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‘Home’ would be a very useful resource for grabbing children’s attention with its striking cinematography.The other clips involving Greta Thunberg and Climate Aid would also be effective for giving children some facts and references about the impact of climate change.
I do find that most children, even by 6th class, struggle with large figures around concepts about carbon emissions/deforestation etc., and how damaging they are to the planet. I think it’s more important that they understand the message from ‘Home’ on the interconnected nature of ecological crises and how small actions from themselves could make a difference in their future lives and that of the planet as a whole. This could involve planting native species on the school grounds and observing how they develop and support other plant and animal life. It could also involve litter picking, active travel activities and awareness around how to control domesticated pets for the protection of wild species. These are all smaller concepts that they can see clearly in their own lives that will hopefully carry through their teenage years and beyond so they can tackle larger concepts down the line.
Hi Shannon. I’m wasn’t aware of Book Creator and only looking into it now. It seems like a fantastic resource and I’ll definitely be using it next year, thanks!
The paxi video on greenhouse gases is an excellent resource for encouraging students to understand a key factor of climate change. It simplifies a lot of confusing, detailed concepts and language in a fun and engaging way. Videos like these are often a great introduction to a concept, or a mid way break for a lesson.
I really enjoyed exploring the Teal Tool resource for analysing climate history and predicting further changes. It’s fascinating to see how we compare to the rest of the world. I know the children in my class would find this very interesting as it’s quite tactile feeling for an online resource and is full of thought-provoking data. They would definitely enjoy comparing Ireland to other countries in terms of precipitation levels!
Activity 3 in the Weather Vs. Climate resource would be very useful in merging these learnings into a practical, cohesive activity. I would pre-teach/revise some of the vocabulary on the sheet before handing it out. I’d also provide some specific questions to less-abled students to help with their research task, as I can see the wording of some of the questions and gap-fills a being confusing for some.
That’s a very good point about not treating these subjects separately Mark. You’re right about how having these skills is so relevant nowadays to out modern workforce. I feel this approach also aligns nicely with the new curriculum. It’s much better planning for a STEM lesson that ticks many boxes at once, as opposed to planning for many time-draining subjects seperately.
Reading Liston’s paper on STEM education brings home all of the tenets of the subject – deeper understanding, innovative critical thinking, problem solving, ethics and social conscience, collaboration skills, technological literacy and future careers. STEM education in my classroom revolves around inviting students to be creative with how they approach tasks and activities. One thing I like to do is apply a ‘no questions allowed’ period of the lesson, where students must do their best to figure things out on their own for some time (providing assistance if it’s badly needed afterwards). Children usually figure out the problems on their own when they’ve no other choice but to.
Activity 1: Is it weather or climate?
This would be a great resource for getting children to properly understand the difference between them both. Before even discussing the topic I would provide groups with the questions and see how they get on first.
Activity 2: Weather Detectives
I know my class would love the hands-on nature of this. It would also provide them with a nice movement break and some fresh air everyday. I would do some work on vocabulary first (thermometer/pressure etc.) in the context of temperature. I would also put children into graded groups, putting stronger students with weaker ones to help with the more technical parts of the lesson, while also giving weaker students achievable and rewarding tasks.
Hi Michael. That’s a great idea for each class to have a their own song to perform. Anything that gets the whole school involved in a project is always very effective!
Describe how you could implement a version of “Design Your own Dark Sky place” in your school/classroom?
Being in a densely populated suburb of Dublin, many children in my sixth class wouldn’t have any real experience of viewing a dark sky.
We’d begin by doing a few lessons on the stars, planets and constellations that we should be able to see in the night sky. I’d then get children to view them at home on a clear night and report back on what they could see. We’d then do some lessons on the negative impacts of light pollution on nature and humans.
Through some brainstorming activities, we’d then discuss how we could improve light pollution in the area, before going on to designing our own dark sky place. This could be done in the nearby park.
In groups, children would be given a topic to consider how the park should be designed for night time, taking into consideration: current light pollution – viewing sites and access – biodiversity at night – information on astronomy – safety. Groups would then consider the following stakeholders involved: lighting planners/designers – visiting stargazers – conservation rangers – local residents. Once they have all the relevant factors considered, groups would then collate their ideas and create maps of how the park would be laid out and infographics about the features of their dark sky park. Children could then go around to other classes in the school to educate younger children on light pollution and present their ideas for a dark sky park.
