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‘Home’ is a visually powerful documentary that presents the interconnectedness of Earth’s ecosystems and the impact of human activity on the environment. If using in a class, I would use segments of the film to emphasise key points and introduce the complex topic of climate change in a way that is accessible, engaging, and thought-provoking. The film’s stunning aerial footage and clear narration make it an ideal tool for engaging students. The video would help students to define climate change, the causes and visible effects. When students see these changes in action, pupils can form a clearer mental picture of what climate change looks like around the globe. The video provides a terrific platform for critical thinking and deep, meaningful conversations. Questions about ‘Home’ could lead into class debates, group work, and critical thinking tasks about sustainability, conservation, and the role of human activity in shaping the planet’s future. Finally, the video provides a great starter to a project on climate change.
Hi Nicola, I completely agree that climate change is an abstract concept for students and that the video is a great way to simplify the idea for students. I love the idea of cross-curriculum integration and getting the children to present as Gaeilge – a superb idea that ties in nicely with the new language language curriculum.
Activity 3 offers a well-designed and engaging lesson that introduces students to essential climate change concepts. These include current climate modelling vs future climate modelling and greenhouse gases. Climate and climate change in particular are abstract concepts for many adults let alone children. Therefore, these resources are an excellent way to help the children grasp the concept of climate change. Activity 3 also promotes key skills like data analysis, critical thinking, collaboration, and real-world environmental awareness. As a 6th Class teacher, these are vtal skills for students to grasp as they move to secondary school. The inclusion of digital tools brings an interactive, hands-on dimension that supports group-based and interactive learning. Finally, the video also provides strong opportunities for cross-curricular integration. For example, after watching the video, students could explore related topics in Maths (e.g., data), science (e.g., water cycle), or even art (poster campaign to raise awareness) and writing (e.g. persuasive writing/debate writing all about climate change).
Hi Roisin, some great ideas here. I really like the idea of setting up a student group – it would link in well with our student council. I also like of making it a whole school event with assemblies and utilising a school notice board.
ESA activities such as ‘Nose Up High in the Sky’ and ‘Weather vs Climate’ provide dynamic, hands-on learning opportunities. To foster school-wide engagement with weather and climate, I would launch a collaborative inquiry project using the ESA module’s resources. Students from different year levels could work together, share their observations during assemblies or on digital platforms, and take responsibility for managing the weather station. This approach encourages a culture of shared learning, sparks curiosity, and builds a strong foundation in environmental science. Some ideas I would aim to utilise are getting the students to create weather journals, weather station. I would also try to integrate technology and get the children to create a weather station/channel with short videos. These videos could use green screens to really bring the lesson to life and allow children to immerse themselves in various types of weather.
