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I think it is important to use local examples like this when teaching the children about issues like flooding. Good thinking!
I would look at climate change in our local community by getting them to look at the River Shannon. Obviously, you would make note of it being a global issue but focus on our local area for the purpose of this. I would get the children to look at the impact weather can have on local ecosystems, homes and businesses around the river. I would get the children to look at the impact of flooding around Limerick and explore biodiversity in the local area too. It would be key for the children to be aware that climate change is not just a distant problem but one that can affect us too. Three things I would suggest to make the world a better place would be to encourage recycling and reduce waste, collecting cans and bottles in schools is a great way to reuse materials and raise funds for the school. You could also look at conserving energy by getting colleagues to switch off lights and plugs when not in use. These modules were handy as they get schools to reflect and identify areas for improvement.
Doras in Limerick work to integrate, welcome and include refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in the Mid West. In my school, we designed a multilingual welcome display this year which celebrated all the different cultures in our school. We also held an international day where children did a project on countries. They also could bring in samples of food from their country and wear traditional clothing or colours. These activities helped children develop respect for other countries and gave them an understanding of global issues. Some schools collect supplies for new families who may not have much and this is amazing to see. It supports SSE as schools can target inclusion and intercultural awareness as areas to work on. This would help to develop a sense of belonging. Pupils could learn about the experiences of refugees through stories and discussions and these could be tailored to suit different ages within the school.
The buddy system is a great idea. Getting the children to keep an eye on each other is super as it helps their social and empathy skills. This would definitely help new children settle.
I would look at Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate action. This issue affects children globally and locally. In the last few years, Ireland has experienced climate change with more extreme weather such as the sunshine this summer and the snow and floods in 2025. Globally, children would face droughts, food shortages and many other issues as a result of the climate.
In the classroom, I would get the kids to look at what we could do within our school and local community. One thing I have seen within my school is a real push to walk, cycle or scoot to school. We would do a survey at the end of every week and whichever class did the most, their class would win a prize. This was ran over a 6-8 week block. Taking part in Green School initiatives would encourage more participation too. I think linking the Climate Action Goal to SSE would encourage schools to reflect on their environmental practices and implement some climate action initiatives.
I agree with what you are saying about looking at the Smyths magazine and spotting boys toys and girls toys. It is clear as day! We do have to continue to challenge stereotypes.
Gender stereotypes are a huge factor nowadays in the primary classroom. I think there is that stereotypical culture that comes from society and from home that some toys, things, sports and activities are for girls only and others for boys only. A scenario I have witnessed in the classroom is during playtime with infants. The children picked roles and toys for the boys and ones for the girls then. This was decided by a group of children and there was no reasoning as to why these roles were given bar their gender. I think as a teacher, it is super important to tackle stereotypes and ensure your classroom resources and activities represent diversity. Show the children role models and show them that there are male and female workers in all areas. We did a home project a few years ago for STEM week and interviewed a lot of mothers and female STEM workers and this was portrayed around the school. It led to many classroom discussions and got the children to reflect on gender stereotypes and challenge them.
I like the idea of utilising the student council to hear the pupil’s voices of development education.
Development Education is super important in education and it is imperative that children know what a global citizen is and that they are part of a wider community, and not just their local community. In a modern classroom in Ireland, children see all types of diversity including different cultures and different backgrounds. Development Education helps the children develop empathy and get to see scenarios from a multitude of perspectives. In my teaching, I regularly get the children to think outside the box and ask open ended questions about the topics. We look at stories from all viewpoints and it often leads to great classroom discussions. I would encourage colleagues to share resources with each other in the school. In my school, we have a shared google drive that has different headings of subjects. Using existing lessons and resources is handy as there is no point reinventing the wheel! In my school we had an international day in the last term where each class did a project on the countries and we had a parade with each flag of the countries represented in the school. This was nice for all the children to see all the cultures and backgrounds that exist in our community.
I like the idea of showing them in normal water first and also the idea of pausing during the dancing raisins and asking them to explain in their own words before you tell them.
As an introduction to the topic, I would read the book ‘The way back home’ and get the children discussing travelling to space and how you’d get there etc.
Once the topic of rockets has been introduced, you could ask the class, what would you need to build a rocket that could fly. Pose the question, can you build a rocket powered by air and see what their responses are. This is probably best suited to a 2nd class.
Introduce the idea of balloon rockets to the children and explain the concept behind it. Give them the resources and let them come up with their own methods on how they think it could work. Ensure they discuss a number of strategies. If their rocket is not successful, introduce the idea of putting the string through the straw and tying the straw onto two chairs. You could get them to redesign their rocket again to see if they can improve their distance. Measure the distances of all the rockets and you could record the data in Maths.
Have a discussion at the end. What worked well, would you change anything? Why do we do multiple tests of an experiment?I would use Esero 11. ‘What clothes to wear.’ I would start by getting the children to discuss the different types of weather we get throughout the year asking a variety of questions. What do you wear when it is raining? Sunny? Snowing? Windy? Why do we wear coats in winter? You could show them pictures of clothing for different seasons and get them to sort the clothes into warm and cold weather clothes.
Tell the children you want them to become designers and design a nice winter coat.
Give them a printed template coat and provide them with a variety of materials that they could use to design the coat, getting them to think about what makes a good winter coat. Ask questions as they work to further their learning and get them thinking on a deeper level.
Get the children to present their coats and you could display them on the wall.
You could also introduce the lesson by getting the class to pack for a sun holiday versus a winter holiday. Froggy gets dressed is another stimulus book you could use to introduce the topic.