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I really like your idea of creating a mini ocean and using black food colouring etc. to replicate the polluted waters. Very easy for the children to envisage.
Research Question: How does recycling in our home environments positively impact the climate?
I would start by showing the children a hook for a backpack made from recycled plastic which I recently purchased while travelling in Thailand. I would explain that people can bring old bottles/ bottle caps, etc. to this shop and request different products to be made from these. This was located on a beautiful island in which there is a limit on single-use plastic (even banned on some parts of the island!) due to their protected marine life, i.e. turtles, sharks, coral, etc. We would discuss why plastic can be harmful to animals, and hence the climate. We could explore this further using the National Geographic Kids website.
Groups would then brainstorm ways in which we can recycle/ limit plastic in our environment. Elicit responses from children, with the hope that some mention the recent Repak Recycling Scheme in Ireland. Watch a video on the official website and discuss if children have availed of the deposit scheme within their families.
Recycling is one way of dealing with single-use plastic, however, remind the children of the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ slogan and invite students to think of items we ourselves could create using old plastic bottles. Use the children’s suggestions, or otherwise, groups make bird feeders from plastic bottles to be placed in the school garden. This could act as an introduction into another aspect of climate.
Hi Victoria, I really like your idea of allowing the children to take ownership in capturing their own photographs from different perspectives!
I chose the ‘Nose High Up in the Sky’ resource and I enjoyed carrying out the pupil activities.
Activity 1:
Firstly, examining the photographs from the ISS is an extremely interesting and exciting experience. Having explored the pictures myself, I was amazed and in awe of these astronauts. The views of Earth from the ISS are incredible and I think the children would also really enjoy seeing what the actual inspiring astronauts look like in their place of work! So many children have a keen interest in Space so it is important to present these role models to them.Activity 2:
The ‘Match the Photos’ activity encourages children to view things from different perspectives and can help develop their spatial awareness. I was even surprised at some of differences between photos taken from the ISS vs. from Earth. I like how one question invites the students to consider the advantages of each photo in understanding our Earth. I think this could be further explored during a whole class discussion.Activity 3:
Children might find it more difficult to match the Satellite photos to the ground photos in this final task. However, it may prepare them for further atlas/ map reading skills in the future.The documentary “HOME” by Yann Arthus-Bertrand showcases the detrimental effects human activity has on the Earth, particularly our climate and natural resources. It draws attention to how pollution, overfishing, and deforestation have negative impacts on ecosystems.
“HOME” also addresses the issue of water scarcity, illustrating how pollution and excessive use of water resources cause shortages. It demonstrates how crucial it is to preserve our freshwater and practice water conservation. In the classroom, I would invite the children to engage in a STEM activity, in which groups build their own water saving device.As ‘HOME’ is quite long, I might break the movie into sections and show the children clips at various stages over the year, relevant to whatever topic we are focusing on. However, the Greta Thunberg TED Talk is certainly a worthwhile watch, for children from 2nd class upwards, in my opinion. I believe children would gain more from watching a child explain these complex ideas in her own words.
The documentary “HOME” by Yann Arthus-Bertrand showcases the detrimental effects human activity has on the Earth, particularly our climate and natural resources. It draws attention to how pollution, overfishing, and deforestation have negative impacts on ecosystems.
“HOME” also addresses the issue of water scarcity, illustrating how pollution and excessive use of water resources cause shortages. It demonstrates how crucial it is to preserve our freshwater and practice water conservation. In the classroom, I would invite the children to engage in a STEM activity, in which groups build their own water saving device.As ‘HOME’ is quite long, I might break the movie into sections and show the children clips at various stages over the year, relevant to whatever topic we are focusing on. However, the Greta Thunberg TED Talk is certainly a worthwhile watch, for children from 2nd class upwards, in my opinion. I believe children would gain more from watching a child explain these complex ideas in her own words.
I agree with the extension activity of role play, integrating Drama. I think this would be highly effective in evoking emotions in children and allowing them to step into the shoes of others’.
Module 2 Assignment:
I found Activity 3- Climate Reporters an interesting, novel exercise for students to complete. Firstly, it draws children’s attention to the detrimental effects of human activity on the earth’s atmosphere and ultimately, climate change. This acts as a nice introduction for future lessons in which we consider our actions and how to make changes to reduce our carbon footprint.
Before playing the Paxi video, I would elicit children’s prior knowledge and make a mindmap on the whiteboard with key words/ facts on the topic. I might even invite older students to make a concept map/ KWL chart which could be revisited after the lesson.
I like the way the activity is presented and includes the use of ICT to explore projections of climate variables across the world. This would stimulate students’ interests as each group could be given a different country to investigate or perhaps their home country and compare these with others.
Perhaps for a younger class, I might just play the video, followed by a discussion and teacher modelling of the Teal tool on the Interactive Whiteboard as I fear some students may be too young to navigate the technology. However, senior classes would be delighted to engage in group iPad work to analyse these findings.I agree with the focus on the temperature feature as I think children can really notice this difference in the extreme weather events we are experiencing nowadays.
I agree with the use of the proverbs to further extend children’s learning and also to integrate Literacy.
Having engaged with the paper, ‘Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics’, and also the Weather and Climate activities, I have really deepened my understanding of STEM. These resources have provided me with a wide repertoire of practical, hands-on tasks which I look forward to implementing in the classroom in the coming year. I am particularly more aware of the ‘Engineering’ aspect of STEM education and the importance of actually inventing/ creating a product to solve a problem, i.e. taking action. Admittedly, I have undertaken more STEM activities with older classes, due to their abilities and complexity of content, however, module one has already opened my eyes to the opportunities for STEM across multiple subject areas at virtually all class levels. For instance, I had never considered constructing a weather station before. Engaging children in such activities in primary school fosters their critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, etc., while also facilitating cross-curricular integration.
Activity 1:
I particularly like the introduction of the lesson, in which children discuss the weather on their birthdays. This would genuinely stimulate the children’s interests and consolidate the learning that weather is constantly changing. I like the way in which pairs must categorise the statements into weather vs. climate, as this promotes collaboration, critical thinking and active learning.Activity 2:
Setting up a weather station is an exciting approach to developing understanding about the weather. Firstly, the homemade equipment is sustainable, economical and convenient to create, while also instilling a sense of autonomy in the students. Above all else, the students would relish the opportunity to monitor the weather and observe their learning in a real-world scenario, e.g. noting the water level in a rain gauge. I think it would be worthwhile to spend time teaching children (and teachers) across the school how to use and respect the equipment.