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How does climate change influence coastal erosion on Killiney Beach and how can we promote coastal erosion prevention?
“What do you think happens to the shoreline when waves hit it repeatedly?” Discuss within small groups and share answers. Explain that coastal erosion is the process where waves, wind, and other natural forces wear away the land along the coast. Discuss why coasts are important to people and wildlife, such as providing habitats, protecting inland areas from storms, and offering recreation.
Investigate causes of coastal erosion: Natural Forces: Explain how waves, currents, tides, and wind contribute to erosion. Human Activities: Discuss how building structures, mining sand, and removing vegetation can accelerate erosion. Sea Level Rise: Touch on how climate change and rising sea levels can worsen coastal erosion.
Investigate the Effects of Coastal Erosion: Loss of land, impact on habitats, economic impact etc.
Brainstorm ideas to prevent and/or reduce coastal erosions. Natural solutions – Discuss planting vegetation to hold the soil, creating dunes, and restoring wetlands. Engineering solutions: the use of sea walls, groynes, and breakwaters to protect the coast.
Simulation to demonstrate coastal erosion: Use a shallow tray filled with sand to represent a beach. Add water to one side to represent the sea. Gently move the water to simulate waves hitting the sand. Show how the sand moves and shifts, demonstrating erosion. Ask students to observe what happens and discuss how this relates to real coastal erosion.
In small groups the children will be assigned a specific coastal erosion: causes, effects, or solutions. They will then create a poster illustrating their findings to help to promote the importance of coastal erosion prevention.
Smart Pebbles were released on Killiney Beach in 2023 to track climate change impacts. I would like to contact the researchers in UCD to perhaps discuss their project with the class.
I really like your idea of using the beach as your location for your research project. It’s a great idea to analyse the movement of stones/rocks and the litter which washes up. I think it’s a great idea that you plan to visit over different seasons to see the various changes to the shore.
I thought it would be interesting to try out the Satellite Tracker app. I did not find any that were completely free. However, the one that I chose to use has a 7 day free trial.
SAOCOM 1-A : SAOCOM-1 mission is composed of two satellites (SAOCOM-1A and -1B) launched consecutively. The overall objective of SAOCOM (SAtélite Argentino de Observación COn Microondas) is to provide an effective Earth observation and disaster monitoring capability.
Terra: Terra explores the connections between Earth’s atmosphere, land, snow and ice, ocean, and energy balance to understand Earth’s climate and climate change and to map the impact of human activity and natural disasters on communities and ecosystems.
USA 81: USA 81 was a US Air Force signals intelligence satellite.
Helios 1B was a French military photo-reconnaissance spacecraft launched by an Ariane rocket.
OKEAN O: Okean-O was a Russian-Ukrainian remote sensing satellite which enabled monitoring of ocean salinity, waves, and ice conditions. It will also relay data from fixed land- or ocean-based platforms. The launch had been delayed until resolution of a dispute with Kazakhstan arising out of a crash of a Proton-K rocket on 5 July 1999.
Koronas-Foton: KORONAS-Foton is a Russian satellite for solar physics, solar-terrestrial connection physics and astrophysics. It was launched on 30th January 2009. The primary purpose of the mission was the study of solar electromagnetic radiation, especially from solar flares, in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) up to high-energy gamma-ray radiation. It was also capable of making parallel observations of Earth’s upper atmosphere in EUV and soft X-rays as well as monitoring other astrophysical X-ray and gamma-ray sources.
I really like the idea of using the EO Browser as a historical resource. It would also be really interesting for the children to see the development of Ireland’s towns and cities using the browser.
I love the idea of using debate to discuss this topic. Concern Debates have great resources that could be used even if you were not competing in their competitions.
Home by Yann Arthus Bertrand is a is a visually breathtaking documentary that offers a panoramic view of Earth’s landscapes and the impact of humans on the environment. The film covers topics such as deforestation, climate change, urbanisation, and loss of biodiversity. It emphasises the need for immediate action to preserve the planet for our future generations. The message is clear and direct, using striking statistics that inform us of the severity of the issues. I feel that the video is too long to show to primary children as a whole film. I would rather show clips from the film and use them as triggers for discussion regarding climate change. The film does not provide solutions to the problems as such, this is a perfect opportunity for the children to create their own action plans. I also think that the Climate Aid video would have to be edited for children in primary school as I fear a lot of children would be dealing with climate anxiety. Seeing animals in distress is something that would be too horrific for children to deal with and would do more harm than good. I think that the Footprint Calculator is a great tool that could be used to highlight the actual impact that we as individuals are having on our world.
I really like the idea of using the children’s environment and surrounding areas to identify the changes which have occurred. It is a very engaging and practical approach.
