[Tina Gavin]

Research question : How can we as a school contribute to climate action and what changes can we make in our school? How can we reach out to the wider community to encourage change in order to make a difference ?

There are numerous questions. This is a lesson I look forward to teaching in the future.

There are numerous approaches that a teacher could take and in fact these questions could lead to a very exciting whole school project. As an AP2 post holder I have found this course invaluable . There are numerous Scientific approaches to answer the above questions, from teaching the children about Biodiversity to the ‘No Mow May’ promotion to ‘No Spray’ school garden to extending the importance of Biodiversity and linking this to climate change.

I think by carrying out the ‘Carbon Footprint’ survey this would really ignite interest in the children and encourage how important it is for us to make a change! As Whitney Heuston says in the lyrics of her song ‘The Greatest Love of All’ I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be’

Give then a sense of pride of the world we live in . Show them our beautiful earth from space, videos of David Attenborough, Earth Song by Michael Jackson . Link all this to climate change at a local level . Interview local farmers and ask them how they’ve had to adapt their farming strategies to cope with our ever changing climate . Get grandparents to explain old proverbs !

 

[Tina Gavin]

I downloaded the ‘Nose up high in the sky’ resource and I really enjoyed exploring the different activities.
Exploring old weather proverbs really appealed to me especially coming from a farming background. It is a fun way to start a lesson. Exploring these proverbs with pupils and family members is great fun. It’s also intriguing to see how these sayings could predict different weather patterns without the use of modern technology. My mother came up with this one ‘Oak before the ash, we’re in for a summer splash. Ash before the oak we’re in for a soak’. Teaching children about old proverbs and even how animals behaviours change before certain weather conditions is intriguing , again linking our senses with weather predictions. Igniting our senses and keeping in tune with them is crucial, although they may not get an exact answer, generally they come very close.

Nose High Up In The Sky is a fantastic resource that I definitely intend to use to share with my colleagues and pupils in the coming year. I believe they will find it both fun and interesting. The photographs of Earth taken from space are captivating and make for a great lesson opener. The visual resources are excellent, and the activity of matching these photos to different landscapes as seen from the ground will be particularly engaging.

The third activity, which involves learning about how satellites work and how they differ from space stations, promises to spark some fascinating classroom discussions. This lesson is valuable because it provides children with perspectives they might not typically encounter in other lessons. It’s a wonderful resource for sparking curiosity and encouraging students to explore the topic further and conduct their own research.

 

 

[Tina Gavin]

I was over the Carbon Footprint calculator too Pat! Maybe I was too honest but it was shocking to think I was above the average !!!

[Tina Gavin]

The video was excellent and full of interesting facts and information. However, I couldn’t ignore the power and impact of the negative facts and images it shared. Given the growing anxieties children are navigating, it is crucial to balance the content delivery. It reminded me of Michael Jackson’s ‘Earth Song’ at times, this is something I usually show to the children when teaching about climate change.
The video offers stunning visuals of our world, which are powerful in igniting a passion to preserve our beautiful planet. I believe it is an effective tool for fostering this passion in children. Using this resource selectively, and acknowledging the negative aspects without dwelling on them, can effectively spark a desire for change and strengthen the fight to save our planet.
Overall, this is an excellent and effective teaching resource when used in an age-appropriate way.

Greta Thunberg’s powerful Ted Talk would integrate nicely into this lesson, resonating with students both on an age level and as a source of inspiration. Children that know of her greatly admire and look up to Greta, finding encouragement in her compelling messages about the necessity for change and the urgency of taking action now. They relate to Greta and empathise with her concerns for our planet.

Greta effectively bridges the age gap, making her call to action inclusive of young people. When she speaks of what “we” must do to bring about change, children understand that the “we” includes them, empowering them to take action. It’s truly inspiring to see a young person with such passion.

