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Really enjoyed reading your post! It’s such a great idea to focus on local role models that the children can genuinely relate to. I hadn’t heard of Aimee and Ashely Keogh before, but their project sounds so relevant and inspiring, especially with how it connects to students’ own experiences. I love your idea of using them to spark interest in the BT Young Scientist programme.
What a brilliant way to honour your school’s heritage! I love how you’ve woven history, creativity, and outdoor learning together so meaningfully. The connection with the Pearse Museum sounds really special, and having each child create their own piece is such a powerful way to bring the past to life.
Taking inspiration from all five modules, I would plan a cross-curricular class project exploring the scientific and natural heritage of our local area. We’d begin in September with mapping the school grounds and identifying local plants and animals using the Seek app and Biodiversity Data Centre resources. Each term, we’d revisit the area to track seasonal changes and link this to phenology and climate.
In term two, we’d focus on engineering in our area, looking at local bridges or buildings and running a design and make challenge using recycled materials. In term three, pupils would research a scientist or engineer linked to our county, leading to group presentations, posters or even a class drama based on their work.
Throughout the year, the project would link with Science, Geography, Maths, Art, English, and Drama, allowing every pupil to engage in different ways. It would culminate in a class showcase for parents and the school community.
This is such a well-thought-out lesson! I love how you’ve built in clear links to maths, engineering, and real-world structures. The use of trigger questions really encourages curiosity, and the variety of bridge types explored gives great depth. The testing and data analysis add a brilliant layer of critical thinking!
I’d love to use a local footbridge near our school as inspiration for a class bridge-building challenge. I’d start by showing photos and discussing its purpose, structure, and materials. Then, I’d set a brief for the class to build a bridge using recycled materials that could hold a small toy car and span a certain distance between two desks.
To integrate maths, we’d measure the span in centimetres, estimate materials needed, and test the strength of different shapes (e.g. triangles vs rectangles) using coins or weights. Pupils would sketch their designs, label measurements, and compare actual vs predicted load capacity. We could also link it to 2D and 3D shape work and collect data to create simple bar charts showing which design held the most weight. This type of project really encourages teamwork, problem-solving and applying maths in a real, hands-on way—which is what makes it so worthwhile!
This sounds like such a lovely, well-rounded plan! I love the idea of making blackberry jam: such a great way to connect learning with real life, especially in a small school setting.
I love how often you plan to bring the class outside—twice a week is brilliant. You’re so right that 10 minutes of real observation can teach more than an hour indoors. I like the idea of making your own recording sheets tailored to your school—it makes the learning so much more meaningful. Great integration of subjects too, especially the creative use of clay in Art!
Outline how you would use some of the course resources to conduct a seasonal biodiversity project to run throughout the school year. What resources and recording sheets would you need? How often would you bring learning outdoors? How would you integrate other subject areas?
I would love to run a seasonal biodiversity project with my 5th class across the school year. We would begin with a walk around the school grounds in early autumn, observing and recording what plants, insects, and birds we notice. I’d use resources like the Wildflower ID guides, Seek app, and the National Biodiversity Data Centre recording sheets to support identification and data collection. We would repeat these walks once each term to track seasonal changes, linking to the concept of phenology. This would tie in well with SESE (Science and Geography) but could also support Maths (charting and analysing data), English (report writing or nature journals), and Art (drawing species or creating posters). I’d encourage the class to upload sightings to the Biodiversity Data Centre to promote real-life learning through citizen science. This kind of outdoor, hands-on project is great for engagement, curiosity, and overall wellbeing.
I love how you’ve linked the online tools to so many subjects—it really shows how versatile they are. Using Geohive and Google Earth to explore Kells sounds like a brilliant way to make local learning more engaging. I’m sure the kids will love seeing their own area from above!
I like you approach! Starting with familiar places like the classroom or their homes is such a great way to make maps feel real for younger kids. Letting them explore Google Maps and compare it to their own drawings is a brilliant idea, so simple but really effective.
Before beginning the hands-on mapping activity, I would start by exploring my 5th class’s existing knowledge about maps. We’d have a class discussion about different types of maps they’ve seen before—road maps, treasure maps, Google Maps, etc.—and talk about what kind of information maps can show. I’d introduce key features like symbols, scale, and map layers, and we’d examine examples such as tourist maps and satellite views on GeoHive or Google Maps.
Next, we’d go outside for a walk around the school grounds, with pupils making notes or taking photos of features like trees, benches, paths, buildings, and green areas. Back in class, they would work in small groups to create large-scale maps using natural materials—twigs, leaves, stones, etc. Each group could focus on a different layer: vegetation, man-made structures, shaded spots, or areas of frequent use.
Once our physical maps are complete, we’d use GeoHive to compare them to real satellite maps and discuss what’s similar or different. We’d finish with some inquiry questions: Which areas are most shaded? Where is the most biodiversity? What part of the yard is used the most? This lesson would blend geography, science, and digital skills in a really engaging, collaborative way.
This module has given me practical and engaging ways to incorporate STEM more meaningfully into my teaching, in line with the STEM Education Policy Statement. I’ll be teaching 5th class in September, and I’m looking forward to using the Curious Minds/ESERO framework to plan and deliver lessons that are both hands-on and inquiry-based. One area I’m excited to explore is light and lenses. Using simple materials like magnifying glasses, torches, and water droplets, pupils will investigate how lenses work and link these experiments to the history of the Great Telescope at Birr Castle. I think 5th class will really enjoy connecting science with Irish heritage, and it creates a natural opportunity for cross-curricular links with history, geography, art, and English.
I also plan to integrate more opportunities for group work, prediction-making, questioning, and reflection into our science lessons. These elements align closely with the STEM policy’s emphasis on developing problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration skills in pupils. The emphasis on local context, real-world applications, and pupil voice throughout the module has made me more confident about delivering STEM in a way that’s accessible and exciting. I’m also aiming to use some digital tools like Stellarium to support visual learning and enhance engagement with the night sky.Totally agree with you! I’ve also found it tricky in the past to keep discovery-based lessons structured, so the ESERO framework is such a helpful guide. It’s great how it keeps the focus on the pupils while also giving us as teachers more confidence to explore topics in a clear way. I’m definitely planning to use it across a few subjects too – it makes things so much more manageable!
I’m also planning to explore telescopes with my 5th class in September, I know they’ll love the space theme. I really like your idea of using rainbow spinners and simple telescope builds to make it all more hands-on. It’s such a good way to explain tricky concepts like light and refraction. Linking it to real-world things like looking at the moon makes it even more exciting for them. Thanks for sharing!