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I really like the idea of exploring place names in Irish with a class group and hope to do this with my own class this school year.
For a younger class I would introduce the topic of maps by listening and responding to the story ‘Martha Maps it Out.’ This is a lovely picture book with beautiful illustrations. It allows for a wide discussion around maps, what we use them for and how they are drawn. I would use Google Maps to explore with the children an aerial view of Ireland. I would then zoom in to Dublin, our local area and finally zoom in on aerial view of the school itself.
I would focus on the school building with the class group and explore designing and making a map of our school to show how to get from our classroom to the school yard. We would walk this route and the students would work in pairs to record what they see along their route and the directions they move in. School iPads could be used to photograph and record their findings. We would discuss this as a whole class, record on the interactive whiteboard and begin to plan how we could design and create a map of this route.
I would give the children the opportunity to work collaboratively to draw a simple map using a variety of materials. I would integrate PE into this unit of work by inviting the children to take part in a variety of games that focuses on direction- move forwards, backwards, left, right.
The paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths was interesting to read and has really got me thinking about my approach to STEM in the classroom. I am teaching senior infants this school year and I hope to plan STEM activities that give students the opportunity to think critically, solve problems and work collaboratively. The ESERO resources included in this module are excellent and I’m looking forward to using them in the future. Reading this paper has highlighted to me the importance of looking at an activity and deciding whether it is STEM or not- does it include all four disciplines? I hope to engage my students in fun STEM learning activities that involves all four subjects- science, technology, engineering and maths. I plan to have a STEM classroom display that can be changed throughout the year. I find students are very motivated when they see their work displayed in the room.
I’m also teaching infants this school year. This is a lovely way to explore sound with a junior class, thanks for sharing!
This is a great list, I really the idea of exploring the night sky in Gaeilge also. Thanks for sharing!
The Night Sky is a lovely theme of work to explore with all class groups, from Junior Infants to 6th Class. There are lots of songs, poems/stories and art that can be used in the classroom when learning about the night sky.
Songs: Songs based on the night sky include Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Zoom Zoom Zoom We’re Going to the Moon, Mr. Moon and When you Wish Upon a Star. These songs are fun, engaging and enjoyable for students to listen to.
Art: Starry Night by Van Gogh is a lovely piece of art work to explore with a class group as discussed in this module. The students could look at the painting and describe what they see referring to the colours, shapes and lines. The children could re-create their own Starry Night painting using a variety of materials- paint, crayon, oil pastels, etc.
Poems/Stories: Star Light star Bright is a lovely poem for classes to listen to and recite. How to Catch a Star is a beautiful story book, its’ very imaginative and a fun way to explore the night sky with a class. The students could also work together to write a night sky poem of their own as part of this theme of work.
I really like the idea of using the school iPads to take photos of the biodiversity in the local area. This would make a lovely whole school or classroom display.
My school is located close to The Phoenix Park. I would therefore use this as my focus and explore the animals that live in the park with the class group. I would bring the children on a walk in the park. In pairs I would encourage them to record the animals and insects they see along the way. We would discuss this as a whole class group and present our findings through art- draw a picture of the animals we found living in the park. I would then begin a discussion with the children about animals we didn’t see, I wonder why we didn’t see a hedgehog, bat, etc. We would focus on the bat and learn different facts about the bat, what it likes to eat, how it finds its food and how light pollution has an impact on it finding its food. The children could work in pairs and groups to explore ways we can help bats and other nocturnal animals by reducing light pollution.
This module has really got me thinking about light pollution and the impact it has on our everyday lives. I found it interesting to learn about blue light and how it attracts insects away from natural food sources. I think students would find it very interesting to learn not only about how light pollution has an impact on us everyday but also on biodiversity.
I live in Dublin 20 in a built up area close to the Phoenix Park. When the Northern Lights were visible in Ireland recently it was amazing to see the many photos of the Northern Lights that were taken from the park. The view however from my own home was completely different, the lights were barely visible as a result of light pollution.
If I were to explore this topic with a class group I would focus on the five principles for responsible outdoor lighting from the International Dark Sky Association: useful, targeted, low light levels, controlled and colour. Students could explore their own school and local area using these principles as a guide. They could work in pairs and groups to identify the light pollution in their area and how it could be improved.
I really like the idea of asking the children what they see in the night sky from their own homes and comparing them in the class and looking for patterns. Thanks for sharing!
I really like the idea of exploring star constellations with a class group. The different shapes and names are very interesting and engaging for pupils. For a junior class I would introduce this topic by listening to a variety of songs and exploring picture books based on the theme of stars e.g., ‘How to Catch a Star.’ This book highlights for children how we only see stars at night time. I would show the children some images of stars constellations and invite them to use their imaginations to join the stars/dots and describe what shapes and images they see. The children could recreate these using playdoh and clay. I would further integrate this topic into art by inviting the children to create their own star picture, naming their star shape or picture and presenting it to the class group. This would be a fun and engaging topic of work to complete during Space Week.
This is a lovely activity to explore with a class group. I agree, students really love the hands on and active approach.
This is a lovely activity to explore with a class group. I agree, students really love the hands on and active approach to their learning.
I really like the activity ‘One Year on Earth’ included in this module. If I were to carry out this with a junior class I would explore the seasons regularly throughout the school year and plan my lessons in a thematic way. I would integrate the teaching of the seasons with a variety of curriculum subjects including maths, art, music and drama. For infant classes, picture books and song is always a lovely way to explore the seasons. I also like to integrate this with history and explore the many festivals and traditions celebrated in Ireland and around the world during different seasons. My school is close to a park and a senses walk in the park is always a lovely way for the children to see the change in seasons for themselves. I would encourage the children to record what they can see, hear, smell, and touch on their walk. Exploring our sense of taste is always a fun activity for children e.g., in spring we can taste hot cross buns, ice-cream in summer, apples in autumn and hot chocolate in winter. I always like to have a display based on the seasons in my classroom. This display can be changed throughout the school year to reflect the changes in seasons. In this display, I would include photos taken by the students to show the changes they have seen from season to season on our walks in the park and observations from outside in the yard, classroom window, etc.
