take a photo to share with the class. A guide on what constellations are visible at different times of the year can be seen at https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/constellations The children would be able to present their projects to the whole-class and engage in a Q&A.
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Catherine,
thanks for sharing these sites. I find the sky at night is a good guide for the deep sky objects that you might see with binoculars or telescopes and prefer this guide from Mayo Dark Skies:
https://www.mayodarkskypark.ie/discover/stargazing/
because of the simple graphics and easy to compare views.
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For a space and aliens lesson for a junior infant class I would start by reading a fun and interactive storybook about space exploration and meeting friendly aliens e.g. “Aliens Love Underpants” by Claire Freedman. After the story, I would engage the children in a hands-on activity where they get to create their own alien using craft materials like coloured paper, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners. I would encourage them to think about what features their alien might have and what planet it comes from.
To further enhance the learning experience, I would set up a “space themed” play area in the classroom where children can pretend to be astronauts exploring outer space and encountering different kinds of aliens. This will help them develop their imagination and creativity while learning more about space and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. I would incorporate simple space-related facts and vocabulary throughout the lesson to reinforce their understanding.
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Chosen Activity Set: Space and Aliens.
Based on ESERO 19 – Special Life. Aimed at the infant classes.
Introduction:
Watch video on YouTube ‘Are Aliens Real?’ By SciShow Kids as a stimulus. This video is animated and explains aliens in a nice way to children. It explains that scientists have not you found any evidence that aliens exist, and that the aliens we see in books and on television are made up using our imagination. It explains that so far, scientists believe that Earth is the only planet that has water, oxygen and food, all of which are essential for life. Sometimes however, it is fun to use our imagination and pretend that there are aliens living in space!
Activity 1:
Brainstorm as a class. Make a list of all the things that are special on planet Earth. Children will have a few ideas from watching the video and will be able to think of a few more.
Activity 2:
Draw an alien and colour it in. Children will have lots of fun doing this activity.
Activity 3:
Bring your alien to life! Discuss in pairs what your alien would talk like, how would they get around- would they walk or fly or crawl? What would they eat? What kind of house would they live in? etc. -
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I haver chosen to base my lesson on Space and Aliens. I would follow a number of steps in the lesson to explore the theme of space and aliens with my First Class next year.
Introduction: I would pose the question has anybody ever heard of aliens before? What or who are they? Where do they live? What do they look like?
Development: I would introduce the story ‘I’m from Outer Space! Meet an Alien’ by Lisa Bullard and illustrated by Mike Moran. We will discuss what an author is, what an illustrator is and predict what is going to happen in the story by looking at the pictures and by using any prior knowledge of aliens also. The story will explore the life of an alien named Zeeton and his journey on his spaceship. We will follow Zeeton’s journey to Planet Earth also! We will focus on the skills of prediction and questioning throughout the lesson.
Application: The pupils will discuss what they perceive aliens to look like i.e. colour, size, shape. We will discuss the fact that no aliens have been found yet but we can see them as imaginary characters/creatures. The pupils will then be given A4 paper and a variety of mediums to complete their drawing and picture and come up with a name for their alien.
Conclusion: The pupils will introduce their alien friend to the class and describe it. A poem called ‘The Alien’ will be read also.
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I love your lesson idea on space and aliens! It’s engaging and imaginative, perfect for first-class students. The combination of storytelling, discussion, and creative drawing will captivate their interest and stimulate their creativity. I’ll definitely use this approach with my class, especially the story and the prediction activities.
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Emma,
thanks for sharing the story suggestion
https://youtu.be/NobYtkKyW5E?si=h8mMMTcxXu3Km22b
It’s interesting how the book alternates between perceptions of aliens and then “don’t gather friends to fight me off, alien monsters have never flown to Earth, you and your planet are safe.”
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To engage first-class students in a disadvantaged school with a lesson about stars, we’ll start by sitting in a circle. I’ll show five marbles and ask if there are more stars in the sky than these marbles. After counting the marbles together and placing them in a transparent container, I’ll explain that there are indeed more than five stars. Next, we’ll discuss if there are more stars than children in the class. We’ll count the children and place an equal number of marbles in a second transparent container, illustrating that the number of stars exceeds the number of students. To further emphasize, we’ll fill a third container to the top with marbles and discuss if there are more stars than can fit in this container. I’ll explain that there are so many stars we need computers to count them.
We’ll then discuss questions like, “Have you ever seen the stars? What did they look like? Do stars give light? Is the Sun a star too?” Using a discussion sheet of the starry sky, I’ll explain that stars are most visible at night, and the Sun, also a star, provides light so bright we can’t see other stars during the day. -
I would choose the activity set Space and Aliens with first class. It would be good to do this during space week when we would have already had plenty of space lessons and fun in class. I would begin by reading the story “Here Come The Aliens!” by Colin McNaughton. This book has lots of different looking aliens of different shapes and sizes coming to Earth. The class would look closely at the different shapes, sizes, number of eyes, clothing etc.
In Art we would then create our own unique Aliens by rolling a dice to decide how many heads/eyes/noses/arms/legs the alien would have. We could also link to 2D shapes by choosing a circle, rectangular square, triangular shapes body parts.
The book also shows pictures of different planets that the various aliens come from. The children could also learn about the different planets in our solar system. We could also create imaginary Aliens from these planets and give reasons.
We could also learn about how special the Earth is and the reasons why life is possible here like in the Special Life activity in this module.
Another part of the book shows how the Aliens speak in different voices. We could play a drama game where children have to speak in an alien language and use mime to communicate with the class.
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Activity: stars
I would begin this lesson by getting children to do a join the dot exercise which would be of different constellations. I would then discuss the different constellations and which ones can be best seen for Ireland, for example, Orion.
I would use Orion as my focus and show the children the constellation on the IWB.For English integration I would share the story of Orion from Greek mythology, including how he was a great hunter and his place in the sky.
For Geography integration I would show children the constellation in relation to other stars and constellation. Explaining that Orion’s Belt is one of the easiest star formations to recognize and is a good guide to finding other constellations using cardinal directions.
For Visual Arts children could make their own map charts, showing the major constellations in relation to each other.
For a hands on, practical activity I would bring children to the darkened sensory room and give each student a torch and a piece of black paper, I would tell them to punch holes into the paper where the stars of Orion would be. Afterwards we would shine the torch through the paper to project Orion onto the wall or ceiling, simulating the night sky.
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Design a Martian idea.
Materials Needed:
Paper
Pencils
Markers or crayons
Step-by-Step Instructions:Head and Body:
Draw a big oval or circle for the Martian’s head.
Draw a smaller, slightly elongated oval below the head for the body.
Eyes:Draw two large circles inside the head for the eyes.
Inside each eye, draw a smaller circle and color it in for the pupils.
Optionally, add a smaller circle inside each pupil to make the eyes look shiny and lively.
Mouth:Draw a wide smile or a small “O” shape for the mouth.
You can add small lines at the ends of the smile to make it look friendlier.
Antennas:On top of the head, draw two curved lines going upward.
At the end of each line, draw a small circle.
Arms:Draw two long, skinny arms coming out from the sides of the body.
At the end of each arm, draw three-fingered hands.
Legs:Draw two short, stubby legs at the bottom of the body.
Add two small ovals at the end of each leg for feet.
Details and Color:Add some fun details like spots or stripes on the Martian’s body.
Color the Martian using bright and fun colors like green, blue, or purple. -
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For a fun and educational lesson on space and aliens, I start by reading a story about space and aliens to spark their imagination – I have used Aliens love Underpants, The Smeds and the Smoos, and The Man on the Moon( A Day in the Life of Bob!) Then, I let children create their own alien artwork using various materials like playdough, clay or paint. Children write a piece about their alien to display with their artwork. We discuss what would happen if an alien came to visit our class for a day, what do we think they would need to know or be interested in? In science, we discuss the planets in our solar system and what conditions might support alien life, this reverts back and revises what we have learnt about the different planets. To include maths, the students will measure distances between planets using simple calculations. The opportunities for integration across subject areas is endless on such an interesting and fun topic!
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Activity Set: Stars
A comment was made in the forum for the first module about how the simple fact that our Sun is a star can be such a shock. This together with the video about how many stars are out there would be a good way to start the topic with a class. I would then start a discussion with the class about when we see stars and when we see the Sun. This would lead well into an experiment about how we don’t see the other stars during the day by using lights in a dark area in the classroom. The experiment could begin by having lights in a line and getting the children to say what they see. Then get the lights to spread out and get feedback. Finally get one light as the Sun to be up close and get the others to move backwards.I loved the model created of the constellation. I may get a class to create models of different constellations using straws as a group activivty. As a follow up, I would get the children to move to other tables and sketch what they see and try to label what they feel it is from their own choosen positions. This would lead into the idea of how our position dictates what we see in space.
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John,
what a lovely idea to have different constellations in different parts of the room. You could even have “pretend constellations” – asking one table to make a square, one a triangle, one a different quadrilateral etc.
