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Niamh, I also liked the use of the proverbs in the Nose Up High resources. This is a great way of introducing the children to some of these proverbs that have been around for many years.
I found both the Home film and Greta Thunberg’s Cop 25 speech really thought provoking. I think both of these could be used as excellent resources in a senior classroom. Both the videography and the narration of the film I thought were incredible and the film really showed what we as humans are doing to the Earth’s ecosystem. It showed us that it is imperative that we take action now before Global warming becomes completely irreversible. This film could lead to some excellent discussions within the class on what we could do both at home and in school to help reduce the impact that we are having on the environment. Greta Thunberg’s speech was also really motivating and showed us the urgency with which things need to change. Although she speaks about how change needs to come from Governments, its also crucial that we too do our bit as much as possible. I found the WWF Footprint quiz a real eye opener. It showed me what impact I am having personally and showed me that I need to become a lot more mindful when it comes to my everyday life.
Diarmaid, having the children reflect on their own actions is a great way of having them to develop an awareness of what they can do to help with Climate change and also have them realise what changes they could make.
Siobhan, I agree that the Home video gave a really compelling depiction on the impact we as humans are having on the Earth’s ecosystem and the consequences therefore on climate change.
Activity 3: Climate Reporters.
Prior to starting this lesson I think I would first look at assessing the children’s prior knowledge on the topic of both climate, the greenhouse effect and greenhouse gases. The Paxi video on the Greenhouse effect is a super way of introducing this topic to the children and I find videos such as these are a great way of peaking the children’s interest in the topic. We will then discuss the climate and what changes they think might happen in the future. We will look at the different ways in which scientists use different observations to monitor and understand how the climate is changing. The children will then be put into groups and told that they will be acting as scientists looking at different scenarios where they will need to calculate monthly average temperatures. They will be told they need to work together to create a presentation on how future temperatures can effect their lives and also come up with ways to lessen the impacts of climate change within their area.Louise I also think that the Paxi video is a great resource and would be a great way of explaining the concept of climate change and the greenhouse effect in a child friendly way.
I really liked the activity sets included in this module on both Is it weather or Climate? and also the Weather Detectives activities. Although I will be teaching Senior Infants I think we can adapt these lessons to suit the age of the children. I think introducing them to the difference between weather and climate is something that can be done. We could do this in as easy a way as discussing the differences in weather when they go on holidays and how the climate can differ in different countries compared to in Ireland. I think by keeping things simple we can give the children a good introduction to the idea of climate.
With weather as a topic I really liked the ‘Super Simple Song’ on weather that was included in the module and think this is a great way of getting the children thinking about the different types of weather we can have. I also liked the idea of having the children think about what the weather was like on their last birthdays as this can also show the children how the weather changes at different times of the year and could also tie in with a lesson on the different seasons. With the weather detectives lesson I think the children would love the idea of setting up the thermometer and checking the temperature each day. As I have small numbers in the class I think I would look at the thermometer at 3 different set times of the day. The children could be in groups with the responsibility of checking at a certain time. This would lead to discussion on how the temperature might change throughout the day. We would record our findings throughout the week and see how it has changed and I also think it would be good to do this activity again at another time of the year when the weather would be different such as the summer so that the children could see how the temperatures vary between winter and summer for example.Sinead, I also really like using the Simple songs resources to help introduce and also consolidate the children’s learning on these topics.
Great idea Siobhan, I think the children would really engage with having a weather station set up in the school.
I love using the Aliens love Underpants and Aliens in Underpants Save the World books in my classroom. The children love these stories and so they can easily be used as a stimulus for a lesson looking at Aliens. We would discuss what we think Aliens might look like and how they might differ from us. Children will then be given the opportunity to create their own Aliens using a variety of different materials. They will also describe how and why they create their Aliens in the way they did.
Following on from this I think it would be great fun to do the Rocket Mice experiment with my Junior Infant class. I think they would have great fun making the mice and then launching them. We could investigate how we might be able to launch the mice further and whether different types of paper or card make a difference to the launch and also would try it with different sized milk cartons.This sounds like a lovely lesson Siobhan. I really like that book ‘Big Bear, Little Bear’ and children always really enjoy reading it.
I would look at the activity set ‘Where you live? And Weather’ for this module. The lesson I have focused on is Hot and Cold – Use the Sun. This is a lesson I would do during the summer term when there is more heat coming from the sun and the weather should be better. We would begin the lesson by having a discussion about the sun itself and what we know about the sun. We would discuss what the sun looks like, when we see the sun, when we can’t see the sun, why it is important etc. We would then discuss ways we can shelter from the sun and what we should do to protect ourselves on sunny and hot days.
For the experiment itself we will investigate if an ice cube will melt quicker in the sun or in the shade. I will have two bowls and will place an ice cube in each. One will be placed in direct sunlight and the other in the shade. Children will decide which ice cube they think will melt first and will sign their name to a piece of paper picking either the sun or the shade side. Children would also give reasons for their choice. We will then watch the two bowls and discuss what is happening during the process. Following on from the experiment we will go outside and spend time in both a shaded area and also an area that is in direct sunlight and discuss how the areas feel different. To finish off the lesson, back in the classroom we will discuss our predictions and discuss the results. Children will realise from this that the sun gives off both heat and light and that it is important that we have the sun but children will also be reminded of the dangers of the sun especially on hot days.I would look at the topic of Space and Aliens for this module. I love using the Aliens love books as a stimulus for these lessons. The children in my classes have always really enjoyed these books and it would get them interested in the lesson. We would then have a class discussion about Aliens and Martians and what they might look like. We would also discuss about whether they think there might be life on other planets and what this might look like and how it would differ from our lives here on Earth. Following on from our discussions the children would be given the opportunity to create their own Aliens or Martians using play doh and other junk art materials like pipe cleaners, googly eyes, sequins etc. Once the children have all created their creature we would look at them all and see if we could group them at all into ‘families’ and look at the ways that they could be grouped. This would be a good way of using our Maths skills within the lesson.
