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Module 5 Research Question:
How does the amount of tree cover around our school affect local air temperature and biodiversity throughout the year?
This research question is relevant because it explores how green spaces can help reduce the effects of climate change while supporting wildlife.
I would begin by discussing why climate change matters in our local community and ask pupils what environmental changes they have noticed. Allowing them to contribute ideas and make predictions would give them ownership of the investigation.
Pupils could collect temperature readings from shaded and unshaded areas, observe and record different plants and animals, and compare their findings over time.
The investigation would help them understand the relationship between vegetation, climate, and ecosystems.
To encourage pupils to participate, I would make the project as practical and collaborative as possible. Pupils could work in small groups with clearly defined roles, such as data collectors, photographers, biodiversity surveyors, or record keepers, ensuring everyone contributes according to their strengths and interests.Regular opportunities to analyse data, create graphs and share findings with classmates would help maintain motivation and demonstrate how scientific evidence can be used to answer important questions.
I would integrate the project across the curriculum. Pupils could write persuasive letters about increasing green spaces, create digital presentations of their findings, calculate averages and graph trends in maths and produce artwork inspired by local biodiversity.
Inviting parents to view the pupils’ results and projects would provide an authentic audience and reinforce that their work has value beyond the classroom.
I downloaded and worked through the ESA resource Nose Up High in the Sky . The activities were engaging and easy to follow. The resource includes three activities focused on weather observations, using the senses, and building simple weather instruments to introduce pupils to scientific data collection and the role of satellites in weather forecasting.
I completed the weather observation task of describing the temperature, wind, cloud cover and rainfall using my senses and comparing my observations with a weather forecast.
I also examined the instructions for building simple weather instruments such as a rain gauge and an anemometer. These practical tasks helped me appreciate how scientists collect reliable weather data and how satellites support weather forecasting.
The resource encourages inquiry-based learning, observation, prediction and data recording, while also developing mathematical and scientific skills. I particularly liked that it uses everyday materials, making it accessible and affordable for most classrooms.
I would definitely use this resource in class because it is hands-on, curriculum-linked and promotes active learning.
You could easily spend hours and hours on this website exploring satellites. My kids joined in and are hooked too. The pupils in my class would most definitely find it fascinating and I am excited to introduce it to them in September.
HOME is both thought provoking and gut wrenching. The beauty of our planet is contrasted with the serious environmental challenges caused by human activity. The film reminds viewers that the Earth’s natural resources are limited and that our actions have serious consequences for future generations. Overall, I think it is really inspiring because it encourages people to take responsibility for protecting the environment.
In response to the video and to introduce the climate change facts to my pupils, I would begin by asking simple questions about nature, weather, and recycling to assess their prior knowledge.
I would then show short, age-appropriate clips from the documentary and encourage pupils to share their observations and feelings. A guided discussion would help them understand the causes and effects of climate change in a way that is relevant to their daily lives.
To reinforce learning, I would organise practical activities such as recycling projects, planting seeds, creating posters about environmental protection and discussing ways to save water and energy at home and at school. These activities would promote environmental awareness while helping pupils develop a sense of responsibility and a sense of confidence that their everyday actions can make a positive difference.I would 100% agree with you Rachel that these videos are more suited to the Senior classes. In saying that individual kids in the senior classes can also have a lot of anxiety about climate change and global warming. I suppose empowering them to realise that they individually can make a positive impact on combatting climate change would be a good way of steering the lesson.
I would introduce the topic by showing the children the Paxi video on greenhouse gases, followed by a class discussion about greenhouse gases. Pupils can conduct an experiment to model the greenhouse effect. The ESA Earth Under the Lid resources could be used for this.
In relation to activity 3, the pupils become Climate Reporters and learn about climate projections. They would get some understanding about how a future increase in temperature may affect their own lives. In groups the children can work collaboratively to come up with ideas and suggestions on how to lessen the impacts of global warming and climate change in their area. I’m sure they will come up with lots of interesting suggestions. They can use the Book Creator App to record their ideas and conclusions and share them with the class. Their books can be shown at assembly on the portable IWB and they can be shared on the school Website for parents to see.
Hi Sean, I agree that the children would need to be familiar with the vocabulary in advance to ensure understanding of the content. Also, they would really enjoy presenting thier charts to the other groups like a weather report.
I really like your idea of the older children working with and mentoring the younger children Rachel. Extending the activity over the course of the year will provide the children lots of opportunities for discussion about the varied results.
Liston’s paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics was very interesting. I like that it focuses on the importance of challenging the children’s critical and creative thinking. I would agree that STEM is far more effective if taught in an integrated way as it makes learning more meaningful for children. As regards STEM in my classroom I always aim to providing hands-on, inquiry-based activities. I always encourage students to work collaboratively and apply their knowledge to investigate problems.
