Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
The Home video is beautiful to watch, so eye catching and colourful. I would use the video clip to start a lesson about how beautiful our world is. We could link this to an art or photography lesson where they would photograph or draw our beautiful world. This could then springboard a discussion about beautiful places in our own locality and what we, the children and staff of the school can do to protect and mind it. I think by having a plan and physically being able to do something to protect the planet ourselves then it avoids creating anxiety and worry in young children.
The Green Flag is an excellent example of how we can achieve this in our schools, making small changes which can make a huge impact. Our Green Team made the suggestion this year that children bring their own hand towel to school instead of the school buying and providing paper hand towel for them in the bathrooms. We are a very large school, so the impact on the amount of rubbish generated by the school was considerable and the children were delighted with the difference they made.
I would finish the lesson by showing the children the carbon footprint calculator and showing them how even the small steps of turning off lights and televisions and walking to school on dry mornings can reduce our carbon footprint.I agree Siobhán, the use of the Paxi video and the David Attenborough documentary is a great way to introduce the topic to young children and to show them that the small changes they can make can make a difference.
Activity 3, Climate reporters is an excellent resource for completing lessons on the topic of greenhouse effect and rising temperatures on Earth. I think these lessons are really suited to the middle and senior end of the school but can be adapted easily for the junior classes.
I would start the lesson by completing a KWL chart to find out first what the children already know about climate and weather. I would then show them Paxi’s video about the Greenhouse effect.
Activity 1 Is it Weather or Climate would be an excellent oral language/SESE lesson, the children could work in groups to discuss it first and then feedback to the rest of the class.
Activity 2 would also be an excellent lesson for the Junior classes, one that we could link with the number strand in Maths but just on a simpler level looking at when it is hotter and cooler and even comparing it to other parts of the country around the world and in the past.
However, I think a hands-on experiment like Activity 1 from Earth under the Lid would be an excellent lesson for infants, as it is so visual and hands on and really would give them a great understanding of the greenhouse effect.
I would finish the topic by completing the KWL chart with the class on what they have learnt.I agree Fiona, this was an excellent first module. I already have so many resources downloaded and will definitely be starting with the lessons from the seai.ie website in September
I would like to create and install a sundial in our school environment. It is something that all children in our school community would enjoy. We are very lucky to have a sensory garden on our school grounds. I think this would be an ideal location to have the sundial and a fantastic addition to our garden.
I would begin by introducing sundials through SESE lessons and we could explore and discuss sundials from around the world. I would then take them to the garden for an outdoor lesson to look at shadows and sunlight and link that in with the location of the herbs, flowers and vegetables that we have planted in our garden. The children could then decide what location would be best suited in the garden for our sundial.
Given that I work with Senior Infants at the moment, this would be the perfect opportunity for peer learning which is encouraged on our school. I would team up with an older class, split them into groups with my own class and assign them the task of designing and creating their own sundial.
The whole school community could be invited to come and test the sundials once they are completed. It would foster a great sense of achievement that the children have created something for our sensory garden.