Hi Caitriona. I really like your idea of planting night scented flowers. It’d be a great way of exemplifying to children the symbiotic relationships between plants and animals.
How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
Following on from previous lessons (module 3) about light pollution in the local area with my sixth class, we would then go on to explore the plants and animals in our area that would be particularly susceptible to light pollution.
Using resources from the likes of ESERO, Heritage in Schools, Birdwatch Ireland and The Tree Council of Ireland, we’d use iPads to research what animals, such as bats, owls and moths, could be found in our local area. We’d then look at how they, along with flowering plants, are negatively impacted by light pollution.
As a practical activity we’d set up a moth trap in the field. The following day we’d use guides to identify the moths found, comparing them to the animal research conducted the previous day. We’d then look at how artificial lighting in our local area could negatively impact these specific breeds, and the knock on effect this would have on the biodiversity of the area. All of this research could be tied into our campaign for improved lighting measures in our local area.
Hi Ciara. I really like the idea of a ‘lights off’ evening at home. I’m sure children would actually really enjoy it and any practical/memorable activities always help children to effectively take in the message you’re trying to get across.
Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
The school I teach in is located in a densely populated suburb of Dublin. Much of the street lighting is quite old, and would direct a lot of light horizontally and vertically into the sky, as opposed to its intended area on the streets. There is also a shopping centre nearby with large floodlights that illuminate its surroundings all night in a similar manner.
What I would do is educate my class about light pollution with resources from ESERO and darksky.org bout how it negatively impacts our circadian rhythm and the natural world around us. I’d then draw their attention to the above features of their locality and get them to observe and sketch their street lights that night as a homework activity.
Children would then brainstorm how they could reduce their own light pollution at home and how we could encourage less light pollution in the area. For homework children would write sample letters a politician, campaigning for the upgrade of lighting in our area with more conscientious choices with regard to light pollution. As a class we would then take ideas and collaboratively write a letter that we could all sign and send to the council, local politicians and other governmental authorities.
Hi Emma. I really like your idea of creating a small artwork inspired by their moon observations. I think the moon and stars are naturally intertwined with art and it could pique the interest of some students who wouldn’t have thought they were into science/solar system topics. Could easily be linked to a Van Gogh lesson too!
2. How I would use Stellarium with my 6th class:
In groups of threes and fours, children would be given an iPad, a criteria of information to find about a planet/star and a blank poster. The criteria would include things like the planet/star’s visibility (on set day), the constellation they are part of, their magnitude and distance from earth.
I would show children the video from BCO Education on how to use Stellarium Web. Each group would choose a different star to research, record the relevant information and create a poster about their star.
Each group would then present their poster to the class at the end of the lesson.
The groups will have different roles – researcher, scribe, head designer, presenter etc. and less-abled children would be given specific roles to encourage meaningful participation.There would also be rewards for the group showing the best examples of teamwork, to encourage effective cooperation. I would also hold a quiz with prizes at the end of each presentation to encourage active listening throughout.
I think linking telling the time with the History strand Continuity and Change is a great idea. Using things like clocks or sundials helps children see how people told time in the past and how it connects to their own lives today. It makes history more real for them.
One Year on Earth – Understanding the Seasons Resource (ESA)
I would begin by eliciting any prior knowledge on the topic – seasons, daylight, weather etc., and get children working in groups to explain as best they can why the seasons behave as they do. I’d provide a physical globe to help with their descriptions. I’d then show them the Paxi video – Day, night and the seasons, to help summarise and fill in any gaps in their explanations.
Next, we’d engage in a hands-on activity. The students would build a little Sun‑Earth model using a polystyrene ball, and a lamp to imitate the sun. They’d imitate Earth orbiting around the Sun, tilting the axis, and they’d notice how our days lengthen or shorten depending on the season. I’d then get some groups to come to the front of the class and perform their demonstrations without speaking, and get the rest of the class to explain what season/time of day they are trying to mimic.
Throughout the lesson I’d ask plenty of higher order questions to stimulate discussion and thought on the topic. Children would complete the worksheets as we progress through the lesson.