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The activity set I would choose is “Rockets”. Prior to the lesson, I would read the book “Winnie in Space” to generate interest from a humorous angle (and as any infant class I’ve taught to date always love the adventures of Winnie the Witch).
To introduce the lesson on rockets itself, I would play a video clip of the Vega rocket launch to encourage curiosity about propulsion and movement. I would then inform the class that they will be making their own rockets and test how far they can travel. They will be provided with the materials necessary to make their rocket – A4 page (with two identical black and white rockets drawn), scissors, glue, colours, straw. This lesson will also have an emphasis on fine motor activities, cutting and sticking in particular. After designing and cutting out the two rockets, I will emphasis how the top and sides of their rocket must be glued together but the bottom must be left open to insert their straw which will be used to launch their rocket.
I will allow the children sufficient time to design and experiment with launching their rockets in the classroom. I would then bring the class to the school hall, and line then up in a straight line. I would explain how we are all going to launch our rockets at the same time by blowing through the straw. Countdown from 10 and yell “Blast Off”. We will note whose rocket travelled the furthest but to avoid things becoming too competitive, I will allow the class a few attempts of launching their rockets and have fun.
On returning to the class, we will recap what we learned. I would ask the class if there was anything they would do differently if they were going to do the experiment again.
I also love the idea of “Rocket Mice” outlined in this module, which would be a lovely follow up activity.
Hi Louise, I love the idea of placing all the houses around in a class village. I am sure if this was a clay based activity, it would be a display the class would be very proud to display and to show visitors to the class.
The activity set I would choose is “What Clothes to Wear?”. I believe the learning outcomes outlined of “identify different kinds of weather: rain, wind, thunderstorm, and sunny, know that for every season you wear different kinds of clothes, know that clothing protects you from the cold, and discover that some kinds of weather occur more often in certain seasons” provide an opportunity for integrated learning across the curriculum. This activity set would provide an engaging and age-appropriate way to introduce my Senior Infant Class to the seasons.
I would open the lesson by inviting the children to share any prior knowledge they have of the seasons. I would prompt, if necessary, by asking questions such as “how many seasons are there? Can anyone name the four seasons? How many months are in each season? What colours do we associate with each season? How do we prepare for each season? What do we wear?”
I would then sit the children in a circle with the large dressing-up box in the middle. The box would contain an array of clothes you might wear across the four seasons. I would invite the children up in groups to pick out and put on a few items you might wear during these seasons. I would then assign each corner of the room a season using both words and pictures. I would invite any children who feel they are wearing “summer clothes” to move to summer area, any “winter clothes” to move to the winter area, and so on and so forth. The children would then discuss in their groups why they feel they belong in that area, or if they would be more suitable some place. I would then invite children to speak to the class as a whole as why they belong in a certain “season”. I am sure it would spark a debate in the similarities between certain seasons, e.g. autumn and winter and this would be a good opportunity to explain to the children that some kinds of weather occur more often in certain seasons.
I would then read the children the story outlined in the activity set “Rain, Wind and Storm” and invite the children to take part using sounds and movement so they can join in. I would conclude the lesson by recapping what was learnt.
This lesson provides a good opportunity for discussing the seasons in greater detail at another stage, and about how different parts of the world experience seasons at different times. This links in well with what has being covered in other modules of this course.
Hi Joe, I like your idea of an integrated approach to teaching this activity set. You mentioned opportunities for literacy, mathematics, visual arts and SPHE. What a great what to encompass Space and Aliens as a theme.
The activity set I would choose is “Lots and lots of Stars”. I believe that the learning outcomes outlined of “know that stars give off light, know that you can see the stars at night (if it is not cloudy), know that the Sun is a star, know that there are lots and lots of stars, practise counting, practise writing numbers and reading them” provide integrated learning across the curriculum. I believe this activity set provides an engaging and age-appropriate way to introduce my Senior Infant Class to the night sky.
