[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

Introducing Home by Yann Arthus-Bertrand to pupils is a compelling way to engage them emotionally and intellectually with the realities of climate change. The documentary combines stunning aerial visuals with a compelling narrative about the planet’s environmental state.
I would envisage it being shown to older classes and being broken up into different sections so we could examine it properly as well as using sections of it to lead inquiry-based learning in the classroom. I feel these sections would be the most beneficial to show and work on with a class; Deforestation (Amazon), Melting ice caps (Arctic/Greenland), Desertification (Africa) and Urban sprawl (Mega-cities in Asia or USA).
The class could be broken up into groups and they could each research one climate issue mentioned in the film. When Gretta Thunberg speaks you can clearly see how passionately she feels about the current climate issues and this would also be a great video to show a class as they could see someone closer to their age speaking about climate change and how it will affect the world we live in. I feel both these clips could inspire older classes to action.

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

I agree the Paxi video is very child-friendly and introduces the topic well. It is clear and concise and greenhouse gases are explained well.

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

Paxi guides children through how greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere and contribute to global warming and what we can do about it. In a lesson including this video I would begin with a question that taps into their curiosity and hopefully hooks their interest in the topic.

Have you ever wondered why Earth is warm enough for us to live, instead of being an icy planet? I would then ask them what they know about ‘greenhouse gases’ or if they’ve heard of the greenhouse effect.

We would then watch the video, and I would ask the class to answer the following questions as they watch; one thing they learned, one thing they found surprising and one action they think they could do to help. We would have a class discussion and create a mind map with their ideas for actions that they/we could do to help.
Three hands-on activities we would complete under this topic would be.
Drawing a comic strip showing Paxi explaining the greenhouse effect/showing their action that could help, we could create a mini-greenhouse using jam jars and thermometers to observe how heat is trapped and finally we could make posters encouraging recycling, walking/biking/scooting to school and other small actions that could reduce emissions.

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

great answer, you’ve made it very clear and used relatable activities for the children in your class.

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

STEM education in my classroom can look different depending on the day. I try to have as many hands-on activities as possible, but some topics can be a bit trickier than others in that regard. I am hoping through this course that I will become better equipped to teach topics such as climate and weather in a more fun and interactive way. The slide which explained the difference between weather and climate was beneficial and the Nose in the sky was an excellent way to help pupils to learn how their senses when describing weather conditions and not just in the traditional way in relation to food.

I tend to use an inquiry-based approach and pose questions to the class at the beginning of a topic. We make use of KWL charts regularly and the children’s curiosity and interest can guide their learning on a topic, with guidance from me when appropriate (depending on class level, curriculum etc).

Weather Detectives is a fitting example of this as the children are responsible for their learning by making use of an inquiry-based learning activity, with pupils observing and recording the weather every day for a certain period. The class would love making the different instruments to measure the weather; rain gauges, anemometers and even challenging them to create a new instrument to measure an aspect of the weather.

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

Thank you Niall, I was having difficulties uploading it last night and couldn’t see it until today. Norah is fantastic role model and one I look forward to focusing on next year.

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

module 5

Class Plan to engage with Space Week (Rang a 2)

The activities below would be be tailored to the class level.

 

English

·         Postcard from space

·         Acrostic poems related to space

·         Diary entry while in space

·         ‘If I could invent a planet’ creative writing activity

 

Irish/Science

·         Table quiz on facts they have learned during the week.

·         PowerPoints on different aspects we have studied; planets, rockets etc.

 

Maths

·         Spaced themed maths games; subtraction, addition, telling the time.

 

Geography

·         Study about Dr Norah Patten.

 

History

·         Space travel through history; famous astronauts.

 

PE

·         Astronauts and aliens in space; children create a game and teach it to the aliens.

·         Meteor Ball

https://www.thepeshed.com/_files/ugd/ff464b_807905806d444fc983b9d2cf9af99035.pdf

·         Meteor Battle

https://www.thepeshed.com/_files/ugd/ff464b_7d29cc54ba334b6bb1e5c169c92be089.pdf

 

Music

·         Songs based on the planets, space and rockets in Irish and English.

 

Art

·         Tonal aliens.

·         Mindfulness collaborative work

·         Space sun catchers

·         3D rockets

 

Drama

·         Space themed stick puppets; groups create mini-stories including some of the facts they have learned.

·         Hot seat as Dr Norah Patten.

 

SPHE

·         Discussion on how they would feel about going into space and what they would be looking forward to/worried about etc.

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

Class Plan to engage with Space Week (Rang a 2)
The activities below would be be tailored to the class level.

English
• Postcard from space
• Acrostic poems related to space
• Diary entry while in space
• ‘If I could invent a planet’ creative writing activity

Irish/Science
• Table quiz on facts they have learned during the week.
• PowerPoints on different aspects we have studied; planets, rockets etc.

Maths
• Spaced themed maths games; subtraction, addition, telling the time.

Geography
• Study about Dr Norah Patten.

History
• Space travel through history; famous astronauts.

PE
• Astronauts and aliens in space; children create a game and teach it to the aliens.
• Meteor Ball
https://www.thepeshed.com/_files/ugd/ff464b_807905806d444fc983b9d2cf9af99035.pdf
• Meteor Battle
https://www.thepeshed.com/_files/ugd/ff464b_7d29cc54ba334b6bb1e5c169c92be089.pdf

Music
• Songs based on the planets, space and rockets in Irish and English.

Art
• Tonal aliens.
• Mindfulness collaborative work
• Space sun catchers
• 3D rockets

Drama
• Space themed stick puppets; groups create mini-stories including some of the facts they have learned.
• Hot seat as Dr Norah Patten.

SPHE
• Discussion on how they would feel about going into space and what they would be looking forward to/worried about etc.

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

some fantastic ideas here, thanks for the inspiration!

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

love the dressing teddy activity, so fun and interactive 🙂

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

The activity I would like to undertake with my class next year would be ‘Animals in the Cold’. I always find that classes enjoy learning about animals and this activity seems like one they would actively engage with. As I have second class and work in a Gaelscoil I would focus on the vocabulary associated with the different types of weather first so that the children have the ability to discuss the types of weather that occur more often in some places in the world.
The focus would then move onto the animals (again learning the vocabulary first so they can discuss the different facts) and how they keep themselves warm. I would connect it to other subjects like music, art and drama to ensure the pupils active participation in their learning. Scoilnet has a few resources linked to these which would be helpful. The children would have the opportunity to learn about the lifecycles of the penguin and polar bear and I would encourage them to find other animals that live in the cold.

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

Brilliant thanks so much.

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

I’ve never heard of that modelling material, will definitely look into it, thank you!

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

These are some fantastic activities Sinéad, love the idea of aliens flying around the room.

[Fiona Ni Shuilleabhain]

Activity Set – Space and Aliens

I like using a book to introduce a topic or activity with a class and I feel this time the story ‘Aliens wear Underpants’ would be a fantastic was to introduce a lesson on designing aliens, while discussing space and Martians.
I would make use of a KWL activity again by using a mind map with the class with the centre point being space and aliens.
As the children learn new pieces of information, they would add them to their mind map.
We would make use of a variety of materials to create our aliens; for one lesson we could focus on painting making use of ‘one colour’. For example a green alien but by adding a little bit of white paint/black paint they could change the colour slightly to create a tonal alien. We could also make our aliens 3D by making use of clay, construction materials or even marla.

There are so many opportunities to integrate this topic with other subjects, which is fantastic. This lesson’s focus would be integrating with art so I was thinking that each pupil could create a diorama by themselves or with a group and their 3D Martians would have their own little ‘habitat’.

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