Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I like that your idea relates to your schools environment which is a rural commuity as it gives students something local to work with. Haivng students collect the information themselves also encourages participation and makes them active participants in their own learning.
As I work in a school in the City my research question would be in relation to that envioronment such as “Does our school experience different temperatures than sorrounding rural areas with more green spaces/vegetation”
To encourage participation we need to pose the question in a child friendly manner asking is our school temperature hotter than a school in the countryside.We would need to set up numerous temperature stations around the school in different parts and record each area, over 2-3 weeks. If possible, we could link up with a school in the countryside who measure the same places in their school and share their findings with us. The idea of working with a different class in anoter school would keep pupils engaged and interested. Afterwards we could draw a heat map of the school and visually represent it on a graph.
Pupils would likley find that the lack of green spaces and large amount of concrete and buildings wouldabsorb sunlight and increase temperatures compared to a school in the countryside. We could then discuss air circulation and why the temperatures are higher in the city. This would encourage discussion and thought about how this amplifies climate chane impacts locally such as wildlife, flooding and heat wave effects.
Hi John I agree the resource is very hands on and allows children to actively participate in their learning by collecting data and recording. Differentiation is also very important to make learning accessible to all as some of the ideas relating to space and satellites can be complicated for children.
I found the apps difficult to use but based on my research these 5 satellites have passed Ireland recently and I have listed the purpose of each below.
International Space Station (ISS)
Scientific esearch for astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields.
2. Starlink Satellites
Transmit high-speed, low-latency broadband internet from thousands of low-Earth orbiting satellites operated by SpaceX.
3. Sentinel-3
Monitors land, oceans, and the atmosphere, supporting environmental monitoring and tracking change over time.
4. Copernicus Earth Observation Satellites
Part of Europe’s environmental monitoring system that tracks climate patterns, land use, and atmospheric conditions across the continent.
5. EUMETSAT Weather Satellites
European weather monitoring satellites that provide real-time data on atmospheric conditions, cloud cover, and ocean temperatures for weather forecasting.
Hi Owen I agree that establishing prior knowledge is important before showing the clips in HOME. It would e important that children have a good understanding of the other concepts such as greenhouse gases before watching the film. It is also important to follow up with practical activities to assess understanding and allow children to come up with their own solutions to issues relating to climate change.
Home by Yann Arthus Bertrand is a powerful documentary showing the beauty of our planet and the impact humans are having on it. I like how the aerial footage highlights key issues relatitng to climate change such as deforestation, farming and pollution. It shows in an accessible way how humans are connected to the natural environment and the affect our actions can have on the future of the planet.
With my pupils i would use short clips from this and discuss the effect of each particular problem in relation to climate change and how a positive impact can be made. Short clips would encourage discussion and keep children interested. I also found Greta Thunbergs Ted talk very powerful as she presents climate change from the perspective of a young person. Her message can demonstrate to young people that they have a voice and can make a difference.
An activity that would work well is taking small clips from these resources and assigning one to each group who then make a brainstorm about that particular issue and share at the end via a class discussion .
I agree that relating the lesson to the children’s local environment is a great idea, and works well in line with the new curriculum.
Planting trees is also a great conclusion to the lesson and would be great hands on learning.
Activity 3- Climate reporters is an engaging activity that would work well with my fourth class pupils. The Paxi video providdes an accessible and clear explanation to greenhouse gases, while the future temperature tool allows pupils to explore how climate change may affect the planet and their lives. I would ensure pupils make predictions before comparing with the tools results to get an idea of what they know about the effects of climate change. This encourages inquiry based learning and discussion afterwards.
One improvement i can think of is to provide a worksheet or notes copy to highlight key vocabulary such as carbon dioxide, temperature, climate etc as the new words they encounter may be overwhelming and may cause students to drift from the lesson. I would also make a list of activities or word cloud about what we can do in school to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We could also present a graph of future temperatures on chart paper after the lesson to show the effects and what we have learned.
Hi David I agree the resources are very accessible. I have found that in the past giving children ownership of their learning and jobs works very well in the classroom so the idea of having a weather monitor is great. This data could then be shared with the class through a chart or possibly an ICT resource.
Activities 1 and 2 from the Weather and Climate resource are engaging and accessible. Activity 1, Is it Weather or Climate?, helped to differentiate between weather and climate through practical examples. . Activity 2, Weather Detectives, allowed pupils to record and analyse weather conditions, using inquiry based skills. The resources provided engaging hands on activities that would work well in my fourth class classroom. A simple weather station would encourage understanding of the difference between climate and weather as children can see the changes daily by using the various weather instruments. These activities develop STEM skills by encouraging accurate measuring, data recording, problem solving and analysing patterns.
These skills encourage cross curricular links to Maths and science, and the use of ICT could also be encouraged. To share learning children could display weekly weather reports and digital presentations. Here this is also an opportunity to link with drama and art. These collaborative activities promote discussion, communication and inquiry based learning while helping pupils appreciate how weather and climate influence our environment and everyday lives.