Lesson 1: Is it weather or is it climate? This is a fantastic lesson. I would start with a KWL activity on Padlet to gauge current pupil knowledge of what is weather and what is climate. The ESA video links will help to explain the terms and I would use the PR54_Weather_vs_Climate.pdf also.
Lesson 2: Weather Detectives I really enjoyed this. I think it would be a great lesson to do with the senior classes and extend it over the school year, The children would love designing and making their own weather devices to use to carry out their inquiries.
Module 5 Assignment
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky?
The night sky has inspired countless songs, poems and works of art throughout history. Like all aspects of nature, it holds a universal beauty that connects us to one another. We often gaze upward not just to admire its beauty, but in the hope of finding answers, guidance, and even a sense of self. For some, the night sky becomes a bridge to loved ones who have passed, a silent space for unspoken conversations.
From our earliest years, the night sky is woven into our lives—whether through lullabies like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, sung to soothe a baby, or star-themed mobiles gently spinning above a crib. Popular music also draws on its symbolism: Reach for the Stars encourages limitless ambition, while the timeless Moon River evokes love, longing, and dreams.
Poetry offers equally rich imagery. In Wordsworth’s I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, the stars appear “continuous…along the margin of a bay,” sparkling like companions in the night sky. Similarly, the whimsical lines from Edward Lear’s The Owl and the Pussy Cat capture the joy and wonder the night can inspire.
“They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.”Visual art, too, has immortalised the night sky. One of the most famous examples is Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, painted while he was in an asylum. The swirling, luminous sky suggests both turbulence and beauty, perhaps reflecting Van Gogh’s search for solace and meaning.
As Oscar Wilde once wrote:
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
Module 5 Assignment
The night sky has inspired countless songs, poems and works of art throughout history. Like all aspects of nature, it holds a universal beauty that connects us to one another. We often gaze upward not just to admire its beauty, but in the hope of finding answers, guidance, and even a sense of self. For some, the night sky becomes a bridge to loved ones who have passed, a silent space for unspoken conversations.
From our earliest years, the night sky is woven into our lives—whether through lullabies like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, sung to soothe a baby, or star-themed mobiles gently spinning above a crib. Popular music also draws on its symbolism: Reach for the Stars encourages limitless ambition, while the timeless Moon River evokes love, longing and dreams.
Poetry offers equally rich imagery. In Wordsworth’s I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, the stars appear “continuous…along the margin of a bay,” sparkling like companions in the night sky. Similarly, the whimsical lines from Edward Lear’s The Owl and the Pussy Cat capture the joy and wonder the night can inspire.
“They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.”Visual art, too, has immortalized the night sky. One of the most famous examples is Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, painted while he was in an asylum. The swirling, luminous sky suggests both turbulence and beauty, perhaps reflecting van Gogh’s search for solace and meaning.
As Oscar Wilde once wrote:
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
So—keep looking up. And as the song says, Don’t stop believing!
Thanks for this Ellen. I must save your list of songs poems and art works in my notes. It’s brilliant to get so many great suggestions for integration between STEM and arts education.
Module 4 Assignment
How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?Laois Co Council have videos, books and colouring books on biodiversity in the garden which are really nice and they can be ordered free of charge for the children or for the class library. I would introduce the topic of biodiversity to the children with these resources and the David Attenborough you tube video on biodiversity https://youtu.be/GlWNuzrqe7U
The more the children realise that every creature has its role to play and has a valuable contribution to make to our planet as a whole is so so important. We are all interdependent on each and all ecosystems and biodiversities and the services they provide for life to continue.
We need to protect the environment by preventing pollution and climate change and eliminating all threats to biodiversity. If we start by doing this at a local level, then it will naturally spread to the wider world. A lot of local birds and bees and other creatures and plants are currently under threat in Ireland and this needs to be addressed first. By teaching the children about their local areas and encouraging them to just look around and observe the nature around them we can get them invested in learning how they can protect the beauty around them.
The RTE clip about the long eared bat was very interesting. They suggested a good website to look up the 10 different bat species that are found in ireland.www.batconservationireland.org and learnaboutbats.com.
Who knew! I would have always considered bats rodents with wings but I have changed my mind. The video about the conservation of the lesser horseshoe bat in Mayo was very interesting too. The children will be inspired to protect the bats after researching all the different types and the threats they face, especially the threats from light pollution. Plus they will love playing the Bat Moth Game and will give them a greater appreciation of echolocation.The ESERO day and night in the world 30 resource suggests a lot of different activities to teach the kids how light pollution can impact on plant grown and on different creatures in their every day lives to hunt, eat, sleep and to survive!
One of my fondest memories of my primary school years is the nature walks we used to take around the school grounds and locality. We learned so much from our surroundings and from each other about nature, plants and animals than we did from any book.
We are so lucky to have technology and videos to help us observe and understand a wide variety of biodiversity’s both locally, nationally and beyond.
