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Grace you have a fanastic scheme of work for Aistear based on this theme. I like your idea about the weqather reports station an dthe songs and rhymes section. The use of microphone and tv screen is something the children would thoroughly enjoy!
Using online resources and tools like Stellarium-web.org and ESA Kids will greatly enhance teaching a lesson about space to senior infants with engaging and specific activities.
Stellarium-web.org Activity
Introduction:
Start the lesson by explaining that we will use a special tool to look at the night sky.
Open Stellarium-web.org on the IWB.
Exploration:
Show students how to navigate the star map.
Identify and highlight specific constellations such as the Big Dipper and Orion.
Point out visible planets like Venus and Mars.
Discuss the moon’s current phase and its appearance in the night sky.
Interactive :
Ask students to choose a constellation they find interesting.
Use Stellarium to zoom in and explore these constellations in more detail.ESA Kids Activity
Introduction:
Exploring the ESA Kids website.
Explain that we will watch a video and play a game about space.
Video:
Show a short video from ESA Kids, “Paxi on the ISS” which gives an insight into life aboard the international space station.
Interactive Game:
Downlaod the Paxi in Space app when the class have the school ipads.Guide students to an interactive game like “Solar System Exploration” or “Milky Way Match”.
Allow students to take turns playing the game on an interactive whiteboard or classroom ipad.Discussion:
Conclude with a discussion where they share their favourite space facts and the teacher records them on a poster to display .Fantastic ideas Saoirse. Milo and Marvin is a very child friendly online resource.
I also look forward to using Stellarium-web.org. I was fortunate to see a presentation while on a school tour to Blackrock Castle Observatory. It was fascinating to watch the sky change from day to night and to see the constellations, planets etc pointed out clearly, without the light pollution. The children were very engaged, this online resource could be adapted for use at all class levels.
Lesson Plan: Learning About Stars
1st/2nd Class
Objectives
WALT: We Are Learning To understand what stars are, recognise their importance in the night sky, and create our own constellations.Introduction:
Starry Night Song:
I will play the song “Starry Night” and ask the children to listen .
We will discuss the beauty and mystery of stars in the night sky.
Basic Facts About Stars:
I will explain that stars are huge balls of gas far away in space.
I will mention that stars come out at night and twinkle in the sky.
I will introduce constellations as patterns of stars that form pictures in the sky.Creating Constellations
I will give each student a piece of dark construction paper.
They will cut paper straws into smaller pieces to represent stars.
Using blue tack, students will create their own constellations on the paper.
Each student will then present their constellation to the class and explain what they have created.Night Sky Exploration
Looking at Night Sky Pictures:
I will tape pictures of the night sky under the desks beforehand as suggested by Frances MacCarthy in the Module 3 forum . She suggests using a set of the 3 night sky pictures, with 3 constellations to find from Project Astro – Constellation Detective.
Students will lie on the ground and look up at the pictures under their desks.
I will encourage them to identify any constellations they might recognise and will give them constellations to find.
Conclusion
Story Time:
I will gather the students and read the story “How to Catch a Star” by Oliver Jeffers:
Discussion:
I will ask the students what they liked about the story.
I will encourage them to think about how dreams can come true in unexpected ways, just like the boy’s dream in the story.I will encourage students to look at the stars with their families
I will remind them to try and spot constellations they learned about
Integration: Art
Art Appreciation:
I will show the painting “Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh.
Students will observe the painting and describe what they see.
We will discuss how van Gogh depicted the night sky and stars.
Creative Art Activity:
Students will create their own “Starry Night” inspired artwork using dark construction paper and chalk or pastels.
They will draw swirling night skies and bright stars, similar to van Gogh’s style.This is fantastic Frances. I’m sure the children thoroughly enjoyed lying on the ground and looking at the constellations.
I look forward to trying this out in the future.
Hi Siobhán,
Lovely idea to introduce the topic throught the song Where is the Shadow From. I find music a great way to get the children’s attention.
