Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
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.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’.
I think I would like to try the activity set based on the planets in a lesson for the upcoming school year. I feel the class I will have in September will greatly benefit from such active learning. They are a class that love being active and PE and by playing the planet game, dancing the planet dance and spinning their own planet they would feel there is a connection between learning and being active when they are learning science facts.
The song ‘Family of the Sun’ is a familiar tune for them to learn some facts about the planets. As I work in a Gaelscoil I would have to translate this to Irish but that is a task that happens a lot in a Gaelscoil. They would also enjoy the rap ‘We are the planets’ and I feel this song would also give me an opportunity to link our planet lessons with English lessons.
Frances, thanks so much for your feedback especially about the phases of the moon. Only discovered this book recently but looking forwarding to reading it to my class.
Pádraig,
I love the idea of a class solar system. Fair play and will be taking inspiration from this for next year .
Hi my name is Fiona and I teach 2nd class in a Gaelscoil. My favourite space fact/piece of information is often a table quiz question; where is the sea of tranquility? The moon.
I would use this question to begin my inquiry-based activity about the moon.
I would make use of a KWL chart to determine what the children already know and what would they would like to know as well as recording what they have learnt.
My focus for the first lesson on the moon would be laid out as follows;
Resources:
KWL chart
PowerPoint on the moon
Faces of the Moon book
Black paper and chalkI would display the question about on the board and ask the class to discuss in their groups.
When or if someone comes up with the answer I will then ask them to discuss any other facts they know about the moon and to record them on their group kwl chart.
I would then show the class a PowerPoint presentation which introduces the moon; fun facts, short videos and photographs.
We would then focus on the facts etc in the PowerPoint and discuss the new information or delve in their previous knowledge about these facts where applicable.
The next part of the lesson would focus on what the class would like to know about the moon in future lessons we would undertake.
Our final task for the introduction of the moon and prepping for a follow up lesson on the phases of the moon; I would read the book ‘Faces of the Moon’ to the class and ask them to create a piece of art (black paper and chalk) in response to it.
