Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
In recent years in my local area we have seen a huge rise in localised flooding. Both river and coastal erosion have added to this. We have also had some extreme weather conditions, both heat in winter and worst rain for 10 years in summer. This is affecting our local flora and fauna . Plants are drowning, bulbs do not grow, bees are exhausted and dying as there are less flowers for pollination and nectar. Climate change and like of wildlife has led to an increase in urban foxes locally, going through bins to find food as they cannot find enough wildlife to eat.
One way we are trying to take action in our school is by fundraising for and buying a pollytunnel. We are going to teach the ch about the importance of growing food and how this cuts down on plastic, air miles, etc . OUr green team have also started a ‘war on waste campaign ‘ and we now have compost bins but also a policy of taking home all your rubbish to recycled unless it can be used for junk art in the junior classes. Green Team have also started a campaign to stop the use of single use plastic bottles too. He now have a recycling bin in each class and the green team have educated each class on what can really be recycled and what cant, even I did not know that wet paper cannot be recycled. Green team held a competition to check all the bins and see who had the best and worst recycling , the staffroom bins were the worst!!!!! The children learned faster and were more responsible than the adults. What amazing action
There are several local big organisations such as The Red Cross, Amnesty International .. working with refugees in my local area to provide shelter, a safe space, counselling, information on their rights and entitlements, information on housing and education etc . However our local swimming / health centre took action during the Ukrainian Refugee crises and set up a weekly swim, coffee morning and chat where they could make friends in a safe space and find out about their rights. Members of the swim club fundraised to pay for the food and a parent volunteered to be a counsellor at the meetings. They contacted all the local schools so we could tell our new pupils and families about the service. Everyone worked together to offer a space to welcome families fleeing war.
I love the idea of your cultural international day. I too teach in a school with a diverse community and this is definitely something we could do in our school.
The sustainable development goal I would like to focus on on is goal 2 ‘ Zero Hunger’ . Structural inequality is structured in a way that not everyone will succeed. How can any child succeed if they are hungry. Even if they have access to education, empty bellies and worrying about when you will next eat will not lead to learner. Recently the Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys announced a roll out of free hot school meals for every primary schoolchild by next year in Ireland, recognising that both the underprivileged and other children from all walks of life are going hungry and not receiving a healthy and nutritious hot meal. Society is taking action to change the unequal balance.
In a school I worked in previously we offered hot lunches but noticed the children coming in hungry each day. All the staff took action and set up a breakfast club, local businesses donated food and both the teachers and SNA s volunteered to run the programme. All staff worked togeter in a collaborative and inclusive way so all of the children had an equal access to an education by not being hungry.
this is a lovely idea, we live in a town where we get a water quality notice and have to buy bottled water , which for us is a mere inconvenience. Imagine not having any access to clean water !
I found this module so interesting not only as a teacher but as a mum of 3 children ( 2 girls and one by) all with very different personalities and traits. No matter how much I have tried to break down gender roles and stereotypes and my children at home and the children i teach in school see me modelling equality, it can still be an intrinsic part of who they are. I taught in the Uk for many years and at a parent teacher meeting I was explaining to a family how well their daughter was doing but what we could do as a school to further support her development. I was very politely told it did not matter as the only education she needed was to look after a husband, how to cook and clean and care for a man. That she would be married at 18 , however they did want to know how i could extend her twin brother as they had hopes of him becoming a doctor. This family were not being rude, this is what they did in their cultures. As a teacher I was so ill equipped to deal with this situation. I had never been faced with such a gender bias before, yet the family could see no wrong with this and their daughter was adored, happy, loved and cared for.
This was over 20 years ago though and with organisations like plan ed and the because I am a girl campaign , i can see a shift in peoples thinking and a move for equality for all.