Cassiopeia is always popular with the clear W / M shape. You can find the modeling of Cassiopeia in the Universe in a Box resource (page 151) from module 2.
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I choose the activity set on space and aliens. This year I engaged my class in listening to the poem “The Marrog” and creating their version of the alien, the Marrog.
To begin, I engaged the children in listening to the poem “The Marrog”. I engaged the children in asking and answering questions about the Marrog, who is he? where did he come from? what would you do if an alien came to our classroom?. I then engaged the children in discussion about the features of the Marrog. We brainstormed the Marrogs features eg. three eyes, blue nose, teeth half yellow and half red etc. We listened to the poem a few times to ensure we had as many features as possible brainstormed. The children then got into creating their version of the Marrog. The children enjoyed how the all of their creations of the Marrog looked different.
The extension lesson, I engaged the children in coming up with their very own alien. The children had the most wonderful ideas for their aliens. They also came up with a name and a planet to call home for their alien.
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Leanne,
thanks for reminding us of the Marrog.
Here is a link to the words and some additional ideas to incorporate it into teaching.
https://www.risingstars-uk.com/media/Rising-Stars/Other/Words-poem.pdf
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Activity Set: Stars
Activity Set: Space and Aliens
How would you use the activity in your classroom? Post a reflective piece (150 words min) to the forum as a reply to this post. You may include digital records of the activities.I would chose Activity set: Space and Aliens. I would use the space Week Mars Activity. I would begin the lesson with a KWL chart or white boards and get the child/children to brainstorm their questions or prior knowledge about Martians.
There some nice Sesame street clips of the blue and red Martians that could be used as a stimulus or discussion for the children.
In our school clayotics is such a big hit with the students and it’s nice that it dries hard too. The children could brainstorm/draw their Martian on paper and label the parts etc. Then they could construct using Clayotics in a group or individually.
It’s also nice for the children to photograph their creations on the ipad using a backdrop. The child could draw their own Mars on a folded A4 sheet of paper or print one pictures and stick them onto the backing paper. Then they can photograph their creations for their school scrapbook/learning record.
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Oh my,
I’m not sure if I want to thank you for sharing the red and blue Martians from Sesame Street, I have “yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, ah hah” going around my head now!
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This is how I would approach teaching the children about stars. I would start with singing Twinkle Twinkle little star and this will hopefully lead to a discussion around stars and what is known by the class already. When do we see stars etc? I really like using marbles to explain how many stars in the sky. I would show the following video of stars – https://youtu.be/B5unCXpegAw . I would use this video to explain the properties of a star – https://youtu.be/ZrS3Ye8p61Y. We would look at what star constellations are and I would pictures as examples. We would discuss where we see stars in music, art and books. In Art I would ask the class to look and respond to Van Gogh’s Starry Night https://youtu.be/6PndwgJuF3g. Create a starry sky by using toothbrushes on black paper or recreate Starry Night. Books I would use with this topic could include Katie and the Starry Night by James Mayhew, How to catch a star by Oliver Jeffers, Laura’ Star by Klaus Baumgart, Look Up by Nathan Bryan, Draw me a Star by Eric Carle.
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Hilary,
the StarScapes video is so chilled– I could easily have that on all day!
Look at the satellites zipping across though. It’s hard to see any constellations because they have focused on the centre of the Milky Way – so I’d include that in the discussion – why does the sky look different when we look over at this bit…
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I would start by bringing the children into the sensory room and turning on the ‘night sky’ projector. I would then spark the discussions about the stars and what we see.
I would start the lesson back in the classroom with a KWL chart. I would then start the lesson on constellations.
an introductory video: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D1sZ15SUeS9w&sa=U&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjCv57znOGHAxUjVkEAHRiaO5UQwqsBegQIIhAF&usg=AOvVaw0NF0zDYr09BRxQr39ysqOd
mapping: Children will be given flash cards and using a key, in groups they will see if they can identify constellations.
conclusion: Children will plot a constellation on black paper using stickers. Then using ‘splatter art’ / blow pens they will fill in the night sky.
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Jane,
Do you have a link to some flash cards and the key that they use? I have used this really nice source of three star filled skies with constellations to hunt from project astro:
https://astrosociety.org/file_download/inline/808cd9d5-3a2e-4880-88d0-c29a6ecb60d5
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There are so many great picture books suggested in the previous posts which I look forward to using. The picture book that I have used for the theme of Aliens is “Here come the Aliens” by Colin McNaughton. The illustrations are fantastic and stimulate great conversation about what an Alien might look like. I have also used MSIP – MarsActivities from the Mars Education Program Jet propulsion laboratory Arizona. Lesson 5 of the booklet Searching for life on Mars has great activities including Imaginary Martians and Mars Critters are very suitable for use with young children. I have this activity booklet downloaded to my computer but I can’t seem to be able to find the original source to share on this post.
I am in Sen currently and linked with the Junior Infants again. I am looking forward to Space Week this week and plan on exploring the theme of Space and Aliens using some of the ideas for matching, sorting and creating Aliens within the small groups that I will be working with.
Frances those Alien resources from tiger are great, thanks again for sharing them.
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Celine,
you’ve got me hunting for that now – I’ve definitely seen one from https://marsed.asu.edu/stem-lesson-plans
which were made for an earlier Mars mission.
This isn’t it:
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/mission-to-mars-unit/
There are a few sites that have Little Green Martians – which is https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/looking-for-life/
And I bought all the pencils and two of the magnets from the Tiger in Mahon Point – so go into town to find more!
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I choose the Aliens and Space topic. I will use the book The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot and read to class.
We will each make our own aliens as a whole class activity, using marla, googly eyes, pipecleaners etc. We will name them and design a house for them to live in. they will plan this to prepare for the weeks station activities beginning on the following day.
Area One: The children will build a home for their aliens to live in. The children can use materials from Junk Art and clas supplies. They can use their marla alien for spacing, sizing, etc. They have chosen a planet so much keep in mind the conditions.
Area Two : Draw a map: CHidren will have to draw and map space for their aleins journey. Can cna choose which medium they want to use. Start point is at home with their mum and end point will be their chosen planet
Area Three: Write a letter/postcard to mum telling her how things are going on the trip. Chidren can design picture in front of card.
Area Four: Children will describe their alien. Provide prompts such as “My alien name is…” and “My alien likes to…”
Encourage students to write a few sentences about their alien focusing on creativity and descriptive writing.Whole Class Activity: Make Big Bad Robot
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Hi Denise! Your lesson ideas sound wonderful. Using The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot as inspiration will surely engage the children. The alien creation activity and building homes are great for sparking creativity. Drawing maps and writing postcards will also help develop their descriptive writing skills. The approach you have used is both fun and educational. I enjoyed reading these ideas. Thank you 🙂
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In my classroom, I would use the “Lots and Lots of Stars” activity pack as a multifaceted approach to engage students in both scientific inquiry and artistic expression. To start, I would initiate an open discussion about the vast number of stars in the sky. Using a relatable comparison, such as marbles in a jar, would help students grasp the concept of large numbers. We would begin with a small number, like 5 marbles, and gradually increase to a full jar, discussing whether the number of stars exceeds this.
Following this, I would integrate art by having students create star-themed spatter paintings. This hands-on activity would not only enhance their understanding of stars but also foster creativity and fine motor skills. I would then introduce constellations by guiding students through UNAWE activities 5.4 and 5.5. By making their own star patterns and observing them from different perspectives, students would develop spatial awareness and critical thinking skills. This approach ensures that students not only learn about stars but also appreciate the broader concepts of perspective and mathematical patterns in a fun and engaging way.
Digital records of their star paintings and constellation patterns would be kept to document their progress and to share their learning journey with parents and the wider school community. This reflective process highlights how integrating a cross curricular approach can create a rich and interactive learning experience.
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For my classroom, I chose the “Create an Alien” activity from the Space and Aliens activity set. This activity involves students imagining and drawing their own aliens and encourages creativity.
I would start by reading a fun story about space and aliens to spark the students’ imagination. We would discuss what aliens might look like, how they might move, and what they might eat. I would show pictures of different aliens from books or online resources to give them ideas.
Next, I would give each student a large sheet of paper and colourful markers or crayons. I would ask them to draw their own alien, thinking about what makes their alien special. For example, their alien could have lots of eyes, funny legs, or bright colours. While they draw, we would talk about why they chose certain features for their alien.
At the end of the activity, each student would share their alien with the class, explaining what makes their alien unique. We would display all the alien drawings on a bulletin board titled “Our Alien Friends” for everyone to see.
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Activity Set: Stars
Incorporating Stars into the Classroom I would take a cross Curricular approach.
Science:
Stargazing: Weather permitting, for homework I would give the children some of the constellations and see if they can identify them at night.
Art:
Starry Night Paintings: Inspired by Van Gogh, students would create their own starry night masterpieces using various techniques (finger painting, watercolors, mixed media).
