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Hi Ailbhe,
I really like your research question as it focuses on something that children can really relate to. I particularly liked the idea of looking at birthday parties, as children may not realise how much single use plastic can be involved. I also think the idea of comparing the amount of plastic used at the beginning and end of the year would make the investigation really meaningful. It would be interesting to see what changes the children could make themselves.
How could small changes in how pupils travel to school help reduce our school’s carbon footprint?
I chose this question because traffic and transport are very relevant to our local area in Dublin and are something pupils experience every day. I think it would help children understand that climate change is not just a global issue, but something that can be connected to their own community.
I would begin by asking pupils how they travel to school and why they use that method. I would show the children clips.
The pupils could carry out a survey across the school and record the results. The children could then create graphs and look for patterns in the data. The children could then investigate the difference between travelling by car, walking, cycling, using public transport and carpooling. To support this, pupils would watch short, age appropriate video snippets showing how transport emissions contribute to climate change.
I would also encourage pupils to think about the traffic they see around the school and discuss whether there are ways we could reduce the number of car journeys. They could work in groups to suggest realistic ideas, such as a Walk to School Day, carpooling or encouraging more sustainable travel.
I think this would be a suitable Climate Detectives investigation as it is a hands on project where pupils can collect and analyse real data, investigate an issue that is relevant to their local area and use their findings to suggest positive changes for our school community.
Hi Enya, I have to agree with you about the Satellite Tracker app. I also found it quite difficult to use and wasn’t sure how to use it at all. I also found it a frustrating that it asked me to sign up for a free trial before I could fully use some of the features. It’s good to know I’m not the only one who struggled with it!
I initially tried using the satellite tracking app for this assignment but found it quite difficult to navigate, so I decided to explore the Nose Up High in the Sky resource instead. Having engaged with the resource, I found it to be a very practical and accessible way to introduce pupils to weather observation and measurement. The activities are well structured and encourage curiosity through simple observations, sensory descriptions and hands-on tasks.
I particularly liked how pupils begin by using their senses to describe the weather before progressing to building simple instruments to measure things such as rainfall and wind. I think this would work well in the classroom as the children could take ownership of their observations and record them in a weather diary.
I would definitely use this resource when teaching weather, as it provides opportunities to link science with maths and literacy. I would also differentiate some of the activities and provide extension challenges for pupils who need them. Overall, I found it engaging, practical and very suitable for primary pupils.
Hi Amy,
I agree that climate change can feel like a very big topic for children, so making links to their own school and local environment would definitely help make it more meaningful. I also like your focus on positive actions and giving children practical ways to make a difference rather than making them feel overwhelmed. I think a follow up class project such as creating a simple climate action plan for the school, could be a great way to build on this.
I found the HOME video visually powerful and I think it could be very effective tool for teachers in showing how human activity is impacting the planet. The aerial imagery is particularly striking and could help children appreciate the beauty of Earth and why it needs protecting. However, i do believe the video is quite long and complex for primary pupils, so I would only use short, carefully selected snippets. I also found Greta Thunberg’s TEDx Talk inspiring, but i think some of the content could worry younger children, so I would be cautious about showing it in full. I think that the Paxi climate videos are child‑friendly and explain key concepts clearly.
To introduce climate change to my 4th class, I would begin with a short video clip and then use a KWL chart to find out what pupils already know and what they want to learn. Their questions would guide the lessons that follow, using enquiry based activities and local examples to make the topic meaningful. I also see strong opportunities for integration across science, geography, maths, art and literacy, allowing pupils to explore climate change in different ways. My overall aim would be to ensure children feel informed and empowered rather than overwhelmed.
Hi Siobhan,
I really liked your point about making climate change relevant to Ireland and our local area. I agree that this would help make what can be quite an abstract topic more meaningful for children. I also liked your idea of finishing with a climate action project as it gives pupils something practical they can work towards rather than focusing only on the problem.
I found Activity 3: Climate Reporters an engaging way to introduce children to climate change using real‑world data. The Paxi video gives a clear, child‑friendly explanation of greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect. The temperature prediction tool is also very effective, as it allows pupils to explore different emissions scenarios and compare how temperatures might change in the future. I think children would enjoy looking at different parts of the world and seeing how climate change could affect their own area.
With my 4th class, I would organise pupils into small groups to explore different climate scenarios and investigate how changes in temperature could affect our local area. I would give them a choice in how they present their findings for example, posters, graphs, digital slides or short presentations. Some of the vocabulary and data may be challenging. I would provide a simple glossary with child‑friendly definitions to scaffold my pupils. To finish, I would have the pupils work together to create a whole school climate action plan, identifying practical steps we could take to reduce emissions and care for our environment. This would help them connect the climate data with meaningful actions and deepen their understanding of climate change.
Hi Nessa, I really liked your idea of repeating the weather observations over four Mondays. I think this would be a great, simple way for children to start noticing patterns/changes in the weather. I also agree with your points on STEM. I would also like to develop this integrated approach in my classroom.
Having read Liston (2018), I realised that STEM is about integrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to solve meaningful, real world problems, rather than teaching the subjects separately. This made me reflect on how I currently use STEM in my own classroom.
I enjoyed the resources Nose Up High in the Sky and Weather vs Climate and think they would work well with my class. I particularly liked Is it Weather or Climate? as it encourages children to discuss examples and understand the difference between weather and climate. I think Weather Detectives would be a good ongoing activity as children can collect daily weather data, record it, calculate averages and create graphs.
I would like to build on these activities by developing a whole school weather station, with different classes investigating different aspects of the weather. Younger classes could observe and draw the weather and take simple measurements, while other classes could focus on rainfall, wind speed or cloud cover. The children could collect and analyse the data, calculate averages and look for patterns. They could then share their findings through corridor displays or during assembly. This would bring the four areas of STEM together through a practical, real world activity while encouraging collaboration, problem solving and communication across the school.