I agree, and no matter how hard we try, it is very hard to break a gender stereotype. For example I bought my first child all wooden gender neutral toys , this is all she had till she was about 3. We then went to Smyths and she instantly gravitated towards the barbies and colourful toys!! We cannot control the situation just provide opportunities for lots of play to suit different styles, tastes, likes etc
After reviewing the paper the role of global ceiticitizens In todays world I have begun to realisee why development education is so important in Primary schools. and how it is vital for all teachers to include developemtn education in their teaching and learning and also model justice within our classes. This paper has reinforced social issues such as poverty and hunger and how we can take action locally and globally to fight social injustice. It is very important that we teach our children about social action and how to be global citizens. Within school we ould start this by making sure eeryone is represented in our classrooms and school building e.g. culbook from different cultures, resources such as aistear toys with people from all cultures and faiths. Everyone needs to be repreenented to feel like they belong. We all want to be visible and identify with someone. Our student council could take action on local and global issues and get the whole school involved. Fianlly weith an SSE we can identify if we are being fully inclusive.
( again apologies, none of my letters are visible when I type!)
First we would start with the book ‘ Roaring rockets by y tony motto this is a very simple but engaging book for a junior infants class. It goes through the componem of a rocket too. Rrom this we would ask questions about how we would design and launch a rocket with a mini figure ( shookin) attached. Discuss together how we would make it, what we would need and what could actually make the rocket launch ( should be able to ans this based on other experiences during science week . We would create, design and build rockets in pairs using junk art. We would then launch using bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Finally we would measure the distance that the rocket travelled. For sphe we could discuss fears , how would you feel if you were asked to go to the moon etc…Clothes we wear
( I apologies for all spelling mistakes , the words I type are coming up or should I say not coming up on screen , the y are invisible and I have tried 2 different devised
As many of the children I teach are EAL, I would start by asking what they wear in the summer, winter , then what they wear in Ireland in the summer, winter. What they wear on a holiday to a hot country in the summer, hot country in the winter. We could then look at clothes around the world in winter, summer etc. next we will look at materials and properties. I would have a freely bag of materials and blinds folds. Ch to pick some material and run it on their face, how does it feel, is it light or heavy, think waterporoof or not? Blind fold off, look and describe the material. Next talk about animals clothes ? Where do they buy them ? How can they keep warm in winter and coolin summer if don’t have shop bought clothes ? Focus on an animal in winter eg. Polar bear, what protects it from the snow. What about a duck, how does it stay warm when wet ? Discuss. Next ch to carry out experiments using pieces of old clothing eg from a rain coat, pillow, wool etc which will be water resistant and why ? Which will absorb the most water etc…. Next lesson children can ensign and using appropriate scarps, make a water proof jacket for the doll
Discuss afterGreat idea to watch sci show, the videos are short enough that they engage the children whilst having loads to learn. I will use this video in my lessons thank you
We cover this in our multi grade class every second year but I have never used Vaseline as a learning too. Thank you for the prompt.
Topi : space and aliens
cross curricula : PE movement and dance , maths 3d shapes , art construction and materials , aistear space, literacy reading and writing, drama
start with the warm up song 10 aliens jumping on the bed or I’m a little Martian . Next introduce the book by mark brownlow . Children to describe the aliens , what happened to them, what words rhyme . Ch to draw their own alien and write or teacher to scribe what happens to them. If the are 10 aliens and then only 9 , how many disappeared etc … continue mathematical questioning. Introduce children to 3 d shapes . Using play dough who can make a sphere for the body etc…. Children to make their own play dough alien . Use different textures d.g. Pipe cleaners to add detail. Put ch in groups of 10 with their play dough aliens to act out the story
next discuss if children think aliens really exist? , watch are aliens real https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Smeg1KUa3qU and discuss
finish by asking children to think of a question they would like to ask an alien if they met one. Teacher to scribe
PE: can you travel across the floor like a space snake, zoom like a rocket, dance like an alien… etc ….
using gym equipment, model how the children can move over, under, through the galaxy, moon rock, shooting stars etc…
cool down stretch to I’m a little alien ( tune of I’m a little tea pot )
