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Module 4
Using the suspension bridge in Birr Castle Demesne or a bridge in your local area as inspiration, describe how you would plan a class or whole school challenge to design and make a bridge. How would you integrate mathematical thinking and incorporate the maths skills appropriate to your class level
I would begin the lesson with a whole class discussion. I would question the children to elicit prior knowledge of bridges e.g. What is a bridge? Where would you find bridges? •What types of materials are bridges made from? What makes a good bridge? What types of bridges are there? Can you name any? Do you know of any famous bridges around the world? What type of bridges are they? Are there any bridges near where you live or go to school? What shapes are used in bridge construction?
For the activity I would divide the class into groups. I would explain to the class that their task is to construct a bridge using recyclable materials. I will give each group a variety of materials such as paper, card board, lollipop sticks, string, pipe cleaners. Selotape, glue, blue tack, match sticks. When each group has finished I will invite the groups to predict which bridge design will be the strongest and order them from strongest to weakest. Next the groups test each bridge in turn with coins or other objects to see which one holds the most weight without collapsing
To conclude the lesson groups present their findings and discuss the shapes that work best.
There is opportunity for cross curricular integration. The children could look at the building of the Golden gate bridge or the Sydney harbour bridge.
Outline how you would use some of the course resources to conduct a seasonal biodiversity project to run throughout the school year. What resources and recording sheets would you need? How often would you bring learning outdoors? How would you integrate other subject areas
To illustrate seasonal changes in plants a study of a tree in the local environment is a worthwhile seasonal biodiversity project. Our school has a sycamore tree in the back yard. A project that I have done with my class over the years is to photograph the tree in each season, starting with autumn in September and detail the changes the tree goes through. This lovely project shows through pictures how a sycamore tree changes throughout the seasons. The class will become familiar with phenology and how the seasons affect plants, animals and insects.
The Tree Council of Ireland have excellent resources that can be incorporated into the lesson. The leaf identification challenge is also a fun way for the class to identify what trees grow in the locality by collecting various leaves on a nature trail. I would also like to do the Bridwatch Ireland Garden Bird survey and see what birds are living in the local habitat.
There are so many benefits for the children when learning outdoors. Learning outdoors makes learning more engaging and relevant and It nurtures creativity. Learning about the local environment is best done outdoors.
Great idea Sharon to start the children off drawing their own maps of their own surroundings and then to move on to introducing Google Maps in the classroom.
For younger classes, describe how you would plan and conduct a lesson on map making and explain how you might incorporate some online tools such as Google maps or Geohive.
I would begin the activity by introducing the children to a map of Ireland. I would give them a copy of the map and ask them to colour this map. I would engage the class on a whole class discussion about what maps are and ask children have they ever seen a map before. A simple definition might be that maps are flat drawings of places in the world seen from above.
I would explain that the map of Ireland that they have coloured is what Ireland looks like form the air looking down on it from above. I would continue to explain and get children to examine objects and to observe how they look from above. Children can draw around objects to make a simple plan of each. Children should notice that things viewed from above look different to things as we see them on the ground.
I would then draw attention teacher to the fact that the map they have painted now has colours. Explain that maps often use colours to show different places or things on them. Green is often used for land and blue to show water. Maps also use some dots, lines and pictures. Ask what picture might be used to show where a playground was on a map.
Introduce googlemaps to the class. Google Maps is a great free tool for teachers to engage their pupils. I will display a map of our local area and ask the children to name and locate local buildings.
I agree Kayleigh , children develop a deeper understanding when they investigate, experiment and discover concepts for themselves.
Lesson: The Sky at Night!
I would begin the lesson about the night sky by asking the children to think about the topic and have them share what they already know. I would then encourage students to wonder about the topic. Their ideas will lead them to ask questions and become curious about the Night sky. This approach puts students in the centre of the learning and offers opportunities for every child to feel included.
I believe that children learn better when they’re curious, using student questions to guide lessons—start where the students show interest and then lead them into the new content.
