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Activity Set: Rockets (2nd Class)
I would begin by asking the children what they already know about rockets and where they think rockets travel. We would record what we already know on a mind-map. We would discuss why rockets are needed to travel into space and I would ask the stimulus question, “What helps a rocket move upwards into the sky?” This would encourage pupils to share their ideas and make predictions before introducing the concept of thrust. We would discuss how rockets need a force to push them upwards against gravity.
For the hands-on activity, I would have pupils design and build their own paper rockets using paper, card, colouring materials, stickers etc., whatever way they like. Once completed, they would launch their rockets using a paper straw and compare how far they travelled. I would chat with the pupils about which rockets went furthest/highest and we would investigate whether changing the size of the fins or the shape of the rocket affects how it flies. I would allow them again to investigate independently using their investigation skills and then have a whole class discussion to see what we found out. I would hope that this exploration would open the pupils’ thoughts on how rockets travel into space.
Such a great idea and sure to be a winner in the classroom. Will definitely try this next year, thanks Sarah!
Activity Set: Weather – Hot and Cold (2nd Class)
I would begin by asking the children to talk about things that feel hot and things that feel cold. We would create two lists on the board and I would ask the stimulus question, “Where does the earth’s heat come from?”, encouraging pupils to think about different sources of heat and recognising the sun as our main natural source of heat, how the sun warms the earth and why we feel warmer on sunny days than on cloudy days.
A hands-on activity I would set up would involve pupils investigating how the sun’s heat affects different objects. On a sunny day, I would place different materials, such as a metal spoon, a wooden spoon, a plastic toy and a dark piece of card, outside in the sunshine. I would elicit some predictions from pupils on which object they think will be the warmest. I would encourage pupils to carefully touch each object and compare how warm they feel and have a discussion around why some might be warmer than others. I would then allow the pupils to choose their own materials and carry out their own tests, encouraging them to predict and record their findings on simple tables.
Activity: Stars (2nd Class)
I would begin by asking the children what they already know about stars and when they can see them. I would encourage them to talk about the differences between the daytime and nighttime sky (nicely linked to the previous day and night lesson from module 2) and ask the stimulus question, “Why can we see stars at night but not during the day?” and allow for discussion/brainstorm on this. We would discuss that stars are always in the sky, but the sun’s bright light makes them difficult to see during the day.
The first activity would involve pupils creating a simple star viewer using black card with small holes punched into it to represent different star patterns, like shown in the module. The classroom would be darkened and pupils would shine a torch through their star viewer onto a wall or white sheet. They would observe how the light shining through the holes creates the appearance of stars in the night sky.
As a second activity, I would take the class outdoors on a clear day and ask them to look at the sky and discuss why they cannot see the stars. We would then compare this with photographs of the night sky and identify familiar constellations, such as the Plough. Pupils would then complete a simple art activity by creating their own constellation using black paper and drawing stars, before sharing the pattern they created with the class.
Niamh I love your idea of hanging the constellation from the desk and looking at them from different angles!
Activity: The Sun (2nd Class)
I would begin by asking the children to share what they notice about daytime and nighttime, encouraging them to compare the sky, the amount of light, and the activities people usually do at each time. I would then pose a stimulus question of night and day, “is it daytime in every country at the same time?”, to get them thinking about the sun and its light.
I would use an activity using a globe and a torch to represent the earth and the sun. The torch would remain in one position while I slowly rotate the globe. I would use questioning to elicit observations from the pupils, highlighting that the side facing the light experiences daytime, while the side facing away is in darkness. I would make references to the countries that are in darkness, while Ireland has daylight. This visual demonstration will help children understand that day and night occur because the earth rotates rather than because the sun disappears.
A second activity I would use would be a role-play. Pupils work together to model how day and night occur through movement. One child stands in the centre of the classroom holding a torch to represent the sun, while another child represents the earth. The pupil acting as the earth slowly rotates on the spot, ensuring they do not walk around the ‘sun’. As they turn, the class observes that when the pupil’s face is towards the light it is daytime, and when they turn away from the light it becomes nighttime. This reinforces that the sun remains in the same position while the earth rotates on its axis, causing day and night.
Such a great lesson Stephanie – I love the stimulus of the teddy bear and the integration with PE with the hula hoops is so clever!
An inquiry-based activity I would like to use with my 2nd class is ‘What makes the moon shine?’ As a stimulus, I would darken the classroom and display a torch, a white ball and an image of the moon. I would start with the question; ‘Does the moon make its own light, or where does its light come from?’ I would begin by asking pupils to share what they already know about the moon and record their ideas on simple mind-maps in their groups, before having a whole-class discussion on what they know already. The children would then predict why the moon appears bright, and I would record these ideas in a mind-map, before observing a torch shining on the ball to model the sun and moon. Working in small groups, they would investigate, using a ball and torch in each group, how the position of the light changes what they see and talk about their observations. I would facilitate these discussions using open-ended and prompting questions. To conclude, we would discuss our findings and conclusions, and revisit our thoughts before our investigation to see how they are similar or different to what we found out during our investigation.