[Elizabeth Cullina]

Hi everyone,

My name is Elizabeth. I am teaching 3rd class but I support other teachers in their teaching of STEAM. Every year we celebrate Space Week and Science Week as we prepare for our submission for the Curious Minds Awards. I look forward to learning some new ideas for teaching about space to junior classes.

We have enjoyed watching Chris Hadfield in space and how they live in a space station. An interesting space fact is how space has no gravity and that everything floats around. Chris shows us how he brushes his teeth in space and how he sleeps in a sleeping bag that’s attached to the wall in the space station so he doesn’t float around while he’s sleeping. One of the other astronauts shows us how she washes her hair in space. All very interesting to watch on YouTube.

[Elizabeth Cullina]

Hi Caroline,

I really like your lesson plan and the selection of books you have selected. Goodnight Moon and I took the Moon for a Walk. Another book I would recommend is Chris Hadfield The Darkest Dark, and Owl Moon by Jane Yolen are also lovely books as inspiration to learn about the moon. I love this video reading by the author Eric Carle.

Another activity I would add here is flour craters, which the children really love by making different-sized spheres and allowing them to fall from a height, just like a meteorite hitting the moon and creating a crater.

Cornflour and water to create alien slime for infants can be very exciting but require some cleaning afterwards.

I really liked your idea of astronauts for drama. I think the children would enjoy responding to space music.

[Elizabeth Cullina]

Lesson Plan: Senior Infants

The Sun

Begin the lesson by reading the story below about the sun or watching the YouTube video of the story being read.

The Sun Is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch (BOOK)

What do you know about the sun? Tell me a way the sun helps us? Taking information from the story as a springboard to inspiration as to how the sun is important for us. Listing points below for reading.

The sun makes us warm. It provides light for us. It helps the plants grow.

Introduce the idea of invisible light. Ultraviolet light. UV light. We don’t see that light, but it helps our bones grow strong, and it also burns us!

Practice saying the new words. Ultraviolet light. Light on—ultraviolet light.

Discuss the harm of UV light. How can we protect ourselves from UV light?

·      Sunscreen

·      Clothes

·      Umbrella

·      Sunglasses

·      Hats

Drama – Mime – Mirror imaging. Get ready in front of the mirror for your day in the sun at the beach.

gaeilge : Deir ó Grádaigh; Cuir ort do speaclaí gréine. Cuirígí oraibh bhur hataí, cuir grianscéithe ar d’aghaidh, Faigh do scáth fearthainne.

Make UV bracelets. Bring children outside to see how the beads change colour. Why do the beads change colour?

Another follow-up activity is to make shadow aliens. On a dull day, children use torches and white paper to trace the shadows of objects and then add colour and features to create creative and interesting aliens.

[Elizabeth Cullina]

Hi Deirdre,

I really like this song about the moon, as it covers all the important facts about the moon, including what a waxing and waning moon is. The eight phases of the moon is also taught along with the meaning of a solar eclipse. The song could be written so the children also practice reading.

This song explains that the moon has no air to breathe and how humans have visited the moon. It would be lovely to add this song to the flour and ball experiment to explain how craters are formed on the moon. The children could make different-sized spheres to show the meteorites hit the moon to create craters.

[Author]

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