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• Using some of the identification tools and resources outlined in this module, identify some species of plants or animals in your own local environment and record them with the National Biodiversity Data Centre and then outline how you would get your class involved in citizen science projects
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to record on the National Biodiversity Data centre. I logged in and recorded a few animals and plants I have seen around my home in the last few days – living on a farm we have no shortage nearby, I recorded Common buzzards, rabbits, magpies, thrushes and yellowhammers, as well as several flowers from my wildflower patch. I was not certain of many of the names of the flowers, but was able to use a google image search to help me.
I love the idea of setting the children up as citizen scientists! They would be very excited to have a title like this. I would introduce the children first to the concept of citizen scientists, and show them the National Biodiversity Data Centre page, how it works, and some of the plants and animals I have recorded. I would use some of the excellent Birr castle resources to create reference charts, and take the children on a nature walk to play some wildlife and plant ‘bingo’. We could use our I pads to take pictures of any unfamiliar species, and use google images to identify them once we are back in the classroom. I would then set up a class account on the Data page and fill in all we had found as a class. I would then encourage the children to take the project home and introduce their families, and invite them to record things they find on their way to school, or on evening walks too, on a classroom chart, and we could set aside some time during ICT each week to record them onto our classroom account. I think children would feel a real sense of importance at recording their findings into a database such as this, and it would really inspire them as citizen scientists.Hi Mary,
I love this idea, counting favourite hobbies and fruit can get so stale, it’s great to see data used in a very real world and relevant way instead, this would make such an interesting lesson, with great cross curricular content.
• 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 loved the lesson idea in this module on creating a 3d map from found materials around the school of the school itself.
I would begin this lesson by looking at google maps images of our school. I would discuss what bird’s eye perspective means, and how it is different from a picture. I would examine the satellite and terrain versions of the map too, to give the children different perspectives, and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each. I would then get the children working in groups to come up with their own sketches of the school based on the map and their own knowledge of the school grounds. I would do this in groups to encourage discussion and allow different students to play to their strengths.
Next I would introduce the idea of maps made from natural resources. I would show the children some examples, and talk about what we might find around our own school to create maps of our own, and what kinds of material we could use for each part. I would then, after discussing some ground rules, take the children outside to build their own maps, directing them towards a quiet area to set them up. I would allow them to work in their groups to create their maps, then take our own ‘satellite’ pictures.
We would then return to the classroom, where we would put our own pictures next to the google maps images (perhaps during ict time where each group could use tablets to compare both.) to discuss what went well, what they found difficult, if there are any changes they would make. I would then allow the children some free time exploring google maps images, looking familiar places such as the local park, or their own houses.I agree with you, Jessica, about the ESERO website and lessons, I find them easy to follow and very well laid out, they would be very easy to incorporate into my teaching next year.
For a lesson on lenses, I would use one of the ESERO lessons on their website. I would start with a class discussion about lenses, talking about their everyday uses, allowing children to examine and pass around my glasses and some of my children’s old glasses, and magnifying glasses from our science kit.
I would show the children the close up picture of the flower, and ask them to see if they recognise it, then show them the other picture and have them compare both.
I would take my class outside and have a quick minibeast and leaf hunt, getting the children to work in pairs to find one of each.
I would have them return to the classroom and spend time examining their finds and drawing what they see, both with and without a magnifying glass.
At the end, we would discuss what they have learned, looking at their own pictures and talking about the differences between what they could see with and without a magnifying glass, and why that would be useful. Then we would of course have a freeing the minibeasts celebration to conclude!Hi Sinéad,
I agree with you that being hands on has a much more meaningful impact on children, and when it is their own environment, its so important they carry these lessons with them.
I have noticed the same in my own children, with clean up crews being deployed daily and children assigned to be bin monitors, giving them that sense of responsibility and ownership over these practices.
My own children’s school is also included by the tidy towns in clean up projects , and I see the impact it has on them as they bring the lessons home and into their everyday lives.
Sustainability is something I feel people are becoming more and more aware of, and choose more often nowadays, a great move forward. On a recent trip to visit family, my children were amazed at how many more wind turbines they could see along the way. Solar panels are also becoming very common, we are in the process of having them installed on our own home and farm, and almost every car friends and family have replaced in recent times has seen them switch to electric. This move towards renewable energy is a great sustainability move, as it benefits not just the broader world but the individuals themselves – which is obviously very motivating.
A great initiative I’ve seen in my local area recently too is the introduction of water bottle refill stations, and signs in shops and cafes inviting people to ask for refills. I hope the days of the disposable waterbottle will soon be behind us.
My local area has a fantastic tidy towns group, who regularly involve the local school in clean-ups and wild planting projects – not just taking the steps to be more sustainable but including our students and teaching the next generation sustainable habits.
In my school, the green flag has had a great impact on our students, on their awareness and their actions in every day lives. Some particularly effective initiatives have been WOW! Walk on Wednesdays, where children are encouraged to walk all, or if that’s not possible, even some of the way to school, reducing congestion around the school and its polluting effects. Another has been an effort to reduce packaging in lunchboxes, encouraging children not to use plastic wrap and tinfoil, lots of education on recycling, and daily practise on disposing of our rubbish responsibly and sustainably. We also have clean ups within the school, with classes taking it in turns to be on duty – a job they actually fight for. All of this has resulted in children who are much more aware of their environment, and the impact they have on it, and their responsibility to take care of their environment and live a more sustainable life.
