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I agree Ciara,the Deposit return scheme has made recycling more relevant to children.Its a great easy fundraiser idea for schools with the kids bringing in their bottles once a week.I also like that the introduction of the scheme recycling rates have increased hugely demonstrating the real impact of people power and how our daily habits really can make a difference .
I’m also looking forward to exploring these satellite trackers with my senior infants.Space always comes out as one their favourite aistear themes and I’m always surprised how knowledgeable they all are on the subject.Ive never used a satellite tracker as part of a lesson but I definitely will this year .I’m glad I’ve come away from this course with so many practical ideas.
I agree Catriona ,it’s a perfect hands on activity for both the junior and senior end of the school .I completed it as part of my college placement with a 5th class who loved it.Weather is an excellent stimulus to engage students who may struggle with other subjects.Its so relevant now after the summer we’ve had.Im looking forward to completing some of these ideas once I’m back in school.
Research Question :How can we reduce the level of recycling in our school and ensure that the correct items are being placed in the correct bins.
Prior to beginning our brainstorming session I would show the pupils some videos relating to current climate issues around the globe including ‘The ice is melting’ and ‘Earth under the lid’.I would enorage the pupils to share anything they have recently seen on the news that relates to climate and the environment.There would be a lot of recent research done on increasing summer temperatures,heat waves and forest fires .Although this will not form part of our research question it would be important to discuss these very relevant issues amongst the class.Perhaps some of them were on holidays during a heatwave,how did they feel.
Using the framework we would brainstorm some ideas,ensuring that the question is relevant,not too broad or narrow ,clear and concise that the information we need would be readily available .
The data collected would be ground data including research of the areas around the school including checking classroom bins,discussions with caretakers and other relevant staff to get an idea of our current level of correct disposal of litter.The data used will all be ground data .Some quiokent that will be required would include litter pickers and bins.The data collected would then be analyzed.
The children would be encouraged to design a poster and devise and incentive to encourage better levels of recycling.The posters would include clear and conse labeling of all bins within classrooms,a poster for each classroom and a whole school competition for the most improved classroom .Photographs and images would be made into a PowerPoint to display to all classes.
The results would be taken again after 3 weeks and then 6 weeks.Each classroom would have a new class job of litter monitor.
This question is relevant to the children and applicable to something they do daily.
Activity 3.
I found the ESA resource high up in the sky excellent.It is user friendly and easy to follow.The progression of the activities are excellent with activities 1 and 2 giving a good basis before moving on to the practical tasks.This is a resource I will definitely be using in my classroom.
Activity 1:Talking about the weather .I would include a daily weather discussion as part of our daily morning meeting .I would create a word wall and brainstorm how many different words we can use to describe the weather .For example how many different types of rain can we describe .what is the difference.As part of a homework task I would ask the children to ask their parents and grandparents any weather proverbs that they know.We would the discuss what we think they mean and research the history of the saying within groups.
Activity 2:Sensing the weather I would have a class discussion on what senses we can use to detect the weather.I would complete this lesson outside so we can discuss what we are currently feeling and how we are feeling it.Do you feel windy or rain on your skin ? What can you see or hear that can tell you about the weather.I would differentiate the worksheet for younger classes so they could use pictures to detail their findings.
Activity 3.It is important for this activity to find the right area to set up our equipment so this would be the first job.We would work on getting all the equipment together first and then building the anemometer as a class group.I would ensure that each student gets a turn of taking the measurements .We would do a class discussion before taking the measurements each day and tie in the questions with the previous 2 activities .For example ,Did you feel warmer this morning ,do you think the temperature will be higher than yesterday .Did you hear any rain last night ,do you think our rain measurements will be higher.
After a couple of days of taking our own measurements we would look at some satellite tracking apps and discuss how they take weather measurements and why accurate measuring of weather is imporant.I would tie in this activity with a drama lesson ,giving the students time to research and become a weather reporter in different areas of the world .This would include some discussion and research on climates from different countries. Overall a great resource which I will be using next term.
I agree with Sarah regarding the aerial footage.It gave an effective perspective on the beauty and fragility of the planet.
