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Apologies in my first point I didn’t include how I would encourage pupils to participate so here are some ideas I had…
Firstly class discussion: what have they noticed since the heatwave?
Compare and contrast photos from before and after a heatwave – what has changed or stayed the same – why?
Conduct a climate detective walk where the children observe and record findings.
Before each activity I may assign roles to the students eg: data collector to give them ownership. I would also encourage children to make predictions before undertaking each activity, I would ensure the children all log their findings and lastly I think it’s important to give the children space and time to share their findings as well as suggest initiatives to combat negative effects of the heatwave to give them a sense of ownership and a sense of taking action for the good of the environment
Hi Hazel,
I really like this question and agree it is very relevant to the children’s lives. I also like how the children will collect data and complete their own surveys, this could integrate really nicely into a maths lesson on data. I also really enjoyed how you included links to the Green Schools Committee and practical solutions they can implement such as walk on Wednesday.
How do heatwaves affect our local environment?
I came up with this question after being inspired by the most recent heatwave we have had in Ireland and seeing the effect it has had on the grass in my own back garden. I felt as though this being a current topic the children have had first hand experience with would also make it an engaging research question the children would be interested in.
I then used the research planner to evaluate my question, firstly it fits the theme of climate and is focused on a single problem. I feel like perhaps it may be too broad to say local environment and perhaps could be narrowed down eg: how do heatwaves affect our local park, I now feel it is clear and concise. The answer to the question I feel is readily available and feasible to acquire both through hands-on ground observations as well as satellite data (heat maps, satellite imagery, weather records).
Hi John, I was the same I tried a few different apps before I settled on a tracker website I found. I too found it fascinating how fast they were going and really enjoyed clicking into them and seeing what they do. I realised just how I don’t actually know much about space and how we rely on satellites for everyday things such as internet. I think the children would also be interested in this resource.
Using a satellite tracker website on my Desktop I managed to track the following Five Satellites passing over Ireland today 17.07.2026.
STARLINK-37333 #69174 – launched by SpaceX and used to deliver high speed internet.
KUIPER-00044 #64505 : Amazon Leo (Project Kuiper) satellites are designed to provide fast, low-latency broadband internet to underserved communities, unserved businesses, and government agencies worldwide.
HULIANWANG DIGUI-23 #63690. Chinese Low Earth Orbit (LEO) communications satellite launched in April 2025. Operated by state-owned China Satellite Network Group (CN), serves as a technical test payload for building a global broadband internet network.
PELICAN-2 3009 #62631 :Operated by Planet Labs . Provides high-frequency monitoring useful for defense, agriculture, urban planning, and environmental tracking.
The International Space Station (ISS) : Has main purposes such as microgravity research, space exploration training, human health studies, but its main observatory function is Earth & Space observation as it allows for continuous monitoring of climate change, natural disasters, and the wider atmosphere.
Hi Rebecca,
I agree, the video did open my eyes to how interconnected everything on Earth is. I was surprised by some of the facts and statistics myself and also would worry the children may feel hopeless. For that reason I also would make sure to include positive changes that people and communities are making. I liked your ideas for implementation in the classroom and how you focused on what the children may have noticed in their own areas. This also feeds in to give them a sense of autonomy and citizenship to make a difference.
I very much enjoyed the video Home, I found the cinematography and material content very engaging. In my opinion the documentary really showed just how beautiful the natural world and just how interconnected nature is, how everything relies on something else which made it even more impactful when shown the effect human activity has on the world.
I think this resource would be useful for a senior class and I think I would use it in clips that are age appropriate and relevant to each lesson. For instance I think the start of the documentary would be useful to give the children an appreciation of just how wonderful and precious the earth is and how interdependent everything is before exploring climate change and the impact of human activity on the environment. I then would establish prior knowledge and teach key vocabulary of climate change before showing clips from the documentary on the effects of human activity on the world. I would ensure to keep the overall message hopeful as climate change can be an anxiety evoking subject for children. Using other videos such as Greta Thunberg’s in the module I would use to show the children they can make an impact and a positive change to climate change and injustice.
Hi Lauren, I agree the Paxi video is lighthearted and fun which I think is important when talking about a topic like climate change that can feel very heavy especially for young children. I also felt it was pitched well for children to understand. I too think I would give the children choice in their presentation of their findings as this gives the children agency and facilitates the child-centered focus of Inquiry based learning.
I really liked the Paxi Greenhouse Effect Video, I felt like it was full of useful information in a format children will find engaging and entertaining. Some of the vocabulary may be advanced for younger years which is why I would spend time pre teaching this before playing the video. Again for activity three I feel it may be too advanced for the younger years to use the Teal tool so I would either leave it for the older years or pair children from an older class with children from a younger class, again feeding into the collaborative aspect of STEM activities. I felt as though this activity really followed the inquiry based framework with the video as a tool to engage the pupils, then allowing them to go ahead and investigate themselves using Teal tool – I would also give the children choice in how they would like to represent this data and then next steps where the children in groups are encouraged to come up of ways of reducing the effects of climate change in their area. I as a teacher would then reflect on how next to build upon the what was achieved over the course of activity 1, 2 and 3 and plan accordingly.
