Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I like the idea of interviewing locals very much to learn about conservation work. Creating a pollinator garden is something I would like to do this year at school.
Sustainability is very important in my area. We are situated on the coast and we try as much as possible to incorporate the sea and marine into our daily lives at school and into as much of the curriculum as possible. One example of sustainability in the area are the fish farms situated on the west coast of Ireland. There is a fish farm in Rosaveal as well as mussels and oysters in Killary. Ri na Mara Irish seaweed cosmetics use sustainable sea weed farming is used in cosmetic products produced in Spiddal and these products are very popular and natural. Another company which is situated on the west coast, near our school is Irish Organics. This is an example of a company which places huge importance on sustainability and natural ingredients. Their packaging is also focused on sustainability. There is a big focus also on keeping the beach clean. Pupils from our school help with this. The children in our school help with making sure we recycle and are very proud of their green and blue flags.
Seafood is full of essentials nutrients. Fish and seafood are high in protein which is needed as a building block for the body as well as helping repair and grow muscles. Seafood is also rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Iron which is needed for our blood is found in high levels in mussels, oysters and other shellfish. The type of iron found in shellfish is also absorbed by the body more easily than that found in plants. Vitamin D which is known as the sunshine vitamin is really important especially in Ireland where we do not often get enough sunshine. Mackerel is high in this vitamin. It is important that calcium is taken with this. Salmon is very high in good fats which are called Omega 3. It is often referred to as brain food and is important for brain development in young children. I would show the pupils in my class the video about the salmon of knowledge and from there we would have a look at the food pyramid and discuss the different types of foods and which are best for you. A survey about who eats seafood in the class could follow and the other thing that can be done is have a look at labels from seafood taken in from home.
I agree with you. I also incorporate discussions about food and nutrition into my lessons too. It’s important that pupils understand that there so many different types of healthy and tasty foods out there to be tried.
The four online ARC lessons that I watched fit in perfectly with the ideas in the STEM education policy statement. Pupils of all ages would love these videos. They are short, very real life and practical and link in with science, SPHE, geography, maths and many other subjects. The lessons encourage hands on and enquiry based learning. Use of the local environment is also part of the ARC lessons.
I would love pupils to think about the foods that they eat and the different types of food that they can try and explore. Nutrition is a big part of lesson two and it is done in a lovely simple manner that is interesting for pupils. They could then do a survey in class or even if the whole school to see how many people eat seafood or shellfish. The results can be put up on the school website and it’ll then make families think about which new foods they might try. When other classes see the older classes using technology it will encourage them to also build on how the see STEM developed and used.I agree with you Diarmaid. I would also like to focus on some of the issues you mentioned such as healthy eating and water conservation in school.
I agree with you Karolina that aquaculture is not just about producing food. It creates so much employment directly and indirectly to an area and allows people to remain in their local are rather than leave to get employment elsewhere.
A lot of Ireland’s land on the west coast has mountains or rocky terrain with poor soil which is not suitable for agriculture. Aquaculture is therefore is mostly popular on the Atlantic coast in the bays and inlets which are sheltered from the strong Atlantic winds. Aquaculture is very important to many of these areas, expecially those that are remote since there is often very little opportunity for work there. Employment is created in so many ways both directly and indirectly. There are those who work directly on trawlers and fish farms as well as those indirectly impacted by aquaculture. People are needed to fish and work on fishfarms, others are needed to repair boats and nets, others are needed to check the cleanliness and health of the waters and the fish. Delivery of the fish to restaurants and shops creats employment for drivers. Employment is then also created for chefs in restaurants. Many of these villages also have a seafood restaurant in them which attracts tourism too.
I agree that the ARC would be a great resource that can be used in class with lots of activities that pupils would enjoy.
Module 1 shows us the importance of aquaculture in Ireland. THere are so many tools that can be used from module 1 in the classroom. One that stands out to me is the information about shellfish and salmon. The part about the lifecycle of the salmon can be used in an SESE lesson. It covers Geography and Science as well as Oral Language, History and Maths. Pupils can study the lifecycle of salmon. They will learn the vocabulary associated with the lifecycle and can then use ipads or chromebooks using Canva to produce a slideshow of their own. We can introduce the Salmon of Knowledge in History as a follow up lesson.
It is important that pupils understand the importance of sustainable living. Many will know a lot about agriculture in Ireland but maybe not so much about aquaculture even though Ireland is an island. They will also learn about the health benefits of eating seafood and it might encourage them to try something that they haven’t eaten in the past.I love the idea of the children taking on different roles and designing their own Dark Sky Place. Creating posters and brochures is also a fun idea for them.
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky? For example: Look up President Michael D Higgins’ “Stardust”
Some of the songs, poems and art that connect us to the night sky are:
Starry Starry Night – Don mc Lean
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
The Light in the Night- Marie Voigt
Rocket Man- Elton John
Fly me to the Moon – Frank Sinatra
Levitating- Dua Lipa
Space Oddity – David Bowie
All of the Stars – Ed Sheeran
Spaceman
Lucky Star – Madonna
Harvest Moon – Neil Young
A Sky full of stars – Coldplay
Night Sky – Leo Cassio
Underneath the stars – Mariah Carey
Firefly lights – Pagaehun
The moon’s song – Olivia Fern
Little Fluffy clouds – Orb
Up on the roof – The Drifters
Poems: Whispers to the Night Sky
The Wishing Star
The Night Sky
The Moon was but a chin of gold
Stars
My Star
A Star
What it is like to be a Star
We are the Stars
Star of the Week
I like Stars
An Ghealach – Caitríona Ní ChléirchinThere is so much that can be done with the materials mentioned above. These songs, stories, art and poems can be used as a listen and respond in music or as a stimulus in an art lesson. Children can also compose their acrostic poems after they have listened or discussed the night sky. There are also flashcards available for some of them online which can be used as a game afterwards.
I love the idea of the lights out simulation in the classroom with torches. The children would love this as well as building small insect hotels.
How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
This is a very important topic to discuss with our pupils, especially if our school is in an area with lots of artificial lighting. To begin with, it is important that the children understand and recognise what nocturnal animals are in general. They can then look them up on their tablets and write down the information that they have learned. It is then important that they learn about which nocturnal animals we have in Ireland and which ones we had in the past – bats, owls etc. We would then discuss what is important when it comes to artificial lighting and how it affects the nocturnal animals. The children will discuss what they can do along with their parents at home to reduce artificial lighting eg have a sensor light outside rather than a constant light. We will then check to see which lights we have outside school and how we can reduce lighting outside to help nocturnal animals.