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I think this is a great topical question as most coastal areas are affected by coastal erosion so it would be relevant to a lot of schools and children. A local trip would be great for an investigation also and to compare old pictures to what it looks like now.
Research question: How is climate change affecting our local forests and the animals living there?
I think this question poses great for all class ages as it relates to their everyday lives. I’d start by discussing the animals we see on our school grounds, there is a family of foxes that live nearby and often wander around the school grounds. I’d open the discussion to what makes the forest a good habitat for foxes, what is their prey and how they care for their young. We would discuss the reasons why foxes and other animals are leaving the forest in search for food as we know the school grounds is not a typical place for foxes to be. This could lead onto explaining about deforestation and the lack of food for foxes and other animals in the forest. I would seek out via parents and the local community if there was someone who could come in and talk to the class in relation to these issues. We would then look at the ways in which we could help combat this issue.
The EO Browser is an easy-to-use tool that offers a wide range of satellite images—which I think kids would love to explore. There are so many ways it could be used in the classroom, some ideas are to observe environmental changes and tracking natural disasters. Before allowing the children to engage with this tool, I would show them the tutorial to make sure they felt comfortable and confident using it. After that, I’d use some of the images to spark group discussions, encouraging the kids to ask questions and start thinking critically about the issues. It’s an excellent tool for use with Chromebooks and is well-suited for senior classes. It encourages discussions about environmental changes over time, and in my class, I would have students work in small groups to compare these real-world images to better understand the challenges our planet faces.
I think you make a great point about eco-anxiety with young learners and its important to address that and navigate that with the students.
I enjoyed the video “Home,”. The video does a great job of highlights climate change and its impact on biodiversity. It showcases that our planet belongs to everyone, not just us. I would show the video to the class over 2-3 lessons with discussions in-between.
Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2019 are very effective, offering a snapshot of the goals we’ve set. Since the video is five years old, I would ask pupils to investigate whether we are on track to meet these targets.
Greta Thunberg’s TED Talk was incredibly inspiring. She has a unique talent for conveying complex scientific concepts in a clear and persuasive manner. I think this video would greatly benefit, motivate and children to understand the urgency of the matter.
I agree with your point of making abstract concepts more accessible as weather and climate can be a difficult concept for children to grasp.
I believe that both activities are as excellent introductions to weather for any class level, encouraging children to explore weather through an investigative approach.
Activity One: This activity promotes open-ended thinking and collaborative group work. It also introduces the topic of global warming, which we will have a class discussion about trying to gauge their PRK on the topic. Also I would perhaps do construction projects, allowing children to create their own weather instruments, such as a rain gauge or a wind vane.
Activity Two: Similarly, this activity allows strong group collaboration, requiring children to share ideas and work together. For younger classes, this activity could be adapted by pairing them with an older class, allowing them to work together.
Response to Activity Three – Greenhouse gases. I teach in a senior school and I think this video is appropriate in length to engage their interest and is a visually rich learning experience for the children. I would start the lesson with a KWL (Know, Want, Learn) chart to gather previous related knowledge on the subject and what the children would like to know about the topic. On the last lesson of this topic we would fill in what the children learned. We would have a class discussion on climate change. I would then show the video to the children and to discuss 3 main points they remember in pairs and then share them with the class. To enhance the children’s learning, I would ask them to create digital projects in small groups and present them to the class.