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Hi Niamh, I really like your research question and think that the children would really enjoy learning about the Sahel Region. It would be an interesting topic to compare and contrast the findings the children have to a local question that focuses on the impact of climate change too.
I think that getting the children to come up with a research question as a class would make it more interesting and engaging for them. After learning about climate change, we could brainstorm as a class different questions we have about the impact of climate change, especially the impact it could have/is having in our area. For example, we live by the sea so we could look at rising sea levels and pose the question, “how is climate change affecting sea levels and coastal areas?”
As a class we would explore how global warming causes ice to melt and oceans to expand, leading to sea level rise. Then, using satellite we would investigate how our local coastline has changed over time. Pupils could compare satellite images from different years to look for signs of erosion, flooding, or land loss. To make the project engaging, I’d have pupils work in groups to research specific aspects—like how sea level rise could affect homes, biodiversity, or businesses in our town. We could also look at the immediate impact rising sea levels are having on countries such as Kiribati. We could take inspiration from the Wadden Tide project in Denmark and show where rising sea levels could rise due if the ice caps melted and have an interactive display in school. Pupils could present their findings through posters, digitally, or on our school podcast, helping to raise awareness in the wider community.Hi Ciara, I really liked your idea of getting the pupils to create and design their own experiments. I am sure the children would love collaborating on this. It would be fun for them seeing what they all come up with.
I used the satellite tracking app to explore which satellites have passed over Ireland recently and availed of the free trial. As a frequent star gazer, there are constantly satellites orbiting above us. The Starlink satellite train by Spacex and the International Space Station I find are particularly visible when stargazing. The app showed which satellites were currently visible, gave detailed information about each one, and even sent notifications for upcoming passes—it was really fun to follow them in real-time. I think pupils would really enjoy this activity, especially using a tablet or interactive whiteboard to track satellite paths across the sky. It could even be a fun homework alternative while teaching them about this subject. Some of the satellites that passed over Ireland recently include Starlink satellites by SpaceX, which provide global internet coverage; the International Space Station (ISS); EIRSAT-1, Ireland’s first satellite; NOAA-20, a weather-monitoring satellite; and Copernicus Sentinel-1A, which helps track changes in Earth’s surface.
The film HOME by Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a documentary that stays with you after you have watched it. It highlights the urgent realities of climate change and the human impact on our planet. The film conveys the interconnectedness of Earth’s systems and highlights how deforestation, pollution, and fossil fuel dependency are accelerating global warming and destabilizing ecosystems. I would introduce these climate change facts in a sensitive and age-appropriate way making sure I am mindful of the impact this information can have on the children emotionally. I’d show some short clips from HOME and other videos, focusing on imagery that compares and contrasts biodiversity and diverse landscapes with visuals of the impacts of climate change. I would guide class discussions by asking children what they notice and how can they help with the impacts of climate change. Pupils could create posters to share what they’ve learned with the school community.
I really like your idea of the children creating their own report based on what they have learnt to integrate cross-curricular learning. I am sure the children would really enjoy writing these.
Activity 3 is a well-structured activity to introduce pupils to the concept of climate change. The students will love the inquiry-based learning as well as working collaboratively to explore different climate scenarios. In my class, I would begin with a discussion or quiz to assess prior knowledge and spark curiosity before proceeding to the activity. Watching the Paxi video is a great idea, especially for younger students—it makes a complex topic more accessible and explains it in a clear, simple, age-appropriate manner. After the video, I would then guide pupils through the Climate & Energy Education Demonstrator tool, using it as a hands-on opportunity to analyse temperature projections under different greenhouse gas emission scenarios. One thing that could be added to the activity is to integrate it with more cross-curricular subjects—for example, using maths lessons to focus on interpreting climate data, or art/ ICT lessons to create charts or posters.
Hi Louise, I love your idea of children collaborating across different classes to make it a whole school activity. The children would love that.
I love that these activities provide an excellent opportunity to incorporate outdoor learning and student engagement with real-world science. In our school, we are fortunate to have access to both a garden and an outdoor classroom, which could serve as ideal locations for placing the equipment to track the weather e.g. thermometer. Additionally, involving students in choosing the best spot helps develop their observational and critical thinking skills. To enhance the activity, I would also have pupils present a weekly weather report on our school podcast. This gives them a purpose for collecting and analyzing data, while also building communication and presentation skills. They could report temperature trends, compare them with local forecasts, and even include tips on dressing for the weather—making science both practical and fun. It would also be a fun interactive activity for the class to include graphs and charts displayed in the classroom, school display board or shared on the school website. Over time, we could even compare seasonal changes or link temperature trends to topics in geography and climate science.
Hi Olive, I really like the idea of linking this to Grandparent’s Day. It would be a lovely activity for the children and the grandparents to collaborate on together.
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky? For example: Look up President Michael D Higgins’ “Stardust”
There are so many songs, poems and art that connect us with the night sky providing ample opportunity for children to engage with and explore this theme. I think it would be lovely to incorporate songs, poems and art that have an Irish themed focus with a senior class.
For example, one Irish artist that springs to mind is Harry Clarke. He created illustrations for children’s stories that include starry skies and magical night scenes. Traditional Irish lullabies like “Sé do Bheatha, a Mhuire” and “The Castle of Dromore” mention the stars and nighttime which could be integrated in through Gaeilge, music and literacy.
There are also many contemporary songs, art and poems that could also be used to connect children to the night sky such as “Twinkle, twinkle little star,” Coldplay’s “A Sky full of Stars,” “Catch a Falling Star,” by Perry Como, Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and “Stars,” by Sara Teasdale.Hi Sandra, I really like your idea of linking up with your local education centre for a guided experience/workshop. The children would get so much benefit out of this and learn so much from it.
• How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
Our school recently received a green flag for biodiversity so my class have a good grasp of what biodiversity means. I would revise biodiversity with them and discuss the local flora and fauna in our area e.g. We could use keys to identify wildlife in our locality. Once we have learnt about he flora and fauna in our locality, we would complete a series of lessons on light pollution and carrying out some experiments around this. Once, the children have a good grasp of light pollution and biodiversity I would begin exploring the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
We would the split into groups and carry out mini projects on different nocturnal animals in our locality e.g. moths, bats and different birds and explore how light pollution is impacting them. Having completed our projects on nocturnal animals in our locality and the impact light pollution could be having on them, we could discuss and identify ways that we as a school community can help to protect these animals in our locality.
Hi Gráinne, I really like your idea of linking light pollution to the impact it has on nocturnal animals and and plant growth. I also really liked your point about the disruption artificial light has to our circadian rhythms and how that could be integrated into SPHE.
