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Hi Leah,
I really like the question you have chosen, I think it is something that make a big difference to the climate but is also relevant to the children and it something that is attainable for them. I think having small groups with different roles is a great idea aswell.
Question- “Can we take small actions to reduce our carbon footprint?”
I have chosen this question as I think it provides a good opportunity for children to take action. I would make sure that we are focusing on the small changes that the children themselves can make and then it might open up a bigger discussion on the wider world. I think the question could become too broad so you would have to make sure that the class is focusing on what they can do.
We would begin by using the ESA lessons on weather and climate and then move towards climate change and the affects of humans on climate change. I would use excerpts from the “Home” movie in module 3 as a stimulus for discussion. I would then get the class to complete a carbon footprint calculator to estimate our current carbon footprint. The children would then brainstorm small, measuring steps that they could take to reduce their carbon footprint (e.g. shutting off electronics at the source or walking to school). We would then focus on one action for a period of time and then retake the carbon footprint calculator and note any differences. Then we would build on the actions we are taking. You could then discuss the results and what would happen if the whole school took these measure or if the whole community took these measures. I would make sure that the children discuss the margin of error when we are completing this task such as false recordings and using averages. I think it is important that the children decide on the actions and that they find ways to hold themselves accountable. They could also split themselves into groups and each takes on a different action and compare their carbon footprint calculators at the end. The children can make posters of the data they have found and present it to the class or to the whole school if possible.
There is a lot of opportunities for cross curricular links when completing this project such as:
English – Vocabulary development, report writing
Maths- Data collection, patterns, trends
Science- Scientific method, electricity
SPHE- myself and the wider world
Overall I think my class next year would really enjoy the opportunity to take action against climate change and complete this project.
Hi Fidelma,
I have found reading what these trackers are doing in your post so interesting so I would say that the children would find the same. It’s interesting about those not in use anymore, I wonder why. There is so many learning opportunities for the children in STEM, history and Geography when it comes to tracking satellites.
After reviewing the “Nose high up in the sky” resource and completing the pupil activities, I can see that it is a high quality resource with a lot of potential learning for pupils. What I really enjoyed about the resource is that it is a hands-on, active learning/guided discovery for the students where they need to draw from their own schema of knowledge whilst they are learning. I think the hands on element will keep the activities engaging for the students and will lead to deeper thinking about weather as they are participating n the lesson. I would complete the three lessons with my class but it would not end at the three, I think you could continue to monitor the weather stations etc for a longer period and then use your findings to discuss that climate of your area.
You could then also explore these topics in a wider world sense by using the “from the ground and the sky” resource where students are examining satellite images of Earth. You could ask the children to find evidence of different weathers/climates (e.g. desert=dry climate) using the images and even get them to create a weather diary of one of the countries pictured.
I completely agree with having a focus on the actions that children can take. I think it is important that children take climate change seriously but we also do not want to cause any anxiety in the children. I think having a list of things that the children can do to make a positive difference will help them to feel less helpless and more like they can make a change. The Greta Thunberg TED talk could be used in small segments to support teaching but I do think it could cause worry, showing the children videos of Greta and other people taking positive actions against climate change might be more powerful for their learning.
Although I think the movie Home might be a bit too advanced for primary school pupils, you could definitely used excerpts of the movie as stimulus for lessons and discussion and to introduce the climate facts to pupils.
One example of this is using the segment on Shenzhen in China to prompt discussion about how the world has changed, integrating history and looking at the same city then and now. You could then discuss the how the needs of the city has grown and how the growing population and therefore growing infrastructure could have a major impact on the environment. You could then connect it to Ireland and do the same thing for a city that is local to the children so they feel a connection to it.
Another example is using the segment on fishing. You could start by discussing why the ocean is important to the Earth, the water cycle etc. and then discuss the fishing industry. You could then show them the segment and ask them why fishing catches have increased. This could lead to a discussion on overfishing and the effects of overfishing on the ocean. You could then discuss if overfishing leads to climate change and how climate change has affected the ocean.
Another video that would support you in teaching the climate change facts is Ireland’s 2019 Climate Action Plan. You could get the students to watch the video and work backwards, taking each step of the action plan and working out what climate change issue each step of the plan is tackling. You could then get the children to observe their environments and see if they can see any evidence that the action plan is taking place. This would consolidate the children’s knowledge of what causes climate change and also help to keep it connected to their lives.
I think that activity 3, Climate reporters would work very well with my class. I think that it is important to make sure that children have a good knowledge of climate before starting the lesson so I would make sure that I have completed lesson 1 first and maybe start with a KWL on climate.
The paxi video provides a good stimulus and even though it is more geared towards younger children, you could still use it in the older classes by getting them to gather the information from the video, the children could then make their own poster/video etc. explaining greenhouse gases, this will further consolidate their learning.
The Teal tool is a great support for the children in this lesson and could serve to help more visual learners.
One thing I would possibly add is an action element. This content can cause anxiety in children when it comes to climate change and greenhouse gases. I think after the children have presented their findings on the impact of climate change and how to lessen the effects of climate change, I would get the children to select one thing that we as a class can promise to do. I think actually taking action may help children feel a little less helpless when it comes to climate change, the action could be as simple as making posters or litter picking and recycling the rubbish that is recyclable.
Hi Triona,
I feel the same way about the STEM element, I also thought I was ticking the box, but I often left out one of the key parts.
I agree that the ESA resources would be great as a long term scheme and that the best learning will be when children get to experience these weather events and can discuss it in their own words.
Having read the paper by Dr. Maeve Liston, it leads me to reflect upon STEM within my own classroom. Upon reflection, I agree that many of the “STEM” lessons in my classroom are lacking the engineering element and therefore are just maths, science or technology lessons. Going forward I will keep this paper in mind when planning for STEM, especially alongside the rollout of the new curriculum where STEM takes on a bigger role.
Weather VS Climate
This would be a great resource to introduce the topic of weather VS climate. You could use this resource to scaffold the children in developing their own definition for weather and climate and to gain a deeper understanding of the two. You could further investigate this idea of weather vs climate through discussion of what typical weather is in a country. You could also extend the lesson by getting the children to research climates in different countries and where on the Earth this countries are to link it to the climate zones. If you wanted to keep developing this lesson you could engage the children in a discussion about why knowledge of climate and weather is important for a country e.g. Ireland relies on frequent rain for crops.Weather detectives
This would be an ongoing investigation. I think the resource is very well laid out and clear to use and I would use it in my own classroom. You could incorporate this lesson into a weather station. This could be a whole school lesson, where different year groups create different weather stations such as a temperature station, rain gauge etc. and then you could pair up the classes to discuss their findings. This would work really well with senior classes but could also be adapted to junior classes. You could also use the Nose up high in the sky – Observing and measuring weather conditions resource to support this lesson.The creation and montioring of the weather stations would provide plenty of opportunities for STEM, the children would be using the science of weather and climate and their knowledge of the subject. Technology to monitor weather and climate patterns and compare. Engineering where the children have to come up with designs that are functional for the stations and making sure they are accurate, e.g. if using a plastic bottle as a rain gauge, making sure it has a flat bottom. And maths in the measuring of the stations.
Overall I can see myself using these resources in the classroom in the next year.