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I spotted and looked up information on each satellite:
STARLINK- constantly in active. These are Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite operated by SpaceX. Aim is to provide broadband.
ISS – passes over Ireland all the time but as the sky is clear tonight and the next pass over is due for tonight (South East) at 1:52am and 3.26am
COSMOS 1869 is an active Russian ocean-observation satellite.
CentiSpace-1 S6 tests technologies to enhance global navigation satellite systems.
Okean O was a joint Ukrainian-Russian remote sensing satellite designed for ocean observation, ecological monitoring, and weather forecasting no longer operational.
I’ve lost time from scrolling around the planet looking at all the satellites. It’s actually mad to see to the whole place mapped out. Kids would love this.
I agree that this video creates an emotional hook. I would be sure to carefully select which classes or age group I would show some of this video to as children can become quite anxious about climate change but I suppose it’s such a real issue that it’s important for them to be exposed to some factual and accurate content.
The video HOME would be a very useful tool to pick and choose mini clips from to show in class. Its visual aerial views and universal themes help promotes wonder and empathy. The title “Home” reminds pupils that our planet is a shared place for plants, animals and human and we are all connected. The facts accompanied by the images towards the end of the movie could also be a good discussion starting point for a senior class.
Ireland Climate Action video is a good starting point for a lesson as some of the goals are aimed for the year 2030. Pupils from 3rd/4th class upwards could really engage with the gaols in the video.
If I was to use this in my classroom I would organise the pupils into groups and get them to brainstorm on a large A3 sheet about: What does climate change mean?/ How are humans harming the environment, any solutions? Then we would watch Irelands Climate Action video and discuss different points from the video like why might people choose electric cars.
After the video I would give each group a climate action challenge for example recycling plastic and get them to design a poster to help highlight the action , promote how it could help the environment and how to support the action.
Any school with a green schools committee could benefit from posters created from posters created from this lesson and the information could be passed on during assembly/green schools committee meeting.
Showing the pupils clips of Greta Thunberg is a good way of showing them that young people voices are listened to and how she is now a well known advocate for climate change. Her speeches highlight that youth are capable of driving global change. With all Youtube videos it would be important to pre watch and make sure the content is age appropriate
I like that you’ve linked in not just looking at global temps. but bringing it back to how it may impact Ireland. Bringing the issues closer to home often helps pupils engage with discussions.
The Pax video is a great resource. Lots of pre language would be needed before showing the video. Any school with a green house or poly tunnel could bring their class outside to give a more immerse feel for the greenhouse effect. We don’t but I wonder if sitting under the play parachute would provide the same analogy.
Activity three : Climate Reporter
The TEAL tool is a great starting point. The time slider is also useful to show pupils how data has changed over time. Pupils could be placed into pairs and given ipads so that they could interact with the TEAL tool at their own pace. With teacher support and the support of worksheet to help guide the predictions it would really get them thinking about the future.
Analyzing the end results would provide a great opportunity to get them thinking about how warmer temperatures could possibly effect their lives like birthdays, holidays, plants and animals. It would then provide them a chance to problem solve and write solutions on how to reduce the greenhouse effect for their future selves.
Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Liston 2018) is an interesting read and I agree that the buzz word STEM seems to be everywhere. When planning in my own classroom I always try to have all elements of STEM included in our activity but often it may only contain some elements. I like the idea of using Engineering Design Process (EDP) as a start point for future planning.
Lesson 1 : Is it weather or is it climate? I like this lesson. I would start with a KWL chart on what weather and climate is and see what knowledge they have. I like the ideas of using their birthday to figure out the differences between weather and climate.
Lesson 2: I like the use of the graph at the end to map out the results. Very visual for the end of the experiment and something that could be displayed and reported back to the school in assembly.
Hi Amy,
Our school is the same we don’t have an overall weather station or section to even pull out resources in our “science press” which is funny really as we talk about the weather every… single… day. There are some very simple resources I plan on making and keeping this coming year and hopefully find a good spot for a rain gauge which will see plenty of action.
I am really hoping that we can run Space Week 2025 as a whole school this year but if not I will be doing it with my class. My plan for the week is to focus on one space topic every day.
Monday: Earth, Our Home in Space. Understand that Earth is a planet in space and part of our solar system. It supports life.
