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Outline how you would use some of the course resources to conduct a seasonal biodiversity project to run throughout the school year. What resources and recording sheets would you need? How often would you bring learning outdoors? How would you integrate other subject areas?
This module was very interesting. If I were planning a seasonal biodiversity project, I would aim to make it a regular part of the school year so that pupils could experience how the local environment changes over time. I would ensure this is implemented in our whole school plan. I think visiting the same outdoor space at least once a week would help children develop their observation skills and build a stronger connection with nature. I would also take advantage of significant seasonal changes, such as the arrival of spring flowers or autumn leaf fall, to encourage curiosity and discussion. It is important time is set aside for this each week, perhaps onna Friday afternoon as a nice activity for the children.
To support the project, I would use a range of course resources, including species identification guides, habitat checklists, nature journals, observation templates, and biodiversity recording sheets. I would encourage pupils to record weather conditions, plant and animal sightings, seasonal changes, and any questions or reflections they have after each visit. Simple equipment such as magnifying glasses, bug viewers, measuring tapes, thermometers, and iPads for photographs would help make investigations more engaging and allow pupils to compare their findings throughout the year.
I feel this project would provide many opportunities to link learning across the curriculum. In Science, pupils could investigate habitats, food chains, life cycles, and the importance of biodiversity. In Maths, they could collect data, create tally charts, graphs, and compare seasonal results. English could be integrated through nature journals, descriptive writing, poetry, and presentations based on their observations. Art activities could include sketching wildlife, leaf printing, and creating seasonal displays using natural materials. Geography could involve mapping habitats and exploring local environmental features
Overall, I believe that learning outdoors on a regular basis would make learning more meaningful and memorable. By giving pupils the opportunity to observe, record, and reflect on seasonal changes, I think they would develop a greater appreciation for biodiversity while building important scientific, literacy, numeracy, and communication skills. This type of learning is long lasting and much more effective than reading in a textbook and completing a series of prescribed questions
For younger classes, describe how you would plan and conduct a lesson on map making and explain how you might incorporate some online tools such as Google maps or Geohive
I have been working in the junior end of the school over the last few years. A lesson I carried out last year with first class was creating a map of the school grounds. First, we went for a walk around the school premises and we looked at the different important aspects of our school grounds such as the school garden, prefabs, car park and so on. We then discussed how these items may look like on a map. We talked about different symbols we can use to represent different items for example drawings of cars representing the car park, and books to represent the school library. In pairs the children drew out their own map of the school grounds. After we had completed this, we then looked at our school premises on google maps. Google maps was a great hit in the classroom. The children were able to look at the school grounds and compare it to their map drawing. The children also enjoyed the aerial photograph view. We built on this learning anytime we were going on a school trip, for example for our school tour the children looked the location up on google maps in advance. The children were able to see how long it would take us by bus to reach our destination and look at the different things present there. This particularly worked well for children with additional needs who like structure and routine. They could see where we were going. Google maps allowed me to show the children where the bus would drop us off, where we would eat lunch where the bathrooms are and so on. It was a really meaningful tool and one I will definitely continue to use going forward.
I really like the idea of using online data sets! This is a great opportunity for integration and allows learning to be more meaningful for the pupils.
Reflecting on the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (Liston 2018), I questioned what STEM looks like my classroom. This was always an area I did not have confidence with teaching. I often relied on textbooks and programmes however the full benefit was not being taught and these programmes often focus on one component. Collaboration and Inquiry based learning are very important when it comes to STEM in the classroom. I think as teachers we often focus on paperwork and having worksheets and other assessment proof of lessons being conducted which can often lead to hands on inquiry investigative activities being overlooked as there is no log of these lessons, however these are the most meaningful for children. To overcome this obstacle in my classroom, I had a stem journal. The children made logs in their journal of different inquiry based lessons carried out. They wrote their predictions and findings. This really helped me overcome my fear of not having a log of lessons. It allowed me to implement more inquiry based activities in my classroom and outside of the classroom too. An example of this is a nature walk we went on prior to the Summer holidays. Instead of having your usual checklist of ticking off different items you see, the children chose 4 items that sparked their interest on the walk. They drew a picture of these and wrote the name. We then furthered this learning back in the classroom by researching into the items they found. This was brilliant for the children and provided them with opportunities to engage in hands on learning whilst also giving them ownership and choice of what they wished to focus on!
