Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
There are some great resources here again in this module. I will be looking at rockets as I think they can really grab the children’s interest. I would use a rocket launch video to begin, everyone is familiar with the countdown to blast off. For a younger class I would read the book Astro Mouse by Steve Smallman. In this story a mouse tries to launch himself into space. This could lead us into asking how we could build a rocket. I would take suggestions from the class and write / draw them up on the board. Next we would begin the Rocket Mice activity. Pupils would use the paper template to cut out the rocket shape and Sellotape the rolled up paper. They can then draw on eyes & whiskers or stick on extra detail. Then we would launch from various plastic bottles discussing the different results and how different sized bottles might have made a difference too. Finally we would draw up a picture of what we did.
Hi. The outer space area in your class is a great idea. A super way to celebrate and show off all the learning and creations from Space Week.
I like this idea of linking maths with the rocket lesson. You mentioned the shapes used and weight. You could also measure the distance travelled, asking why did some rockets go further than others? Was it a fair test? There’s so much scope for integration with these fun activities.
There are some lovely resources in this module. I have chosen the Where Do You Live? Activity set to base my lesson on for 1st Class. It would tie in well with the theme of homes. To start I could show a picture of a house and ask the pupils to describe it, how many windows, doors, floors, etc. We would then look at images of different types of homes in Ireland / the local are – apartments, semi detached, bungalow, caravan etc. Pointing out the differences in each. I would have an active game where the pupils have to use their bodies to show the different houses. Pupils link arms with a partner and other arms join above to make semi, lie down for a bungalow, several pupils link arms to make a terrace, arms rotating to make a caravan’s wheels, arms straight up for block of apartments. The pupils would be given the worksheet with the different types of houses and to choose their type of home and colour it. Pupils can then do their own drawings of their homes and combine them to make a village. In future we would add the shops, services in the local area, library, shops, bakery, etc. A further extension could be to go on a short walk and to spot the different types of houses in the locality and draw them from real life on a clipboard.
I agree, the dress up box is a lovely idea. Lots of opportunities for oral language in both Irish and English. I love the idea of giving pairs or groups a season and they’d have to choose appropriate clothing and say why. Thanks!
I would use the activity set Space and Aliens and base my activity on the Special Life activity. As other participants have mentioned, the whole concept of aliens really fires up the imagination of children so I think it’s an activity the whole class can enjoy. As an introduction to the lesson for 1st Class pupils, I would refer to the book (previously read or to start the lesson) “Aliens Love Underpants”. In this book the aliens come to Earth because there are things on Earth that they don’t have on their planet. From here, we can begin the discussion on what other special objects or animals we have on Earth that imaginary aliens might want to see or have. Some suggestions can be written up / drawn up on the board and then the pupils can come up with their own ideas – which they will draw on paper. When the drawings are finished, pupils can do the acting out activity and then show their picture, each pupil having a turn. Further development would be to outline why Earth is so special, temperature, air, water, etc compared to other planets. A future lesson would be to imagine other planets, what alien life would live there and to create an alien in an art lesson.
Hi I don’t have a link to that particular poem but see the link for a few funny alien poems by Ken Nesbitt. He has lots of amusing poems on all sorts of topics but plenty are about school so the kids I’ve taught really enjoy them.
I totally agree, this would be brilliant for firing up their imaginations. Especially for some children who get a bit stuck and “don’t know” what to draw….I think almost all children can have a go at imagining and then making their own alien with not too much help.
The activity sets provided here are very practical and I will certainly be making use of them in my class. For the assignment I will discuss using the activity set ‘The Planets’. As a trigger in the lesson I would display a picture of the Earth in space. We would discuss the shape and colours. We could then have a discussion and brainstorm any other planet names the pupils know or have heard. We could discuss what it looks like on Earth and how it might be different on other planets. Next I would introduce the ‘Family of the Sun’ song for the children to listen to along with the video. We would then go through a few planet names and what the planet is like. The children could then have their own copy each of the Tiny Book of the Planets. They could be coloured in each in turn by the children in according to what we have learned so far about them. A further activity would be to play the planet game outside or in the hall. In this game, the children would run, hop, etc travelling around the sun (yellow hula hoop) until they hear the teacher call out a planet name. They would then have to land on a ‘planet’ (various other coloured hula hoops) laid out on the floor. There could be a few variations on this game. The planet dance is also a nice activity incorporating spatial awareness and also the concept of planets spinning on their axis.
I agree, Paula, the polystyrene balls are a great idea for making planets in the junior classes. I’d love to do papier maché as well but as you said, it might be a bit complicated for the younger ones. It might be an idea to split up into groups and they could help the teacher or SNA to make one over time. It would be great to have them hanging up from the ceiling if the pupils had a hand in making them.
An inquiry based activity I would use in my classroom is one that I have used before in different class groups. It used to be called Keeping The Damp Out on the old primary science website. I have used this lesson as part of the “Homes” or “ Weather” themes. The trigger could be something simple like the fact that it’s lashing rain outside and how we are nice and dry in our classroom or inside your house. We could also look at videos or photos of old homes where the damp has damaged the house and walls.
The class would discuss what materials “absorb” water and which ones would be “waterproof”. We could brainstorm different materials on the board. We would then investigate a range of materials that we can test to see if it’s waterproof or not. The children would be set up into groups of 4-5 and would be able to explore different materials, kitchen roll, tissue, baking paper, plastic, tin foil etc. They would be given the chance to make predictions on which materials would be / not be waterproof.
Conducting the investigation is where I would conduct a demonstration of sugar cubes absorbing water with food colouring added. The children would then be given the chance to conduct this test themselves, using the different materials. As a whole class we would then record and discuss the results. The children always enjoy this activity!Story time from space is a brilliant resource. Great for trigger in the lesson or just as a novelty story time. I sometimes use https://storylineonline.net/ in my class – it has a huge library of stories usually read by famous faces. The space one will be great for space week and space themed lessons, thank you!
