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I really like the idea of writing a postcard from space. This is a lovely way to explore adjectives with a class group.
Students always enjoy taking part in and celebrating Space Week. There are so many fantastic activities for a class group to get involved in. This year I have Senior Infants and I hope to use the many resources and activities from the different modules of this course to celebrate Space Week. Some of my favourites include the Marvin and Milo cartoons, Mouse Rockets and Astronomy Picture of the Day. I would plan a unit of work for Space Week ensuring to integrate a variety of the curriculum subjects.
English: Picture books based on the theme of space and aliens, poetry based on space
Science: Take part in Rocket Mouse activity, measure the distance the mouse travels
Music: Listen to a variety of space themed songs
Drama: Teacher in role as an alien from another planet- the students interview the alien
Art: Design and make a spaceship using a variety of recycled materials
I really like the ‘Where Do You Live?’ activity. If I were to do this with my own class group I would introduce the lesson by showing the children images of well known homes from their favourite books and tv programmes. I would discuss with the students the similarities and differences between the homes and record these on the interactive whiteboard. I would invite the children to take part in a design and create activity where they build a home using a variety of materials e.g., clay, lego and duplo. The students would present their designs to the whole class and identify the similarities and differences between the homes. I would ask the students to assemble the homes together to begin the creation of a village. We would then begin to explore facilities and buildings that are missing from our village e.g., a park, shop, restaurant, vet. I would bring the children on a walk around the local area and ask them to record what they see. The children would then design and build a village as a whole class group.
I love the idea of integrating drama into this topic, I think it is something students would really enjoy!
I would explore the topic of space and aliens with my class group over a number of lessons using the Special Life Life in Space lesson as a guide. To begin, I would introduce the topic by listening to The Kiboomers’s song ‘Going on an Alien Hunt.’ I would ask the students ‘I wonder’ questions … ‘I wonder what an alien from another planet would look like, what hobbies and interests would they have, what food would they eat?’ I would invite the children to draw a picture of an alien from another planet and present their pictures to the whole class. In a follow up lesson I would give the children the opportunity to create their aliens using clay and a variety of materials. I would develop this theme by exploring the names of the planets in our Solar System. I would invite the children to work in groups to draw and create an imaginary planet where their aliens come from. I would give the children the opportunity to present their imaginary planets to the whole class. I would invite the students to compare their imaginary planets with planet Earth, are their any similarities or differences?
I really like the activity ‘The Spherical Earth’ explored in this module. This activity is fun and very engaging for a class group. The Universe in a Box activity booklet is a brilliant resource and I would refer to this when completing this activity. I would introduce the lesson by exploring a penguin and a polar bear located on different areas of a globe and ask the question ‘why don’t they fall off the Earth?’ The Earth mosaic activity is a lovely way to integrate art into this lesson. I would organise the children into pairs to draw their pictures. I would then invite the students to stand or sit in a circle in the classroom. As a whole class group, we would assemble the art pieces together. I would invite students to discuss what they can see depending on where they are standing in the circle. This activity would allow for a lovely display in the classroom.
I really like the idea of using a KWL chart to find out what the students already know about a topic.
I really like the idea of exploring which material absorbs best. This is a lovely enquiry based learning activity that allows for integration with many curriculum subjects. As discussed in the module, I would use the prompt of ‘oops, there’s been a spill in the classroom’ as a way to introduce the lesson. I would invite the class group to discuss in pairs or groups what we could use to clean up the spill. When conducting the investigation I would use a variety of materials. I really like the idea of the students using a smiley face or a sad face to make their predictions. When taking the next steps in this enquiry based learning activity I would invite the students to bring in their favourite teddy from home or choose their favourite teddy in school to design a waterproof coat for. I would take photos throughout the learning process for assessment.
This is a lovely idea Jade! We also have a school garden and I hope to do something similar with my class in the next school year.