Students could draw pictures of different things they see in the night sky, moon, stars, planets, shooting stars.
Introduce to the children the telescope. How a telescope is used to look at the night sky in detail. Dividing the children into group Design and Make a Telescope.i would use the Discover Primary science lesson on investigating refraction. During this lesson the children would explore how objects may be magnified using simple lens or magnifier. I also really like the website http://www.kidsastronomy.com/telescopes. There is loads of useful information about telescopes.
The children are given the opportunity to share what they have seen or experiences they’ve had, relating to the lesson and their personal knowledge and memories.
Gráinne, there’s a lot of sustainable hands on work going on in your school, well done to you all. There are a few great ideas there that I will bring to our school.
I am very interested in sustainability and found this module very interesting. In today’s ever changing world, the concept of sustainability is very important. As a teacher, highlightingsustainability practices with our pupils and making them more aware of the environment is imperative. By fostering a deeper understanding of sustainability, we can empower our students to become responsible global citizens and champions of a more sustainable future.
With my class in September I would like to research local sustainability initiatives, such as community gardens, renewable energy projects, or waste reduction programs. It is important to highlight how these initiatives are making a positive impact on the environment and society.
Exploring topics such as climate change, biodiversity, and resource conservation with my class will provide my pupilswith a holistic understanding of environmental issues. As my school is located beside a beach will organise field trips to the beach, where my pupils can engage in hand on activities about aquaculture and the marine environment and the effects of pollution on our coastline. These activities will reinforce the principles of sustainability.
This module on the nutrition of seafood provides valuable information to use in the classroom to highlight the importance of including adequates amounts of seafood in our diet. It is important and invaluable for students to learn about nutrition from an early age. By incorporating seafood nutrition into the curriculum, we can encourage healthy lifestyles, environmental awareness, and informed decision-making
Both The HSE Healthy Eating Guidelines and the Healthy Food for Life links are great resources, which I plan on using in the future. The slide which showed the vitamins, minerals and amino acids present in seafood and the vast amount is a great visual. The use of ‘salmon of knowledge’ story is a great idea, especially with younger classes. I also liked the ‘Eye spy’ in the supermarket activity and even the introduction of the labels and certificates on our food.
Practical cooking demonstrations or projects can further engage students, allowing them to prepare simple seafood dishes and explore sustainable sourcing practices.
The ARC online lessons and resources are a fantastic resource for any classroom to have. I found them to be interesting and very practical and child friendly , they will appeal to children of all levels. The ‘Salmon of Knowledge’ is a really clever way of linking nutrition and literacy.
Incorporating STEM education into teaching practices is crucial for preparing students for future success in a technology driven world. The ARC online lessons and resources offer a comprehensive way to integrate STEM education into teaching practices , aligning well with the STEM education policy statement and supporting the SSE process.A field trip to a seafood producer would indeed be a fantastic way to reinforce the topic of aquaculture. Our school is based in the west of Ireland and this is something I must definitely look into as we have such facilities on our doorstep.
Module 2 proved to be very insightful and thoght provoking. It has highlighted the importance of the West coast of Ireland for Aquaculture. We are blessed with a beautiful long coastline here in Ireland which we can use to develop our Aquaculture industry further. Already the Aquaculture and fishing industry employs over 16,000 people and this is hugely important in Ireland’s coastal communities. These industries make it possible for these towns and villages to survive -the rise in population levels would keep schools and local businesses open. Aquaculture farms in Ireland have the potential to stimulate tourism, offer employment opportunities and support livelihoods.
It’s important that we as teachers need to place more empasis on the teachin of Aquaculture in schools, to share and promote the importance of life at sea and how it contributes positively to our lives.Module 1 was interesting and insightful.I really enjoyed the videos, they were very informative ,giving good examples and simplifying the information making it child friendly.I hope to use these videos in my classroom as an additional resource.
Educating students about aquaculture and social license can enrich classroom learning experiences and empower them to become responsible members of society. I look forward to bringing the knowledge I have gained from module 1 to my school in September.