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Hi Lorraine,
Such a great idea in using Toontastic as a digital technology resource to showcase their Science work, the pupils would be really engaged in this work. I really like Marvin and Milo as a resource and will use it next year https://spark.iop.org/marvin-and-milo . Thank you for sharing this resource too, https://www.sfi.ie/site-files/primary-science/media/pdfs/col/dpsm_paper_rocket.pdf it is wonderfully applicable to fifth class and allows for great integration with mathematics.
Within our class we would complete work on Ancient Greece and how they viewed the sky. Our astronomy work would allow for the introduction of work, using Stellarium, providing for the inclusion of Digital Technology in our class, following our chosen statement and standard taken from the Digital Learning Framework. This work integrates well with our literacy stories for September and October, Charlie and The Glass Elevator and his trip to space and the factual literacy work, based on The Solar System. We would make use of the Curious Minds/ESERO Framework and the steps involved from, prompt to reflection, with our work. The pupils would be active in their own learning, using hands-on classroom activities, from ESERO, Universe in A Box and Drawing their own Constellation resource, from Space Week. We would also make Star Lanterns and design and make rockets, using the resources from Module 5, with support from Marvin and Milo, with their Alka Seltzer Rocket. This work would culminate in time for Space Week Celebrations, 2025, in a display of our classroom learning, with another class, to allow pupils to share their learning, allowing for self and peer assessment and to highlight the activities, around Space Week, in our school. This would support both our school’s STEM work and our SSE. Many of the resources within each module would be shared with other classes, to allow for a whole school approach in engaging with Space Week, 2025.
Hi Jocelyn,
This is a really fun and interesting way of bring Science to life in the classroom. There are so many exciting and active ways to engage the children within your plan of work. This would integrate so well with Geography and Gaeilge. Leaving the Lego homes displayed in a wonderful way to reflect on their work and to showcase their learning.
Activity Set: Online Tools to support Science and Space Learning:
Our class would make use of the resources and support within Stellarium-web.org. The online resources would be shared with the class through their online classroom platform and this would allow for pupils to work together, in pairs. The learning objectives would focus on the sky at night, our stars and planets, which can be seen, within our night sky. The class would view the video shared within this module, to support their activities within Stellarium. I would provide a guide showing the particular areas within Stellarium, to allow for ease of access, by pupil, when they investigate this resource independently.
Milo and Marvin have many excellent examples of practical classroom activities. As this work would be part of a theme of classroom learning, we would make use of the Alka-Seltzer Rocket. The Scientific learning within this plan of work would allow for integration of History and Visual art,looking at Ancient Greece, as the pupils use Stellarium to look at the Constellation Art. The ESA resource for teachers, Cleaning Up Space would provide the class with opportunities to consider satellites.and how they help life on Earth and consider problem solving with debris. This work would address both areas within STEM, within our school of Working Scientifically and Designing and Making, as we question, observe, predict and explore, plan and make and evaluate our learning.
The work would begin with a prompt: photographs, music and a telescope, encouraging a class discussion on the topic of stars. We would look at some of the star constellations that the children may name or are familiar with. Our class would utilise the resource of “Seeing Stars! Looking at The Plough two different ways”. This is a very interesting activity for the senior class, allowing for a great deal of integration with mathematics and science. Our work would allow for the consideration of lines, angles and measurement. Pupils would work in pairs and the digital video would be shown to the class and then shared on their online classroom platform, to allow for revision of this work and to support pupils with subtitles and slowing the speed of the video. Pupils would discuss the steps involved with each other and each pupil would complete a piece of procedural writing, outline the steps,integrating literacy work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFdqLZqqcXU&t=4s
On completion of this task we would utilise the following resources, from this module, as a body of work on the topic of stars. This would also allow for the integration of Geography and History, looking at how people have used the stars in navigation and in Myth and Legend.5.3 Planisphere: A Turnable Star Map
5.5 Viewing Constellations through Stories
Our class would share their completed artwork with another class, providing opportunities for each child to reflect on their learning, explaining what the Plough is, to other children.
Hi Sean,
Your post describes the many ways the topic of stars can provide for integration, within the classroom. The children would be greatly engaged, with such a variety of ways to address this topic, allowing for deeper understanding and the wonderful inclusion of creativity, in their learning. The Star Viewer activity is a super way to showcase their scientific learning and would be wonderful at either Halloween or Christmas.
Hi Aisling,
Your lesson on the Planets sounds really interesting and would be such an active piece of work, with the children greatly engaged. It would be wonderfully visual for the children, to see how the system works, with the sun in the centre and a great idea to have pupils supporting each other. I love the idea of following this work later in the week, by integrating visual artwork with science, allowing for deeper understanding and reflection on their work, for each pupil,
Our class would conduct an investigation on telling the time, by creating a Sundial. This Science work would integrate with our History work on the Ancient Egyptians, who we believe had a sundial which dates back to the 13th Century BCE.
Our Science work would follow the ESERO framework of Inquiry shared in this module: Investigate, Make A Sundial Activity.
