[Louise O Grady]

Class Plan for Engaging with Space Week Ireland
Class Level: 1st class
Duration: 1 week
Theme: Exploring Space

Objectives
Introduce students to basic concepts about space.
Encourage curiosity and engagement through interactive and hands-on activities.
Celebrate Space Week (October 4th-10th) by participating in themed events and projects.
Materials
Picture books about space (e.g., “There’s No Place Like Space” by Tish Rabe)
Poster paper and markers
Craft supplies (construction paper, glue, scissors, foil, etc.)
Internet access for virtual tours and videos
Flashlights, balls, and other props for demonstrations
Space Week activity packs
Star charts/Stellarium
Space-themed music and videos

Monday: Introduction to Space
Activities:

Morning Circle: Read a space-themed picture book.
Discuss what students already know about space.
Space Facts Poster: Create a class poster with interesting facts about space.
Each student contributes one fact with a drawing.
Virtual Tour: Watch a virtual tour of the International Space Station (ISS).
Discuss what astronauts do in space.
Homework: Ask students to look at the night sky with their parents and draw what they see.
Tuesday: The Solar System
Activities:

Solar System Song: Learn and sing a song about the planets in the solar system.
Planet Crafts: Create paper plate planets. Each student chooses a planet to decorate.
Interactive Game: Play a game where students have to match facts to the correct planet.
Homework: Bring in a space-related question to discuss the next day.
Wednesday: The Moon and Stars
Activities:

Moon Phases: Use flashlights and balls to demonstrate the phases of the moon.
Create a moon phase wheel craft.
Starry Night Art: Make a starry night sky using black construction paper and white paint or chalk.
Constellation Stories: Introduce some simple constellations and their stories.
Let students create their own constellation with star stickers on dark paper.
Homework: Encourage students to identify and draw a constellation they can see at night.
Thursday: Space Exploration
Activities:

Spacecraft Models: Build simple models of rockets or rovers using recycled materials.
Astronaut Training: Create an obstacle course to simulate astronaut training.
Discuss what skills astronauts need.
Space Videos: Watch kid-friendly videos about space missions (e.g., moon landing, Mars rovers).
Homework:

Write a short story/draw a picture about what they would do if they were an astronaut.
Friday: Celebrating Space Week
Activities:

Space Assembly: Host a mini space assembly where students share their crafts, facts, and stories.
Invite parents and other classes to attend.
Space Party: Play space-themed music and have a space-themed snack party.
Hand out space-themed certificates for participation.
Reflection and Feedback: Have a circle time where students share what they enjoyed the most and what they learned.
Collect feedback to improve future Space Week activities.
Ongoing Throughout the Week:

Space Corner: Set up a space-themed corner in the classroom with books, pictures, and activities.
Daily Space Fact: Share a fun space fact each morning during announcements.
Parent Involvement: Encourage parents to participate by reading space stories at home or helping with crafts.
By following this plan, students will have an engaging and educational experience during Space Week, fostering a love for space and science.

[Louise O Grady]

Hi Eleanor,  I love the indirect reference to space week with the spaceship launch countdown. The kids would love that. I also like that lots of different activities would be incorporated throughout the week. It’s fun and there’s lots of ideas and resources to pull from online.

[Louise O Grady]

These are some of the steps I would take to further develop a STEM-focused SSE.

1. Define Objectives: Clearly outline the specific STEM skills and knowledge you want students to achieve.
Set Benchmarks: Establish benchmarks for measuring progress, such as student engagement levels, proficiency in STEM subjects, and participation in STEM activities.
2. Curriculum Review: Conduct a thorough review of the current STEM curriculum to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Alignment Check: Ensure that the curriculum aligns with national STEM standards and educational goals.
3. Integrate Hands-On STEM Activities
Inquiry-Based Learning: Implement more inquiry-based and hands-on learning activities that encourage critical thinking and problem-solving.
4. Digital Tools: Incorporate more technology tools and resources in the classroom, such as coding programs, robotics kits, etc.
5. Parent and Community Engagement: Involve parents and the community in STEM activities, such as science fairs, STEM nights, and guest speaker events.
6. Student Assessment and Feedback
Formative Assessments: Use formative assessments to gauge student understanding and adjust teaching strategies accordingly. Implement mechanisms for students to provide feedback on STEM lessons and activities.
7. Collect and analyze data on student performance in STEM subjects, participation rates, and the effectiveness of STEM initiatives.
Conduct regular reviews of the SSE process to ensure continuous improvement and adjust strategies as needed.
8. Showcase Achievements: Celebrate student and teacher achievements in STEM through assemblies, newsletters, and social media.
Best Practices: Share best practices and successful STEM strategies within the school and with other schools.

