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This design a spacecraft activity looks very interesting. I think it would be great for second class and even with the older classes. The range of designs and materials used would be very interesting to see.
Activity – Rockets
Introduction – The children will create a mind map about rockets. Using these key questions to stimulate them. What do they look like? Where do they go? Have you ever seen a rocket? Who travels in a rocket? The story ‘Roaring Rockets’ by Tony Mitton will then be read to the children.
Development – The children will look at the cartoon images of Marvin and Milo and the Balloon Rocket and the clip of The Rocket mice. We will then create our own rockets by following the rocket mice instructions. We will discover if the size of the bottle makes any difference to the distance the mice travels. How can we make the rockets travel higher or faster?
Conclusion – The children will watch a real rocket space launch and discuss any questions they may have. Follow up lessons would be to create the balloon rocket that Marviin and Milo made also creating a rocket using paper and straws.
This is a great lesson and brings so many SESE topics together, such as seasons, waterproof materials and types of clothes/materials. The design a coat activity is a great way for children to put into practice all that they have learned during the lesson.
The activity I would choose would be different types of houses and where people live.
Objectives: the child will be able to demonstrate an understanding of differences in houses by:
– naming the kinds of houses that people live in.
– naming materials houses are made from around the world.
– constructing a house.Introduction – I would introduce the lesson by asking the children to describe what type of house they live in. The children will draw their houses and compare with others in the class.
Development – Read the story ‘Different Homes Around the World’ by Pamela Rushby. Show the children pictures of houses around the world: Igloo, reed, river houses, nomad, rain forest, and houses in towns and cities. The children will discuss what materials they think are used to build the various houses. A matching activity of the hands on materials and pictures of the houses is then completed in small groups by the children.
Conclusion – In groups the children will be given a range of materials to construct a home. There will be toothpicks and marshmallows, lollipop sticks, cardboard and glue and lego blocks. They must construct a house and discuss the materials they used and why.
This lesson around constellations is very interesting. I like the idea of creating their own constellations and then maybe naming their creations.
Activity set – Stars
I would start by asking the children what they know about stars. We only see them at night, stars look like they twinkle, some stars seem brighter than others, they are very far away.
We can then create some star art activities such as – Use star cookie cutters to dip in paint on paper plates and stamp on paper for beautiful star print art. Use cookie cutters with play dough for a fun shape lesson. Try cutting cheese slices into star shapes for an exciting star-themed snack time.
Questions the children may have will be noted such as – Where do they come from? How do they shine? Are stars all the same? How long do they live for?
We will then examine some night sky images and describe what we see and record anymore questions that arise. The children can then watch the Stars in the solar system clip – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07sMjGQasJM which explains what a star is and the lifecycle of a star.
We will then look into the Lifecycle of a star i greater detail using print outs of the stages and a powerpoint presentation explaining these stages.
Birth – Stars start out in giant clouds of dust called nebulae. Gravity forces the dust to bunch together.
Main Sequence Star – Once a star, it will continue to burn energy and glow for billions of years. . The star will remain this way until it runs out of hydrogen.
Red Giant – When the hydrogen runs out, the outside of the star expands and it becomes a red giant.
Collapse – Eventually the core of the star will start to make iron. This will cause the star to collapse.As a conclusion the children in groups will sequence the images of the lifecycle 4 stages and discuss what they have learned.
I like these lesson ideas about the planets.
The Story Bots and Plant song are great introductions to the topic.
I would choose the Activity set : The sun and shadows.
The children could start the lesson exploring their shadows on a sunny day and with a game of catch the shadow.
The children would then be given a torch and a toy animal to make shadows. They discover how to make their shadows bigger/smaller/fuzzy/clear. By moving the source of light what will happen the shadow? What colour is your shadow? Using different materials what creates the best shadow?
This lesson would then lead on to the children designing their own shadow puppet and making a short play in small groups.
Inquiry based learning is an approach to learning that encourages children to engage in problem solving and experimental learning.
Strand – Energy and Forces
Strand Unit- Fores
Lesson – Investigating Slopes
Resources – Books or blocks of equal height, empty kitchen rolls cut in half to create the slope, marbles, toy cars.
Background Information – When a marble or toy car is let go at the top of a slope it is pulled down the slope by the force called gravity. This lesson investigates the distance they travel depending on the angle of the slope. Further exploration can be carried out through changing the surface of the slope and changing the surface onto which they run.
Introduction – Begin by asking the children to discuss what is a slope? Children may use the word steep or goes up o describe it. Ask the children what do you notice when you walk or cycle up a slope / down a slope? There is a concept cartoon which would allow discussion around this topic by Brendan Keogh and Stuart Naylor ‘Starting points for Science’
Development – Place a marble at the top of a ramp (kitchen roll cut in half, with one end propped up by a book to create slope)and ask:
What will happen when you let the marble go? What will happen if you make the ramp higher? i.e add more books. What will happen if we make the ramp really high? How can we slow down the marble after travelling down the ramp?
Children explore these questions with hands on exploration work. They can use blu tack to make the distance the marble or car travels with each change in slope height.
Discussion and Conclusion- As the children to share their findings. Did the height of the slope change the distance traveled. Why do you think this happened? Can you think of anywhere slopes re useful? Examples for trolleys in supermarkets or wheelchairs.
Further Exploration – Possible areas for follow up activities are what surface would best slow down or stop the marble or car for example sand. the children can create longer slopes and examine if the length of the slope makes any difference.