I thought the mini sensory box idea was excellent and I can imagine their excitement . Lovely ideas thank you.
Teaching Lessons About the Moon to Senior Infants
The focus of new learning will involve learning basic facts about the moon, exploring cultural stories, and engaging students with an interactive activity to understand moon craters. This lesson can be broken into a scheme of work to teach over a week.Introduction
I will show the class a photograph of the moon on the IWB . I will ask them for any facts they already know about the moon.
Discussion and Exploration
We listen to answers. In groups there will be a photograph of the moon for each group to study in detail. I will ask them if they can see any shapes that resemble real life objects..
We will then search for the “Man in the Moon” using a detailed picture of the moon, the children will eagerly search for the familiar face. This activity will help them observe the moon’s surface.
Multicultural Aspects
Introducing cultural stories about the moon will enrich the lesson. For example sharing the Chinese story of Chang’e, the moon goddess, will captivate their imaginations. They will be fascinated by the idea of someone living on the moon. Similarly, the Native American story of the rabbit on the moon will provide a different perspective.
Students will compare the stories, noting similarities and differences. This part of the lesson will highlight the diversity of cultural interpretations and allow the children to appreciate different viewpoints.
Making Moon Craters
The activity will involve using sand and tinfoil balls, in groups, students will create craters, simulating meteoroids hitting the moon’s surface. Students will observe how different sizes and shapes of tinfoil balls create varying crater depths and diameters.
This activity will solidify their understanding of how the moon’s surface is shaped by external forces.
Conclusion and Reflection
In concluding the lesson, we will revisit what the students have learned and look at photographs taken of the craters made by tinfoil.
Following up from my introduction and space fact I have included an inquiry based activity looking at the orbit of space, planets and dwarf planets.
I like to begin a lesson with a KWL chart to elicit prior knowledge.
KWL Chart:
K (Know): Students share what they know about planets and the sun.
W (Want to know): Students ask questions like, “Why do planets orbit the sun?” and “How many planets are there?”
Hands-on Activity:
Use a large ball for the sun and smaller balls for planets.
Place the large ball in the centre of a clear space.
Arrange smaller balls around it to represent planets.
Students take turns moving their planet balls around the sun to simulate orbits.
Additional Materials:
Use string or a hula hoop to show orbital paths.
Discuss how each planet has its own path around the sun.
Revisit KWL Chart:
L (Learned): Students share insights like, “Planets move around the sun in circles,” “Planets are different sizes,” and “The sun is at the centre of our solar system.”
This activity makes learning about the solar system tangible, promotes curiosity, and encourages critical thinking.Linkage: song about the orbit of planets which the children in senior infants loved this year.
The Planet Song – 8 Planets of the Solar System Song for Kids | KidsLearningTube
To extend this lesson:
As an extension activity, introduce the five dwarf planets. Children are always fascinated to learn about these as many have only heard of Pluto. Use even smaller balls to represent them. Explain that dwarf planets Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris also orbit the sun but are smaller and not classified as main planets. Have students place these dwarf planet balls in the correct positions and discuss their unique characteristics. This adds depth to their understanding of the solar system and highlights the diversity of celestial bodies.
Linkage : linking to music the children in senior infants really enjoyed this dwarf planet song:
Dwarf Planet Song | Space Explained by KLT!
Love your space fact Mark!
The use of a trampoline and balls as an inquiry based learning to reinforce the sun and its gravitational pull would be very effective.
The video that Niall shared would be very interesting for the children to teach more about the gravitaional pull of Jupiter aka the vaccum cleaner of the solar system.
Deirdre
Hi everyone my name is Deirdre and I’ve been teaching for nearly 20 years, I’ll be teaching 1st class next year
I’ve always been interested in the cosmos. We enjoyed a recent school tour to Blackrock Castle Observatory, my favourite school tour venue in Cork. I enjoy listening to Brian Cox and recently went to see his show which was fascinating.
One of my favourite space facts is that there are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on earth. It really puts the vast scale of the universe into perspective.