I would open the lesson by inviting the children to share any prior knowledge they have of stars. I would prompt, if necessary, by asking questions such as “Have you ever seen the stars? What did they look like? Were there a lot of them? Do stars give light? When do you usually see the stars? Is the Sun a star too? What is our closest star?” I would explain that the Sun gives off so much light that we have light during the day and that the light is so bright then that we can’t see the other stars.
We would then continue to paint our own starry night sky. The children would paint a sheet of A4 paper to match the colour of the night, letting them choose what colour they want this to be. When the paint is dry, the children can make stars. Each child would use a toothbrush. The children would choose what colours they want to paint the stars and I would explain that the real stars also come in different colours. Dipping the toothbrush in the paint and running it across the screen would makes lots of tiny spots on the paper.
As an early finishing activity, children would work on the suggested worksheet containing drawings of stars. I would encourage the children to help each other if there are difficulties with counting or writing the numbers.
I would conclude the lesson by inviting the children to talk about what they learned. I would encourage a number of children to show what they have made. I would then reiterate what stars are, when you see them and how many there are in the universe.
Hi Catriona, I love the idea of introducing your lesson by the game of shadow tag. I have no doubt that you would have the class engaged from the off and is a great stimulus for the lesson.
Activity Set: The Moon
Learning outcomes: be aware that the Moon is a sphere and become aware that the Moon doesn’t always look the same
Introduction: I would introduce the lesson by showing the class various images of the moon. I would ensure the children are aware that the moon is a sphere and ask could they identify any more moon like shapes in our classroom. We would discuss how the moon is a 3D shape but how it appears to be a 2D shape from our own viewpoint. We would use our Play-Doh to ensure that the children are aware of the difference between the 2D and 3D shapes and create our own versions of the moon. We would do a KWL all about the moon as the kids love to have their own questions be made feel relevant and valued.
Body:
Explain that they are going to make their own Moon and they can use all the materials laid out on the tables (coloured circular craft sheets, coloured crescent-shaped craft sheets, glue, paint, scissors, white paper circle, white paper crescent) When they have finished, ask them why they made their Moon the way they did, paying particular attention to the colour and the shape. Ask them if the Moon really looks like that. Reiterate that the Moon is really a sphere. From the Earth we can only see one side of the Moon at a time, which is why it looks flat. Sometimes we see the Moon as a circle, and sometimes as a crescent. The Moon rhyme is also something that could be introduced here and be worked on for the week.Conclusion:
We would recap on what we learned by completing the L part of our KWL.Hi Abby, I love the idea of the egg drop challenge. Using an egg as the astronaut is a great way of getting the children engaged. Even the fact that you’re taking the children outside the classroom to complete the experiment is a great idea.
After reading the course materials, the inquiry-based activity I have chosen is an “Soak Up A Spill” with a space theme. As bottle leaks are a daily occurrence with my Senior Infants, it is already of great relevance to them.
I would structure my lesson as follows.
Engage: There is a lovely video on Youtube of the astronaut Suni Williams giving a tour of the International Space Station. I would begin at the moment where she describes how astronauts brush their teeth in space and how water droplets float in space (as she demonstrates). I would then ask the class the question “what if the entire bottle spilt by mistake and what might be the best material to soak up the spill?”
Investigate: I would ask the children what materials they feel would be best to soak up the spill. Next, I would tell them that we are gong to do an experiment using paper towels, newspaper, plastic bags, tinfoil and bubble wrap. We would predict which materials we think would soak up the spill the best, and if there was any material they feel wouldn’t be successful in tidying up a spill. Predictions could be recorded by drawing smiley faces on the records sheet as suggested in the module. We would then work in groups observing the various materials. We would then have a class discussion on which materials worked best and if there were any waterproof materials?
Take the Next Step: Design and make a waterproof coat for Teddy. Which materials would work best? What materials definitely wouldn’t work.
Conclusion: As a class we will reflect on the lesson. What surprised us? What worked well? What could we do differently next time? I am also sure they would love to watch some more of Suni Williams and the tour of the ISS.