[Louise O Grady]

Hi Frances, thanks for sharing these photos. Great to see it can be quite simple but still engaging. I hope to have a space themed corner in my class in September.

[Louise O Grady]

I would base my lesson on the space and aliens activity set.

Students would learn basic facts about Mars using picture books about space and Mars as a prompt, e.g. The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield. I would show them posters and images of Mars, pointing out its red color, surface features like craters and volcanoes, and its two moons.

Class discussion and questioning, eg. “What do you think it would be like to visit Mars?” and “What kind of aliens might live there?”

I would provide students with red and orange construction paper, markers, crayons, scissors, and glue. Ask them to create their own alien that might live on Mars. What would their alien would need to survive on Mars. Will it have extra arms for digging? Big eyes for seeing in the dark? The children could build a Mars rover using a small box and foil. They could use playdoh to create the surface of Mars.

To reflect and assess the children could present their aliens, rovers and landscapes of Mars to the class.

[Louise O Grady]

I agree Michelle, this would be a great activity to do with the children. It’s very hands on and there’s lots of learning involved.

[Louise O Grady]

Kevin I love the idea of transforming the classroom into a mini solar system. It would be so immersive for the children and memorable. So simple but effective.

[Louise O Grady]

I would use the activity set ‘The sun and shadows’ in my classroom.

As shown in the activity set, I would use a flashlight (to represent the Sun), small objects (to create shadows), chalk, paper, and a sunny outdoor space. I would also use a storybook about a day in the life of a shadow to capture their interest and act as a prompt.

I would begin with the book about how shadows can be playful and change throughout the day. Next, we would move outside to observe our shadows in the morning sun. We would trace our shadows with chalk on the playground and marked their positions with their names.

Throughout the day, we would return to the playground and observe and trace their shadows again.

I would encourage questions such as why shadows change shape and why sometimes we can’t see them at all (cloudy days).

In the classroom we could create shadow puppets and use a flashlight to explore how moving the light source affected the size and shape of their puppet shadows just like the bear activity in the video.

I would also like to incorporate technology, such as time-lapse videos of shadows moving throughout the day, to provide a different perspective. Additionally, involving parents by having students observe and record shadows at home could extend the learning experience beyond the classroom.

[Louise O Grady]

Inquiry based activity:

”Exploring the moon”

I would start with a prompt like a short story of video of the moon. I would elicit prior knowledge and ask questions about the moon, e.g. What does the surface of the moon look like?

Using a flashlight and a ball we would explore the moon’s phases, how the light changes on the ball (moon) and as it moves around the flashlight (sun). We would discuss the vocab around the different phases. We would then draw the different phases using black paper and chalk. We could also make the surface of the moon using playdoh, focusing on craters.

We would investigate using pictures of the moon, astronauts, etc. The children can reflect in small groups on what they’ve learned. They can share their favourite fact like we did in this forum.

Teacher assessment would be through observation and questioning. Self assessment and peer assessment through their drawings and playdoh models.

[Louise O Grady]

I love this lesson idea Susan because there’s so much scope for what you can do. It start with geography but the children could role-play life on the planet, design a the planet including his flag in Art, compose the planet’s anthem in music, etc. It’s very cross curricular and can be fun and child led.

[Louise O Grady]

Hi my name is Louise. I will be teaching 1st class in September after having senior infants the past 3 years.

My favourite space fact is that one day on Venus is longer than one year on Venus. Venus has extremely low rotation on its axis so it takes about 243 Earth days to complete one rotation, while it takes only about 225 Earth days to complete one orbit around the Sun. Weird but cool!

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