[Lora Murphy]

That sounds like a lovely lesson and the children would feel so proud to have a connection with one of the most famous buildings in the world. I also like the idea of the children designing their own structure.

[Lora Murphy]

Three years ago, we proudly celebrated the 125th anniversary of our school. To mark the occasion, we undertook a special project exploring the history of the school and its place in the local community. Using resources from Dúchas.ie alongside photographs and archived materials, the children engaged in meaningful historical research. One of the highlights was interviewing grandparents, past pupils, and members of the wider community, gathering personal stories and memories of school life through the decades. The most memorable interview was with the oldest surviving past pupil, who was 99 years old at the time and shared vivid recollections of walking to school barefoot and bringing turf for the classroom fireplace.The pupils compiled all of this into a beautifully illustrated book, showcasing the evolution of the school and the strong sense of community that has shaped it. The project was a wonderful blend of local history, oral storytelling, and creative writing.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by Lora Murphy.

[Lora Murphy]

I like your idea of giving the children the different roles of engineer, recorder, supplier etc. They would certainly enjoy the responsibility.

[Lora Murphy]

I would plan a school challenge based on building a bridge, inspired by the suspension bridge at Birr Castle Demesne. First, we would explore it through photos and videos. The children would sketch the bridge, talk about the shapes they can see and discuss how it stays up and supports weight.

Next, I’d give the students a design challenge: in groups, they must design and build a model bridge using recycled or classroom materials like straws, string, cardboard, and lollipop sticks. The bridge must span at least 30 cm and hold a toy car or small weight. During the build phase, children would measure carefully using rulers or measuring tapes and keep their designs symmetrical and balanced. Once the bridges are built, we would test them as a class—seeing which can hold the most weight, stay standing the longest, or look the most like a real bridge. We’d record the results and graph them. Finally, we’d have a reflection session where children talk or write about what worked well, what didn’t, and what maths helped them along the way.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by Lora Murphy.

[Lora Murphy]

I really like your idea of placing a piece of wood in the garden and observing the life underneath. I’ll definitely do this as it’s a nice way for kids to learn about minibeasts.

[Lora Murphy]

Outline how you would use some of the course resources to conduct a seasonal biodiversity project to run throughout the school year. What resources and recording sheets would you need? How often would you bring learning outdoors? How would you integrate other subject areas?

 

During the first term I would focus on the trees changing, hedgerows, fruit and perhaps migratory birds. We always go on a ramble in September to collect blackberries and we make blackberry jam with them. One of the many benefits to life in a small country school! In class the children could use their tablets to identify and classify leaves in the school grounds and if they notice any seed dispersal. Leaf rubbings, sketches and seasonal displays, symmetry in nature etc would be ways to integrate other subject areas.

In term 2 we could focus our attention on a bird survey and use resources from Bird watch Ireland to track and identify birds. There are also apps available which identify birds and these could be used by the children on the school tablets.

During term 3 we could focus on the early flowers and set our wildflower seeds and vegetables once again in our raised beds. We started a raised bed garden this year and the children absolutely loved it so next year we hope to grow more vegetables.

[Lora Murphy]

I agree with Joan here that it is important to make lessons playful and relatable and this mapping lesson incorporating buildings such as  the supermarket or the library make the lesson very relevant to the lives of the children.

[Lora Murphy]

With younger classes I would start the lesson by introducing the concept of maps. I’d begin with a short discussion and asking the children questions to help guide the discussion.

Have you ever used a map before? Where did you go with it?
What do you think is on a map? (Discuss symbols, roads, rivers, buildings, etc.)
Why do people make maps? How can they help us?
To make this more interactive, I would show a Google Map of the school’s area on the smartboard. I’d zoom in to show the school, the playground, and local streets, explaining how maps can show the real world, and we can use them to find places.Next, I would introduce the online tool Google Maps.We would explore the satellite view and the street view to give students a sense of how maps represent real places. As we are a very small school we often come together for STEM activities and so in this case I would invite some of the older kids to partner up with the younger children while they navigate the world of Google maps. They could decide then what way they would like to design their own map  of the school, classroom or yard and  they can discuss what shapes or symbols they would use as their key. Alternatively they may want to use Lego etc to recreate their map.