Constellation Creation: Students would design their own constellations using paper, markers, and glitter.
Literacy:Starry Tales: Reading myths and legends about stars and constellations would enrich cultural understanding and storytelling skills.
Star Poetry: Students would write poems inspired by stars. -
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Activity set: Space and Aliens
I really love this as a theme that could be used and explored for a month or more in the classroom. There are so many subject areas you can dip in and out of under this heading and I think children have quite a natural curiosity for space and the concept of aliens is such a fun way to explore space, tapping into their imagination and creativity while basing all of it in fact.
I’d like to explore this in our thematic play set up and spread it across some stations, for example:
1. Construction: Build a spaceship/home for an alien or martian.
2. Literacy: Explore heart words and CVCC or CCVC words around the theme of space – word to picture matching, sentence building, decodable readers around the theme, spelling activities.
3. Arts and Crafts: Make/draw your own alien or martian. These could be laminated or made from concrete materials and then used in the construction area.
4. Roleplay/Socio-dramatic area: This area could be a spaceship, set up with a control station, astronaut costumes, templates for writing/drawing for the children to document their journey in space etc.
5. Play doh: Play doh mats can be used to encourage children to make their own aliens or spaceships.
Disclaimer: As best practice advises, I would set these areas up for the children but ultimately they decide how to engage with the resources and topics.
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Robyn,
I’m curious about
2. Literacy: Explore heart words and CVCC or CCVC words around the theme of space – word to picture matching, sentence building, decodable readers around the theme, spelling activities.
Would this have a space ‘cover’ – or be words that are linked to the theme of space? I could find plenty of visuals on Twinkl that had planets or rockets with everyday words – but not a resource that used words about space.
I asked Chatgpt (give me a list of words that use ccvc or cvcc about the theme of space)- but it doesn’t really know its consonants from its vowels:
Sure! Here are some words related to space that follow the CCVC or CVCC structure:
CCVC Words:
Star
Moon
Mars
Plan (short for planet)
Glow (from “glow” of stars or planets)CVCC Words:
Dust (space dust)
Rock (space rock or asteroid)
Moon (assuming a slightly looser interpretation as it phonetically can be “mo-on”)
Warp (as in warp speed)
Ring (planetary rings)
These words adhere to the requested phonetic patterns and are related to the theme of space.Which shows the issue with generative AI – it can rearrange words in a general sense, but has to be taken with many pinches of salt!
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I would start my activity on space and aliens by using the picture book “Aliens wear underpants”. This is a fun and engaging book to spark interest and a great stimulus for discussions on space and aliens.
Think, pair and share – what we know about space and aliens
Brainstorm- what do you think aliens looks like and put drawings and words up on the IWB.
Template given for all children to engage with drawing their own alien- think about how we can make this – discussion on materials needed etc.
Make our aliens using a selection of 3d materials
Talk and discussion on shapes we made/ how many eyes/ mouths etc. (number work and shape and space)
Follow up – create an alien using 2d shapes – cut and stick activity – talk and discussion – did anyone use a triangle/circle/ square to make their picture? What shapes did you use and why? -
I would like to introduce a lesson on stars by playing some musical pieces that have stars in their titles or in the lyrics and ask the children what is the theme that links these pieces of music together. What do you see in your minds eye when you hear these pieces of music?
I would then write the word star on the board and elicit from the children all they know about stars, when they see them, their shape, colour. I would ask them what they would like to know about stars. We would discuss the sun.
I love the many clips available that explain the constellations and think the children would be fascinated with this. I would show some images of constellations and the names and ask the children would they like the names or would they call the something different based on what they see?
I would present the children stations for producing their own constellations in art work – 1 station would have black sugar paper, white chalk and star stickers. Another would have peg boards and pictures of constellations to copy. Another would have match sticks to create star shapes in various colours. Another could have playdough, straws and stick on glow in the dark stars.
To finish/at some stage in the week or day of the lesson we would read the story by Oliver Jeffers “How to Catch a Star” and discuss this.-
Niamh,
would this list be of use?
Don’t bother listening to the Blur song – it’s a list of star and moon names.
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Using the “Stars” activity with 2nd class can be an engaging and educational experience. This activity can help spark their interest in astronomy and foster their curiosity about the universe.
To implement this in the classroom, I would start with a brief introduction to stars, explaining that they are massive balls of gas that emit light and heat. Using simple language and vivid images or videos of stars, I would capture their attention.
Next, I would organize the students into small groups and provide them with materials such as black construction paper, white crayons, and star stickers. Each group would create their own “night sky” by drawing and placing stars on their paper. This hands-on activity allows students to be creative while reinforcing their understanding of star patterns and constellations.
We would then use a flashlight in a darkened room to simulate how stars twinkle in the night sky. This visual representation will help to solidify their learning and makes the concept more tangible.
To wrap up, we would have a discussion where students can share their creations and what they learned about stars. I would encourage them to ask questions and express their wonder about space. This reflective session helps reinforce their learning and allows them to articulate their thoughts.
Reflecting on this experience, I find that the combination of storytelling, hands-on activities, and visual demonstrations effectively engages young students. It makes abstract concepts more concrete and enjoyable. The excitement and curiosity generated by this activity can be a powerful catalyst for a lifelong interest in science and the natural world.
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Laura,
can you say more about how
We would then use a flashlight in a darkened room to simulate how stars twinkle in the night sky. This visual representation will help to solidify their learning and makes the concept more tangible.
would show stars twinkling? The demonstration I have come across for stars twinkling (which is an atmospheric phenomena) is very much for upper second level since it deals with refraction:
https://stardate.org/teaching-tool/hot-air
For vivid images I would suggest Astronomy Picture of the Day (which we meet in Module 4) – have you other sources you would use?
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Space and Aliens lesson:
I’d love if my students embarked on a creative journey to learn about life on Mars! We would begin with a reading of “There’s No Place Like Mars” by Rebecca Rissman, which introduces various interesting concepts about the Martian environment, potential habitats, and imaginative creatures. This story will spark our curiosity and fuel our imagination about what life could be like on the Red Planet.After the reading, students will engage in the main activity: designing their very own Martian! First, they will sketch their Martian with colourful drawings, considering what adaptations their creature might need to survive in the unique Martian landscape. Next, using clay, students will sculpt a three-dimensional version of their designs, allowing their creativity to flourish.
At the end of the lesson, students will share their Martians, explaining their features and how they help their creatures thrive on Mars. This will encourage imagination and reinforce our understanding of life in different environments!
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Oisín,
I’m not familiar with that book, but looking up the author I see that she has written 200 books, which seem to be straightforward non-fiction.
https://www.rebeccarissman.com/
I like how you have planned to link science to the creative process with designing Martians for a landscape. I would discuss with the children what is like on Mars quite explicitly – which I would hope the book would provide the details.
One common misconception that I encounter is that children think Mars is hot!
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I would really like to use the Space and Aliens activity set with the pupils in my school as it is something that as teachers, we often spend less time on because of the lack of evidence. The special life lesson where children draw something special, they would like to show an alien is a really unique idea and could be linked to other areas of the curriculum nicely. Informing children that they will have to act out the ‘special drawing’ would definitely help the children be more careful with their thought process and ideas especially in infants. The follow on activity of drawing an alien is a nice precursor to creating their own Alien using mala or clay. I think the activities overall are something the children would really enjoy and would allow them to become really creative in their design as well as using their own knowledge of plants and animals on Earth and how climate and certain conditions can effect an animals appearance or special features.
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Activity: Stars
This activity is aimed for a junior/senior infant class.
I would start this activity with a star image from ESO. This would be a starting point for our lesson.
English: Discussions would be based
around.What the image is, where the image is taken from, when do we see stars, what could we use to see stars far away.Maths: We could further develop this into our maths using the idea of stars consolations. What is a star consolation? Images of famous star consolations. What patterns can they see on these star images Etc. The children could then be given a peg board and pegs to create their own star consolations.
Art: You could extend this into art where the children would use black sugar paper and paint to create an image of their own night sky.
These lessons could take place over a 2 week period to allow lots of time for discussion amd language development and to cover the theme comprehensively. Thanks Michelle
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Lesson idea: Design a martian (or a ‘clay’lien’!)
This is a lesson I have done with a lot of senior classes, but the bones of it would still be very suitable for the junior classes. From reading through the Mars classroom resource, I can see how what I previously have just used as an art lesson could so easily be tied into STEM! I have an ‘Alien Adventure’ poem I wrote as a stimulus for 3rd class poetry last year that I feel could be repurposed for this junior-level lesson. I would hope it could spark discussions about what martians/aliens might look like, where they might live etc.. If they don’t respond well to it, a short clip from ET couldn’t fail me!
I would take inspiration from the Mars resource and get the children to draw their ideas before moving on to clay work- I have found even with senior classes that most children benefit from planning out their ideas thoroughly, rather than jumping in and getting frustrated when they can’t get their ideas across in their clay.
A nice extension idea to link with Drama could be a hotseat activity- the children introduce their new pet clayliens and take questions from the audience.