To begin the lesson, I would facilitate a class discussion on climate change to ascertain the children’s prior knowledge of the topic. As this is such a well discussed topic in the media, I feel they will have some knowledge. However, to explain the impact of carbon emissions and greenhouse gas I will show the Paxi video. I feel that this is a great, age-appropriate video to explain the greenhouse effect. It also explains how global warming is occurring and the link with human activity. I feel the prediction tool TEAL will be more user-friendly for the senior classes. I think I would use it more as a comparison tool with the younger classes to show how climate change is occurring. I really like that children can investigate different climate variables such as rainfall and temperature. I would ask the children to brainstorm how climate change is affecting the planet, rising temperatures, melting ice caps, sea-level rise, more extreme weather (like storms and droughts), and its impact on animals and plants. I think using TEAL to show areas affected by rising sea levels and extreme weather events would be very beneficial. As a visual activity the children would be asked to draw two pictures: one of the Earth as it is now, and one of what they think it will look like, if climate change continues at the same rate, in 2050. Finally, in small groups the children will be asked to come up with a climate action plan for the school.
I love the idea of integrating your lessons into Aistear for the younger classes. Also, having the Student Council/Green Schools reps to mind and maintain the equipment is a great idea.
‘STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning that removes the traditional barriers separating the four disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics and integrates them into real-world, rigorous and relevant learning experiences for students’ (Vasquez, Comer, & Sneider 2013). This quote has really resonated with me throughout the module. Instead of teaching each subject in isolation, STEM encourages a blend of concepts and skills from each area to solve practical and sometimes complex issues. There were such excellent resources available throughout the module which really focused on the real-world experiences of the child.
I loved the idea of setting up a weather station in the school grounds. It would be an engaging, hands-on educational experience that would foster a wide range of STEM skills. It would encourage students to observe, analyse and communicate weather and climate knowledge. It would also enable students to understand their environment better and engage in meaningful scientific inquiry.
The course really solidified the importance of being able to differentiate between weather and climate. The idea of recording the weather on the children’s birthdays and asking to interview family members to see if patterns emerged, brings the idea of engaging the children in real-world exploration. Also, the video clips throughout were very engaging and informative. I especially enjoyed the clip explaining how to decode the weather forecast. I will use this with my class in the coming year.
These are such gorgeous ideas for lessons. I especially love the drama lesson which I know would be a great hit with my new class. The postcard from space is also a lovely way of integrating literacy.
Make a spacecraft: Learn about rockets, how they work, and their role in space exploration through interactive activities and hands-on experiments.
Trigger questions: What do you know about rockets?, Have you ever seen a rocket launch? Show pictures and videos of rockets taking off, in space, and landing. Explain the basic parts of a rocket: nose cone, body, fins, and engine. Use a simple diagram to illustrate these parts. Discuss how rockets work, focusing on the concept of thrust and how fuel helps propel rockets into space. Continue to engage in discussions asking: Why do rockets have pointed noses? and What do you think happens inside a rocket during launch? The children will then be asked to design a rocket initially on their whiteboards. They will discuss their designs within their groups and use these simple designs to create rockets using vitamin tablet tubes and card. They will be encouraged to add a nose cone and fins. Then the children will be ready for the rocket launch using the Space Week – Make a Spacecraft experiment. Explain the science behind the experiment, focusing on the chemical reaction that produces gas and builds up pressure to launch the rocket. The groups will be asked to reflect on their launch, did it work? What could have been done differently? etc. When the rockets have been tidied up and to calm the class after the excitement, I would read “Roaring Rockets” by Tony Mitton.I love the idea of the station teaching approach to the weather. Such lovely and engaging ways for the children to learn. Will definitely be stealing this idea!
The children will learn about various Arctic animals, their adaptations to the cold environment, and their roles in the ecosystem. The book: “Polar Animals” by Wade Cooper will be used as a resource for learning. Can you name an animal that lives in the Arctic? Why do you think they live there and not in Australia? Discuss the responses. Then show pictures and brief video clips of various Arctic animals (polar bears, Arctic foxes, seals, walruses, and snowy owls). Discuss key characteristics and adaptations: Polar Bears: Thick fur, fat layer, large paws. Arctic Foxes: White fur for camouflage, small ears. Seals: Blubber for warmth, streamlined bodies. Walruses: Tusks for breaking ice, blubber. Snowy Owls: White feathers, sharp talons. Use the map to show where the Arctic is located. Discuss how the extreme cold affects the animals and how they adapt to survive. Report Writing: The children will be asked to do further research on an Arctic animal of choice. They will be asked to include habitat, diet, adaptations and a fun fact. The children will present their reports to the class to share their interesting information and participate in question time to reflect on what they have learned.
