Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I really like this Irene. Keeping it simple and using something they see every day is a great idea. I love the “big hotel for animals” idea, I can imagine the kids really getting that! The art activity is a lovely way to finish it too.
How is climate change affecting the biodiversity and wildlife in our school garden and local Dublin 8 community and what can we do to help?
I would begin with empathy, asking pupils to think about how climate change might affect the people, animals, insects and plants that live in their local area. We could explore questions such as: What would happen to our school garden if summers became much hotter? What would happen to our pond if there was less rainfall? How might this affect bees, birds and other wildlife? This would help pupils to connect with the issue before investigating it themselves. I would use some clips from the HOME documentary to further draw on the emotions.
Our school is an ideal setting for this research as it is a biodiversity urban haven : we have a pond, native trees, wildflower areas, a dead hedge, bird and bat boxes, pollinator-friendly spaces and a live weather station. Pupils could record temperature and rainfall, carry out biodiversity surveys and compare changes in our garden over time. They could also learn from local organisations we already have links with, such as The Liberties Community Project and Bee8, and explore the work of BirdWatch Ireland and Dublin City Council.
Pupils could then identify one local problem and design a solution, such as planting more pollinator-friendly species, improving habitats, conserving rainwater or creating more biodiversity spaces. This would allow pupils to move from empathy, to investigation, to action, helping them see that they can make a real difference in their own community.I agree Michael. I think the children would enjoy comparing the photos from the ground with the ones taken from space. It’s a really visual activity and would get them looking closely, talking about what they notice and trying to work things out for themselves. As another contributor mentioned, it would also be a nice way to bring ICT into the lesson without it feeling like a separate subject. I think it could lead to some really good conversations about how satellites help us understand the world around us.
Some of the satellites that I tracked there now that are passing over Ireland:
Starlink satellites: Operated by SpaceX, these satellites provide broadband internet coverage as we know. Being in South Kerry’s Dark Reserve, these been interesting to spot when several travel together and you see streaks across the night sky.
Project Kuiper satellites: These seem to be part of Amazon’s satellite network, providing high-speed internet access too.
COSMOS satellites: These are Russian satellites with different purposes depending on the individual satellite I believe, including communications, navigation, Earth observation and military applications.Wow Sarah, you found so many. I found it really interesting that so many of them are no longer operational but are still in orbit, like ALOS and Envisat. Wild!
Wow, its actually incredible, like the sheer variety of satellites and their different purposes just shows how much we now rely on technology in space for so much.
While I think HOME is an amazing and visually stunning resource, I do feel that parts of it could be seen as offputting for primary school children. The dramatic visuals and focus on the damage being done to the planet are very powerful, but they could potentially leave children feeling worried or overwhelmed. It is deliberately emotional and dramatic, and some of the imagery is quite stark. Moreover, in our school, we also encounter shorter attention spans and children showing less stamina for attentiveness, so I think it would be difficult for many of our pupils to remain engaged with the full documentary. And that’s 6th class! I would be more inclined to use selected clips from Home with primary pupils rather than showing the full documentary. I do think it would be a fantastic resource for secondary school students, who may be better equipped to engage with the more challenging themes and messages.
I also like the idea of using a carbon footprint calculator, as it could help children make a connection between climate change and their own everyday lives. In our school, this could link well with our Green Schools work and encourage pupils to think about simple changes they can make at school and at home. I have previously shown Greta Thunberg’s interview to my class as it features in a chapter of Explorers: Young People Changing the World, so the children are already familiar with her and her message. I agree that this is a powerful way of showing pupils that their voices matter and that they can play a role in creating positive change.Nicely said, Aidan. I previously showed Greta Thunberg’s interview to a 6th Class as she features in a chapter of SESE Explorers: Young People Changing the World. She certainly doesn’t mince her words! I found her no nonsense approach to be a really powerful way of engaging the pupils, and showing them that their voices matter as Greta proves.
I found Activity 3 on greenhouse gases and future temperatures interesting, particularly as it connects closely with the environmental work already happening in our school. Paxi’s video would be a good starting point for introducing younger pupils to the greenhouse effect.
I think the temperature prediction tool is a great addition to the activity as it allows pupils to see how different emissions scenarios could affect future temperatures. It would provide opportunities to link Science with Maths and Geography, while encouraging pupils to think about how climate change could affect their own lives.
This would work particularly well in our school, where we have been involved in Green-Schools for 11 years and have achieved numerous flags. We could use data from our own weather station, which measures temperature, rainfall and wind, and explore how changes in temperature and rainfall could affect our school garden, pond, plants and biodiversity.
I would adapt the activity by adding a local element, asking pupils to identify a climate-related issue in Dublin 8 and design a practical solution. I’ll be sure to lead with empathy as a starting point as a contributor said in the last forum. This is sure to strengthen authentic STEM endeavours and as I’ve seen previously, make children engaged, active and take ownership.
I agree with you Chloe, especially when you said about giving children the right vocabulary and background knowledge before introducing more complex ideas. I really like your idea of using a parachute to demonstrate the greenhouse effect, that’s clever, simple and practical way to help children understand the idea of heat being trapped for definite. I also think using the TEAL tool in pairs would be a great way to get children exploring data and spotting patterns. This could work really well in our school alongside our weather station, where pupils could compare the weather data they collect with wider climate predictions. I agree with your last point too, I’ve sen huge benefits of linking learning to practical actions, such as recycling, saving energy and planting for pollinators, it really does help children see how they can make a difference in their own school and community. Small steps lead to big steps !
Sean, I really do like the idea of using empathy as the starting point for the design process. Great idea. True enough, encouraging children to first understand and think about the needs of others can lead to much more meaningful problem-solving and creative ideas in so many different domains, so valid. I totally agree that giving children ownership of the process makes them much more invested in their learning. We’ve all seen this across the board in many a lesson / school initiative.
The paper made me reflect on the work already happening in my school. Our school is an example of how STEM learning can connect with real-life issues and our local community. Outdoor learning is central to school life, with pupils using our raised beds, pond, nature trails, herb gardens, native tree area and live weather station to explore ecosystems, pollinators, biodiversity and climate. Our pupils are involved in planting, composting, biodiversity surveys and forest school activities, as well as using the garden for Science, Geography, Art and Literacy. Our 4th and 6th Classes also take part in an eight-week Education for Sustainability programme, where they develop knowledge and practical skills. Our new live weather station really is an excellent example of authentic STEM learning. Pupils can collect and analyse real data on temperature, rainfall and wind from our school garden, explore our local microclimate and compare their findings with wider weather data. This links naturally with Science, Maths, Geography and Digital Technologies and provides opportunities for pupils to ask questions, identify patterns and draw conclusions. The ESA activities, No Nose Up High in the Sky and Weather vs Climate are useful here and I will use make them on our shared school drive. I envision being able to adapt the Weather vs. Climate resource to generate even more questions about our own weather station.