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I have chosen the activity set of ‘Stars’ to respond to this forum. I think stars are amazing and am personally very interested in learning about them. Therefore, I think this will help my students to be motivated and enthusiastic while learning about stars too! Teacher interest is always a benefit when teaching about new things.
I would begin this lesson by showing the students a picture of stars at night. I would use ‘I wonder’ in a think pair share first of all and then a group share to see if the children know what they are. I would then prompt them through questioning.
To follow on from this, I would show them a video to introduce them to what stars are, what they are made from and why we can see them at night/not see them. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrS3Ye8p61Y I love using scishow videos in my class and my student find them very interesting and engaging.
I would then take the opportunity to ask the students if they can work in pairs to think of any questions about stars.
the students would then use this as a stimulus to research their question. I would like to use this activity set to collaborate with art. I would provide the students with a variety of materials and ask them to create stars using arts and crafts.
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Robyn,
here is a link to Dark Sky Art: https://darksky.org/news/7-pieces-of-art-inspired-by-the-night-sky/
I particularly like the Georgia O Keefe.
Here’s another night sky of hers: https://collections.okeeffemuseum.org/object/23/
and Evening Star No. III is at MoMA, with an audio clip about it.
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Activity Set : space and aliens
Circle time discussion about the planets and with a particular focus on Mars. Have a photograph of the planet.
Trigger question : what would aliens look like if they lived on Mars.
Think pair share about their ideas and teacher records some adjectives on the board.
Children are then invited to sketch their alien on a piece of paper and share it with the class.
Children can make their alien with playdough and can mix colours and display their work on a large 2d planet mars. The children can paint it and add craters etc.
As an extension lesson the teacher can read Oliver Jeffers “the way back home” and integrate space with a literacy lesson. -
Activity Set: Space and Aliens
Year Level: Senior Infants1. I would start the lesson by reading ‘The Way Back Home’ by Oliver Jeffers’ about a boy and a martian that land on the moon.
2. We would discuss whether aliens actually exist, what planet they would live on and what their lives would be like. I would tell them to-date no aliens have been actually discovered but that’s not to say they don’t exist.
3. Think, pair, share re what an alien might find interesting about planet earth, what animals, plants, buildings, landmarks etc do we have on earth that might fascinate a friendly alien – children draw and label these items and share with the class.
4. Talk about what an alien might look like, would they have similar features to humans, what else might they have? Children draw their alien and think about the following questions:
– What is the name of their planet?
– What is the weather like on their planet?
– Do they live in homes?
– What games do they like to play?
5. Using the app ‘Chatterpix’ by duck, duck, goose, the children take a photo of their alien picture, create a ‘mouth’ using the app and then record the information in point 4. These are shared with the class by casting the ipad through airplay. -
I have chosen the activity set The Stars.
I have planned this lesson to suit an infant class. I would complete this lesson by:
Gathering the students and ask if they have ever seen the stars in the night sky. Engage them in a brief discussion about what they remember seeing and what they think stars are. Explain that stars are big, glowing balls of gas in space and that they are very far away, which is why they look so small from Earth.
I would then introduce the book “The Darkest Dark” by Chris Hadfield. Read the book aloud to the class, emphasizing the beautiful illustrations and story about a young boy who learns to see the beauty of the stars and the importance of dreaming big. Stop occasionally to ask questions, such as “What do you think the boy is feeling when he looks up at the stars?” and discuss the key messages of the story.
After reading, talk about what stars are and share a few interesting facts using images.
Provide each student with a piece of black construction paper. Ask them to draw or create stars on their paper using gold or yellow crayons/markers. They can also use glitter to make their stars shine.Once the starry night pictures are complete, invite students to share their artwork with the class.
Ask them to describe what types of stars they created and if they included anything else in their drawings.
Lastly, recap what they learned about stars and ask, “What did you like about the story?” and “What are some things we can do to look for stars at night?” I would finish by using a flashlight, turn off the lights and use the flashlight to pretend you’re shining light like a star, explaining how stars twinkle in the sky. -
I would choose the topic of Space and Aliens. I have often veered from teaching about aliens but this module has shown how fun it can be done and how to leads to lots of questions.
I would start with a KWL to see what they know about aliens and Martians and what they would like to find out. Then I would read the story Martian Rock by Carol Diggory Shields.
I loved the Martian activity shared in the module. I would then pose the question what does a Martian look like. I would give the children some time to think, pair and share their ideas. I would select some children to come and draw on the whiteboard. This always assists this who struggle with idea generation.
The children will then all set off to predict what a Martian would look like to them. They would sketch their Martian. We would do a mini plenary here and share some of their sketches on the visualiser. We would discuss similarities and differences, talk about shapes and sizes of their Martians.
The children would then conduct the experiment by making their Martian out of plasticine using their sketches as a guide. When they have made their Martians they would then create a short animation using stop go motion. I used this a lot with my First Class Children last year and they loved it. So I believe it work very well with the Martians. Stop go motion makes it look as if the small plasticine models are moving by themselves. Ideally I would like to incorporate a space background and this could be made prior in a different lesson to be used in this.
Again at the end the stop go animations would be shared with the class or viewed in a silent walking tour.
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I would begin the lesson by asking the children if they have ever seen the stars in the sky. I would ask some of the children to try and explain what stars are. I would then start with a KWL to see what they know about stars relating it back to content we’ve learned about light.
I would use this activity for a maths lesson and begin by discussion the shapes of stars. After this I would pair the students together and each pair would be given a set of star-shaped dot patterns, and they’d have to connect the dots to form their own constellations. Once the constellations are drawn, each pair would get to name their creation and share the reason behind their design with the class.
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Erika,
by shape of stars are you referring to how they are represented in culture?
I’m not clear, since your opener is about stars in the sky?
It is interesting that the brighter stars seem to twinkle, so giving a “star shape”
You can read a little about it from my colleague Niall: https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/outdoors/arid-41257189.html
However, stars are spheres!
Would the “star-shaped dot patterns” be of random dots, so allowing constellations to be made, or of a star made from dots?
All constellations are described here: https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/
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The topic I have chosen is stars I learned an offer a lot in the last module about fun activities that I could use in my teaching of this topic. Firstly, I would start off by reading a book to the children call my pet star. We would use this book as the basis for our lesson and we would discuss all the advantages and disadvantages of having a star as a pet.
We would then move onto discuss star constellations and we would learn to draw and re-create some of them as part of an art lesson. For the children would have to re-create the stars using their bodies, cones beanbags etc.
The children would then begin to re-create their own story where the main character is a star. -
Lesson on Stars for infant level.
I would use the book ‘Can you see the stars tonight?’as a starting point and introduction of the topic on stars. We would discuss what we see in the sky at night – the moon and the stars.
Using the ‘ar’ sound as a starting point find words that rhyme with star / what word can you find in star?
Explain that a group of stars is called a constellation and these groups are given different names depending on their shape or pattern. Using peg boards, provide the children with images of some constellations that they have to try and copy. Alternatively, they can recreate the pictures using black sugar paper and cotton buds/pipe cleaners.
Discuss the difference between night and day. Using two hoopla hoops in the centre of the room – one for day and one for night. Provide the children with pictures which they then must decide are for the day / night hoop. As an extension piece, some pictures could be used in both brushing your teeth so the hoops may have to overlap.
Using nursery rhymes to consolidate their knowledge on stars ‘twinkle, twinkle’, ‘star light, star bright’.-
Thanks for the book recommendation Audrey,
is it this one: Can You See The Stars Tonight – Anna Terreros-Martin
https://youtu.be/PuldpLYMteY?si=Wi6wibkUdSZZ8LX2
She only read the first part of the book, and it was mostly about lost puffins! Does the rest of the book get into constellations?
I’m slightly unsure about not being able to see the Moon due to light pollution – that is some very bad light pollution!!
With the day and night activity, would you have an overlap area for objects that can be seen both in the day and in the night? (like the Moon).
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Using a thematic approach in Infants I would teach/recap on the nursery rhyme twinkle twinkle little star. Depending on the time of year we would look at the phonics within the word star, be that the “s” sound or looking at “ar”. I would use the “Seeing Star” activity to make the plough constellation with the children. We would also combine art and paint pictures of different consellations, after explain what the word constellation is and showing different pictures of different constellations. In terms of maths, we would focus on day and night, the difference and activities we do in both (cutting and pasting).
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Science Experiment: “Twinkling Stars and Bright Lights”
Students will learn that stars give off light, just like a light bulb or a torch, and will explore how stars twinkle in the night sky.
Materials:
Torch (one for each group), a large piece of black sugar paper, a pin or toothpick to poke holes,Sellotape, a box that can be used to create darknessHave the students help you poke small holes in the paper with a pin or toothpick. These holes will represent stars. Use a large box to cover the “starry sky” so that the torch can shine through the holes, mimicking stars.
