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-The Climate Aid 2020 video is a reminder of the urgent need to act on climate change. What stands out is its clear message: climate change is not a future problem. It’s happening now. The video does a great job of making the issue feel both global and personal, showing how climate change affects everything from food and water to health and safety. It also offers a sense of hope by showing that solutions exist and that actions can make a difference. As a teacher, it’s a great conversation starter. It would work well with senior primary pupils (5th/6th class) help them think critically and emotionally about the world they live in—and their role in protecting it.
-HOME shows human impact on the Earth—deforestation, pollution, overconsumption, and the growing threat of climate change. Its tone is thought-provoking and calls for action in a gentle but urgent way. While the film is more suited to senior primary pupils (5th/6th class) due to its length and depth, selected short clips or key scenes could definitely be shown to younger classes with proper discussion and support. It’s an excellent resource to inspire a sense of global citizenship.
-Greta Thunberg’s speech at COP25 is powerful and honest. She speaks with clarity and urgency, reminding world leaders that climate change is happening now, and it’s the younger generations who will live with the consequences. Her speech would be a great discussion starter for older primary pupils, encouraging them to think about fairness, responsibility, and how young people can help lead the call for change.
-The Paxi video on the greenhouse effect from the last module is perfect for younger classes (3rd–4th)—it’s simple, animated, and explains complex concepts like greenhouse gases and melting ice caps in a very child-friendly way. It acts as a great trigger to start a lesson or unit on climate change.Hi Jane, the Paxi video looks like a great way to spark curiosity. I love your idea of using the Teal tool to explore different regions. I also plan to try out the melting ice caps activity next year. I’m sure the class will love it. The Curious Minds framework looks to be very classroom friendly.
Activity 3 is a fantastic way to get children thinking ahead and connecting their learning to real-world issues like climate change. It also encourages critical thinking by asking pupils to compare future projections with today’s conditions. It promotes discussion around cause and effect, and environmental responsibility. Activity 3 also allows for cross-curricular integration. It blends science, geography, digital literacy, and even persuasive or report writing. The group work and climate summary tasks encourage collaboration and creative thinking.
How I would use it in my third class:
• Show the video Paxi’s Greenhouse Effect (linked in the resource). We would then have a discussion around climate change.
• I would then use teacher-guided modelling to navigate the online tool.
• In groups, the pupils could create short presentations or posters based on their climate scenario.
• To support writing, I would provide a sentence starter template for the climate summary (e.g. “In 2050, our town might be…”).
• Group project: Group Project: “A Day in 2050 – Climate Detectives”- To help pupils understand how climate change could affect their community by the year 2050 and to explore ways they can help protect the planet.
What could be improved or added:
• Simplify the online tool: While Teal tool is a valuable resource, the interface may be too complex for lower/middle classes without strong teacher guidance. A child-friendly summary table or screenshots could help.
• Include more visuals: Simple illustrations explaining emissions scenarios and their effects would make the topic more accessible.
• Add a creative extension: Pupils could create a comic strip, diary entry, or “weather report from the future” to show what life might be like in 2050—this brings the science to life in an age-appropriate way.Hi Eimear, I like your idea of setting up a weather station. This really engages the children in STEM learning. It engages the children in a fun way yet they will learn lots from it. It’s definitely something I’ll try to do with my third class next year.
Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Liston 2018)
This paper by Maeve Liston goes beyond just doing random science or tech activities and really gets you thinking about what proper STEM learning looks like. It gives practical ideas for using the engineering design process, which is great for helping kids solve real-world problems in a hands-on way.
STEM education in my classroom is often fragmented. On reflection my science lessons tend to focus on hands-on experiments and observations. Maths is taught everyday with a strong emphasis on numeracy, but it’s not always linked to real-world problems or to other STEM areas. Technology -We have access to tablets and laptops but we mostly use them for research,maths games or basic tasks. A couple of times a year I will integrate stem with challenges during maths week or engineers week. We usually also have a visit from someone at Regeneron or Dell that have a stem challenge for the children with an emphasise on the engineering design process aspect. Despite my own interest in the area of STEM, I feel with time constraints and such a busy curriculum, it is difficult to engage in full stem activities on a regular basis.Activity 1
I like the way it helps clarify a common misconception between weather and climate. The use of real-life examples (like birthdays and photo memories) makes it age-appropriate and engaging for students. The group work and discussion prompts encourage peer learning and critical thinking. I also like the extension activity with the Köppen climate zones map as it gives a nice geographical and visual element for older or more able pupils.
How I would use it in class:
• Start with a class chat about weather today vs. weather on their last birthdays.
• Use printed images and matching tasks in small groups for a hands-on sorting activity.
• Encourage children to use their own words when defining weather and climate.
In addition I would-
• I would differentiate the worksheet by using more visuals to help lower-literacy learners grasp the concept more easily.
• I might also use a short video or animation to introduce the terms in a child-friendly way.
Activity 2
I like the way activity 2 uses hands-on, real-world science as using a thermometer gives kids an active role in data collection. It reinforces data handling and graphing skills from the maths curriculum. This activity also Introduces the concept of averages in a practical, meaningful way. It encourages teamwork and shared responsibility.
How I would use it in class:
• Assign small daily roles (data collectors, recorders, etc.) for one week.
• Display the class temperature chart on the wall and update it together.
• Compare our data to national averages using Met Éireann’s website to make it local and relevant.
In addition I would provide a “weather journal” template to encourage pupils to write a few sentences about what the weather felt like each day.