Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
That’s a great book Ciara. Thank you for sharing! It would work well as an introduction to rockets for a class.
I think turning the rocket balloons into a race would engage the students even further. What a good idea!
I love teaching about rockets and using it as an experiment. I have previously done the lesson on the Mouse Rockets with classes and they loved it. The students were very engaged throughout the process of learning about rockets and making their own.
I would like to try the string and balloon rocket experiment from the Marvin and Milo comic. I had never thought of using a clothes peg to close a balloon rather than tying it, I thought that was a great idea as often children struggle with this skill. Being able to have the rocket ‘fly’ along the string makes it easier to manage the testing of their rockets in a classroom. After we conducted the experiment we could discuss if there were ways to improve their rockets, what might they add to it or remove? How could they get it to go faster or slower? What makes the rocket stay on course? What propels their rockets? Could this be changed?
I completely agree. The ESERO lessons are very easy to follow as a teacher and are a brilliant guide and resource for teaching these topics.
I would like to use the ESA website and ESA Kids in my future lessons. The ESA website has a wealth of knowledge on different space related topics. It would help with my own learning about space before teaching a lesson. The ESA Kids website is very child friendly. It has monthly art competitions which could be entered as a class. It has up-to-date news on what’s happening in space exploration at the moment. It has articles on a variety of topics about space. It has whole school and class projects. It also has online games which kids would love to play while learning about space.
The Marvin and Milo comics would be a good way to introduce a science experiment. The two characters pose a question and then create a solution and test out their ideas. I think the comic would engage students at the beginning of the lesson while also showing them how to conduct their experiments.
I think this is a great idea. The kids would love the creative aspect of working in a group to invent their own aliens. It could become an art project too, using a variety of materials to make their aliens.
I loved the activity where students make their own constellations. In order to adapt it for junior classes, I would stick the constellation pages onto the card and cut the string to the correct length before the lesson. To start we would discuss stars and whether they know the names of any stars. I would show them some pictures of constellations and ask what shapes they see. I would show them a picture of the plough alongside a photo of an actual plough, we would compare them. I would have the children complete the hands-on activity of making their constellation as shown in the video with tin foil, blue tack and string. When they are finished we would talk about the differences between looking at the constellations from different angles, what do they notice. I would also ask them if they think it looks like anything else other than a plough. To finish we could discuss any other shapes or pictures that they see in their constellations.
Hi Jennifer,
This seems like a brilliant way for children to visualise the orbits of different planets. I’m sure it sparks lots of interesting discussions on the solar system amongst the students.
I think a lot of these lessons could be used and adapted for different classes. The resources provided are very helpful. The lesson I would most like to try is the lesson on the Sun’s Energy by “My Sky Tonight”. I think opening the lesson with what they already know about the sun is a great way to gauge where the children are in their learning. The class really enjoyed the role play activities of going out in the sun and how to protect themselves. I was really impressed that they caught on to the phrase ultraviolet light. The solar beads activity was excellent. You could see how engaged and excited the children were. I think most junior classes would really enjoy this lesson. I would like to replicate it in my classroom. I also thought the activities on shadows linked really well with the overall theme. You could link these lessons to literacy as well by choosing a book on the sun like “The Sun is Kind of Big Deal” to focus on in class.
That’s a great idea for a lesson. I will definitely be trying it in the future. I’m sure the children loved the hands-on aspect of solving the problem.
Hello, my name is Aoife. This coming school year I will be working as a supply panel teacher.
My favourite space fact is that there are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on all the beaches in the world.
One inquiry based lesson I have used previously is when learning about forces in second class. I introduce magnets to the students and give them a basket of items to check if they are magnetic. The students take some time testing the different items and I give them time to conduct their own experiments with the magnets around the classroom. Afterwards we discuss what was magnetic, if there are any patterns or similarities about the items which are magnetic. We also discuss if they discovered anything else about the magnets. Often they realise magnets can both attract and repel. They discover magnets can be used through different objects and that they attract metals. The children really enjoy the independence of getting to explore with the magnets. It is also a great way to practise collaboration in groups or pairs. It is fun to see them make these discoveries on their own.