Begin by explaining to the students that stars are like giant light bulbs in the sky, but much, much bigger and farther away. Ask if they’ve ever seen stars at night and what they think makes them twinkle. Use the resource from Esero ‘Lots and lots of stars’ and show them the picture ‘discussion sheet’ on lesson 13. Watch the GAIA and 1 billion stars animation video and discuss.
Give each group of students a torch. Have them turn on the torch and shine it at the sugar paper, projecting the “stars” on the inside of the dark box. Let them see how the light shines through the holes like stars in the night sky. Ask students to gently shake or wiggle the torch while it’s turned on. This simulates the twinkling effect they see in the night sky, helping them understand that stars give off light, and the atmosphere makes them appear to twinkle.
Bring the students back together and ask them to share what they observed. Did the “stars” look different when the torch was moved? Explain that real stars don’t move or twinkle themselves, but the light we see from them sometimes appears to twinkle because of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Ask the students what they learned about stars. Reinforce the idea that stars are faraway objects that give off their own light, which we can see even though they are very far away.
Integrate with art: Follow up lesson could be the ‘Lots and lots of stars’ art activity where they ‘make a starry sky’ using a toothbrush, paint, and paper.
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I would begin by discussing how many stars they think are in the sky using pom poms and children themselves to represent stars we would look at 5, 10, 30. We would look at a picture of a starry night and discuss whether there are more than the pom poms we have in containers. We would then paint a starry sky using splatter paint.
I would read Laura’s Star by Klaus Baumgart and talk about what a star is, what they are made of and how far away they are.
I would show them pictures of different constellations and then focus on the plough. Discuss what they see and show them pictures of ploughs and discuss how together that’s what people long ago saw.
In pairs using straws and plasticine they would make the plough constellation/using black card, tin foil and wool
.I would finish by reading The Lost Stars by Hannah Cumming and discuss what it would be like if there were no stars.
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Laura’s Star is a lovely story of friendship, and stars that can be seen at night.
There is this video of it – but I kept the sound off and just advanced so I could read the story myself – not a fan of this narration.
https://youtu.be/SFK9nWM5DRg?si=1JobISGjXnyEThPy
It looks to be part of a larger series – have you read any of the others?
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This is a lesson I would do with infants based on the activity set The Sun and Shadows.
Materials:
Torch or a bright lamp (to represent the Sun)
Various objects (toys, blocks, and simple shapes)
Large white paper or a smooth surface for shadow tracing
Chalk or markers for tracing shadowsIntroduction:
Start with a simple explanation of what the Sun is: The Sun is a big ball of light in the sky that gives us warmth and helps us see during the day.
Show students a torch or lamp and explain, Just like this light, the Sun makes shadows when something blocks it.
Demonstration:
In a dim room, shine a flashlight on a toy to create a shadow on the wall or a piece of paper.
Move the torch around and let the children observe how the shadow changes.
Explain in simple terms, When we put something in front of the light, it makes a shadow because the light can’t go through it.Hands-on Activity: Shadow Play:
Provide children with various objects like toys or their hands to create shadows.
Let them experiment by holding objects close to and far from the light source, seeing how the shadows change size and shape.
Encourage them to make shapes or even shadow puppets with their hands and observe what happens to the shadows.Outdoor Shadow Exploration:
Take the children outside on a sunny day.
Have them look for their own shadows. Ask, Can you find your shadow? What happens when you move?
Encourage them to notice how their shadow follows them and changes as they move.
Have children trace their shadow on the ground with chalk. Then, after some time, revisit the spot to observe how the shadow has moved or changed as the Sun moved in the sky.
Discussion and Reflection:
Gather the children together and ask them to share what they noticed about their shadows.
Simplify the concept by saying, When the Sun or a light shines on us, we make shadows because we block the light.
Reinforce the idea that shadows are just places where the light can’t reach. -
I would introduce the concept of stars by using a stars activity set. We’d start with a 15-minute discussion, sitting in a circle, where I’d use pebbles to represent stars. I would ask the children if there are more stars than the pebbles they see, gradually increasing the number to illustrate how many stars exist. I’d ask, “Have you seen stars?” I would show a picture of a starry sky and explain that stars emit light and are most visible at night, while the Sun, a star, is too bright during the day to see others. After this the children would paint an A4 sheet to resemble the night sky and use toothbrushes to splatter paint stars in different colors. In the final 15 minutes, we would discuss their paintings and use the Artists Chair at the top of the class and complete a worksheet where they draw and count stars, reinforcing their understanding.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
It was very useful to see the DPSM/ESRO Framework for Inquiry applied in The Classroom Resource Booklet on Mars. This would be great to use in class or even for science week where pupil’s complete challenges:
Challenge 1 – Let’s create a landscape like Mars!
• Explore Google Mars on ipads.
• Investigate landscapes – containers with soil, lentils with duplo small world space characters.
• Make Mars models with play dough,Challenge 2 – What would an alien on Mars look like?
• Explore alien characters from a range of movies/stories. (The Grinch, Monsters Inc, Here Come the Aliens) – in groups, brainstorm the ideas.
• Complete individual designs.
• Option to use crayons, clay, paint to make aliens.
• Name alien and hot seat as character, pupils to ask questions about their life on Mars. -
I would use the activity of Stars and this lesson would be aimed at infant level.
Subject: Visual Arts/Literacy/SPHE
Activity topic: Stars
I would begin the lesson with reciting the song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” with the children. We would go through the words and we would discuss what the song is about.
We will create Paper Plate Star mobiles. The resources we will need are:
· Paper plates
· Coloured string
· Scissors
· Paint, paintbrushes
· Glue
· Star templates
· Coloured markers
The children will begin by decorating the star templates and cutting them out. The children will colour the stars and they can put a different emotion on the face of each star. We can link this are to SPHE also where we can teach the children how to recognise facial expressions and what emotions mean. Once they have done this, they can cut out their stars. They will then paint the paper plates blue, purple and black swirls to be used as the galaxy. When the paper plates are dry the children can cut the plates out in a spiral design. I will help the children to draw the spiral design with a marker so they can follow it when they are cutting. We will make a hole in the top of the spiral plate and put a piece of string through it. The children can tie a knot at the end of it. I will support them with this step too. The children can then hang the mobile in their bedroom.
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Rohana,
would it look like this one?
https://www.redtedart.com/paper-plate-star-twirler/
These swirls could be used in investigative work in the classroom since they are quite like the Convection Snake from this curious minds activity: https://www.sfi.ie/site-files/primary-science/media/pdfs/col/snake_spiral.pdf
which suggest that The children can develop their own questions about how heat travels and test them.
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I would use the Stars activity set with my class.
To begin, I would introduce the topic of Stars by playing the song ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. The children would join in, sing along and dance along if they wish.I would ask them some lower-order/higher-order questions about their previous knowledge of Stars including ‘Have you ever seen stars?’ ‘What exactly are stars?’ ‘How far away do you think stars are?’ We would then talk about constellations of stars and I would show them some images of them on the IWB.
After this, each child would be given a template to draw their own constellations. They could compare them with each other and the images on the IWB. The children would then work in pairs to create Star Lanterns. They would copy one of their constellations onto their lantern. The children could then present their Star Lanterns to the class. -
Activity Set – Stars
Lesson – Looking at Stars
Introduction – Discuss what stars are. They are giant glowing balls of gas. The closest star to the Earth is the Sun. Stars are there all the time, but we can only see them at nighttime when the sky is dark.Ask the children to close their eyes and sing Twinkle Little Star, while really thinking about the words.
Introduce the term ‘constellations’ and explain that a constellation is a group of stars in the night sky that make up a recognisable picture or pattern. It is like a game of connecting the dots. Show the children some simple constellations and ask them to guess what it is. There are some great visuals online.
Children will then create their own constellation. Each child will be given black card,a white chalk pen and a ruler. They can think of a name for their constellation.
At the end of the lesson the children can take turns to guess what each constellation is a picture of. We can then create our very own night sky by displaying the creations on the wall.
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Niamh,
I think the ” very own night sky by displaying the creations on the wall.”
is a wonderful way to keep this activity on show.
Some constellations are much larger than others, some have more stars, some are made from brighter stars, some from dimmer, so there is plenty of opportunity for maths talk as the children make their own constellations.
When we take our StarDome out to schools or to large festivals like the Cork Science Carnival, we share constellation images and ask our visitors what shapes they see. Some are “recognisable picture or pattern,” many are not particularly clear. In particular, Leo does not look particularly lion-like. This could make an intriguing next step for the children to consider.
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Activity Set: Stars
I like ESERO’s concept of using marbles to teach children about the vast number of stars in space. I would love to close all the windows and blinds, lights off and move the furniture to the side. Have the students lie on their back and look up, stargaze! I have a light that projects stars and galaxies and planets onto the ceiling and walls. I would ask the children to try and count the number of stars that they can see!
This video is good from Dr. Binocs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSuAPFMXcYM
There are great opportunities to link in with Nursery Rhymes/Music: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little or even attempt Coldplay’s Sky Full of Stars.
