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Light pollution is noticeable in my local area, particularly around housing estates, street lighting and commercial buildings. The bright artificial lighting makes it difficult to see many stars, providing a valuable opportunity to investigate how human activity affects our view of the night sky. To engage my class, I would use the **Globe at Night** citizen science programme. First, we would discuss what light pollution is and predict how many stars we think we can see from different locations. Children would then work with their families to observe the night sky from home, compare what they see with the Globe at Night star charts and submit their observations to the project. Back in the classroom, we would analyse our results, compare them with data from other locations and discuss ways to reduce unnecessary lighting. This inquiry-based activity develops observation, data collection and critical thinking skills while helping children understand how they can contribute to real scientific research and environmental awareness.
I really like your idea Lauren, of using Stellarium on the interactive whiteboard before letting the children explore it themselves. The checklist of planets is a great way to keep the activity focused while encouraging investigation. I also like the creative extension of drawing a favourite constellation and writing a story about it, as it integrates science with literacy and art. It sounds like a very engaging, hands-on lesson that would spark curiosity about the night sky.
If I were planning a Moon observation with my class, I would choose to observe the **waning crescent Moon** because it is visible in the **morning**, making it suitable for school hours. During the **2024–2025** school year, I would identify suitable dates using **Stellarium** or another astronomy app so that the Moon is above the horizon before or during the school day. Before going outside, I would ask the children to predict what shape they think the Moon will have and discuss why it does not always look the same. While observing, the children could sketch the Moon, note its position in the sky, and compare their observations with previous days to identify changes in its appearance. Back in the classroom, we would discuss the different phases of the Moon and explain that the phases are caused by the changing positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, rather than by the Earth’s shadow. To extend the activity, the children could keep a simple Moon journal for several weeks, recording the Moon’s shape and comparing it with photographs or images from Stellarium. This inquiry-based approach encourages careful observation, questioning, prediction, and recording of evidence while developing children’s understanding of the Moon and the patterns they can observe in the sky.
In Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, Maeve Liston (2018) emphasises that STEM should be an integrated, inquiry-based approach where children actively investigate real-world questions. In my classroom, STEM would involve hands-on learning, collaboration, and opportunities for children to make meaningful connections across subjects.
I would choose the sundial activity because it encourages children to explore how the Sun’s position affects shadows throughout the day. Before building the sundial, I would ask the children to predict where the shadow would fall at different times and then test their ideas through observation and recording. This develops scientific thinking, while measuring and recording observations incorporates Mathematics. I would extend the lesson through a Montessori birthday walk to reinforce the Earth’s movement around the Sun and finish with a silhouette art activity, linking Science with Visual Arts in a meaningful and engaging way.Really liked this post Joyce. It sounds so interesting and Im sure the pupils would be really engaged. The use of animals with the torch and the earth is great
The game I created is SHARK CATCHER
https://makecode.com/_C8oWPRV5p4pc
Game type: Catcher.
Game title: Shark Catcher
Curriculum area and objective: Maths and Data
Simple storyboard:
The player controls the shark to catch the fish.
Computational thinking: The player must control the shark to move around the game to catch the fish.I really enjoyed reading about your game. The theme of a princess catching flowers is engaging and would be very motivating for younger pupils. I like how you linked the game to the Mathematics strand of Shape and Space by developing pupils’ understanding of the x and y axes through an interactive activity. Your reflection on debugging is particularly valuable, as it shows how problem-solving skills develop through practice and perseverance. As an extension, you could increase the difficulty by changing the speed or position of the falling flowers, allowing pupils to further develop their spatial awareness and computational thinking skills.
I enjoyed reading your activity plan. Your learning intention is clear and very appropriate for 5th Class, as it encourages pupils to think critically about the information AI provides rather than accepting it at face value. I particularly like the comparison of an AI-generated text with a trusted source, as it gives pupils a practical way to evaluate accuracy and reliability. One question I have is how you would help pupils identify subtle bias in AI responses if both texts appear factual. As an extension, pupils could create a simple checklist for evaluating AI-generated information and use it during future research activities.
Class Stage: Fifth and Sixth Class
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention: English (Oral Language) and SPHE. Pupils will explore how AI generates information, recognise that AI can make mistakes, and develop skills to question the reliability of online content.