[Lora Murphy]

I agree with you Danielle and have found myself often focused on the science experiments or the building activities. I really like your idea on the solar panels and the kids would certainly enjoy that.

[Lora Murphy]

After reading Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths, I’ve been inspired to rethink how I approach teaching STEM in my classroom. One of the most exciting parts of Liston’s paper is the call to make STEM lessons socially conscious. This encourages me to look for ways to bring in social justice and community issues into our projects. For example, I could have students design solutions for local problems, such as creating a plan for reducing waste at school or developing a system to help with recycling. By using STEM to address real problems, students will not only learn important concepts but also understand the impact their work can have on their community and the world.

Ultimately, the research has helped me realise that STEM education in the primary classroom can be much more than a set of isolated subjects. By approaching STEM in a more integrated, meaningful way, I can help my students develop the skills and mindset they need to solve the complex problems of tomorrow while making their learning experience more relevant and engaging today.

[Lora Murphy]

Prepare a school project to collect Piseógs/Traditions/Stories of the Night.

• This activity really appeals to me as I absolutely love looking through the Dúchas.ie website and reading through stories from the schools collection relating to where I teach and where I attended school myself.
• I think when a teacher is interested in a particular area it’s easier to instil an interest and love of such things in the children you teach.
• Last year, the school I currently teach in celebrated 125 years. It was pretty amazing to think that people attended that exact building so long ago as opposed to so many old school houses around the country just abandoned by the state to make way for new buildings.
• We asked the children to interview grandparents and elderly neighbours about their memories of school when they were young and using the stories and old photographs we published a book about the 125 years. One lady who was interviewed was 100 years old which was pretty amazing.
• The children would love to undertake a similar activity based on piseógs/tradition and if any of these stories have a connection with the night sky.
• They could use the dúchas.ie website to see if they can find relations whose stories from the 1930’s are on the website.
• This is a project that would involve school and home and I’m sure the grandparents and extended families would show an interest in the children’s findings also.

[Lora Murphy]

You have wonderful suggestions of songs, poetry and artwork there Anne. Starry Nights is one of my favourite paintings and I find myself drawn to it at some stage every year as an art/history/mindfulness lesson with different classes.

[Lora Murphy]

How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans.

• Schools can be important historical roost sites for bats. The building can act as a safe place for bats to roost at a time where many of their roosting areas have been destroyed by human intervention. The school  building may have supported the bat roost for many years, as bats are faithful to their roosts, returning each year to raise their one pup.
• It is sometimes possible to attract bats to roost in an area by placing bat boxes on walls, posts or tree trunks. Bat boxes can create additional roosting places for bats where roosting options are restricted. Bats benefit a locality by controlling insect populations.
•  

  Create a bug hotel using old timber pallets and this in turn will provide food for the bats and perhaps any hedgehogs that might frequent the grounds.

•  

  Having a bat roost and a bug hotel is a nice opportunity to teach children more about these amazing creatures and to introduce them to wildlife in their local area.

• Learning about bats early on can help dissuade some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding bats.

[Lora Murphy]

The night camera idea is fantastic. I’d be so eager myself to see what little visitors we would have during the night.

[Lora Murphy]

Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.

• The school I currently teach in is in a rural setting with maybe just one street light at the crossroads junction beside the school, the next street light is probably 10km away.
• One thing I have noticed over the years in all rural areas is the strength of the floodlights in the local sports pitches along with an increase in the use of private outdoor garden lights and lights at entrance gates to private houses. Some of the lights are exceptionally bright and after studying the module I’ve come to the conclusion that their alignment possibly needs to be adjusted or perhaps an alternative more environmentally friendly light needs to be sourced.
• I would introduce the children to our native nocturnal wildlife and perhaps invite the NPWS to call to the school with the display they have of these animals at some point during the year.
• We would consider the environmental impact, health effects and economic costs of this light pollution.
• Environmental:  Wildlife disruption whereby the light pollution affects nocturnal animals as well impacting on insects and the local ecosystem.
• Plant growth: affecting local flora.
• Health: Sleep disruption affecting the circadian rhythm.
• Economic costs: inefficient lighting leading to higher energy consumption.
• The children could undertake a project in small groups and research the above.
• They could come up with possible solutions to the overuse of lights and  conservation of these ecosystems.

[Author]

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