I like the activity on drawing constellations. I could find out prior to the lesson, what star sign the students have and show them what their constellation looks like.
Art activities; Paint splatter, create a galaxy with lots of colours and portray how there are so many stars in the sky. The children could make a star lantern for Space Week.
To include STEM activities, the children could use the Bee Bots, create a galaxy using Lego and App software too.
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Activity Set: Stars
I really like what other participants have suggested as ways of introducing this lesson- by using books or the nursery rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, or I think it was mentioned in another module- asking a question such as- is there more stars in the sky or grains of sand on earth? I would then ask the children to volunteer any knowledge they have about stars or constellations.
I would hope to use a lot of the activities discussed in this module for the topic stars.
I think it’s a really beautiful topic that integrates well with art.
I would use the Lots and Lots of stars activity to introduce the topic and to get children thinking about the magnitude of stars. I like that this activity compares stars to items the children can count- the marbles, other pupils and so on. I think the art idea of spatter painting would be something that the children would really enjoy also. I would then move on to constellations and would follow the curious minds activity ( seeing stars- looking at the plough in two different ways) with the modifications mentioned for younger classes. I would then give the children time to draw their own constellations, using the space week resource. I think this is a really nice idea and allows the children to be creative- telling us the shapes they see and so on.
I have found this website to have some nice ideas also
I used an app a few years ago when I had 6th class (with parental involvement) that identifies the constellation you are looking at. Pupils used to upload their images onto Google Classroom also. The pupils loved it.
There are many wonderful suggestions on this forum. Thank you everyone for sharing.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens. This lesson encompasses many of the subjects in one.
Religion – To introduce the topic of planets, I would pre-teach the song from the Grow in Love Senior Infant programme ‘Thank You God For Our World’ which lists many different features of planet earth. The children would do a think-pair-share of their favourite features of earth e.g. the oceans, lakes, plants, trees, birds etc.
Geography- I would then use pictures of the planets as a stimulus to start the discussion on the differences between Earth and the other planets in our solar system, focusing on planet Mars. The children would be encouraged to think about how it looks different, how far it is from the sun, what they think might be on it. They would refer back to their discussion on their favourite features of Earth and discuss whether they think these things would exist on Mars.
English – the children will then read the book ‘Emma on Mars’, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG72QWL22Fw) which shows the landscape of Mars, how close it is to the sun etc.
Art – I would then pose the question of what they think a Martian would look like, based on the atmosphere and the environment of Mars. The children will be supplied with different materials in order to make their own Martian figure.
Drama – the children could use their Martian figurines to do a role play of life on Mars or a role play of the first meeting of humans and Martians.-
Orla,
you have really linked the science content that the children can discover with the activities you have planned. Did you know we have better maps of Mars than the Earth? This is because all of Mars is visible from space, but oceans cover up much of the Earth.
This planetary map may be useful for your class:
Children’s Planetary Maps: Mars | astroEDU (iau.org)
The activity that accompanies the map is presented at a slightly too high a level for a junior class, but the children might design a flag for Mars.
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Activity Set: Space & Aliens
Stimulus: Book- There’s an alien in your book by Tom Fletcher
This story is an interactive adventure about an adorable alien that has crash-landed in our book! The readers are tasked with helping the alien back up into space, by jiggling, bouncing and turning your book upside down!
I would ask for a student to pretend to be the “invading Alien” and we could do a hotseat activity in which the other learners could question the alien. We could as a class guess the planet the alien originated from and could perhaps create a new name for a planet and draw what we think the planet might look, smell, feel and sound like. We could discuss the feelings associated with being lost/separated from family and the many methods of helping the alien get home.
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Hi guys,
I chose the “Create an Alien” activity because I think it’s a fantastic way to engage 1st class by combining creativity with basic science concepts. In my class, I would begin by talking with the students about what makes living things special—like how fish have fins to swim or how birds have wings to fly. Then, I would ask them to imagine a fun, friendly alien that lives on a faraway planet. We would discuss how this alien might look different because of the planet it lives on.
Students would then draw their own alien, thinking about what it needs to survive on its planet—maybe it has long legs to walk on hot sand or big eyes to see in the dark. This activity encourages them to use their imagination while also thinking about how different environments can affect living things. Afterwards, they would share their drawings with the class, explaining why their alien looks the way it does. This helps them build confidence in sharing ideas and reinforces the connection between environment and physical features in a fun and age-appropriate way.
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Activity Set – Space and Aliens ~ create an Alien. This activity will be carried out in pairs.
I will start the lesson by reading the book ‘The Smeds and The Smoos’ by Julia Donaldson to the children. We will then discuss orally what they think an Alien looks like – how many arms, legs, eyes, and head do they have, do they have a nose and what does it look like, what colour/s are they, do they have spots, spikes, strips, fur, skin, do they wear clothes, etc.
The children will return to their tables and discuss with their partners what they would like their Alien to look like. They will also discuss about how they are going to make their Alien in 3D form as this might help then with their design. They will be using a variety of resources – playdough, marla, clay, wire, tinfoil, pipe cleaners, goggly eyes, felt, paper, fabric, wool and anything else they would like to use. They will then sketch and design their aliens on paper.
Once the children are all happy with how their Aliens look on paper they will then start to create their Alien in 3D form.-
This activity set for creating an alien in pairs sounds incredibly engaging and imaginative! Starting with The Smeds and The Smoos is a fantastic way to spark the children’s creativity and set the tone for the lesson. The discussion about what an alien might look like is a great way to encourage students to think outside the box and explore different possibilities. By allowing them to collaborate with a partner, you’re fostering teamwork and communication skills. The variety of materials available for crafting the 3D alien models will enable the children to experiment with textures and forms, making the project both educational and fun. The process of sketching their ideas first is a smart approach, helping them plan and visualize their creations before diving into the hands-on activity. Overall, this lesson is a wonderful blend of literacy, creativity, and collaboration that will surely captivate your students
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Niamh,
what a lovely way to include aliens into design and make for Science and for Arts.
You can connect to properties of materials, using some of the language that is described in this curious minds resource:
To extend the science connection you might ask the children to sort the aliens into families, and explain why they made those choices in terms of the conditions that the aliens might live in.
So aliens with 7 eyes might live on a dark planet, so need more eyes to see!
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Activity set: space and aliens
This activity set seems perfect for junior classes, offering numerous opportunities for creative thinking and imaginative play. Instead of starting with a book, I would kick off the topic with a simple science experiment, such as “Space Slime.” The children could create their own space-themed slime using glue, glitter, and food coloring, which would spark their curiosity about outer space. After making the slime, I would have the children work in small groups to design their own alien using craft supplies like pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and foam shapes. They could then create a short story about their alien’s adventures in space and share it with the class -
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Space & Aliens
I really liked the idea of creating an alien that might survive on Mars. I would discuss life on Earth initially and how the position of our planet provides the ideal living conditions for us.
We would the use you tube videos and books to discuss what it might be like to live on Mars and what an alien might need to live there. We would discuss the landscape, the temperature, the dust. We could use google maps to explore images of Mars, and books with images of Mars.
We would draw an alien first and discuss why we add certain features to the alien.
We would then use play to create our aliens and we do a show and tell to discuss the aliens and it’s features and reasons for our choices. -
Activity Set; Space and Aliens
Elicit prior knowledge from the children from previous lessons based on where we live etc. Revise the fact we live on Earth, Earth is a planet. Introduce the fact that there are other planets in space. What do the children like about living on earth. Tell the children that as far as we know there are no people living on the other planets. Get the children to imagine that there are aliens / martians living on another planet, it could be their imaginary friend for a day; what does it look like, what is its name. This alien is going to make a one day special visit to Earth and it is up to each child in the class to decide what would be the best things to show this alien while they are on earth, it could include bringing them to a certain place, showing them some animals, teaching them how we do things etc. The children can draw what they would show or do with this alien.Afterwards, the children will have the opportunity to show their drawings, act out their drawings or tell the children about what they drew if they wish. Have a class discussion on what a busy, fun day the alien would have if they visited Earth for a day.
Tell the children that even if we wanted to visit another planet for a day it wouldn’t have the right conditions for us to survive. Earth is perfect for us as it has an even temperature, we have an abundance of liquid water and we are sufficiently far enough away from the sun; not too hot or too cold.
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I really like the ideas in Space and Aliens for infants. I would use the story Aliens wear underpants to motivate and inspire the children. I would have the children think about and discuss what aliens would look like and the features they would have. They then could draw or sketch out their Aliens and apply colours as they see fit. The continuation of the lesson would involve using clay, paints and recycled materials. To integrate in to Maths we could group the finished Aliens by similarities such as number of eyes, ears, arms legs, thus using the language of early maths skills, sorting and classifying. The Aliens could be displayed on an uneven surface, which looked like the moon’s landscape, and the children could predict, sketch and make spacecraft and imaginary houses for their imaginary aliens in other art lessons. The children could colour and cut out star shapes, stick string of various lengths with sellotape to the stars and I could hang from the ceiling over the display to represent the galaxy. This would be done over a number of weeks.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
There are so many opportunities for hands on learning, creativity and imagination within this activity set.