AI Concept: Accuracy and misinformation.
Activity: Present pupils with an AI-generated response and a reliable source on the same topic. In pairs, they compare both, identify similarities and differences, and discuss which information they would trust and why. Finish with a whole-class discussion about checking information from multiple sources.
Critical Question: Can we always trust information created by AI? Why or why not?
Responsible-Use Consideration: Always verify AI-generated information using trusted sources before accepting it as accurate.
Supporting Critical Thinking: Use guided questioning, pair discussions and teacher modelling to help pupils evaluate evidence.
Evidence of Learning: Pupils complete an exit ticket explaining one way to check if AI-generated information is trustworthy.
School Self-Evaluation (SSE): This activity could support SSE by helping schools monitor and improve pupils’ digital literacy, critical thinking and responsible use of AI across the curriculum.
I enjoyed reading your reflection on the Sustainability City world. You clearly explained how the activities help pupils develop an understanding of sustainability through engaging, hands-on learning. I agree that the lesson links well with the SESE curriculum while also promoting collaboration, critical thinking and responsible citizenship. Your idea of introducing key vocabulary before the activity is an excellent way to support pupil understanding. I also like your follow-up task of designing an eco-friendly community, as it encourages creativity and helps pupils apply their learning to real-life situations. Overall, your adaptations would make this lesson even more meaningful and engaging.
I explored the CyberSafe: Home Sweet Hmm world in Minecraft Education, which teaches pupils about online safety and responsible digital citizenship through engaging, interactive challenges. The activities encourage pupils to make safe decisions online, protect personal information and recognise when they should seek help from a trusted adult. The accompanying lesson plan is clear and well organised, providing learning objectives, teacher guidance, discussion prompts and extension activities that can be adapted for different class levels and abilities.
This resource aligns well with the Primary Curriculum, particularly the Wellbeing area, by promoting safe and responsible online behaviour. It also supports the Digital Learning Framework by helping pupils become confident and responsible users of technology. I would use this lesson with my class, pausing throughout the activity to encourage discussion and reflection. As a follow-up, pupils could work in groups to create a poster of online safety tips, reinforcing their learning through collaboration and creativity.
I hadn’t looked at the Dice tutorial until after I did my own one but I now realise how useful it would be for Maths and other subjects. It really is another good starter tutorial for coding and once they pupils have grasped this I feel they will be well able to move on to more challenging coding projects. Totally agree that the use of this coding will make maths more exciting and engaging for pupils
I looked at few of the tutorials on Makecode micro platfrom but my favourite was ‘FLASHING HEART’
This tutorial showed me how to a little heart shape flash on the Micro:bit screen. The LEDs turn on and off in a pattern, so it looks like the heart is beating. It was a very simple animation and a nice introduction to coding for young children.https://makecode.microbit.org/_8wv07Ki4ei7s
There are many ways that I think it can be intergrated for STEM such as for Engineering to be able to design and programme their own activities, to plan, trial and edit. With Maths it can be used while teaching counting etc and patterns. It can be used for art designs etc
Your reflection was very interesting Deirdre– the area of differentiation is an area I really need to work on. The learner-centred approach is vital for the primary school. By using this digital tool, I know it will be very manageable and will make planning easier
I have chosen to focus on TEACHING and LEARNING-LEARNER’S EXPERIENCES for this module. I use a lot of digital tools for my role as teacher and Deputy principal and really enjoy using them—I find they help clarify my points so well. I made a lot of presentations for staff and pupils. The pupils really enjoy the quizzes and online activities that I use with them. I find it keeps them engaged and interested. One area I would like to improve on is my use of digital technology for feedback and formal assessment—while I have tried this before, I’m not very confident in this area.
When I return to school I plan to use Microsoft Forms to monitor students understanding of the topics we have covered. I will use it too for feedback on a regular basis. I know that using this digital tool will really help me as part of the SSE process and help while we are updating our DEIS plan—it will be great for surveys etc.
The resources and tools mentioned in this section we help gather evidence, analyse progress and help me reflect on teaching practises. It will help me identify areas of improvement and areas of strength. This will help with my planning too