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Space Week Class Plan – Junior/Senior Infants
Monday: Literacy
We could begin with a picture book like “Whatever Next!” to introduce space in an age-appropriate way. We could use the picture book to learn new words like rocket, astronaut, moon, stars, planet.Tuesday: Visual Art
Children could build and decorate their own rocket ships using cardboard tubes and foil. They could also paint planets and stars for a classroom space display.Wednesday: Role-Play/Drama
Using props (helmets, old laptops as control panels, chair arranged in a row), we could role-play going on a space mission. Children would “blast off” to the moon and describe what they see, hear and feel.Thursday: STEM Activity – Design a Martian
Using the “Design a Martian” activity, children could create aliens that live on Mars. We would discuss why Martians might need big eyes or extra legs, etc. due to to terrain and weather conditions.Friday: Music & P.E.
We could finish the week by learning space-themed songs like “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom”. and watching a short clip of a real space station and/or moon walk, then trying to create rocket movements/space walks during PE.Hi Aisling, what a fantastic, hands-on approach to space learning! I love how you’ve built in questioning, creativity, STEM, and movement all in one engaging lesson. The use of junk modelling encourages sustainability and imagination, and linking it to maths and drama really makes the learning cross-curricular. The idea of measuring distances outside is a brilliant way to make maths meaningful. I’m sure the children will absolutely love designing and launching their own rockets.
Hi Andrea, I really love how you’ve connected “The Three Little Pigs” story with the “Where Do You Live?” resource, such a smart and familiar starting point for children. The progression from personal reflection to hands-on modelling and finally to building a collaborative village is so creative and inclusive. It’s a lovely blend of STEM, SPHE, and visual arts. I especially like how you encourage group work and discussion. A fantastic, child-centred approach!
To take further steps toward a STEM-focused School Self Evaluation in our school, I would begin by gathering targeted evidence on current science teaching practices. This would include teacher reflections, samples of pupil work, and feedback from both pupils and parents. I would use science skills, like predicting, investigating, and observing, as focal points and assess how often and effectively they are embedded in lessons.
Using tools like the “Looking at Our Schools” quality framework, I would evaluate our strengths and identify gaps. I’d then draft a short self-evaluation report, summarising our findings and highlighting areas for development, such as improving student engagement or increasing teacher confidence in STEM.
Next, we’d create a STEM improvement plan with clear, measurable targets, for example, increasing the number of investigative lessons each term or integrating more inquiry-based approaches across strands. Actions would be delegated, progress monitored through staff discussions, and outcomes evaluated using both qualitative and digital evidence like videos, drawings, or recorded presentations. Lastly, I’d promote engagement with initiatives such as the Curious Minds Awards to build enthusiasm and gain recognition for our STEM journey.Activity: Create an Alien – Junior/Senior Infants
I would set the children the challenge of design a Martian and that they need to have a reason for each design choice that they make. I would use prompt questions such as “What is the weather like on Mars?”, “Is it hot or cold there?”, “How do animals and people on Earth adapt to different climates and landscapes?”. After discussing the children’s ideas and suggestions I would show them a presentation or video describing the weather and terrain on Mars.
Next, I would ask the children to brainstorm their ideas for their Martian and to then draw what they would look like in their scrapbooks. The children could take a photo of their design and explain the reasoning behind their choices in a voice recording on Seesaw.
I could collate all the children’s designs into a slideshow and the children could present them to the rest of the class and answer their questions.
Finally, during Aistear, the children could use Marla to build a 3D model of their Martian. They could add photos or videos of their 3D models to their Seesaw portfolio.Hi Sean, I love the idea of integrating a science lesson on stars and constellations with literacy, history and art. This would be such a lovely thematic unit of work and could be differentiated up and down the school levels. The kids would like the experience of “looking at the stars” being projected in the classroom. These would make for some really memorable lessons!
Hi Sean, as a junior teacher I really like this lesson, it’s simple, hands on and most importantly fun! Children love using chalk, and tracing their shadows through the day would be such a great way to help the children to record, observe and compare the angles of the sun.
Activity: The Spherical Earth – Junior/Senior Infants
I would call the children to gather on the carpet around a globe. I would show the children a toy polar bear and a toy penguin and discuss with the children where each animal lives. After sticking the polar bear to the North Pole and the penguin to the South Pole I would role-play the animals talking to each other, claiming that the other is standing upside-down and going to fall off! After discussing with the children which one they think is right and why we don’t just slide or fall of the planet I would then introduce the force of gravity to them.
I would have the children make little cut outs of themselves and let them “travel” to different countries around the world and explain that gravity pulls us towards the centre of the Earth and so there is no true “right-side up” or “up-side down”. We all “feel down” towards the ground even if someone is doing a head/handstand.
We would then finish by completing the “earth mosaic” using the template in the appendix. The children would draw houses, mountains and forests above the dashed line, and the seabed, mines or rocks below it. They would then connect the template to make a circular “Earth” and walk around to see that up and down is relevant to where they are standing.
Hi Deirdre, I love doing this kind of activity with the kids too! Doing all of the experiments with the different conditions first helps the children to apply their learning to their own little plant and understand the cause and effect of, for example, over watering.
I have chosen an inquiry activity suitable for Junior/Senior Infants about shadows.
Engage: I would begin by asking the children: “Have you noticed your shadow when the sun’s out? What happens to it when you move?”.
Investigate: I would give the children toy figures and torches and ask: “What do you think might happen to the shadow if we move the torch closer or further?”. After they make their predictions we would carry out the experiment – shining the light at different angles and observing how the shadow changes in size and shape. I would then have them record their observations with simple drawings.
Take The Next Step: After discussing their observation we could apply their ideas, such as exploring shadows outside using chalk to trace their own outlines in sunlight and compare with indoor shadows.
Reflect: Finally, we would reflect on what we have learnt and the children could share new vocabulary and connections they made.
My name is Bébhinn, I teach in a co-educational medium sized school on the border of Meath and Dublin. I taught a multigrade Junior/Senior Infants class last year and will be teach Junior Infants next year. My favourite fact about Space is that similarly to the way Earth has earthquakes the Moon has moonquakes (little shakes or tremors beneath its surface).