[Tina Gavin]

Apologies I repeated myself there

[Tina Gavin]

I found found the Paxi video very effective for teaching children. As a teacher one could expand on the foundational knowledge provided in the video. Here are some ways you can build on the concepts presented, especially focusing on the causes of climate change and other related topics:

Expanding on Greenhouse Gases
Types of Greenhouse Gases:

Carbon Dioxide (CO2): Discuss sources such as burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), deforestation, and certain industrial processes.
Methane (CH4): Explain how it is produced from livestock digestion, rice paddies, and landfill waste decomposition.
Nitrous Oxide (N2O): Highlight sources like agricultural activities (use of fertilizers), industrial activities, and combustion of organic matter.
Fluorinated Gases: Talk about industrial gases used in refrigeration, air conditioning, and manufacturing.

As a teacher that loves to teach the children about Biodiversity and gardening I would aspire to constructing a Greenhouse on our school grounds to show the real effects of the Greenhouse effect. The results could be compared to produce growing in the actual school garden .

Introducing the Teal tool to explore climate variables and promote collaborative learning would be my next strategy. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to effectively integrate this tool and enhance the activity:

Step-by-Step Guide
1. Introduction on the Interactive Board and start with a demonstration on the interactive board to familiarise students with the Teal tool. Show them how to access the tool, navigate through the interface, and use its features.
Conduct a walkthrough of a simple task using the tool, such as selecting a specific climate variable (e.g., temperature, precipitation) and exploring its trends over time.
Allow students to come up to the board and try out the tool themselves under your guidance. This han

Introducing the Teal tool to explore climate variables and promote collaborative learning sounds like an excellent strategy. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to effectively integrate this tool and enhance the activity:

Step-by-Step Guide
1. Introduction on the Interactive Board
Demonstration: Start with a demonstration on the interactive board to familiarize students with the Teal tool. Show them how to access the tool, navigate through the interface, and use its features.
Walkthrough: Conduct a walkthrough of a simple task using the tool, such as selecting a specific climate variable (e.g., temperature, precipitation) and exploring its trends over time.
Interactive Session: Allow students to come up to the board and try out the tool themselves under your guidance. This hands-on experience can help demystify the tool and build their confidence.

 

 

 

 

[Tina Gavin]

Having looked up https://www.met.ie/education/school-resources I would certainly make weather equipment as part of a STEM lesson. Both sets could be used in weather station to see how efficient each set is. These lessons would lend themselves to lots of cross curricular opportunities:

Maths : measures/ decimals/ ,

Geography : climate/weather,

Irish: An Aimsir,

English: Oral language / poetry/ proverbs

Music : Songs with theme of weather, Art: Rain makers/ anemometer/

History: Sundials/ proverbs

SPHE: Global citizenship

Religion: “Laudate Deum”: the Pope’s cry for a response to the climate crisis

[Tina Gavin]

‘Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics’, it is evident that critical thinking, active learning and a hands on approach is vital for children to progress in the area of STEM. Nose Up High in the Sky and Weather Vs Climate provide a wealth of resources that could be adapted to suit a number of classes with excellent opportunity for teaching and learning with video links, worksheets, hands on approach to learning about Climate and Weather. I am currently teaching 3rd class and have taught this topic in the classroom. This year the children were introduced to a thermometer and observed the temperatures both inside and outside. However, I didn’t set up a weather station but this is something that I would love to incorporate into my teaching next year. As an Ap2 post holder  I would aspire to encourage other classes to take part in these activities to set up the weather station at the back of the school, in a designated area. Having made weather equipment in the classroom in the past I would feel it is important to purchase the proper equipment eg. Anemometer and rain gauge etc. The “Weather Detectives” outdoor activities present a wonderful opportunity for children to work in groups together outside. I think that the idea of creating a school Weather Station would be a lovely challenge for the Green School’s Committee to undertake as one of their objectives for the year ahead. They could plan together where the best location in the school to have it would be and come up with a plan on how to organise the design process of all the weather devices between the members.

They could analyse and compare daily and monthly air temperature measurements. Finally, they will learn about different climate scenarios and identify what it means for the monthly average temperatures in their area/ country. The activity sheets in ‘Weather v’s Climate’ are a fantastic resource that could be used as a class or as part of ‘Green Schools’.

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