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Research Question: How does rainfall vary throughout the year? Has this pattern changed through the years?
I would follow the steps of the Climate Detectives Research Planner as a guide for this lesson.
Phase One: I would introduce the research question the class. I would elicit the children’s prior knowledge on rainfall and rainfall patterns through questioning. I would question the children on whether rainfall is a weather or climate issue. We would discuss simple aspects of climate change and its effect on the water cycle
Phase Two: I would divide the children into small groups. I would get each child to research rainfall in October in Cork city in several years. 2025, 2015, 2005, 1995. When the children have researched and recorded this information we would share our findings with the class. I would ask the children on which year the rainfall was heaviest and lightest. We would then display this information on a block graph so it is simple to see. This would provide good integration with maths.
Phase Three: Although there is no direct actions we can take to effect the rainfall in our area. Discussion and reflection on our findings can occur here. We can look into the effects of rainfall: flooding, farming, drought. There are a lot of further opportunities for learning here and follow on research questions. A good one would be are winters become wetter and summers becoming drier? Linking back to this current summer which the children would have all enjoyed the sunshine and lack of rain. Sharing experiences of the lovely things they did when the weather was nice. Discussion surrounding the effects of this on agriculture and how farmers had to dive into their autumn stocks for the animals due to the very hot weather.
Another suggested activity would be collecting rainfall using a rain gauge in our school grounds in October 26. We could compare findings from October 2025 to see if there has been any improvements in the last year.
I also agree that there are great opportunities for linkage with learning about weather, air, and the atmosphere.
Download the Teacher Guide & Pupil Activities for the ESA Resource ‘ Nose High Up in The Sky, carry out the pupil activities yourself and post your thoughts on the resource and if you would use it in class. (150 words)
The ESA resource Nose High Up in the Sky is excellent. I carried out this course as I am carrying my first class children onto second class next year and space was a huge interest of theirs last year. I am looking forward to trying out this activity along with other ESA activities in my classroom.
This resource encourages active learning and curiosity which is a key aspect of the curriculum. I carried out the activity myself and found it practical and easy to follow. Firstly, I would start the lesson by eliciting the children’s prior knowledge on rockets and space. I would question the children on this and talk through the exercise in advance. I would divide the class into small groups to carry out the exercise. At the end of the exercise, I would get groups to merge to discuss their findings. This would provide me with opportunities to assess the children through questioning and observation. This exercise would work well in the classroom as it is promoting the children to think and to be active in their learning. Children are working and collaborating together. The children would develop their maths skills also by recording their findings. Learning is meaningful and interconnected, this exercises provides opportunities for further integration such as designing a rocket in visual arts.
I like the idea of monitoring energy in the classroom. In my own school, I noticed teachers often leave lights on during yard time or when leaving the school for a school trip. Lights were left on for weekends and this was brought up at a staff meeting eating. We introduced a weekly light monitor in each class. This light monitor was responsible for ensuring all lights were turned off when leaving the classroom at any stage but especially when leaving at the end of the day and for the weekend. This was a simple task. However, it has had a positive effect. The children enjoy the responsibility of having a job and it also reduces the overall energy used by the school
I found the video Home by Yann Arthus Bertrand particularly moving and very interesting, it is a very good resource to use as a starting point for lessons on climate change in the classroom. I really liked the use of the aerial photographs used. I think this video really emphasised how connected the earth is, everything is dependant on one another. This video highlights the beauty of planet earth however is sadly shows the other side and the damage we have caused to our earth. The devastating consequences of overuse of fossil fuels, farming, pollution and overconsumption are all highlighted. There is a lot to take in when watching this video as an adult so I think it is important to be aware of this when introducing it to a classroom of primary school aged children. I think the video is too long and children’s attention and focus would not last. I would choose 3 important stand out clips when teaching. I would devise a series of lessons on climate change as it is too broad a topic to do in a single lesson. In my first lesson, I would introduce climate change and build on this in follow on lessons. There is a wide range of options for integration here which is an aim of the new stem curriculum specification. In science, exploration of ecosystems, food chains could be carried out. In geography, we could look at the earths natural features and how dependant we are on other countries globally. In art, we could do printing to create natural environments such as the ocean, desert, and forests. I think the content in the Home video is excellent. However, it is important it is taught in a child centred way drawing on the children’s own live experiences. Linking to the green schools programme throughout would be very effective as it shows our lived experiences and what we are doing daily as a school to help our world. It provides us as teachers to instil a sense of responsibility amongst our pupils and to become active citizens capable of making a change.
I agree with the point about the importance of empowering children and not leaving them feel worried. Lots of children are anxious and worried and this is more prevalent from my experience since the covid years and it’s important we don’t add further to any worries or stressors children may have
Prior to carrying out any class work on Paxi and the green house gas effect. I would carry out an initial lesson on the sun and how the suns energy is used on Earth. This is an important starting point before diving into green house gases.
