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1. Discussion about travel to Space. Talk about what it would be like to be an astronaut, what do they wear and why, what do spaceships look like, how would you carry out daily tasks while travelling in space? Look at pictures on Google of Space Shuttle, Space X etc
2. Watch Astronaut Chris Hadfield carrying out daily tasks while travelling in Space-1. Washing teeth – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bCoGC532p8 2. Sleeping – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyFYgeE32f0 3. Eating https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZx0RIV0wss
3. Books- The First Hippo on the Moon, The Darkest Dark, The Sea of Tranquillity.
4. I teach infants so I think the Rocket Mouse experiment would be most suitable for that age group. I would read a book such as The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers to begin. I would also show a video of a rocket launch. These triggers would prompt discussions about rockets… What do they look like, How do they move, What shape are they, How do they go? How do they come down? etc.
5. I would divide the children into groups and get them to make a Rocket Mouse using the template given. I would give the children colours to decorate.
6. After the rockets are made we can conduct our experiment. Before launching their rockets I would ask the children to think about how it will behave in the air. I liked the idea of using the tomato ketchup bottle to show how squeezing the bottle creates pressure. I would explain to the children that the container used as the rocket launcher has air inside it. When you compress this air it pushes back and the pressure inside increases and sends the rocket mouse flying high into the air. There are also two other forces acting on the rocket: air resistance and gravity. Air resistance always pushes in the opposite direction to the rocket’s movement and gravity always pulls downwards. I would ask the children to predict what they think is going to happen their own rocket mouse. I will encourage them to think about how far will it go and what changes they can make to increase/ decrease the distance travelled. I would get the children to try different containers and smaller/ larger mice to see if there are changes to how far the rocket mouse travels.Rockets
1. Discussion about travel to Space. Talk about what it would be like to be an astronaut, what do they wear and why, what do spaceships look like, how would you carry out daily tasks while travelling in space? Look at pictures on Google of Space Shuttle, Space X etc
2. Watch Astronaut Chris Hadfield carrying out daily tasks while travelling in Space-1. Washing teeth – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bCoGC532p8 2. Sleeping – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyFYgeE32f0 3. Eating https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZx0RIV0wss
3. Books- The First Hippo on the Moon, The Darkest Dark, The Sea of Tranquillity.
4. I teach infants so I think the Rocket Mouse experiment would be most suitable for that age group. I would read a book such as The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers to begin. I would also show a video of a rocket launch. These triggers would prompt discussions about rockets… What do they look like, How do they move, What shape are they, How do they go? How do they come down? etc.
5. I would divide the children into groups and get them to make a Rocket Mouse using the template given. I would give the children colours to decorate.
6. After the rockets are made we can conduct our experiment. Before launching their rockets I would ask the children to think about how it will behave in the air. I liked the idea of using the tomato ketchup bottle to show how squeezing the bottle creates pressure. I would explain to the children that the container used as the rocket launcher has air inside it. When you compress this air it pushes back and the pressure inside increases and sends the rocket mouse flying high into the air. There are also two other forces acting on the rocket: air resistance and gravity. Air resistance always pushes in the opposite direction to the rocket’s movement and gravity always pulls downwards. I would ask the children to predict what they think is going to happen their own rocket mouse. I will encourage them to think about how far will it go and what changes they can make to increase/ decrease the distance travelled. I would get the children to try different containers and smaller/ larger mice to see if there are changes to how far the rocket mouse travels.
This sounds great. Love the idea of a passport and travelling home to their classroom. The fizzing and foaming rockets are so much fun!
That book sounds great. I love the idea of a race too and Astronaut training! I will definitely use some of these great ideas.
I would like my school to focus on Science and STEM skills as areas for SSE.
1. It would be really good to gather information first by reviewing what is working well and prioritise areas for development. The teachers can complete surveys and a SCOT analysis. This would provide information on where development could take place, where CPD might be useful, attitudes towards Science and STEM. Teachers would be given the opportunity to reflect on what is working in their classrooms and within the school and offer suggestions on how it could be improved.2. A inventory of resources in the school could be taken and a wish list complied.
3. Pupils and parents could also be questioned on their attitudes to Science and STEM.
4. A Science team or committee could be created and they could look at results and analysis findings. The committee could report back to staff and Croke Park hours could be used to work on a whole school plan.
5. A self evaluation report would be completed detailing findings, areas prioritised, targets and reviews. A whole school approach would be implemented . The Self-Evaluation plan would be reviewed and monitored in the following year. CPD could be offered to staff in areas needing improvement.
They are great photos. There are amazing space backdrops from Amazon . Also lots of tin foil and recyclable bottle tops etc could be very effective as controls and maybe fairy lights as stars.
