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Hi Jessica, I enjoyed reading your post. I agree that using local examples of aquaculture makes learning much more meaningful for children. I also liked your point about adapting the activities for younger pupils through play and investigation. It’s a great way to encourage curiosity while making STEM fun and relevant.
This module helped me appreciate the important role seafood plays in a healthy, balanced diet. While I knew fish was healthy, I did not realise how rich it is in essential nutrients such as Omega-3, iron and Vitamin D. I found it especially interesting that shellfish like mussels and oysters are excellent sources of iron, while salmon provides Omega-3 and Vitamin D, supporting brain development, heart health and strong bones. The module also highlighted how seafood fits into the protein section of the Food Pyramid.
I have never been a big believer in the Food Pyramid and, if anything, this module reinforced that view. In my opinion, it places too much emphasis on carbohydrates and not enough on nutrient-dense foods such as seafood and quality protein. If it were up to me, I would turn the Food Pyramid upside down, giving seafood and protein a much more prominent place. As a primary teacher, I would use the Food Pyramid as a starting point for discussion while encouraging children to think critically about healthy eating and the nutritional value of sustainable Irish seafood
Hey, I really enjoyed reading your reflection. I agree that the course highlighted just how important aquaculture is for many coastal communities, not only for providing food but also for supporting local employment. I also liked your point about helping children make connections between the sea, seafood and the people whose livelihoods depend on it. I think using maps and photographs is a great way to introduce the topic, especially as it makes the learning more relevant and engaging. It’s definitely made me look at Ireland’s coastline in a different way too.
This module really deepened my appreciation of Ireland’s coastline and why aquaculture farms are mainly located along the western seaboard. I have always loved the sea, so learning how sheltered bays, inlets and fjords provide ideal conditions for salmon, oysters and mussels was fascinating. Ireland’s mild, temperate climate and clean, nutrient-rich waters make these areas especially suitable. I also found it interesting that many western coastal regions are less suited to traditional agriculture, making aquaculture an important source of employment and local prosperity. It supports families, local businesses and communities while producing high-quality seafood. As a primary teacher, I can see great opportunities to use maps, local examples and coastal investigations to help pupils understand how geography shapes people’s lives. This module reminded me that the sea is not only beautiful but also essential to Ireland’s culture, economy and future. It has inspired me to share that enthusiasm with my class every day.
I really enjoyed reading your post. I think using local examples from Kerry is a great way to make the learning more meaningful for the children. It’s much easier for pupils to engage with a topic when they can relate it to places they know and have visited with their families. I also liked your point about not using the term “Social Licence” with infant classes. Teaching the ideas through fairness, sharing, caring for the environment and listening to others is much more age appropriate. It’s a lovely way to introduce those concepts without making them too complicated. I might even <strong data-start=”589″ data-end=”598″>steal some of your ideas for my own classroom, especially the collaborative activities. I think the children would really enjoy them and they’d spark some great disscussion.
I found this module very interesting and can see plenty of opportunities to use the ARC resources in the primary classroom. As teachers, we are always looking for engaging, hands-on learning experiences, and these resources would fit well into SESE, SPHE and even oral language activities. I think pupils would really enjoy learning through such an interactive approach rather than from a textbook alone.
i think the idea of Social License interesting, as it shows pupils that communities, businesses and the environment all need to work together. It encourages children to think critically, listen to different opinions and understand that there is often more than one perspective.
Living in Ireland, we are very fortunate to have such a beautiful coastline, and I think it is important that children develop an appreciation of the sea and the role it plays in our lives, our environment and local communities. Overall, I feel these resources will help develop curiosity, environmental awareness and a greater understanding of Ireland’s aquaculture industry.
The class plan for Space Week
- Monday: Planet Earth, will start with KWL chart. Then group work for research, assisted by myself. Then create collage of Earth e.g moasic template module 2. Revisit the KWL Chart.
- Tuesday: The moon, read Papa give me the moon, make rockets
- Wednesday: The Solar System: Inquiry questions, then mnemonic for planets, curious minds activity. The children will discover cool space facts e.g how big (or small!) each planet really is.
- Thursday: Aliens and Imagination, read the poem the Marrog, Draw/create your own Aliens and write about his home planet
- Friday : Reflection and Astronuts (ISS website), designing our own space suits
Activity Set ‘What Clothes to Wear’ – Seasons. This would be a great lesson for my class as we have a dressing up box, they love movement, hands on activities and storytelling
Dressing Up Box/Role Play: The seasonal activity from the pdfs would be great for vocabulary development and integration with Irish, drama and they colour the pictures at the end
‘Rain, Wind and Storm’ Weather Story – Intearctive story telling that nicomporates movement, sound & drama. This would be great for all children in my classroom as it helps children visualise weather changes.
Other resources and activities
Season song by pancake Manor
Bua na Cainte has some rhymes can can be integrated
Book, Maisy wonderful Weather Book
Games Weather bingo in english or irish
We like to play a parachute game with a ball ithat represents a ship and I narrate a story e.g Joe is fishing the dsun is shining the waves are low etc
Start of lesson for Junior Classes:
Start with “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” in Irish.
Include actions, rhythm, or call-and-response.Mind Map: What We Know About Stars
Then WALT We are learning to…
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Powerpoint about stars (twinkle.ie) Possible questions, can we touch or catch a star? How far away are they?
Are all stars the same? Have you ever seen a shooting star? The work done in a observatory ?Examine night sky photographs or online planetarium images.
Discuss patterns, brightness, colours, and differences among stars.Activity: Hands-On Activity. Draw your own consolation e.g it use to be a saucepan.The revisit walt at end to consolidate the lesson
I chose Activity Set ‘The Moon’, because the Moon is full of mystery, wonder and features in a lot of great story books, that I have in the classroom.
In the Junior room I’d start by reading the lovely Irish picture book An Grian agus Gealach, it’s filled with bright meaningful pictures to spark their imaginations. Then, we’d look a short videos to discover that the Moon peeks out both in the daytime and at night, even if we can’t always see it.
Our main adventure would be creating a special “Moon Chart”, using the same/familiar format as a weather chart. Children tick the box each evening and parents can email in photos or write a comment about the position/visibility of the moon. . Back in class, we’d share our charts and talk about how the Moon changes shape—sometimes a skinny crescent, sometimes a big glowing circle.
lots of opportunities to develop the lesson over the week and integration is essential with new curriculum