Station set up :
1. Art station : Create collage of earth / use the earth moasic template from module 2.
2. Observation station: photographs, satellite image, oceans, continents etc.
3. Solar system: mini solar system model and globe
Tuesday: The Moon- learn some basic facts about the moon and it’s phases.
Station set up
1. oreo cookie station to model the phases with photos to help.
2. Crater station: throwing marbles/ balled up tinfoil into flour / coco powder to create moon craters
3. ipads- watching the moon landing
Wednesday: Astronauts – discover what they do and how the operate in space.
https://www.esa.int/kids/en/Multimedia/Videos/Astronauts/Why_do_astronauts_wear_spacesuits
Design a spacesuit
learn about Chris Hadfield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bCoGC532p8
Thursday: Rockets
Watch a rocket launch
Investigate rockets using balloon rocket experiment https://spark.iop.org/balloon-rocket
compare with Rocket Mice experiment https://youtu.be/GUKCT2L3DjA
Friday : Stars and Constellations
Station set up
1. Literacy station based on stars
2. Art, create your own constellation using back card and sticky stars – real photos for inspiration provided.
3. ipad station use stellarium to explore the stars.
Online tools to support Science and Space Learning.
This course is a goldmine for resources and while I try to balance the ICT side of things in my own class with hands on activities / group work/ written and oral language activities it’s hard to ignore the digital world. In this module I have become introduced to a number of new websites and resources.
The educators section on the ESA website has great visual content. https://www.esa.int/kids/en/Educators
The UNAWE have some lovely activities for younger classes https://www.unawe.org/activity/eu-unawe1301/
During space week or month, as you could cover so much the astronomy picture of the day or the photo set as desktop background for whiteboard is something I will definitely use.
The Marvin and Milo cartoons are also a new resource for me and the home links opportunities are great.
Digital learning and STEM-focused resources can greatly enhance engagement for pupils by making complex topics fun, interactive, and accessible.Críona I really like your template for space week. I agree with Margaret that the spacewalk meditation would be a lovely way to bring the week to an end. also think of all the fab art you’ll have hanging up around the room.
* sorry if I’ve posted this x3 times… like in module 2 I’m having issues with submitting… 🙂 *
This module has lots of resources.
I would based my lesson around the theme arts and constellations.
To begin with I would close the blinds and make the room as quiet and cosy as possible. I would also the pupils to sit on the floor for circle time and show them a quick clip from the Lion King
To spark their interest in the night sky.
https://youtu.be/q1O57ZijwPQ?feature=sharedQuestioning:
. What do you see when you look at the night sky?
2. Do you know what stars are made of?
3. Can you name a shape or picture you’ve seen in the stars?
4. Why do you think stars twinkle?
5. Have you heard of the Orion or Taruas- What do you think they look like?Discussion: I would use a learning experience chart to record their answers. This chart would be kept an used as a mindmap as the space theme lessons continued.
Activity: looking at star constellations – using the stellarium App
https://stellarium-web.orgFollowing with an hands on activity from the module on making a star lantern. Another idea instead of the flashlight might be to use the battery operated candles.
https://www.spaceweek.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Make-a-Star-Lantern.pdfDavid this lesson sounds so nice. Very mindfulness feel about this and I think any pupils with sensory needs would love this. I also find Oliver Jeffers so relatable in the older classses too as his Instagram posts are always so topical for world news and issues.
I would explore a topic based on The Moon
My trigger would be the rhyme Jack and Jill and then the image from the moon stories included in the module.
file:///C:/Users/User/Pictures/New%20folder/MoonStoriesASP.pdf
Wondering Questions:
I wonder what it would be like to live on the Moon?
What would we need to bring with us?
Where would we live?
What would we eat?
How would we move about?
What clothes could we wear?
Exploring:
We would look at our life here on earth and how different it might be on the moon.
Display images of the moon, astronauts in spacesuits, rockets, lunar rovers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cKpzp358F4
Discuss our homes here on earth and discuss shelters.
I would remind the pupils about the environment they would be building in. The lunar surface is rocky and dusty with a huge number of deep craters which we can see from images of the Moon.
Display images of the moon.
Discuss and build a shelter from materials in classroom – lego, playdoh and straws, Klapa planks.