This is how I would approach teaching the children about stars. I would start with singing Twinkle Twinkle little star and this will hopefully lead to a discussion around stars and what is known by the class already. When do we see stars etc? I really like using marbles to explain how many stars in the sky. I would show the following video of stars – https://youtu.be/B5unCXpegAw . I would use this video to explain the properties of a star – https://youtu.be/ZrS3Ye8p61Y. We would look at what star constellations are and I would pictures as examples. We would discuss where we see stars in music, art and books. In Art I would ask the class to look and respond to Van Gogh’s Starry Night https://youtu.be/6PndwgJuF3g. Create a starry sky by using toothbrushes on black paper or recreate Starry Night. Books I would use with this topic could include Katie and the Starry Night by James Mayhew, How to catch a star by Oliver Jeffers, Laura’ Star by Klaus Baumgart, Look Up by Nathan Bryan, Draw me a Star by Eric Carle.
I really like this lesson and that book. The children would love helping the boy and I imagine there would be great suggestions! That is a lovely book to use for drama too.
I have used torches with Lego trees and people on a A4 sheet and it worked very well. The childen predicted where the shadow might fall and moved the torch around to investiagte what might happen depending on what position the light was shining from. We also drew with chalk around our shadows in pairs in the yard but the weather is not always ideal in Ireland for this!
I would teach the children about Earth over three lessons as follows,
1. Earth – the first lesson focuses on looking at the Earth/ Globe. I would use blow up plastic globe. I would get the children to examine the globe focusing on the shape, landscapes and colours. The children would look at different animals that live on Earth and their habitats. The children will sort animals into habitats.They will design and make earth landscapes in shallow trays using different coloured materials (blue, green and white) and place small world animals in corresponding habitats (eg under the sea creatures on blue Ocean)The children will also complete the Earth mosiac activity shown in this module. Books I would use to accompany this lesson- Commotion in the Ocean/ Here we are.
2. Night and Day- lesson based on childrens’ own routines of night/ day. I would use large colourful pictures of night and day activities to sort. The children will then sequence pictures of their routine and sort pictures into night and day. We would discuss nocturnal animals. The book “Night Monkey Day Monkey” by Julia Donaldson would be good to use with this lesson. .
3. Explanation of what causes night and day- I really like the lesson shown where the teacher used a light and globe and two teddies on opposite sides of the globe. It is taught so simply and I think it would it the best way to explain what causes night and day to the children. I would use this lesson too as an introduction to the Sun and Moon and their relationship to the Earth. The main focus would be on Earth. Books I would use to accompany the lessons Earth/Habitats : Commotion in the Ocean, Polar Animals, We are Here, Blue Planet. Night/Day : Day Monkey Night Monkey, Can’t You Sleep Little BearI think most younger children love learning about gravity. I like the experiment of dropping things to the floor to see how gravity influences different objects based on their size and weight. I love Chris Hadfield’s videos on YouTube where he does everyday tasks such as brushing his teeth or sleeping. The children found them funny to watch and there was opportunity to ask the children what problems they thought they would be brushing their teeth in Space based on what they know about gravity.
My name is Hilary and I will be teaching Senior Infants next year. I find Space fascinating and sometimes it is hard to imagine how dark space is. One interesting fact about Space is that you become taller in Space. Less gravity changes mean the spine straightens out as it is not pushing you down. You can be up to as much as 5cm taller in the Space! I think the structure of the DPSM/ESERO framework would be very useful for planning lessons for Junior/ Senior Infant classes. So much of our STEM learning is through play so the structure of the framework would ensure that any play is meaningful, planned and has a specific learning outcome. The format of the lessons was similar in some ways to the structure of Aistear in my classroom. In Aistear the children normally listen to a story on the topic, discuss the topic, plan before play in the groups, begin their activity and then report back on their play/ activity. I think this structure is very similar to engage and explore, investigate, take the next step, reflect. The Mighty Materials lesson and the lesson on Gravity are definitely ones I would use in my class. I liked the idea of a picture as a trigger. I would normally use a picture storybook to start a topic but the picture could trigger so many responses and questions. I liked the idea of the teacher having a store of materials on hand for various lessons. I would probably divide into groups for the investigation part of the lesson when we have discussed and brainstormed what we are trying to find out. My school have a large EAL population and many pupils in Junior Infants would have little or no English so I like the idea of reinforcing the vocabulary around the learning. I like using smiley faces on the investigation sheets. It means pupils of all abilities can report back. I think I would ask each group to have a reporter to orally report back too. I think this can reinforce the language and also gives the teacher another chance to assess understanding. I would do a follow up lesson on making a waterproof coat for a teddy to apply their learning.
I agree that Dr. Patten is a fantastic role model and a great focus for learning. Young children love space and there is such a wealth of resources to use for teaching this theme. There are so many lovely story books too. Oliver Jeffers has lovely books for young children about Space. ESERO also has fantastic resources. Paxi on youtube is excellent too.
