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Tracy,
I think you have realistically looked at which activities could be done independently and which need adult support. For the Earth mosaics, it might be helpful to have a sample made up – when I do this with groups we get a right old mish-mash of different objects in the pictures. Helpful to tell them NOT to add the Sun – otherwise there are Suns in most pictures which makes it a bit less of a model of the Earth!
Ciara,
what a great set of stations for the children to use! It could be interesting for the children to test sunglasses for UV – if you had some of the beads, do all sunglasses block out the UV. Or, children could try different types of suncream and see do they stop UV.
This resource has a little bit more teacher background on the beads.
Aoife- you have inquiry practice perfectly described – children learning by exploring and testing and answering their own questions. As you lead discussion at the end the children can share what they have found out and you can help them to see the patterns in magnetic / non-magnetic materials and the extra feature that magnets can repel other magnets.
Ciara,
what a super way to connect an investigation to a space theme – around how sound travels through media and that vacuum stops sound!
I like this as a the prompt is clear and you have given lots of time for exploring. By sharing advice they are using their design and make skills to evaluate – great stuff.
Aoife,
I can see that as being a really nice maths activity, about order and distance and temperature.
I’d have a table up on the whiteboard with some basic planet facts — perhaps the language of near and far, hot and cold, big and small, with perhaps pictures of the colours of the planets. Just think of the sorting that could be done as well!
Can you put the planets into 2 groups — tell me what each group has in common. (could be 4 nearest the Sun vs 4 furthest from the Sun), (could be 4 smallest vs 4 biggest), could be the ones Earth temperature or warmer vs the Earth temperature or colder – this is a bit tricky, since temperature varies so much!
Rachel.
the experiment can make a good demo to prompt an inquiry, so I’s show this to a small group, let them play around (explore) with the equipment, and then see if they can devise a question that they can predict the answer to – and then try it out.
They might wonder – does it have to be a torch? could you use a laser pointer (there are often pointers in remote controls if you have an old one lying around), what happens if you change the angle of the torch -shine it in from the top, or the side, or from the bottom? etc
Rachel – thanks for sharing such a comprehensive way to explore weather with the children – Nice one.
Cliodhna, I’m glad you like the ESA education resource. There are lots of them, but unfortunately not always that easy to find on the ESA website. The ESERO Ireland site often has versions of them, so I’d check there first.
I maintain a list of all the ones I can find – and I find it easier to go to my list than to try to find them on the site.
I’ll see if I can make a shareable link to the list.
Rachel – are there any sundials in your area? We have one in the courtyard of Blackrock Castle and I know there is one in the middle of Mitchelstown in north Cork.
This site might help you check: https://www.sundials-ireland.com/ireland.htm
How would you align the paper plate sundial with north on the next day? Do you have a picture of one you have made? It looks like a nice design and make, although the science is probably best for 2nd class and up.
Alexandra,
the ESERO Activity https://esero.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/01_The-planets.pdf has no factual information, so you would have to prepare that yourself. You could start with this from Armagh Planetarium.
The ESERO activity The Eight Planets has nice worksheet structure, but expects the learners to go to books or magazines about the planets.
You might want to use this handy template from Armagh Planetarium – adapt it if you want it to be about specific planets in our solar system.
The Solar System resource from space week has options to create a scale solar system – is there a particular one you prefer? (note that these are suggested for 3rd-6th class) This will inform
Have students create a scaled model of the solar system using the provided materials.
the materials that you would have to provide. Your list of provided materials is a bit too general “planet fact cards, a scaled model or images of the planets, and interactive worksheets.“
Hi Ciara,
you might want to share this with the burp-fascinated children
https://www.spacecentre.co.uk/news/space-now-blog/grossology/
Hi Rhonda,
welcome to the course. Did you know that you can see where Voyager is at this site? https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/
The phases of the Moon is a tricky topic in the primary curriculum, since it doesn’t actually appear! (it is in Junior Cycle Science).
Geography expects that children will discuss the Moon, but says nothing about its changing appearance, and even at 5th/6th class it only has
develop a simple understanding of the interrelationship of these bodies, including day and night and seasonal movements (Planet Earth in space)
I do think it worth looking at the phases of the Moon, but treat it as Science / Light and shadow – • explore how shadows are formed.
Aisling,
making the filter paper butterflies sounds lovely, and if you have one made in advance, that could be the prompt, and the children can choose their colours and predict will they behave the same way.
Useful to have a selection of darker colours which have more mixed dyes in them.
Alexandra,
flashlight / water as star and atmosphere makes a lovely demonstration that can be a prompt for further investigation. You’ve planned for the children to wonder and explore by writing what they think is going on. Then their questions could pose a starter question for an investigation.
Does the size of the jar make a difference? Does a ‘star’ twinkle more if it goes through more ‘atmosphere’ ?
{Yes, in the case of real stars, which is why Sirius, the brightest star, which is always quite near the horizon from Ireland, looks so twinkly}
Cliodhna,
some of the concepts you have suggested would be suitable for older children, where the Irish curriculum has (for 1st/2nd class)
“identify the sun, the moon, stars, day and night”
I’d think that going into the life cycle of stars is probably too much. I know that some children are interested in black holes and the ideas around them, but linking mass of a star to its ultimate fate is something I used to teach at second level.
There is background for teachers at https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/lifecycles/LC_main3.html
and a poster: file:///C:/Users/frances.mccarthy/Pictures/SummerSchool_2024/imagine.pdf
and there are some second level activities on that same page.
