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Great question to pose for a class.
Easily integrated across the curriculum and can be measured year round.
I especially like the way the question takes it to a school wide level and really increases awareness of how climate change is affecting us at a local level.
Where on the school grounds provides the best relief from the heat during warmer months?
This question fits the Climate Detectives planner because it is climate-related, focuses on a real local issue, is specific and measurable, and can be investigated using observations, temperature measurements, maps, and satellite data.
I would guide the class towards a question such as this following some exploration of local media, local environmental studies and looking at the geographical features of the area. We can decide when it is best suited to carry out this investigation. Do we include September/ October?
From here we will discuss the new vocabulary and phrases that will arise as we research further into the task.
Once the question is settled upon we will input it into the Research Planner and follow the prompts to see if it is suitable. Then we continue to plan the investigation , identifying materials and equipment needed, who will be responsible for specific tasks, how we will gather and record information and what sites our investigation will take place in.I would then focus on a STEM skill like engineering to help achieve our goal. Children will have to design and make ways to attach thermometers to specific areas and to shield them from interference, wind vanes and anemometer to identify wind direction and speed respectively.
I would discuss with the class how climate change affects Ireland, including increasing temperatures and heatwaves, and then ask pupils where they think the coolest and warmest places around the school are. Following predictions and working in small groups, pupils could use digital thermometers to measure temperatures in different locations, such as the school yard, grassy areas, under trees, and on tarmac surfaces. They could record their findings in tables, create graphs, and compare their results with satellite imagery or local weather data.
We can use anemometers made from recyclable materials to see where in the school is most sheltered from wind and see if this affects air temperature.
Children will feel very engaged in the project if they feel a sense of ownership over it and will enjoy how the project can be integrated into many aspects of their curriculum.I really like how you’ve connected the activities to your outdoor learning environment—it sounds like a perfect fit for your pupils. Your suggestion of adding a simple recording sheet or reflection page is a great idea and would help children capture and build on their observations.
QIANFAN-41 is a Chinese satellite designated for improving communications, broadband and relaying with ground terminal. It is not a photographing satellite.
STARLINK-3391. There are numerous Starlink satellites that pass over Ireland daily. This is one of 10756 that orbit the globe. It provides internet broadband throughout Ireland
OOV-CUBE – This is an interesting satellite. It is an experimental one used for testing new spacecraft technologies
NOAA 16 – This satellite is US built and was designated as a weather satellite. It was launched 26 years ago. It is no longer operational and has become one of the thousands of inactive satellites orbiting the globe. During a pass over Ireland it would historically have collected cloud images, atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, and other meteorological data
CENTISPACE-1 S6 This satellite is part of China’s CentiSpace navigation and positioning system. As it flies over Ireland it is transmitting precision navigation signals and testing positioning technologies that complement satellite navigation systems such as GPS. It is not observing the ground.I also liked the footprint calculator and think it would be a greate resource to use in the classroom.
The film home takes an immersive look at the origin of our species and the effects our short existence has had on the planet.
Home shows scenes from different industries that have developed around the world that I was un familiar with. There is an significant pattern of human interaction causing severely negative effects. Massive agricultural lands being abandoned, hundreds of thousands of cattle being housed in grassless fields and fish being fished to extinction are to name a few.
Some clips Of Greta Thunberg show how the next generation should be responding to these patterns and how pressure should be put on international governments to make change.
The video detailing Irelands Climate action plan is a good place to start when introducing these facts to children as it is simple to understand and is relative to thor own immediate environment.
From here pieces of “ Home” can be selected to further enhance the children’s understanding of the effect of human interaction with the environment.
It can be integrated into other curricular areas, geography namely. Children can research the different areas these industrial ventures are taking place and their impact on the immediate community as well as on a national scale.
These videos can serve as an initial stimulus for STEM based lessons on climate action.I found the PAX video very suitable for primary school children. It has clear and simple explanations, appropriate new vocabulary and an engaging presentation. It can however, over simplify solutions to climate change.
