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Hi Laura,
Great ideas here and thanks for the information about the book and the link for the You Tube Video
Activity Set- Rockets
I would read some books such as How a Rocket Works from the UK Space Agency, or something more fun like Aliens in Underpants Save the World. I would discuss with the children the idea of space travel and how rockets help us explore beyond Earth. I would show pictures of different types of rockets such as the space shuttle or Saturn V and use these to talk about the shape and size of the rockets.
I would use the comic strip of Marvin and Milo building their Penny Rocket and the YouTube video of the Mouse Rocket. I would ask the children which rocket design they think will work better and why. I would break the class into different groups and provide them with the necessary resources such as an empty milk carton, paper for the mouse head, coins, and an empty 2L bottle to create their own Penny or Mouse Rockets.
When the rockets are finished we would look at them and predict how far they would fly and which ones would fly the furthest.
I would also use this topic to cover a cross-curricular project and I think that the Junk Couture project which we took pat in recently would be ideal for this. I would get the pupils in groups to build large versions of rockets large enough for the group to fit inside, using cardboard, paper, tape glue etc, this project really helps with problem solving, critical thinking and of course allows their creative skills to be showcased fully.
Module 4 Assignment:
I would use the activity set for the Weather and focus on what clothes to wear. This could be used in 1st class. I would discuss the different seasons and focus on hot and cold seasons. This would lead to discussing different types of suitable clothing for hot and cold conditions. This would lead to discussing the need for warm clothing in cold conditions, and why we wear warm clothing. There is a lovely science activity that would be suitable for this topic and it is called Keep the Ice Cube cold. In this experiment pupils take an ice cube and place it into a yoghurt pot, they then use different materials to wrap around the pot for example paper, bubble wrap, tin foil, plastic. The pupils would use a timer to see how long it takes for the cubes to melt fully. The materials being used helps the pupils to understand the role that different materials play in insulating things and helps them understand why we wear different materials/clothes for different weather conditions.
Hi Muireann
I like your ideas in relation to the weather, it really is a great theme with so many options as well as loads of practical hands on activities that you can do
Hi Michelle, this is a lovely lesson and I really like the use of the song, children love music and its a great stimulus to add to lessons.
Activity Set: Space and Aliens.
I like this activity as it incorporates a number of different topics such as Literacy, Drama and Science I would spend some time discussing what things they would like to show aliens if they ever visited our planet. I would discuss the features of animals or places. I would use the lesson to expand on listening skills of the children and I would call out instructions for the children to draw, I would describe unusual features of obscure animals such as the Platypus, Blobfish or the Angler Fish with the aim that the children would create unique, bizarre, alien-like pictures of the creatures. I would keep the language simple and aim it at the age range in my class. I hope that these drawings would lead to a conversation around what makes a creature an alien? With the added twist that these creatures do in fact actually exist on this planet of ours. In first class we are beginning to explore descriptive language and I would hope this lesson really taps into this area with lots of suggestions about what makes something look alien using lots of adjectives. I would use a book called “The Aliens are Coming by Colin McNaughton” as a stimulus for the lesson it’s a lovely, colourful book for younger children which also gives lots of descriptive language and adjectives about different aliens as they are coming to Earth.
Hi Sean
Great ideas there, I liked your point about teaching pupils that there is no real up or down, there is such an emphasis on using 2D maps and posters that incorporating 3d resources can make such a big difference to the students understanding of Earth and the other planets.
I would teach about the planets in my class, I would start by introducing the concept of the solar system and the planets that orbit the sun, I would pay close attention to the vocabulary here and make sure to highlight the new vocabulary and make sure that there is an understanding of new words such as orbit, solar etc.
I would introduce the planet song to my pupils I would encourage them to listen and follow with the lyrics. Next I would use visual aids such as posters and powerpoints of the solar system to help the pupils visualise the order of the planets in relation to the sun. I would play games and play the Planet Game all the while asking the pupils about which names they remember. I would use the planet song to encourage the pupils to remember the names of the planets, I like to do this sort of activity in small groups, then larger groups, all together and individually. I would use mnemonics to help the pupils to memorize the planets, I would keep the mnemonics simple so I would use something like this “My Very Eager Mother Just Sent Us Nuts.
Following on from the lesson I would conduct an assessment to see the effects of the lesson and to gauge the learning that has taken place, also to inform me on my next steps in relation to this topic.
Hi Yvonne, great ideas there, there are loads of Bee Bot resources available online for free, Twinkl is very good and TTRS is a good source of resources at a price …… I have used Bee Bots for numerous different topics in the past and using them for this topic has so much potential.
Teaching an inquiry-based activity on space and the planets in the solar system can be a fun and engaging way for students to learn. Here’s how I would teach it in my classroom.
Introduction: Introduce the concept of space and the solar system to students. Explain that there is an order to the planets in relation to which one is nearest the sun. Use rhymes and songs to help remember the order.
Ask Questions: Encourage students to ask questions about the planets. What do they already know? What do they want to learn more about?
Research: Have students research more about the solar system. They can explore how many planets there are and what is the order of the planets, which one is nearest to the sun, which comes next and so on
Activity based approach to consolidating the information, I would prepare large cut outs of the planets and laminate them, I would get the pupils to work in groups and construct a large diagram of the solar system in the hall or outside using the cut outs and chalk/string to represent orbits and help keep the planets in order (this also helps with the spacing of the cut outs).
Discussion: Facilitate a group discussion where students can share their findings, ask questions, and reflect on what they’ve learned.
Consolidation: pupils can create models, posters or drawings to demonstrate their knowledge of the solar system
Conclude the activity by summarizing key points about the solar system and the sequence of planets. Encourage students to continue exploring and asking questions about the solar system.
My goal in this activity is to encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and active learning.
Hello, my name is Daire and I have always been fascinated by the topic of space and I find children have so many questions with regards to this topic in a way that I havn’t experienced with other ones, my favourite space fact is the there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on Earth.
