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*Select from one of the activities in the Framework for Inquiry:
I really like the idea of the children making their own 3-D constellations. I’m thinking of Second Class for this as I will be working with this level in September. I would begin by asking questions like, “Have you ever looked up at the sky at nighttime?” “What did you notice?” “Have you ever noticed any patterns or pictures when looking at the stars?”
I would hope that the word “constellation” would come up in conversation and, if not, I would introduce and explain what it means. I would then show the class some pictures of the different constellations e.g. The Big Dipper and Orion. We would also watch a short video e.g. SciShow Kids – Constellations and Paxi – The Solar System. The children would then choose which constellation they would like to construct; use black card and a light-coloured pencil to draw it; use glue and small pompoms to glue each “star” down; connect the stars with black straws so it becomes 3-D. Upon the children completing the activity they should: understand and explain what a constellation is; identify some popular constellations; be able to construct a simple 3-D model of a constellation.Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day:
There are lots of fun and interactive ways for the children to explore this. I have Second Class in September and this could be a nice activity to do in September. I would show them Paxi – Day, Night and the Seasons to spark their curiosity. We would engage in a discussion then to discuss what the children already know and anything new that they have learned from the video. This will lead onto further conversation about the sun and how the sun changes position throughout the day. We will then investigate the different positions by going outside at different times throughout the day. I will remind the children about the importance of avoiding direct eye contact with the sun. We will do a morning time check first – go outside and face East to see where the sun rises low. The children will pictorially represent this on paper. We will then go back outside just before noon and observe how much the sun has moved – the children will pictorially show this. Towards the end of our school day, we will pop back outside and look towards the West to observe how the sun is starting to go down – once again, the children will draw a picture of their findings. Afterwards, in pairs, the children can discuss their findings and then share them with the class. Hopefully, everyone will have noticed that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West!
Some great ideas here Elizabeth! I did a project on Egypt with my class this year and this would have been a great addition. Another idea to spark the children’s curiosity would be to remove the class clock when asking them about the time! It would really get them thinking e.g. how would we know what time it is without a clock?
There are many examples of sustainability being practiced in my local area. One example, is our local Tidy Towns committee who are extremely active in the community. Apart from tidying up the area they also plant flowers around the community and they clean/paint/decorate any derelict local buildings/small dwellings. Another example of sustainability, is the regular promotion of community beach clean-up events – encouraging locals to come down to the local beach and help to keep it clean and safe for everyone to enjoy. We also have some local bee keepers whose produce can be found in the local farm shop. This is a great way to support sustainability in the area as well as local employment. Our local SuperValu also supports our local farmers and growers and stock a variety of local products such as strawberries, cabbage and potatoes. Our local Rogerstown Estuary is a designated nature reserve while the Broadmeadow Estuary is also protected under European conservation laws. These ecological areas are maintained in partnership with BirdWatch Ireland and Fingal County Parks. There are so many learning opportunities and examples of sustainability for the children within our own community. A visit from a local farmer or bee-keeper would be a great way to get the children thinking and talking about sustainability.
Some classes in our school participated in the Litter Pickers programme this year which could link in really well with the local Tidy Towns committee. Fingal County Council provided the classes with a pack, including litter pickers, gloves, refuse sacks etc It’s such a fantastic way to promote awareness of the local environment and community and the children really enjoy participating in it.
We have a “Green School Committee” in our school where children from different classes – 2nd -6th, meet each month and come up with ways to improve and be more environmentally friendly e.g. “wow” day – Walk On Wednesday which encourages people to leave their cars at home and walk/cycle/scoot to school!
I think introducing the Food Pyramid would be a great way to start a conversation with the class about the Nutrition of Seafood. Straightaway it’s a colourful visual which will instantly capture the attention of the class. Depending on the class level, the children may already be familiar with the food pyramid and could be ready to further explore the benefits of eating seafood, focusing on the essential nutrients like iron, vitamin D and omega 3. The key messages to give the class would be that seafood helps your brain to grow strong – rich in omega-3s that support brain development; it helps build muscles as it’s full of high-quality protein; it helps you stay healthy as it contains important vitamins; it comes from nature – teaches them about oceans, rivers, and sustainable food;
seafood can be tasty and fun – encourages them to try new foods in a positive way.
I think it’s important to raise awareness about the labels attached to seafood products and this could be explored (if feasible) by visiting a local shop/supermarket and analysing a variety of packaging. Nutrition of Seafood could be linked into so many curricular areas such as Science; Maths; Geography; Art and SPHE.Data could also be another area in Maths that could be explored. The children could make bar charts, pictograms etc of information gathered on likes/dislikes of particular seafoods!
I love the idea of the food tasting and cooking lessons which could also be a great way to get parents involved. A bit of work would have to go into checking for food allergies beforehand!
Applying lessons about aquaculture in the primary classroom can be a great opportunity to engage students in STEM learning. STEM emphasises real-world, inquiry-based, integrated, and collaborative learning, all of which can be achieved using the online lessons and resources provided by the ARC. Promoting real-world, relevant contexts to make STEM meaningful can be done in many ways e.g. discussing local or national aquaculture industries such as, salmon farming in Ireland; inviting a guest speaker into the classroom; arranging a virtual tour of a fish farm etc. There’s huge scope for cross-curricular integration aside from Maths, Science and SESE. For Literacy, children could engage in essay writing and poetry; for Art the options are endless and for Gaeilge, children could learn an abundance of new vocabulary. Schools can identify STEM integration and real-world sustainability education as a key area for development as part of the SSE process. Aquaculture should be an area of focus due to its relevance to environmental education and food sustainability. Integrating aquaculture would provide an engaging, real-world context for improving inquiry-based STEM learning and supporting sustainability goals.
I really like the idea of the quizzes at the end of each lesson. I do a weekly quiz with my class based on what has been learned throughout the week and the children absolutely love this! It has made a difference in their listening and attention during lessons and it’s one of their favourite activities to do on a Friday!
I love the idea of Designing and Building a Floating Fish Farm! This would really appeal to children and they could be as creative and artistic as they want to be. For younger classes, a diorama of “Under the Sea” could be another option.
Hi Mark,
It would be great to see our younger generations availing of these employment opportunities. Hopefully, going forward, we will see more of this in the future, given the abundance of job opportunities available here.
Hi Dolores,
I love the idea of inviting a local fisherman or marine expert into the classroom. We regularly invite parents in to talk about their jobs/careers and provide the children with the opportunity to explore different careers. I live in a coastal area and it has never occurred to me to do this! Definitely on my “to do” list next year in school.
As we have seen in this module, the West coast of Ireland is best suited to aquaculture and seafood farming. The strategic placement of aquaculture farms such as salmon, mussels and oysters, along Ireland’s coastline is an opportunity for economic growth and employment for local communities. With a growing global demand for seafood and the need for sustainable food production systems, aquaculture has a significant role to play. It not only meets these demands but it also contributes to the socio-economic development of coastal communities in Ireland. The location of aquaculture farms within Ireland, however, is not just a matter of geographical convenience. It is intrinsically linked to environmental factors, community well-being, and economic stability. Ireland is lucky in that it is located in an area with a temperate climate/ Goldilocks climate which is ideal for both the agricultural sector and the aquaculture sector.
