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Orla I really like how you have made the activity cross curricular. The hands on activity sounds fun and engaging. I also have found in the past that reading books are a great stimulus for a topic such as this.
Creating a plan to engage with Space Week:
Monday – I will start the week by sparking interest about planets and space. We will read the book “Aliens in Underpants Save the World”. We will look at picture of the planets and I will share some interesting facts about planets and space.
Tuesday – Today we will look at astronauts and the story of Neil Armstrong. We will discuss what an astronaut is and we will listen to the story of Neil Armstrong and discuss the main events on his life. We will then watch the Moon Landing video. The children will re-enact the landing. They will then design their own astronaut outfits.
Wednesday – I will introduce the phases of the moon using Jaffa Cakes. The children will then make a spinning toy as an interactive demonstration of the different moon phases. They will use 2 plastic cups each, black permanent marker, yellow paper, black paper and sellotape. The inside cup will spin to show the different phases on the outside cup.
Thursday – For today’s activity we will make our own telescopes using recyclable materials such as cardboard kitchen rolls, tissue paper, sellotape and foam stickers.
Friday – Today we will look at the star constellations. We will darken down the room. The children will put on their coats to replicate real life. We will put blankets on the floor. I will use a projector on the ceiling to show the various constellations and the children will use the telescopes they made the previous day. Afterwards the children will complete a join the dots activity of the various constellations they seen.I really like the idea of your activity Ciara. I would like to try this with my class this year. I remember doing something like this when I was in school myself and it is a lesson that stands out for me.
Topic chosen: Online Resources and Tools. I will be teaching Junior Infants for the upcoming year so I will look at how I can utilise these resources and tools for learning in the classroom.
Stellarium-web.org – I would use this resource to teach the class about the planets, stars and constellations. I would display various constellations on the whiteboard and the kids could try to recreate them using black paper and chalk, or use Nexus threading boards to map their shape.
Marvin and Milo – This can be used for a variety of fun and engaging science experiments. I would use the Do Try this at home resource to do activities such as the Magic Balloon and The Straw Gun to link to topics such as sound, forces and electricity.
ESA Education – I would use this website to spark the students curiosity and wonder for space exploration. I would use the games such as Space Cleanup and Solar System Explorer, and it could be used for story time also where we would explore stories relating to astronauts and space exploration.That would be a very interesting way to imagine what an alien could be composed of by learning and reflecting on how we are composed ourselves. The kids would love it.
Activity – Stars
It is important for kids to learn about the science of stars and constellations, both for educational purposes and also to fuel their sense of wonder, discovery and imagination.
I would incorporate this topic into a lesson to teach the students of the different constellations in our night sky, such as the Plough, Orions belt etc.
I would start by displaying a constellation on the whiteboard (plough). Each student has a nexus threading board and elastic bands. They each plot the shape of the constellation on their board. This would be fun and would also develop their visualization and fine motor skills. Upon completing each of the constellation displayed, they can then create their own constellation and come up with a fun name for it.
Such a fun and interesting way of learning about the planets. You would incorporate singing, reading, listening and art into the one lesson. They would be engaged.
Excellent idea Julie to have them trace their own shadows. That would be very fun and engaging for them.
Aideen that is a great idea with the sundial. It would provide an excellent and engaging lesson which the students would thoroughly enjoy. I will definitely be incorporating this into one of my lessons in the future.
Topic – Sun and Shadows
I would incorporate this topic into a lesson in a fun and engaging way for the pupils so they can learn about the movement of the sun during the day and how it affects the size, shape and direction of the shadows produced.
Activity 1 – Toy Shadows. I would allow the pupils to bring in 3-4 of their favorite toys. Each pupil places an a3 page flat on the ground in front of the toys with the sun shining at the toy projecting its shadow onto the page. They can use a pencil to trace the shadows onto the page and then spend some time coloring them in. Later in the day they can set up the toys for a 2nd time with the page on the ground again and they will notice how the shape and size of the shadows will now be different due to the change in position of the sun.
Activity 2 – Sundial. This would be a whole class activity. First thing in the morning we make our own sundial using a paper plate with a wooden dowel standing up in the middle. The pupils are brought outside and we place the Sundial on the ground and we mark the direction of the dowels shadow on the plate using a marker. We label this line with the hour of the day e.g. 10am. Throughout the day at each hourly interval we revisit the Sundial and mark the shadow with the hour, which will showcase the rotation of the suns path throughout the day.
That’s a really good idea Sean. I find there’s a lot more engagement when the activities are hands on.
Hi, my name is Catherine. I have taught Junior Infants for two years. After a career break last year, I will be back teaching Junior Infants in September. I am excited to learn more about incorporating lessons on Space in the classroom. I always feel the topic is a hit with students.
An interesting fact about space is that one million Earths could fit inside the sun and the sun is considered an average size star.
An enquiry based lesson that I would carry out in the classroom would be learning about space suits and the children designing their own space suit. The children would sit in a circle and we would start by asking the clothes they wear to suit when it’s raining or sunny, clothes that keep them warm. Asking why we wear a raincoat etc. Explain that the clothes we wear can be based on the weather. Show the children a picture of a diver. Explain that the diver needs to take air with them to breath under water. Explain that it’s the same in Space. Show the children a picture of an astronaut. Ask the children to describe the suit. Explain that astronauts don’t breath the same as the do on Earth and that they need the special suit. They also need to keep warm. The children will then get a chance to design their own astronaut suit using various materials. The suit must have its own air supple and must be able to keep the astronaut warm. The children then share their designs with the class.