I found Activity 3 to be pitched at a much higher level of expectation than the previous 2 activities.
I feel it would only be suitable for senior classes and would require a lot of help and guidance.
I would begin this lesson by explaining the new vocabulary and showing the video. Following a short discussion( KWL) I would demonstrate how to use the TEAL tool and explain how to complete the Activity sheet provided.
There is scope for cross curricular integration into both History and Geography as children can research specific events from the past that may have been influenced by these changes in climate.
We could extend the activity by using the data collected to create a trend graph or a specific pictorial representation that the children have chosen themselves.Liston’s paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics had some very interesting points on the difference between STEM lessons and activities versus lessons based on just science or maths and incorporating some type of technology. I have previously planned supposed “STEM” lessons only to realise that realistically they could not be described as such. Often there was not a problem to be solved, rather steps to be taken. Like using Coding platforms and calling it STEM.
The idea of engineering being the “glue” is a great one as when this is present the others, Science, technology and mathematics inevitably follow. Children need to be engaged in the design process where a true to life problem needs to be solved ( or attempted) and evaluated.Usually STEM in my classroom revolves around the design process where groups of children are given a collaborative task that requires them to plan a prototype, choose appropriate materials, attempt a prototype, evaluate it and make alterations to achieve their goal. They can choose different methods and technologies to record their progress.
Activity 1 and 2 from Weather vs Climate are very interesting and simple to adapt to suit any classroom. Activity 1 is aimed at younger classes but Activity 2 and the extension activities allow the teacher of older class to incorporate them into their plans. Both activities provide good scope for discussion and will lead the children to pose their own questions about the topic
Both activities are very easy to follow and require little resources to complete well. One aspect I would alter would be to allow for the use of digital technology to record the investigation of save as part of a digital portfolio.Setting up a Weather Station in the school grounds would be a fantastic addition to any school.
Primarily I would aim to have children create as many of the resources as possible from recyclable materials. More difficult to create equipment can be sourced economically from many sites. The size of the school and number of pupils who can access the site unsupervised would prove a challenge however.I really like your idea of using the Paxi video as a hook for learning. The picture book log is a fantastic way to make environmental awareness meaningful and age-appropriate for Senior Infants, while also encouraging creativity and discussion. I especially like how you would connect the activities to daily weather chats, helping children make real-world links. Your focus on keeping the topic simple, hands-on, and engaging is very well suited to this age group.
I agree that activities are simple and easy to follow and this will prove to be very important in the classroom. Children need to be able to feel a sense of success and achievement at the end of a task and I feel that these activities really lend themselves to this idea
The application I have chosen to introduce to a 6th class would be Diffit.
Children are becoming more aware of their own abilities when it comes to their own learning. Often they will reveal things are too difficult, too simple. It is hard for a teacher to constantly cater to these ever changing needs especially with a very heavy curriculum.
I would introduce Diffit as a resource to help children with this issue.
I would highlight two main aspects of Diffit- the ability to rewrite texts at different levels and the creative side where children can make comprehension activities of their own to develop their reading skills.
Following a discussion about the benefits of Diffit and a simple demonstration I would set a paired task where children are required to highlight differences between two texts ( simplified and original). The children can then discuss how suitable the texts are for different children.
Following this children can start to create passages and quizzes based on quiz questions and work in pairs to both create and answer questions. This way Generative AI isn’t just being used to find immediate answers to specific questions.
I have really only used Khan Academy as an extension activity or work for early finishers. It’s great to see all the different activities it provides. I’m sure to get a more immersive look at it over the course of the year.
We have used Google forms across a broad range of both staff and school community activities. It has brought some great engagement that otherwise may not have happened
I also found it a great asset when trying to link to the new maths curriculum. Generative ai give fast results when you are looking for engaging activities across more difficult topics