I think this is a great idea Diarmuid, I always incorporate food into my teaching as its something I have a strong interest in anyway – and have always been surprised at the sheer amount of foods children didn’t recognise, couldn’t name, and had never tasted. I’d imagine I could put all of your sample ideas on that list! Tasting foods demystifies them, and I think children are much braver and enthusiastic about trying new things when their peers are involved.
In this module I learned about the various micro and macro nutrients found in fish and shellfish. I was very interested to learn that fish is not just an excellent source of protein and omega 3, but also vitamin d, which we are lacking in Ireland, and that mussels and other shellfish are a source of iron comparable to red meat.
Teaching nutrition and the food pyramid is a yearly lesson in most classrooms, but I don’t think I have ever realised, let alone taught the value of seafood and its nutritional benefits. This knowledge also lends itself very well to a crosscurricular approach. I always do lessons about food from other cultures, and prepare and taste food with my class as part of this – I am now so shocked at myself for neglecting our own culture when doing this – In future I will certainly be including a seafood recipe, and using it to approach STEM and SEE, looking at both the living things at the source and the nutrition it provides to us, but also extending this – the ARC has a wonderful video of the Salmon of Knowledge, in geography we can look at the people behind the aquaculture industry, and many more.
Hi Claire, Your answer is so well thought out!
I particularly like your idea to examine how often students experience integrated STEM learning rather than isolated subject teaching, something we could definitely benefit from looking at in our school as part of our SSE process going forward. It’s so easy pull a lesson from a book or online resource without looking at how it could be approached differently, but so valuable to take your approach.
The Arc online lessons are resources are a great tool to have in introducing and teaching aquaculture to your class or school. In an area fairly new to me I would have a lot of learning to do before I could teach it in any great detail, but the Arc lessons are full of up to date and accurate information, on a very broad scale. The study of aquaculture lends itself very obviously to the study of living things, but from the arc education resources we can see that it actually applies right across all the strands, from engineering and technology, to materials. Oysters are grown on ropes – isn’t that fascinating? I also love the focus on people throughout the resources – as the STEM education policy reminds us “All learners will have access to high-quality information on STEM careers” is an integral part of STEM education, and these resources emphasize this.
The STEM education policy also emphasises the cross curricular place STEM should hold in our schools, and these resources lend themselves well to cross curricular planning, providing a straightforward way to reinforce cross curricular planning as part of the SSE process around STEM targets.Hi Jessica, it is interesting to see a similar reaction from someone living in a completely different area to me on this topic. I too am realising there is a lot about aquaculture I hadn’t previously thought about, and I’m glad I’m not the only one. I’m finding aquaculture so interesting to learn about – and I have a sudden strong urge to book a few days away to the irish coast!
Most of Ireland is well suited to agriculture due to its ideal ‘Goldilocks climate’. However, coastal areas of the west coast and mountainous terrain are not suited for traditional agricultural practices. It is in these areas Aquaculture is prevalent. The differences in coastal features means a variety of aquaculture is supported.
I live in an area where agriculture is common. From a socio-economic view, farming shaped the history and development of much of what makes up the area where I live, with not just the farmers who work on the farms being dependant on it, but the many other industries and professions that come about indirectly. With this not being an accessible option in many coastal and mountainous areas, I find it fascinating that a parallel industry grew up in these areas that I knew so little about – being so different from what I know I am looking forward to learning about comparable socio – economic impact aquaculture has had in these areas in the next module.
Lesson plan for a map plotting activity
Living in a landlocked area, I would begin with a lesson first on identifying different parts of the coast. I would start with a KWL chart to determine the vocabulary and knowledge the children already have. I would then write the relevant vocabulary such as sea shore, estuary, bay harbour, and islands, and have the class discuss which ones they know, which ones sound familiar, and what is new. I would put pictures of example locations on the interactive white board for each new word. I’d imagine the students in my area would not have much prior knowledge about this!
Next I would divide the children into groups, and provide each group with a part featuring a section of Ireland’s coast. I would ask them to affix labels to their parts of the map using their new vocabulary and knowledge. I would leave the vocabulary and pictures on the board for a reference, and circulate to differentiate as needed.Finally I would have each group present their findings to the class, drawing comparisons and discussing what impact the children think this might have on different areas. I would then return to our KWL chart, fill in our new knowledge, and identify any areas we need to explore further.
I would do this lesson before a lesson on the different types of aquaculture, displaying the map sections in the classroom so we could refer back to it as we move through the different types of aquaculture, what is required, and have the children pick out areas on their own maps most suited to each type.
I think that learning about aquaculture, especially in the midlands, in an area with a strong agricultural background, is a great way to get students using critical thinking skills. Looking at an industry that has many parallels but at the same time is completely different from their norm would really open my students eyes and engage their interest. I think there is a lot of value in learning about social license, examining it as it applies to aquaculture, and then looking at the ways it applies to the agriculture they are more familiar with. This would foster some passionate discussion and debate!
Living in the midlands means visiting the coast is a challenging prospect; I think the ARC is such an exciting, and motivating way to bring aquaculture to the classroom and making it seem a lot more relevant to the students. I feel like it is an area I have a lot to learn about myself, but I am finding it fascinating so far – I am realising my knowledge about farming as I understand it in Ireland is very narrow, and I think that my students would feel the same.Hi Niamh, I agree completely – I am quickly realising there is a lot about aquaculture I don’t know myself, let alone our students, and living on an island where it is not just an important industry but a part of our culture, it is definitely something we should be teaching our next generations and improving our own knowledge about.