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Deforestation has significant effects on local and global weather patterns. I love your choice, by investigating these factors, pupils can indeed become climate detectives, understanding how deforestation impacts our local weather and advocating for sustainable practices.
Research Question: How does the amount of rainfall in our local area affect the growth of plants in our school garden?
Reflection: To encourage 4th class pupils to participate in the Climate Detectives project, I would start by sparking their curiosity about the environment. We would begin with a fun and interactive discussion about weather and climate, using videos and hands-on activities to illustrate concepts. I would then guide them to observe our school garden and notice how different weather conditions, especially rainfall, impact plant growth. By involving them in setting up simple experiments, such as measuring rainfall and tracking plant growth, they would feel like real scientists. Regularly sharing their findings and discussing them in class would keep their interest alive. Additionally, organising a local councillor or TD to come look at their investigations would provide them with a sense of importance and excitement about their project. I would celebrating their efforts and findings through presentations.
EO Browser provides easy access to full-resolution satellite images. You can select your area of interest, adjust time ranges, and explore different visualizations. It’s perfect for educators, students, and anyone interested in Earth observation.
In terms of using it in classroom it definite support development of SESE knowledge, when teaching geography you can show pupils real-time satellite imagery of different regions. Discuss land cover changes, urban growth, and natural disasters. If you are a bit more scientific you can look at vegetation health using NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) or monitor deforestation patterns. It links in with the new mathematics curriculum as you can visualise data and compare data from different satellites and investigate phenomena like wildfires or air pollution. If your looking at ice- look at sea ice extent, glacier retreat, and temperature anomalies over time. Honestly, EO Browser is free and user-friendly, making it an excellent resource for both beginners and the techy people.
“HOME” by Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a powerful documentary that vividly illustrates the impact of human activities on our planet. It weaves together breathtaking aerial shots, compelling narratives, and scientific facts to convey urgent messages about climate change and environmental stewardship. Some of the key facts that stood out for me were life on Earth has existed for nearly 4 billion years with humans appearing only 200,000 years ago, rivers carry minerals to oceans making them salty, cyanobacteria are becoming so important. Plant life changed the atmosphere by breaking apart water molecules. I would envisage introducing these climate changing facts by using the video to engage their curiosity, let the students research the facts in further detail. I would contextualise the ideas further by undertaking experiments such as water cycle model or by using digital tools like the carbon footprint calculator. I also would like to have a whole class discussion on the areas of interest and provoke thinking with questions such as What surprised you the most?” “How can we make a positive impact?” “What changes can we implement?
Activity 3, which involves predicting future temperatures based on greenhouse gas emissions, sounds incredibly engaging for students. To implement this lesson in my class, I would begin by showing the Paxi video to introduce the concept of greenhouse gases. Before getting the students using the digital tool, I would support their data literacy skills by encouraging them to gather their own data like in Module 1. Then I would pose a problem that could only be answered by Teel Tool website. I would guide students through the simulation tool, allowing them to manipulate variables and observe their impact on temperature predictions. I think for this website children would need to be supported with their data literacy first to really engage and understand that the data is implying. To extend this further I would ask the students to figure out what had the biggest impact on Ireland over the years, temperature, precipitation, wind, solar radiation, co2 and which do they think is going to be the second most of a problem in the future.
It sounds like you’ve found some a wonderful ways to integrate STEM concepts into your classroom with practical and engaging activities next year! Creating a weather station is a fantastic idea that can provide your students with hands-on learning experiences and foster their interest in science and the environment. I absolutely agree with you point about purchasing a real one. Can be nice to show students what they are aiming for and older children prefer seeing the real objects in action.
Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym- The paper by Liston (2018) looks into the broader implications of STEM education beyond its literal letters. STEM education emphasises an interdisciplinary approach, integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration. Effective STEM education goes beyond rote memorisation and focuses on real-world applications.
In my classroom it looks like hands on activities, cross curricular projects, inquiry based learning where they are focused on a questions and when appropriate using equipment and technology to help solve the problem.
Activity 1: Is it weather or climate?
To extend this activity, I would try discussing real-world examples of weather events versus climate trends.
Activity 2: Weather Detectives
I really like how this activity links in data collection in Mathematics especially with new Maths curriculum. To extend this further pupils could collect data on other weather variables (rainfall, wind speed) or compare data across different locations.
