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It was crazy to look at all of the satellites on the tracker and to see where they came from and what they are doing. To think that this is going on all the time around us and we (I ) don’t know. The class will love this activity.
Yes, I agree that integrating the STEM subjects helps pupils develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to solve real-world problems. Rather than teaching each subject in isolation, an integrated STEM approach encourages pupils to make connections between disciplines through inquiry, collaboration, and hands-on learning.
I agree that showing the children the video on Greta Thunberg is a great way to get the children interested in environmental awareness.
Also, I would do the video in sections and investigate each section at various stages and look at one fact at a time.
Fact: Deforestation; I will find out what the children already know about forests and how important they are, I will then move on to explain what deforestation is and show images of forests and forests land where deforestation has occurred. In groups the children will discuss this. We will then move on to discuss carbon dioxide and how it regulates the climate.
Fact: Human activity is connected all around the globe; I would start by explaining the language around this and then explain that if large areas of rainforest are cut down in Brazil, there are fewer trees to absorb carbon dioxide. This means more greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change around the world—including in Ireland. I would also show the Paxi video on greenhouse gases. I will then lead on to discuss pollution in the air and how far it can travel in the atmosphere. Also, how pollution released into the air can travel thousands of kilometres with the wind.
I think the way you ended the lesson is perfect by asking the students what they and their families to help climate change. This brings back a sense of responsibility and also will bring an awareness into the home through conversations.
Our school has experienced periods of heavy rainfall, and climate change is expected to increase the frequency of intense rainstorms in Ireland.
The students investigate:
1.Which areas puddle or flood?
2. How do trees and grass help absorb water?
3.Activities to get the children interested and enthusiastic about this information gathering and the importance of learning about the floods locally.Activities: Plant native flowers or shrubs.
Design posters encouraging people to keep drains free of litter.
Map areas where water collects around the school.
To extend this lesson I would look at flooding in Co.Wicklow. I would start by showing the class photos of floods in the main towns in Wicklow Bray, Arklow, Wicklow Town, Baltinglass. In groups the children would find what the photos have in common and then I would allocate one town to each group, so they could investigate the floods and become weather detectives.Thousands of satellites pass over all of the time, these are the four I have chosen from the app Satellite tracker.
1. International Space Station: Scientific research and technology demonstrations
2. Sentinel-2A European Union / ESA:Land imaging and environmental monitoring
3. Sentinel-3A European Union / ESA Ocean: land and atmospheric monitoring
4. NOAA-2 NOAA / NASA:Weather forecasting and environmental monitoring
5. Starlink satellite SpaceX :Global satellite internet serviceWorking from history and working forward to now, would be a great start for students. Next step would be to look at the world currently and then make predictions, this would link the past, present and future.
Overall, this is an engaging and effective activity that combines digital technology with scientific learning. The activity develops pupils’ digital literacy while encouraging critical thinking about environmental issues. With additional teacher support and opportunities for discussion and reflection, pupils will understand both the causes and impacts of climate change. The Paxi video is colourful, engaging, and age-appropriate for pupils 6th. Class. It explains greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect in a simple way that is easy for children to understand. The combination of a video and a hands-on digital tool caters to different learning styles, including visual and inquiry-based learners. The prediction tool could be challenging for some pupils without step-by-step guidance or a worksheet to help them interpret the results. The lesson overall could be made more relevant to the children by including examples of how climate change affects Ireland, helping pupils connect global issues to their own lives.
As I have 6th class I think the class would be well able for the three activities consecutively, I would definitely incorporate the videos explaining the zones throughout the world. The videos on explaining the weather terminology would explain the difference between weather and climate. I would place the class into groups and let them research images of different places on earth with different climates. The resources from ESA could be set up on google classroom for the students to research also. Activity 2 could easily be incorporated into Mathematics and this would really bring mathematics alive in the classroom as these recordings could not only be recorded in school but at home as part of their homework. Activity 3 would really suit 6th. Class and I would place the class into pairs to record their predictions.
