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The story Roaring Rockets is cute – but see my earlier comment about the science in it!
Gravity boots are not a thing. They don’t “grip the ground and stop you floating off.” There is gravity in space, micro-gravity is what you experience when your space craft is moving at the same speed as you — much like you jumping up in a lift just as it starts to go down — you fall down with the lift and it feels as if you are weightless – but gravity is still pulling you down
Lyndsey – you may find some of the online resources we look at in module 4 useful for images of constellations.
Emily – try to keep the emphasis on why the Moon looks like this – rather than learning the names of the various phases etc. Infants are expected to “identify and discuss the sun, the moon and stars” and 1st/2nd class “identify the sun, the moon, stars” and phases of the Moon appears in second level.
Séamus – you can use the simple picture from the ISS education kit to check that the children have really gotten the idea about gravity pulling everything into the planet. See page 12.
Hannah, you have planned an interesting hook for the children to explore and given them simple equipment that they can then use to answer and check their own questions — which is key in inquiry learning. Nice stuff.
Karen – I’m glad rocket mouse is a hit with you! Planning possible extensions usually means having extra material – and size of opening is one that is pretty straightforward. I save every milk bottle in my house- they all go into work!
John, this is a very clear outline on the seasons and clothing. Would you also link explicitly to temperature, and how a sunny day in summer is warm, but a sunny day in winter is cooler, even though it is still sunny?
This would be setting the scene for later work on seasons.
John – what inquiry questions might the children explore?
I suggest that you let the children make and play with the rockets, so that they can see how they work, then you can model “I wonder….” questions that they might further investigate.
The I wonder questions might be silly — I wonder if the red balloon will go further than the green balloon…but should act a springboard for the children to wonder and ask their own questions that they then explore.
Eilis — how much fun! I did the vinegar and baking soda in small canisters with a teacher group at a face to face cpd – and after they had all left I couldn’t figure out what the small popping noises were… it was the left over bits reacting and then pushing the lids off!
Ashling – I like how you have planned for an older class to be used as a resource. They might work with your children on a next step – of “do more layers of clothing keep us warmer?”
Aishling – I once had a sheet with a bunch of stars all over it — and children could look for their own patterns on it. Can’t find it now ! ( I think I got it from a colleague and don’t have it saved online – but similar sheets can be made up easily enough). See this activity.
For an older class you could try: Personal Constellations
Angela – 2nd class are quite capable of making the star lantern – and they can choose either a known constellation, or make up their own pattern (either completely made up, or by connecting stars in their own patterns). The Plough from different angles needs a bit of fine motor skill. You definitely need to crumple the foil balls on a longer length of string, and then trim it down or pull it through the holes in the card to the correct length.
I love how you have planned to include the children’s own homes in this activity. And this has the bonus of reinforcing the children’s visual recognition of their own home.
I like the use of ICT – and if the google car has been by your area fairly recently it can work nicely.
Eilis – check carefully how you word:
act out this journey of the earth moving away or towards the sun over a yeAr
This is a common misconception for all ages – that summer is when we are nearer the Sun, and winter is when we are further away.
Seasonal change appears for 5th and 6th class, so we haven’t covered it in great detail, but see this video about seasonal change misconceptions, called A Private Universe.