I would begin the lesson by discussing what the children already know about space and aliens. We would briefly discuss the planets in the solar system and watch some videos based on the planets.
I would ask the children to design and create their very own alien. I would display some alien images. We would discuss some characteristics of aliens- the colour, how many eyes, heads etc.
The children would create their own alien and draw an image of it. I would encourage them to name their alien and briefly describe their alien, for example What planet their alien comes from? What food it would eat?Following the create and draw activity, I would get the children to create their own alien using different materials. Materials such as paper, tin foil, tissue or food wrappers work best here. I love the idea I read on the forum of creating a small space world area with spaceships and rockets. A space area where the children could play with their newly created aliens.
Following on from this activity we could have a lesson based on ‘Interview my Alien’, where we would interview some of the aliens to find out more about them. This could be a whole class activity or a paired activity.
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Michelle,
by starting with features of planets you have a natural connection to science when it comes to designing your aliens.
Do you have a suggested video about the planets that you might use? This NASA site has images (imagined but based on our science understanding) of planets beyond our solar system:
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/alien-worlds/exoplanet-travel-bureau/?intent=021
We have created aliens from foil for years, using a format similar to this:
https://www.instructables.com/Tinfoil-Animal/
We review the instructions together, have the children plan ‘how many leg, how many arms, how many heads…’ so that they then work out to make 1 less cut than the number of limbs.
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Space and Aliens
The theme in my first class classroom for the week would be space and friendly aliens.
Reading: I would choose two story books to read this week: The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers and My Sister is an Alien. I would read these stories aloud while the children are sitting on their cushions in front of me in a semi circle and I would use an alien puppet to bring the stories to life. These stories can also be watched and listened to on CBeebies with added sound effects which would be an interesting alternative to teacher reading lessons.
Art: the children would create their own aliens using paint, cardboard cylinders, googly eyes, lollipop sticks fabric antennas. They could also draw aliens in their Busy Bee copies if they are finished written activities earlier than their peers.
Drama: the children would take part in role play activities pretending that they are aliens arriving on planet earth for the first time. What do they see? What do they feel? What can they smell and touch?
Writing: the children would pretend to be aliens and write their news in their news copies eg I am from Mars. I have a spaceship. Today, I landed on Planet Earth. I saw humans there.
P.E: the children would take part in playground games based on Space and Aliens eg Warm Up Asteroids and The Alien Dance
Music: The children would listen to the Sounds of Space and The Planet Song. They could also write their own Alien inspired rap in groups and perform them for the class.
Space and aliens could be used across the curriculum and would make for several fun anc enjoyable lessons!
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I would work on the topic Space and Aliens with my class. To do this I would start by showing the children this short video about Aliens
I would then read the story “Aliens love underpants”. Initially I would focus the children’s attention to the pictures and discuss what aliens look like.
I would then give the children a piece of paper and a variety of art supplies to draw what they think an alien looks like. They could create a story about the alien using Chatterpix. They could then share this with the class using Bytello share.
As an extension of this activity I would ask the children to make a 3D model of their alien using playdoh or clay.
From this activity I would move on to martians. Is there a difference between aliens and martians? Are there similarities or differences? I would look at the video on ESA
https://www.esa.int/kids/en/Multimedia/Paxi_animations/English/Do_Martians_exist
The children could then follow the lesson “Special life” and act out being a martian for their peers. They could also construct a martian using a variety of construction materials such as blocks, lego, straws etc
I would also do a listening activity and read out a description of my martian/ alien and ask the children to draw it. The children could then look at the display and see how different they all look. We could then listen to trhe description again and see which picture is most accurate.
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As an Infant teacher, the activity set that I would choose is Space and Aliens. I find that the mystery of this topic always excites and engages children and this make it a great theme for Aistear/role play.
I would use the story “Alien’s Love Underpants” as a hook to get the children’s attention. Before reading the book, I would tell the children the name of the book but cover the front cover to build the suspense. I would ask the children thought provoking, open ended questions such as “what do you think aliens look like?”, “do you think they wear clothes?”, “what kind of clothes would an alien wear?”. I would then read the story to the children with a focus on the illustrations. This is a funny and detailed book and I feel that the children would be thoroughly engaged.
I would link this story to a cross-curricular Maths and art lesson by having the children create their own alien with underpants using 2D shapes. This gives the students the freedom to use their own imagination and creativity to design an alien with whatever shapes and materials they imagine an alien to look like.
As a follow up, I would read the story “Alien’s Love Dinopants” which is equally as funny and engaging as “Alien’s Love Underpants”.
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Jessica,
I think using 2D shapes to make aliens combines maths and the story in a great way. A quick search found some extra resources to support the Aliens who love underpants, including a 2 page version of the story without all the illustrations:
and a page by page version: https://www.hannahmore.org.uk/images/Year_3_home_learning/Term_6/Week_5/Aliens_in_Underpants_save_the_world_compressed.pdf
and there is a pants template here: https://www.teachingideas.co.uk/books/aliens-love-underpants/
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I would use the activity set on Aliens to adopt a thematic , cross curricular approach to teaching in the classroom. Central to the teaching would be the ‘ Aliens Love Underpants’ book. I would use the book as a stimulus for learning. To start I would use a visualizer to read the book with the class as a whole. During the reading I would encourage the children to focus on the words, language and illustrations in the book. Using the books I would then identify subjects in which I could teach lessons using the book.
English; The book could be used for lessons on rhyme and also to focus on word types. To develop a sense of fun whilst learning the children could engage in activities where they develop their own alien language. How to say hello, Alien names and colours in their alien’s language.
Drama; The children could engage in role play activities of aliens coming to earth. They could use fun creative alien language in their role plays
Geography/Art; Types of houses. Children could do a lesson on different types of houses/ dwellings that people around the world live in .They could then draw/design their own alien dwelling
Art; Draw design an alien dwelling. Playdoh activities to make aliens. Paint blowing activities to make aliens. Make aliens using different materials and fabrics
Maths; Aliens maths work sheets, aliens counting interactive games( Maths Playground) Link to Planet Maths work book
Counting/ Adding activities. How many eyes do all of our aliens have altogether? Which tables aliens has the most/least eyes? Compare the amount of eyes at each table.Music; Songs and poems about alien
By being creative there are many more subjects which could be taught through the them of ‘ Aliens’. Twinlkle provides numerous resources/ work sheets/ maths games etc which can be used to help to teach the topic
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Mark,
given that this is a cross curricular course, but sponsored by Science Foundation Ireland, here are some science suggestions that might connect to your outline:
How to say hello, Alien names and colours in their alien’s language. – Use Sound > identify and differentiate between high and low sounds, loud and soft sounds
Make aliens using different materials and fabrics – and describe the materials (describe and compare materials, noting the differences in the colour, shape and texture) and as an extension activity explain why those materials were used in terms of their properties [… the alien’s head is shiny, so I am using sweet wrappers that are shiny etc]
Plus, by sorting the aliens by colour / number of eyes etc they can:
Living Things / Plant and Animals • sort and group living things into sets
Energy and Forces / Light
- identify and name different colours
- sort objects into sets according to colour
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Using the activity set space and aliens and the space and the mars classroom resource – design a Martian I would use the book Aliens Love Underpants as a stimulus for the lesson. While reading the story I would pause for class discussion on the illustrations of the aliens. I would ask the children to count how many eyes, fingers etc the aliens had. I would also ask the children to identify 2D shapes in the illustrations. The children would then design their own aliens using 2D shapes. In art, the class would make their alien using materials like cardboard, fabric, pipe cleaners etc connecting 2D and 3D shapes. The children would then describe their aliens and use them as a stimulus for narrative writing.
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On the theme of Space and Aliens. There are lots of different activities which could be integrated into the theme. I would use the story Adams Amazing Space Adventures as a stimulus for the lesson. I would also incorporate lessons on rhyming through out the topic. From the story and revision of what we know about each planet I would allow the children to pick a planet and design an alien from that planet. We would discuss what the alien would need to survive on their own planet by going through what we know about their planet.I would encourage the children to pick what materials they would need and provide the children with lots of scraps of materials such as paint, moulding clay, play doh, tin foil, Googly eyes, Pom poms, cotton wool etc and I would ask them to create their own aliens.Each child would be encouraged to present their alien and name them and tell the class about their alien and why they chose the particular planet and the materials they used. I could also extend this with older children to write a sentence or two about their alien and draw the alien as an extension activity for Literacy. The children could also use their aliens in groups to create small dramas about a day in the life of their alien.
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I like all of the cross-curricular integration in your outline Orla. I will check out Adams Amazing Space Adventures as children love a book with rhyme and it is always good to reinforce it as often as possible as some children find it hard to grasp. I really like the link to drama too and think children would love creating a drama about a day in the Life of their Alien.
