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I really like this idea as a research topic. As a keen fisherman myself its an area that I would have interest and some expertise in. I teach in an urban school where many of the pupils wouldn’t have much knowledge about rivers and their wildlife. A trip to a river, perhaps with the help of Inland fisheries Ireland would be a very enjoyable and educational trip for the pupils.
The research question I would choose is: “How have temperature, rainfall, and water resources changed in our local environment?”
I believe it is important to keep the research question simple and easy to understand. I would also select a suitable timeframe so that the boys can clearly see how climate patterns have changed over time due to human activity. If possible, I would use data from the past 50 years to illustrate changes in temperature and rainfall, as this would provide a clear and meaningful comparison.
To engage the pupils, I would begin by asking them what they already know about climate change and then explain the concept clearly so that everyone understands the focus of the investigation. This would be followed by a class discussion to assess their existing knowledge and encourage them to share their ideas. I would also show them engaging videos on climate change, such as the one we watched earlier in this course, as I believe this would capture their interest and help them understand the topic.
Next, we would carry out online research to gather relevant data and explore reliable sources of information. I would divide the class into mixed-ability groups to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to participate actively and contribute to the investigation. Fortunately, our local national park could provide a valuable source of information and real-life examples to support our research.
Overall, I think engaging the boys in this project would be relatively straightforward. The greater challenge would be analysing and presenting the data effectively. However, I believe it would be a worthwhile project to undertake in the coming year, as it would help pupils develop both their understanding of climate change and their research skills.
It is amazing how many satellites are up there alright. After spending time on the app and seeing how many Starlink satellites there are, one would have to give Elon Musk credit for his revolutionary approach to everything he does.
Exploring the Irish Satellite you mentioned is a good idea also and shows that small nations like ours can also contribute to scientific research in space. It would be a good opportunity to introduce the names of Irish people heavily involved in the space exploration specifically Dr. Norah Patten who is preparing to become the first Irish person to go to space.
I explored a few of the apps outlined but in the end I used the Satellite tracker app. I found it quite interesting observing the various satellites and was particularly surprised to see how quickly they were travelling. Some of the satellites I came across were:
ISS – A crewed laboratory used for scientific research in microgravity, Earth observation, and testing technologies for future space missions. It is due to pass again this evening around 9.30pm.
NOAA -19 — Provides global weather observations, sea surface temperatures, cloud imagery, and environmental monitoring.
Meteor M No. 2 — Monitors clouds, sea ice, snow cover, and atmospheric conditions for weather forecasting and climate studies.
NOAA – 18 — Collects weather imagery and atmospheric data used for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and environmental research.
Starlink v2 Mini — Part of SpaceX’s broadband internet constellation, providing high-speed internet access worldwide. Starlink satellites pass over Ireland frequently each day.
I agree with your idea not to overwhelm the children when teaching them about the climate change crisis. After all, its their generation that will have to live with the damage done by the current and previous generations. I’m sure they see, hear the news of the affects of climate change. The soaring summer temperatures this year being a prime example. I like the idea of creating a project for the children to research on how we can tackle climate change. It always amazes me what ideas they can come up with when working on topics they enjoy!
The film Home was one of the most breathtaking and powerful documentaries I’ve ever seen. I do wish I had watched it on a larger screen rather than my laptop — the visuals truly deserve to be seen in full glory. As the film progressed, I found myself feeling increasingly saddened by the damage we’ve done to our planet. One moment that really stood out was seeing Dubai, a place with constant sunshine, reportedly not making use of solar panels. It’s hard to believe such potential is being overlooked.
The film is filled with striking statistics that really highlight how industrialized the world has become and the deep inequalities that exist between different regions and communities. At first, I worried the film might be too complex for my class to understand, especially during the more scientific sections. But once those passed, it turned into a very accessible and valuable resource that I could definitely see being used in the classroom — especially on an interactive whiteboard.
It is quite a long film, so I would likely show it in segments. Still, I believe it would be incredibly eye-opening for students, helping them gain insight into different cultures and ways of life. More importantly, it could help them appreciate what they often take for granted — things like access to clean drinking water or abundant energy resources.
I’m genuinely looking forward to watching it again, and I’ll certainly be using it as a teaching tool next year to support lessons on climate change and global awareness.Hi Sean,
I really like how your lesson builds from developing pupils’ understanding to encouraging them to think about practical solutions. Teaching key vocabulary before the video is an excellent strategy, as it ensures all pupils can engage confidently with the content and discussions. I also think your use of collaborative group work is a good idea. As I teach in a boys only school, hands on tasks relating to real world issues is a great way to engage the boys. Also with the current heatwave and warm summer we are experiencing, this would be a great starting point for any discussion around climate change!
and presentations promotes communication and teamwork while reinforcing learning. Integrating iPads and the temperature prediction tool is a great way to develop digital and data-handling
Activity 3: Climate reporters. This is an excellent resource and really allows the children to understand the effects of climate on their future lives. Getting the children to work in groups is another aspect to the activity that I like. The Paxi video on greenhouse gases is very informative and would be attractive to the pupils. This could be used to introduce the topic and capture the children’s attention. The range of Paxi videos and animations will be a valuable resource when dealing with the whole area of climate/weather.