Prior to this Design and Make activity our class would view the video: How to Make a Sundial, ESERO, which would be shared on our Online Classroom, to enable pupils to view this again, for revision or support with their work.
Pupils would work in pairs, with each student making their own sundial, resources would be provided and time would be spent in our outdoor classroom, exploring shadows.
Our lesson would follow the steps outlined in the framework: Starter Question, Predicting, Conducting the Investigation and Sharing: Interpreting the data/results
Follow-on activities would provide many opportunities for integration with English Literacy, Tilly and the Timemachine and the story of Hugo, Visual Artwork – clock faces, Mathematics – AM and PM, 24 hour clock. Geography: Time Zones around the world. PE: What Time is It Mr Wolf? Gaeilge: revision of time, months.
Our inquiry based activity would be based on the design and building of a space rocket and which materials are most suitable – (support from Esero Resource)
This would be an active, fun, collaborative piece of learning in our classroom.
The work would begin with a prompt, photographs or a digital video from NASA kids, looking at the History of the Space Landing, integrating History work.
Wondering: Use of questioning, types of transport, why a rocket is suitable for space travel, how it is created and reasons to consider for its shape.
Exploring: We would consider, suggest and explore the variety of materials the children would have at their work stations, providing time for talk and discussion as a whole class and within their smaller group.
Prediction: Pupils could consider their materials, similar characteristics of the shapes needed to design and build our rocket and complete a design, using component parts of 2-d and 3-d shapes required. Pupils will predict how far their rocket will travel. This work allows for integration of mathematical work, at the appropriate class level.
Moving to the Investigation stage – we would use a starter question(s) and pupils would conduct their activity.
Recording: Their recording would follow on from their launch day of their rockets, allowing for self and peer assessment. Pupils woul reflect on their work, with a rubric provided.
This work would allow for follow up activities, looking at parachute designs, satellites and space rovers.
Hi Aileen,
These are great ideas, the kids would be greatly engaged with designing their space suits and their space stations. Making use of recyclable materials is super too and it is a wonderful idea to have a show and tell and question and answer session, at the end of the period of work.
Hi everyone, My name is Fiona and next year I will be teaching fifth class. One of my favourite space facts is that Neil Armstrong had Irish heritage and that there are more stars than grains of sand.
Kay Mc Nulty was born in a small Gaeltacht area of Donegal. On the day she was born her father was arrested and on his return from prison, at the young age of three, she and her family emigrated to America. At this time Kay could only speak Irish, however she was a very hardworking student, a bright mathematical pupil and was greatly encouraged by her mother to do well in school. She received a scholarship to Chestnut Hill college and attended every mathematics lecture she could. She graduated and began working, on a secret team of five females,for the US Government, on the ENIAC, one of the world’s first electronic computers. She was referred to as a “computer” and her work was at a very top secret level. Kay contributed to the war effort, supporting the advancement of modern computer engineering. Once married she raised a family, leaving the workforce behind, yet she continued helping her husband’s work in the area of computer programming, in the background. Kay is considered today as one of the mothers of modern day computer programming.
(Information from Kiddle online and EPIC)
Hi Vera,
You have wonderful ideas here, integrating so many creative aspects to so many curricular areas. I think your creative writing work would greatly engage your pupils and there are so many opportunities for music, from Holst to Coldplay. Having the children recreate the work through visual artwork would allow for consideration in how they could use older methods and resources to work with, aging paper and using charcoal, this would be great fun.
Hi Aaron, Your are most fortunate to live so closely to such an inspirational piece of engineering, the children would find such inspiration from this bridge, to support their own design work. Your work would provide so many ideas for integration with other curricular areas, from visual artwork to music, with wonderful opportunities for extension of their learning, when considering the natural world around the bridge.
Using a bridge in our local area as inspiration, describing a plan of work for our class, challenging pupils to design and make a bridge . How we would integrate mathematical thinking and incorporate the maths skills appropriate to the class level:
Resource used: CURIOUS MINDS, ESERO RESOURCE DESIGN CHALLENGE: DESIGN AND MAKE A BRIDGE
Prompt of local bridges in our area, class would visit the bridge closest to our school and a slideshow of the other bridges in our locality would be shown to the class.
Wondering stage , use of questioning
Exploring – investigating the design of bridges
Planning stage – making decisions on types and materials to use, collaborating with team mates, considering scale, criteria relating to uses of the bridge,what weight the bridge can carry, for example two lego/toy cars.
Incorporation of mathematical knowledge and skills: Use of 2 d/3-d shapes, length in maths, data. Length of the river to be passed over. Skills of lines, angles. degrees. The weight the bridge can carry.
Drawing and design of our bridges, completed using both paper/white boards and digital resources for example, tinkercad/minecraft.
Making of bridges together in class, variety of materials provided for pupils and materials taken into school by pupils too.
Sharing of completed work, showcase day, invitation to another class to view our bridge designs, pupils discussing their bridges and answering questions on their designs.
Evaluation of our completed bridges, asking questions, for example, what went well, what might we do differently next time, did the bridge change when compared to initial plans, did the bridge meet the criteria set out at the beginning of their project work.
