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Wendy,
for an older class there is the opportunity to compare the fins of a rocket that offer stability to the wings of an airplane that offer lift. A superb resource for teachers is the NASA rocket educators guide at: https://www.nasa.gov/stem-content/rockets-educator-guide/
There is a helicopter activity as part of Curious Minds – it is in English and Irish.
Which rocket variant appeals to you the most?
Helen,
I’d take care with the explanations on this – I think it is enough that the children explore the freezing process within the curricular statement:
Materials / Materials and Change
• explore the effects of heating and cooling on everyday objects, materials and substances
They might compare freezing water to freezing a different liquid – say oil (although cooking oil doesn’t have a set freezing point – see https://distributionskatrina.com/blogs/the-katrina-blog/frozen-vegetable-oils-what-to-do-when-oil-freezes), or butter, or coconut oil.
Children might also link the second part – the water level when ice melts, to environmental awareness by using this ESERO resource, written for an older class, but the practical can be adapted for younger children: https://esero.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/47_The-ice-is-melting.pdf
Careful observations will show that the water level doesn’t change if you have floating ice that melts – since the ice has already taken up the space that it will fit into when it melts.
Niamh – you could probably do this with two cereal boxes taped together – which could be an easy request for the “Friday” box. I never throw out cereal boxes – I find them so useful for so many different purposes.
Add in some images of actual space suits and you can compare to Eric Carle’s book where Papa climbs a ladder to the Moon with no space suit at all!
For a slightly older class you might use the story of Sabrina Thompson,who is a NASA Engineer who also designs clothing. A teacher suitable overview is here: https://youtu.be/q0OwF6e3pmg?si=pSSZdNES63sdLRJs
for sure – in my neighbourhood’s whatsapp group, more than once I’ve seen an appeal on a Wednesday for an item for the next day! Milk cartons in particular – and then the next week there were bird feeders hanging from the trees in the park!
Caitlin,
your plan has something for everyone, with a range of science and cross curricular activities. Sounds like a lot of fun, and I hope that the resources shared in this course can easily be used by your colleagues to deliver a whole school experience in early October.
Don’t forget to register with spaceweek.ie to share the news, and you might find more ideas there under https://www.spaceweek.ie/for-organisers/for-teachers/
Wendy – I love the GLOBE project and run outside to photograph clouds most days. Thanks for mentioning it!
If you are new to GLOBE – have a look at the website, follow through the trainings, download the app to your phone and get ready to collect a lot of science!
In Ireland, they partner with An Taisce – https://www.antaisce.org/globe-ireland, and you can follow them on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globe_ireland/
Sarah,
some interesting work has been done on “awe” and the night sky – and how this sense of vastness and insignificance is vital.
see https://www.nightskyresourcecenter.org/star-trails-blog-on-light-pollution/awe
and
https://darksky.org/news/the-importance-of-awe/
Singing twinkle twinkle little star can be the first step on the path of awe.
Patrick, as I have commented to another teacher – this type of research is a way to bring the inquiry framework to life when you cannot actually do an “experiment” as part of the investigate section.
The fascinating facts should be guided by the children’s wonderings and predictions. They might notice that the smaller planets are nearer the Sun than the bigger planets – and wonder if that affects some feature of the solar system – and use research to check their ideas.
Jackie,
this is a lovely way to Engage the children and to use the first part of the Inquiry framework to build up background understanding. With this understanding, they may have questions that could be investigated – and that they may be able to make simple predictions about. They might notice that not all planets have air around them (compare Mercury to Venus) and wonder why that is. From research they might find out that Mercury is the smallest planet and then suggest that as the reason – they can then investigate by looking at images of the other planets to see if the larger planets are also bare or have air.
Carmel,
in this module we have introduced the Curious Minds /ESERO Framework for Inquiry, and you have identified ways in which the children can Engage through wondering, with the prompt of a picture of the Moon.
I’m not as clear on how the story https://youtu.be/bOiw0zXQQBQ?si=qv1T8AqNLAtOaxSE will link to an investigation – particularly since phases of the Moon are not explicitly part of the primary curriculum in Ireland, but do appear at second level.
It could be treated as a light and modelling activity – as we mention in Module 2. Children can explore how we can only see the Moon when it is being lit up by the Sun, and this can be modelled with Moon balls (styrofoam balls on a stick). The child’s head is the Earth, the Moon balls as the Moon and the Sun as the Sun. You can see a demonstration of this at: https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/news/393/
The creative response is what we would refer to as a Next Step. Share and reflect correspond to reflection – which for younger classes might be teacher reflection.
Martina,
you have described a lovely way to explore day and night, which is a topic that arises in Module 2 as well.
The children can explore and wonder with the flashlight model and then verify their understanding through an investigation with the model. They might pose their own question – how long is the daytime? at a certain place of the Earth – or start working towards an understanding of the difference in daytime length in different seasons – although that is more complex and might wait until they are more 3rd-/6th class ages.
The child should be enabled to
• observe, describe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and the changing lengths of day and night during the seasons [3rd-4th class Geography]In 1st class there is “develop familiarity with the spherical nature of the Earth.” – so virtually any question that they can explore that uses a globe will help them access this learning statement.
Have you hard globes or do you use the beachball type? I love the Earthball – https://www.earthball.com/
Lisa,
You’ve described an engaging activity that has scope for creativity and makes a direct link to science understanding. When the children “explains why it looks the way it does.” they are linking what they understand about why creatures are the way they are – to the environment in which they live.
This is a higher order thinking skill, so some children may find it difficult, or may not have thought at all about why they created an alien a certain way – so those children might do this activity ‘ in reverse’ and suggest an environment for their creature – perhaps drawing that environment. ie – You say: “this creature has long legs – where might it live?” and the child might connect this to knowledge they have about long legged animals, and suggest that it lives somewhere where it is free to run around.
Olivia,
I really like your four seasons with activities that look at simple changes to weather across year. The sunlight and shade for spring links really nicely to those early plants that try to grow before trees cause too much shade.
I’m not great on plants (better on planets!), but I found this presentation:
https://biodiversityireland.ie/app/uploads/2021/04/SpringFlowersProject_Presentation.pdf
Edel,
rockets can be a great investigation topic – and the marvin and milo cartoon strips can be printed out and shared. I’d leave out the last frame where they usually describe what is going on – let the children generate their own prediction based on their own understanding.
If you wanted children to explore if a rocket went further if you blew harder, then you would be looking at the puff rocket instead – and you could use this image from the ISS Education Kit (page 21).
Second class should have the fine motor skills to make the rolled up paper of this rocket – if they find it tricky, then get some of the paper covered straws, and use the bit of paper as the “rocket”. https://www.tommyvarden.ie/products/wrapped-paper-straws-box-of-500
This poster might be lovely for the children to view:
https://www.esa.int/kids/en/learn/Our_Universe/Planets_and_moons/The_Solar_System_and_its_planets
I sometimes use it with slightly older children and ask them to tell me what this poster gets right about the solar system and what it get’s not-so-right…