Hi Denis,
I really enjoyed reading your comment. I agreed with your differentiation on activity two – having a stronger child with a weaker child as I felt it was quite challenging for some. I think I might do it alongside an older class in the school who could help the younger children in pairs. I liked how you made note to go over vocabulary too as sometimes I forget the basics and it’s so important to make sure the children know what they are saying / being told about.
After reading Liston (2018) I gained a better perspective on what STEM means, particularly how it is viewed as integrated across the subject areas where children are actively involved in critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving and being creative.
With this in mind I was very impressed by the ESA ‘Nose In The Sky Resource’ which I would use in an integrated manner across Geography, Maths and Science for children in my class (3rd, aged nine). I liked how this resource was paced with the first activity discussing proverbs, to then describing the weather themselves in activity two to then applying this knowledge to build a weather station.
For the 2nd activity ‘Weather vs Climate’ I felt this was slightly too advanced for my class level however I felt in alignment with Liston’s emphasis on the collaboration in STEM I think they could do this in collaboration with an older class eg: 6th. Here my 3rd class could demonstrate their built weather station from the previous lesson and communicate their knowledge of weather and climate to the 6th class. They could take part in the 1st exercise ‘is it weather or climate’ and the sixth could be challenged with the added climate zone element. Then together in pairs (3rd with 6th) they could record the temperatures, the younger children could focus on the temperatures whereas the older students can help graph and calculate the average temperature. I believe the final exercise may be too challenging for 3rd class so could be a good extension for the 6th class to do themselves.Climate change is impacting my local area in many ways such as increased rainfall. This I believe will be particularly relevant to the children in my school as often it causes the road some students take to school to flood. Extreme weather events are also a particularly relevant impact of climate change, the children have first hand experience of with days off school due to storms in recent years. Warmer summers are noticeable to children and the rising sea temperatures and rainfall are causing endangerment of animals such as various species of sea birds. In my lessons I would get the children firstly to discuss and research and then come up with practical steps they can take to help improve climate change such as
Three actions we can do to make the world a better place are…1.Promote Recycling & Reduce Waste in your school and at home – bottle collecting project, junk couture upcycling, scrap art.
2. Encourage Active Travel: Walk/cycle to school initiatives such as Walk On Wednesday .
3. Energy Awareness: Turn off lights/devices, promote energy-saving habits – light monitor and other classroom roles to monitor energy usage.
In terms of SSE, it is important the school self assess how they are addressing climate change, it must be a whole school approach with initiatives and lessons that inform children in an age appropriate level of the climate change.Ass well as give them a voice and agency in terms of being active citizens and making a difference.Hi Maria, my school also does junk couture and I would agree it too has been a huge success. I would be interested in other infinitives such as this to encourage upcycling in a fun and engaging way!
Hi Claire, I was interested in reading about the Fingal County Council’s LAIT as this would be my schools local area. I like the practical advice you gave such as robust EAL support, it seems so simple but it without it other inniatives would be ineffective. As well I like how you highlight the need for a multi-disciplined approach between the school and other agencies to fully support these children and families.
The Irish Refugee Council is an organisation working with refugees in the community; they do this by providing services and support to people seeking protection and those recognised as refugees in Ireland. Their drop in and Law Center are the first stop for these people as they provide important information legally and also then refer them on to other services within the organisation to seek for example housing, employment and education to name a few. Another organisation that works with refugees and those seeking asylum is ‘Crosscare Migrant Project’, a Dublin based NGO giving information and advocacy support to those around the immigration system and related issues. My school is also only a few kilometers away from a direct provision center where asylum seekers and refugees can receive short term accommodation with meals, health screenings and access to supports and social services.
My school could take action to support refugees in many ways, here are a few I came up with…
Fundraising projects to support organisations such as the pens above. This could be a fun, engaging and practical way fro the children to take action with events such as food collections, bake sales sponsored walks etc. In my research I also found an organisation called Sanctuary Runners and wondered if they would be interested in the setting up a school running event in partnership with themselves.
Raising awareness/ awareness week: ~World Refugee Day takes place on the 20th of June. A whole school approach could be taken to raise awareness through poster displays, presentations, assemblies etc.
Guest speakers and workshops : Amnesty International Ireland has a Primary schools strand that could help the students to take action through guided workshops using drama, art and storytelling to develop empathy and understanding of human rights and migration.This migration module can feed into the school self evaluation policy by giving students a voice and empowering them to make a difference. It also promotes inclusion and belonging, addressing some misconceptions on migrants and establishing how we are all welcome in the school community. This module creates awareness across the school community allowing children to be more empathetic and inclusive and thus positively influencing student wellbeing.