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Activity Set: Stars
To begin the lesson: Trigger: I would show the children (first class) three real life images (sun/moon/earth) on the whiteboard with no captions – the children to work in pairs/groups and consider what each of the images represents.
1. Ask everyone to come up with as many similarities and differences as they can. If they get stuck, prompt them to think about:
Appearance – size/shape/ colour association
what they do – function
where they might be found – location
(a KWL chart or mind map could be recorded by teacher based on accurate facts given by pupils)
2. Then, everyone needs to decide which one is the odd one out and why. Encourage a reason for every answer and there is no wrong answer here!
3. I would read : Our Stars By Anne Rockwell , emphasising that the sun is a star and that also we have lots of stars . Stars in groups that form a pattern or an outline are known as constellations. I would ask children to name any constellations they know before we read the book. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqo-cP9gemw
4. I would engage the children in the imaginative Draw your Own Constellation Activity.Extension linked to Art in the same week: I would engage the children in creating a constellation Activity: Looking at the Plough in two ways
I would give children a choice as to whether they want to use pre-cut straws or string – I feel that some children in first would be able for the measuring of the string but not all. -
As I have 2nd class I would be keen to adapt the lesson on Stars. Here is how I would extend the learning for the children in my class.
Objective:
Students will observe and record the night sky to enhance their understanding of stars and constellations.Duration:
1 week (daily 10-15 minutes, with a 30-minute class discussion at the end).Materials:
Star chart, observation diary, pencils/markers, optional telescope/binoculars.
Introduction:
Explain star patterns and constellations. Provide students with a star chart and observation diary. Each night, they will spend 10-15 minutes observing the stars, noting the constellations and any changes in their diary.Observation:
Students will record their observations daily, including date, time, weather, and drawings. Encourage them to notice patterns, brightness, and any changes in the stars’ positions.Class Discussion:
After a week, students share their findings, discussing which constellations they saw, any changes, and how weather affected visibility.Follow-Up:
Students create their own constellation and myth based on their observations. -
Space and Aliens.
Using the picture book ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ as a stimulus for the children.
Literacy: using the picture book to work on concepts of print with the children. Making predictions about the story. Focusing on rhyming words.
Maths: Measuring moon rocks (tinfoil balls), aliens, and rockets using non standard units of measurement. Putting Aliens into categories ( aliens that have 3 eyes, aliens that are blue, aliens that have 4 legs etc.)
Art: creating clay aliens, describing their aliens, imagining and drawing a planet that their aliens would like to live on.
Music: the planets song. exploring sounds that aliens might make.
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I choose Space and Aliens.
I would start with the story Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman. I would also show a clip from the movie Monsters vs Aliens.
After discussing the story and what else aliens might love, how they would feel if they landed in our classroom we would move on to other integrated lessons.
1. Creative art – making aliens – I would get the children to cut out any shape in card that they would then paint the colour of their choosing. While that is drying they can cut out legs and arms using coloured sugar paper. I would remind them that they can use as many or as few arms and legs as they like. They will then assemble them and stick on as many or as few googly eyes as they feel is right.
2. Maths – colours – we would use the aliens they made and do a little show and tell, describing the colour of the body and the arms & legs. Counting and adding on – we would use they aliens in pairs/groups and count how many legs/arms/eyes individually and combined.
3. Drama – the children could explore the classroom as aliens – what do the things around the room do, how do they work? We could discuss communication methods.
4. Construction – using blocks/lego/mobilo or other items around the classroom the children could construct alien spacecraft.
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I would choose the theme of Space and Aliens for teaching a 2nd class
Trigger – teacher as alien that has arrived on earth and everything is new and needs explanation. I would do this as a Drama game called out ‘come out little alien’ where teacher is in role as shy, nervous alien hiding at desk and children in pairs persuade the alien to come out by describing to the alien how nice life is on planet earth.
This drama game allows children to work collaboratively and use persuasive language and skills to convince the alien to emerge form hiding and embrace planet earth. I think it ties with the activity described in the module where children are asked to identify what makes life on earth nice. Teacher in role as alien can coax children with prompt questions ‘is it very hot here on this planet? what can i drink when i’m thirsty? would hope that children will be able to describe factors like temperature on earth and that 70% of earth surface is covered by oceans.
It would link to SESE and writing to allow children create posters and design reasons why maybe the alien is better suited to living on another planet. Working in groups I would ask children to imagine what life on Saturn/Mars/Venus might be like and what type of life forms may exist there. Pupils in groups and draw the aliens that may exit there and also describe what life may be like there on other planets. Pupils could research known facts about planets and use that; for example absence of water on Mars.
Art – create Aliens using playdough and clay.
Music – listen to classical music that has been used in films about aliens. Excerpts of music from ET and close encounters. Allow the children to engage in a listening and responding activity where they describe what the music makes them think of. They could illustrate what they imagine is occuring when listening to this music
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
How would you use the activity in your classroom?
As Junior school SET my lesson would be aimed at Infants.
Again using a thematic/ cross curricular approach in Infant class.
Literacy – work using a Big Book – Aliens love Underpants by Claire Freedman. This will engage and trigger the kids to wonder and explore. Eliciting discussion about differences between earth and other planets. What is it like on Mars? Is it hot or cold?
Art – Set the children an Art activity to design an Alien. What would they look like? How would they survive on Mars. Examine images of Mars. Also observe Mars in the night sky – it is red. What would the Alien need to survive? What would they look like? Draw and sketch the model first and then use modelling clay to create their Alien.
Maths – The Aliens can then be used as a Maths activity in counting/ sorting/ addition etc.-
Una,
for me, the key way to bring science thinking into this creative activity is to do exactly what you have suggested:
What would the Alien need to survive?
The child who creates a wonderful, imaginative alien can then extend the activity by describing the ecosystem that they live in.
When we make aliens (using tin foil) there is often a child who gets a bit discouraged and crumples theirs us into a ball. I suggest that this is an alien in camouflage, waiting to catch an other alien by surprise!
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Stars for First Class
I would firstly show the pupils this clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubZrAmRxy_M (N.B. 1:41) and facilitate a discussion on how the stars in the night sky can be used for navigation. https://theconversation.com/how-far-theyll-go-moana-shows-the-power-of-polynesian-celestial-navigation-72375
I would read the picture book “Zoo in the Sky” by Jackqueline Mitton to the pupils and discuss it.
I would show the pupils Stellarium on the interactive whiteboard and ask them to identify any constellations they know of or we read about in the picture book. Then I would name some constellations to them and ask them if they are able to find them. Given that I teach in a Gaelscoil I would do so as Gaeilge referencing the names listed here https://telescoper.blog/2023/08/29/celestial-echoes-the-night-sky-in-irish-folklore/. I would then compare their names as Gaeilge agus as Béarla using this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjBGpA2Muyc We could also consider the meaning behind the different names: https://assa.saao.ac.za/astronomy-in-south-africa/ethnoastronomy/
I would then have the pupils complete the Draw Your Own Constellation activity. As suggested previously I would use black sugar paper, gold star stickers and some chalk. I dot the sugar paper in advance to indicate where the pupils should stick the stars before linking the stars with chalk. I would then guide pupils to use pegboards as well as playdoh and toothpicks to create constellations and to cut string or straws to connect them. We could vote to name various stars/ constellations as suggested earlier in the forum too.
We could also create some star lanterns, and use the constellation cards shared by Frances above https://inventorsoftomorrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ccf58-viewerfile.png as a guide to punch the lanterns.
I would invite the pupils to choose a constellation and paint it, taking inspiration from one of hte following artworks which were shared earlier in this forum:
Vincent Van Gogh – Starry Night Over the Rhone
James Whistler – Nocturne in Black and Gold
Rita Oates – A Star
We could complete the Plough Clock activity to conclude this unit of work.-
Nora,
thanks for sharing the Irish language resource. I grew up in Canada, so my Irish is pretty much non-existent. I know numbers to 8 (to count the stars of the Plough) and a handful of colours.
My colleague has some astronomy terms that she uses, I’ll share them in the end of course summary – you’ll be able to find them on spaceweek.ie in September.
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I would choose to do a lesson about Stars for my Seniors and First Class.
Discovering Stars
Objective:
Students will learn basic facts about stars and how they form constellations.Materials:
Star stickers or cutouts
Black construction paper
White crayons or markers
Star-themed storybook or video
Introduction:
Start by asking if anyone has seen stars at night and what they look like. Explain that stars are huge balls of hot gas that shine in the sky, and they are much bigger than Earth!Activity:
Give each student a piece of black construction paper and star stickers or cutouts. Have them create their own night sky by placing the stars on the paper. Show them simple constellations (like the Big Dipper) and let them try to recreate these patterns on their paper using white crayons.Discussion:
Read a short story or show a video about stars and constellations. Ask students to share their creations and what they learned about stars.Conclusion:
Review key points and encourage students to look for constellations at home with their families.
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