I have used different components of the Curious Minds Programme in my classroom last year, it is a very useful tool!
Space provides many open ended opportunities for lessons across all subject areas. It is an area that children particularly enjoy learning about. I have actually carried out the foam rockets with a first class before. This was part of our science enquiry based lesson. We created foam rockets and used elastic bands to launch them. We created score boards that were similar to a darts board with different points. The children aimed the rocket at the score board and had 3 turns, they then added up their points for each turn and calculated their score. This integrated maths with science and was very effective. This was towards the end of the week and was used to consolidate the children’s learning on Space and Rockets. Prior to this, we looked at the Moon Landing in history. We looked at the rocket used for the first moon landing and also looked at rockets used in recent days. We discussed similarities and differences. We created a Space timeline and looked at how things have changed over time. We really focused on Neil Armstrong and the moon landing, also noting the animals that were sent to Space before humans. This opened another opportunities for ethics and animal cruelty. We looked at the distance between the planets in geography and created planets using balloons and paper masche in art. A week to teach Space really doesn’t do it justice. It could definitely be carried out over a fortnight or even more. The rockets lessons was one I enjoyed and would definitely implement in the future again. I also really like the idea of the dancing raisins lessons. I have 2nd class next year and will definitely try this out
This is a great lesson. We made foam rockets as part of Space week last year and the children really enjoyed it. It is simple yet very effective.
I would choose the Where do you live and Animals in the Cold. There is a huge opportunity for integration across both of these topics and they could be conducted in a junior classroom as a series of lessons. An important starting point would be whole class discussion. What is a home? What do we need in a house for survival? Does everyone live in the same type of home? I would put a variety of different photographs of different houses on the board emphasising diversity and different across the world. I would question the children on the houses and what stands out to them. We would discuss the different items of importance for houses in the cold and houses in hot climates. Igloos in the cold and the use of white walls in hotter climates. Why is this important? In groups, In would get the children to design and make a plan for a home in either a hot or cold climate. I would draw on this learning in geography with weather and different weather types, construction in art.
I would then follow on this learning with a lesson on animals in the cold, drawing on the children’s previous learning of colder climates and houses in the cold. We would look at different animals that are quite different, for example a camel and a polar bear. Looking at the attributes of each animal and how they have adapted to live in the environment they are in. I would engage in questioning throughout to lesson to assess the children’s learning!Great ideas! I love the homes around the world and showing children different types of homes that they may not have been exposed to before!
I have also looked at Aliens for a lesson with junior classes. I really like the idea you mentioned of an alien landscape and comparing this to school landscape emphasising that the alien world is imaginary, this is very important for young children who may have fears!
I would create a series of lessons on Space and Aliens for a junior class. I would start by reading the story ‘Aliens love Underpants’ to introduce the topic of Aliens. I would then question the children on the story to check their understanding. I would then divide the children into pairs. In their pairs, the children would each have a turn and calling out a set of alien adjectives. The other person in the pair must draw what they think the alien may look like, for example the alien has 3 eyes, a square head and purple hair. This is an enjoyable activity for the children and allows them to learn how we can interpret different adjectives. I would enhance the children’s oral language by getting them to talk about their aliens and what makes them unique.
I would then build on this work in art by getting the children to create their own aliens under the strand of fabric and fibre. In geography I would like at houses and homes and we would create homes for our aliens. Questioning would occur surrounding what’s a good home, where would an alien live and so on? There are endless opportunities for integration and hands on active learning!
