Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Activity Set: Aliens
I love how you could incorporate this lesson with art and oral language. Firstly, I would talk to the class and get them to brainstorm what an alien might look like. I would use different questions as prompt to create a giant mind map of what aliens may look like e.g. how many arms/eyes do they have? I would then explain to the class that we are going to use different materials to create our own aliens. I think the class would have a lot of fun making their own aliens. At the end of the lesson, I would get them to have a walk around and look at their own and other’s aliens before sitting in a circle to compare and contrast the different aliens they have all created. The lesson could be extended in a variety of ways such as to create homes for the aliens, role-plays or using them for maths activities e.g. sorting, ordering.Hi Meabh, I really like how you use the the story as the prompt for your lesson. I hadn’t heard of this book before doing this course. The children will really enjoy it!
Activity set: The Spherical Earth
I loved the mosaic template and would like to use this with my class. I think it would be a great collaborative activity for the class and would make a great display at the end of the lesson to show what we have learnt. Following the activity presented in the module, I would role-play with animals and people ask how they don’t fall off the earth when they are opposite ends e.g. people from Australia and people from Ireland, polar bears and penguins. After a discussion about this, we would move onto the mosaic template in pairs. I love how this could also be incorporated into learning about the structure of the earth for a slightly older class. You could discuss the crust, mantle and core of the earth while creating the mosaics. When the children have finished their mosaics, I would get them to stand in a circle so we can see our earth mosaic as a whole class to help them understand the spherical earth.One inquiry based activity I would use in my class is the “What does gravity do?” I would use the international space station tour video with the astronaut Suni Williams as a prompt to begin the lesson. Any time I have shown this or sections of the ISS tour to my class they love it, whether it is the toilet, brushing her teeth or her just floating through the station! I would use this video to spark a dialogue about gravity and what it is. I would then move onto an inquiry based activity with class where they work in pairs and take turns to choose, predict, observe and record objects that fall. After the activity, we would evaluate and reflect on the objects and whether any didn’t fall. I think the children would have a lot of fun engaging with the lesson and conducting the investigation while also learning about gravity.
Hi, my name is Emer and I will have 3rd class this coming year. One of my favourite facts about space is that it takes approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds for sunlight to reach earth.
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.