‘Home’ was both beautiful and sad in equal measure.The beautiful scenery,fantastic narration ,appropriate soundtrack and beautifully shot film was stunning to watch.It would be fantastic resource for introducing climte change to more senior classes .I would let the children watch it themselves over a number of classes and ask them what their biggest ‘take aways/thoughts and questions were after watching the piece.I would then divide the children into groups and ask them to focus on one of the issues raised .This could be either
- Did the world develop agricultural systems too quickly ,what could we do to reverse this and our over reliance on meat.
- Focus on one mega city such as New York or Dubai and look into the history of it’s growth.What will happen if our cities continue to develop at this rate.
- Focus on either coral reefs or deforestation and research what can be done to protect out oceans and our forests.
This film is particularly poignant after the summer of wildfires we have had and I hope that the case for the urgency of climate action is now at the forefront of people minds.
Great Thurnberg is an inspiration for young people ,She is a prime example of fighting for your beliefs and striving for what you know is right.I especially think that we when she mentions not being fond of talking to anyone one year ago and there she is giving a speech to the world ,this would resonate with those children who maybe stay in the shadows but when inspired can have so much to say and share.
Great idea re new vocab and words.I would go so far as setting up a word wall with images and all the new vocab we have learned from the lessons covered on climate.
The praxi video is a super resource that I would use after we’ve covered the basics of climate change and greenhouse effects in previous lessons.I would then pause the video in certain parts and ask the class to answer the questions posed.I feel the use of a character in these types of videos is a fantastic idea.It engages the children immediately.During the video I would make sure to ask questions such as what fossil fuels do the children think we use and what are our alternatives.In the area where I live there is a lot of greenhouses that grow fruit and vegetables .I would try and arrange a visit to one so the kids could get a real sensation of the heat that it can hold.
The animation and is simple and easy to follow but I would amend it slightly so that it is slightly less scary for younger kids.Sometimes an anxious child can overthink these ideas.I know it’s a serious subject but for infants it might be hard to understand some of it.
The teal tool is a brilliant interactive resource.I would ensure that this tool would be used at the end of a chunk of lessons on climate change ,I would also use the resources section and watch the informative videos and reintroduce the meaning of the variables which are clearly detailed here.I would allow the children to use the tool themselves during the tablet time they get during the week.In smaller groups I would set the children a task of finding the results on certain dates including when they were born,when their parents were born ,when the school was opened and when they might leave school what could it be like .I would then encourage the children to come up with ideas we can do in school to help reduce climate change.I would tie this into an art lesson where they design posters with helpful hints for other students.I would also introduce a new classroom job,the green monitor who ensures that recycling is taking place within the class and light switches are turned off when we exit the room.I would encourage every classroom to give this role to a student.
After reading Listons(2018) paper it struck me that STEM in itself is cross circular.Looking back on my recent years in infants where play and inquiry based learning are particularly prevelant it is clear that I have used STEM in many subjects .During play based learning maths and engineering is used in construction play,science and technology would be integrated into art and sociodramatic play stations (how to play with the sand/slime/ to create the correct results on the tuft tray for example).
Activity 1: Is it weather or climate.The videos provided and real life examples would be a great way to introduce this topic .I would add to the questions provided on the worksheet and ask the class 2 or 3 daily to bring their attention back to the topic and prompt further discussions.One way I would add to this activity would be to create an interactive map (for senior classes) or a real life card map( for junior classes) and pick a couple of countries a day where we decide and discuss what their weather might be ,then research what it actually is that day and then discuss what their climate is while highlighting the differences between both.
<p style=”text-align: right;”>Activity 2:I would agree with Enyas feedback about using this second activity as a class wide project.I would even consider using it as a school wide project rotating class levels so that each class got a turn taking the measurements.I would encourage the junior classes to design some artwork for the top of the anemometer and the senior classes could engineer and implement the design.The recording of the measurements would integrate maths across the classes.The results could be shared around the school using different graphs and pictograms and a class group could share their displays in a quick 10 minutes recap during assembly.</p>