I found the Teal tool very interesting but also a little tricky and the information it produces too difficult for my own class group. I would need to simplify it before introducing with my class I feel. As other participants have noted I like that you can compare and contrast with other countries. This would be a fun thing to do in the class especially with so many pupils in my school coming from all over the world. Overall, another excellent resource that will be used in some way in my class next year.
Hi Paula,
I agree that STEM should be viewed as an integrated approach to learning rather than as four separate subject areas. When STEM learning is associated with real world problems they can relate to, pupils become more engaged and develop the skills needed to investigate problems, think critically and work collaboratively. I experienced this a few years ago when I was involved in the ‘Weave’ project. The aim of the project was for children to identify a problem in their area and using Lego, come up with solutions to the problem. Some of the work the children created was amazing. They were allowed to work collaboratively, use artwork to enhance their creations and be able to piece it all together for a final presentation in a local hotel. Although it was stressful at times it was very rewarding and fantastic to see the students so engaged and motivated.</p>From reading Unravelling STEM by Maeve Liston I agree that focusing on the engineering aspect of STEM incorporates the other three aspects naturally and is something I must focus on implementing in my own class next year. It is great however that STEM has become so popular in classrooms across the country as children really enjoy it.
In the ESA document Activity 1, I liked the fact the whole focus of the exercise is to gain an understanding of the differences between weather and climate from the off. And once the children understand that, they can then explore the two in more detail. Like other participants have mentioned, using the pupils birthdays is a clever way to attract their attention, particularly with younger classes. Also, making them explain both weather and climate in their own words is an excellent way for the children to demonstrate their understanding. Using the climate Zone video for pupils would be a very good way to introduce the whole topic also. It is a really good resource.
Activity 2 is a very engaging activity which the children will enjoy doing. It’s a fairly detailed exercise and would need a little altering to suit the classes I teach. From my experience the pupils can find it difficult creating accurate graphs using the correct scales etc. so this exercise, and the fact that the children were involved in gathering the data, might get them to engage more with their work.
Hi Alyson,
Flooding and flash flooding would be an interesting topic to explore, especially as we live in a country with no shortage of rain. It would be interesting to explore the difference between ‘normal’ flooding and flash flooding. This is especially topical at the moment with the disaster in Texas. Some of the videos online showing how quickly the water levels rose is truly amazing and would be amazing to the children too. I might just not the tell the children, especially young children, that so many people lost their lives.
I like the reference also the waterlevel.ie website which would be a nice way to monitor water levels in our locality, especially on wet days.
The research question I would ask would be ‘Studying the temperature, rainfall and water resources of our local environment’.
I feel it is important to keep the question posed simple and easy to understand. I would select a timeframe also, so the boys can see the changes that are happening to the climate due to the behaviour of humans. I would perhaps try to get a picture of these changes to temperature and rainfall over the last 50 years, if possible, as this would clearly demonstrate to the boys the difference.
To engage the pupils I would question them about climate change and explain its meaning clearly so that everyone understands what they are investigating. I would then allow a class discussion to take place to ascertain the pupil’s knowledge of the topic. I would show them videos about the topic also like the one we saw in this course in an earlier module, which really would attract their attention,.
After that we would start some web research to find some data and explore how we could find the relevant data. I would divide the class into various mixed ability groups also so that everyone has a chance to be actively involved. Luckily in our area there is a national park which could be a valuable source of information.
Overall I feel that getting the boys engaged would be straightforward but trying to get all the information analysed and presented properly would be a greater challenge but might be worth doing in the year ahead!Hi Avril, I agree with you that tracking the satellite’s would be very entertaining for the children in the classroom. I like your idea of subscribing and getting alerts to when the Satellite would be travelling over Ireland.
The fact that the ISS travels over Ireland is useful also as you could do a lesson or two on the that alone, as there would be much to explore and learn. The recent rescue mission of the astronauts from the ISS a few months back would be an interesting story for the children also.
I explored a few of the apps outlined but in the end I used the Satellite tracker 3D on my laptop. I found it quite interesting observing the various satellites and was particularly surprised to see how quickly they were travelling. Some of the satellites I came across were:
1.Cosmos 1690 at an altitude of 1394 Km, Launched in 1985 by the Soviet union for military and government communications.
2.Cosmos 1321 at an altitude of 1490 KM which was launched in 1981
3.Flock 4g7 is a cubeSat satellite and was launched in May 2025. Its purpose is optical earth observation with a focus on high resolution imaging. By the time I googled this satellite a few minutes after it being over Ireland it was off the West coast of Africa!
4. Starlink 11164 at a height of 366km.
5.Starlink 32285 at an altitude of 480Km. This was launched by the USA in 2024 by SpaceX. The aim of the Starlink constellation of satellites is to develop a new space based internet communication system.
All in all its actually good fun looking at these satellites and the googling them to see what their purpose is. I believe the kids in my class would be fascinated by it also.Hi Aine, I agree with your views on not leading the lesson too much and allow the children to express their own views independently. There is such coverage about climate change nowadays that hopefully most children will have information/views they would like to share. I really enjoy a good, whole class discussion and this film and topic would certainly facilitate this. Also the film is a few years old now it seems, so it would be no harm finding more up to date videos showing the measures that are being taken now to save the planet.