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I think your lesson plan for Rockets is very good. Making rockets from reccyled materials is perfect for Infant classes.
The activity that I have chosen from Module 5 is from the activity set Alien Chemistry, (Fizzing and Solids, Liquids and Gases). The activity I have chosen from this activity set is the Dancing Raisins activity. I think this activity would work well with Junior or Senior Infant classes as well as First or Second classes
As an introduction to this lesson I would use a previous lesson on floating and sinking. Investigating which materials will float and which will sink. I would then ask the children to suggest what might happen with the raisins in the water a fizzy drink such as 7UP.
In small groups the students would investigate what happens when raisins are dropped into water or when they’re dropped into the fizzy drink. Each group could record their results pictorially on worksheets.
I would go over the results as a whole class and then ask the children to suggest reasons why the raisins move up and down in the fizzy drink before discussing the science behind the experiment with the class.
7UP contains bubbles of carbon dioxide. When added to water raisins will sink because they are heavier than water. The raisins will also sink to the bottom of 7UP, but at the bottom they collect bubbles of carbon dioxide. The raisins and the bubbles are then lighter than the drink, so they rise to the surface. When they reach the surface, the gas bubbles burst and the raisins sink to the bottom where they collect more gas bubbles and so on and so on until the drink loses its fizz.This lesson will support my school’s School Self Evaluation by developing science practice in the school and to find ways to improve science teaching and learning.
Hi Helen,
You put a lot of though into your post. I enjoyed the detail and will certainly use some of your ideas next term.
ESERO has some excellent downloadable resourcesThe activity I would use from these would be ‘Where do you live?’. I would use this with junior classes. I like this activity as it involves modelling and the development of fine motor skills and creativity. As an introduction for this activity I would use the story ‘The Three Little Pigs’. This is a story the children would already be familiar with and it allows for discussion around different types of houses. I would extend this discussion to include what a house should provide. Through a Think, Pair, Share activity I would allow the children to generate their own ideas.
Leading on from the discussion of the houses in the Three Little Pigs, I would have a whole class discussion on the type of houses the children live in. Then, making use of the downloadable worksheet which shows different house types the children could circle the house that is closest to the one they live in and use coloring pencils to match the color of their house. The children can then use this worksheet as a reference to make a model of their house using play dough or modelling clay.
Once the children have completed their models, they can be grouped together to create a village display. This display can then be used as a source of discussion around what else is needed in a village, for example, school, shops, doctor, park, etc.Hi Emma,
I hadn’t heard the phrase ‘Think, pair, share’ to describe the children generating ideas through discussion. I will use it in future in the classroom when I introduce this activity.
The Activity Set I would use with a class would be the Space and Aliens activity set. I would complete the Design a Martian investigation. I think this would suit both Junior and Senior Infant classes equally well.
I really like the book The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers. I would read this book as an introduction and discuss the alien and the story with the children. Our starter question for the activity therefore would be what would an alien look like? The children could chat together to generate ideas. Each child could then make their own prediction by drawing what they thought an alien would look like. The children would then make their Martian by using 3D materials.
By showing their alien to other children and talking about its features the children will practice their oral language skills. Early math skills can be introduced through discussion of the alien features, for example, number of eyes, number of legs. Comparative language could be used, for example, taller, shorter, smaller, larger.
Thanks for the book recommendation. This one sounds perfect for Junior classes and I will certainly get a copy to use.
The activity that I plan to use with my class is The Planets, in particular, The Planets Song. The Planets Song is a wonderful trigger for a junior infant class because it is visually engaging. In addition, the planet song allows for many cross curricular elements to the lesson. In particular it allows for the use of maths, music, art and drama.
Maths skills can be practised by counting the number of planets and investigating ordinal number by putting the planets in order.
Art skills can be developed by naming and discussing the colours of the planets as shown on The Planets Song video. This work could be developed further with group work, dividing the class into small groups, with each group producing a large, painted example of a planet on cardboard. These planets could be used In many ways, in the classroom. The children can try to identify each planet they have produced as the song is sung. These large cardboard planets could also be used as costumes that the children could wear when singing the Planet Song. Elements of drama could be introduced as children act out the characteristics of each planet when the song is being sung.
Hi Emma,
I hadn’t heard of that rhyme.
I like the phrase My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos to remember them.
One enquiry based activity i will use in my classroom is ‘Which Materials Make The Best Raincoat?’This activity is found on the Curious Minds website and is for Infants and Junior classes (age 4-7). i would used this activity because it encourages students to examine a range of natural, synthetic, and recycled materials, such as wool, cotton, nylon, polyester, as well as waste materials like newspapers, magazines, foil and plastic wrapping. Pupils predict which materials are waterproof, water?resistant, or watertight, and give reasons for their predictions based on the properties of each material. Through investigation and discussion, children develop understanding of how different materials interact with water.
I would encourage groups of students to make a simple display of their findings and present their display to the class.
The students could then design a raincoat for a doll or teddy using the material they found to be most suitable
Hi, I am Andrea and I will be teaching STEM lessons to Junior classes in my school next year. my favourite space fact is that there are more stars in space than there are grains of sand in the world.
Hi Tara,
You make a very good point about making sure the students know what biodiversity means. Thanks for the reference to the David Attenborough video.
Hi Lora,
Your enthusiasm for this subject is obvious and I enjoyed reading through your many suggestions. I have not used the Duchas.ie website but will certainly make use of it next term.
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky? For example: Look up President Michael D Higgins’ “Stardust”
One could reflect on this at great length as there is such an abundance of song, poetry and art connected with the night sky. I will consider just songs and music connected with the moon. The classic pop hit Blue Moon by The Marcels in 1934 began a trend that has continued. 30 years later in 1964 Frank Sinatra sang Fly me to the Moon which was closely associated with their Apollo Mission to the moon at that time. Less than a decade later and Pink Floyd and David Bowie released not just songs but whole concept albums relating to the moon and space. The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd and Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie.
Preceding all of this we have Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and my own favorite Debussy’s Clair de Lune. Modern day classical composers are continuing to find inspiration and the moon as we see with the example of Ludovici Einaudi’s Full Moon.I would incorporate the needs of nocturnal speci,es especially those that rely on dark skies, into our school biodiversity plans in the following ways;
Firstly, we would conduct a survey of lighting of the school building and exterior in the evening and night time. All interior lights to be switched off overnight and any exterior lighting to be converted to motion lights. The exterior motion lights should be of a design that causes the least amount of light pollution.
Secondly, we could build bat boxes and place them around the grounds of the school. This activity would ideally lend itself to classroom projects on nocturnal animals in our immediate area and the study of the Irish bat and the need to protect it.
Finally, we could create an information campaign within the school involving all classes. Each class could produce a posters informing the school community of the need to protect nocturnal creatures from light pollution.