After the children have a better understanding of the sun and solar power, I would move on in a future lesson to greenhouse effect. I would start the lesson by showing the children the video by Paxi on Greenhouse gases. This is a child friendly video which is a great resource. I would draw the children’s attention to important words and vocab they may not have heard before. Discussion would occur surrounding the different things humans do which negatively impact the earth. Questioning would occur surrounding how we can reduce our carbon footprint and helping our Earth. I would focus on the cutting down of trees as this links to the children’s own personal and lived experiences. The trees outside our school are being cut down to facilitate cycle lanes. There has been a lot of speculation around this so the children are familiar and interested in this. Discussion can occur surrounding how this is a positive and negative at the same time. Trees being cut down is not good for our environment. I would recall the children’s prior learning on why this is the case. However, cycle lanes are being put in place to promote more greener modes of transport. I think the content in the Paxi video is excellent but should be carried out as a series of mini and follow on lessons rather than completing in a sin,e lesson
I definitely agree that the Paxi video explains greenhouse gases simply for children as this is quite an abstract topic to teach
After looking at the paper, Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (2018), Liston argues that STEM education should be understood as more than the teaching of separate disciplines. Instead, STEM should be viewed as an integrated approach to learning that develops students’ ability to solve problems through collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Liston argues that effective STEM learning requires meaningful integration from the outside world. This is so important. I always try to use the children’s immediate environment and own experiences as a starting point for learning. Another important point is the emphasis on inquiry-based and problem-based learning. This is definitely an area I focus on in the classroom and would say I have implemented quite well, Reflecting on my own teaching, I definitely think that I have looked at stem as separate subject areas rather than as a whole, this is something I can improve on. I think there will be a much greater shift with the new curriculum specification regarding this.
Activity 1: Is it weather or climate?
I would start this lesson off by giving the children clear definitions of weather and climate. As a class we would discuss the difference between both. In pairs I would then get the children to work through a variety of statements and decide whether they apply to weather or climate. For example: it is raining outside today applies to weather, but Spain generally has hot and dry summers applies to climate. It is importantly children have a clear understanding of both weather and climate before further learning can occurActivity 2: Weather Detectives
I would carry out an activity focusing on the weather on a rainy day. Discussion would occur surrounding the sky and clouds and how we often predict it may rain for example: dark clouds indicate rain is on the way, if the ground is wet it has recently rained, if children have wore rain coats or needed umbrellas on their commute to school, if there are puddles on the ground. From my observations, rain is one children are most interested in as it effects whether they get to go outside to yard or not during break time. If we did this activity on a Monday, for the next upcoming 3 Mondays we would do the same and see does it rain every Monday or does the weather pattern changeResearch a famous scientist or engineer associated with your local area and describe how you would use that person as inspiration for classroom science investigations
Being from Cork, I would focus on George Boole. Firstly, I would arrange a class visit to UCC. This is a great opportunity for learning as it is linked to the children’s immediate environment, some of the children may have had parents who attended UCC and that they can make connections with. We would walk around looking at the different buildings, I would draw the children’s attention to the statue of George Boole. On return to school, I would divide the children into groups to research all about George Boole, this would develop the children’s digital literacy skills. I would carry out an investigation using Venn Diagrams and emphasise to the children these originated from the work of Boole.
The trip to UCC would also open more opportunity for lessons such as looking at the Ogham Stones on display in the quad and then looking into the use of Ogham. The children could then write their names using ogham lettering
This is a great idea. I loved the Japanese Gardens as child when watching Winning Streak. The children would love to visit
Using the suspension bridge in Birr Castle Demesne or a bridge in your local area as inspiration, describe how you would plan a class or whole school challenge to design and make a bridge. How would you integrate mathematical thinking and incorporate the maths skills appropriate to your class level.
Firstly, I would use the Daly Bridge also known as the Shakey Bridge in Cork as a starting point for this lesson as it uses the children’s own environment as a starting point for learning. This is a bridge that all children would be familiar with. It is known as the shakey bridge as it moves when jumped on. Questioning would occur surrounding why this occurs. Do the children think it is a good idea, is it safe and so on.
I would then get photographs of some famous bridges from Ireland and around the world, for example the Brooklyn Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge. We would discuss similarities and differences as a class. Questioning would occur surrounding what makes a bridge solid and safe.
I would divide the class into groups. Each group would receive a different building material. Jenga blocks, stickle bricks, Lego, and magnetic tiles. The children would work together to create a bridge. Discussion at the end of the lesson would occur surrounding what toys were best to make a bridge and why.
This lesson would promote mathematical skills as the children are using their spatial awareness when building the bridge. Tesselation could also be used by fitting the shapes into each other to create the structure for the bridge. Is the bridge symmetrical? The opportunities for integration are wide. I would also follow up with drawing and painting a famous bridge in Art. This would be a great hit as children would be particularly interested in bridges such as the Brooklyn bridge as it appears in many movies
