[Mary Moore]

That all sounds amazing, love the idea of the costumes etc sounds like great fun.

[Mary Moore]

I hope to  involve my pupils in a creative, cross-curricular project based on our local  Strandhill’s natural and scientific heritage, focusing on its coastal environment, ancient fossils, and local legends. We would begin with a trip to Strandhill beach and the surrounding dunes to explore the natural landscape, observe biodiversity, and discuss the area’s geological history, including the presence of ancient marine fossils.

In Art, pupils would create beach-inspired sculptures using natural materials or paint seascapes and rock formations. In Drama, we could develop short performances based on local myths, such as stories of Queen Maeve and the Knocknarea cairn. For creative writing, pupils could write poems or short stories inspired by the sea, wildlife, and local history.

This project would allow pupils to explore their local environment creatively while deepening their understanding and appreciation of Strandhill’s rich natural and scientific heritage.

[Mary Moore]

These ideas are great for the older classes with a lot of learning, and from this may come an appreciation of local development and the cost of it.

[Mary Moore]

In Sligo, one impressive example of local engineering is the Garavogue River footbridge, which connects different parts of the town and is a well-known landmark. I would use this bridge as inspiration for a classroom or outdoor design your own bridge project with my 4th class. We would begin by visiting and looking at the bridge from different angles, discussing the purpose and design of the bridge, and exploring how engineers ensure strength, balance, and safety when building bridges.
They would then work in small groups to plan and build their own model bridges using materials like lollipop sticks, string, and cardboard etc. They could test their bridges for strength by gradually adding weights, encouraging problem-solving and collaborative thinking. This project would not only develop STEM skills like planning, measuring, and testing but would also help students appreciate local engineering and see how maths, science, and creativity come together in the real world to solve problems.

[Mary Moore]

I enjoyed this module, going forward  I would explore my local environment in Sligo and identify several species, including the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), the European robin (Erithacus rubecula), and the small tortoiseshell butterfly (Aglais urticae). I could record these sightings with the National Biodiversity Data Centre, contributing valuable local data to support biodiversity tracking in Ireland.

To involve my 4th class in citizen science, I would start by exploring our school grounds to observe and identify common plants, birds, and insects using simple ID guides and apps like the Biodiversity Data Capture app. We would log our findings as a class project, helping students develop observation, recording, and data skills.

This hands-on participation would make learning real and exciting, giving students ownership of their data. They could see the value of their contributions and see that they can make a difference to environmental protection and local environmental issues.

[Mary Moore]

I like all your ideas about bringing the observations outside and the piece of wood to observe what is underneath. Recording this at different times of the year into the copy would be a nice activity to see what happens during the different seasons.

[Mary Moore]

Using online data sets in my 4th class maths lessons would give us an  opportunity to make our learning more meaningful and connected to real life.

I would introduce simple, relatable data sets such as local weather records, sports scores, or wildlife surveys, which are easily accessible, interesting and understandable for this age group.

For example, students could track weekly temperatures and create graphs to observe patterns or compare rainfall across seasons.

I would also explore data sets about popular children’s interests, like favourite books or football teams, to make lessons more engaging. These activities would not only develop their skills in data collection, representation, and interpretation but also help them see how maths is used in everyday life.

By working with real data, students can ask questions, make predictions, and draw conclusions, promoting critical thinking and curiosity. This would  make maths more relevant and encourage students to see its value and importance  beyond the classroom.

[Mary Moore]

This is a lovely idea, and joining the older and younger children gives the older ones a sense of responsibility and fosters friendship. I like the idea of the video to create a map of the school.

[Mary Moore]

After lookin at Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (Liston, 2018), I see the importance of integrating STEM in a meaningful, student-centred way. In my 4th class, STEM education has been somewhat limited, with students and the teacher sometimes  hesitant to engage in hands-on experiments. Up to now, we have focused more on theory and structured activities, which may have contributed to their lack of confidence. Going forward, I would like to foster a more exploratory, inquiry-based environment where students feel safe to take risks and make mistakes. I hope to introduce more collaborative, real-life problem-solving tasks, and opportunities for creativity across STEM. By creating a space where curiosity is encouraged and experiments are seen as learning opportunities rather than tests of success, I hope to build the children’s and my own confidence and spark their natural interest in exploring the world around them.

[Mary Moore]

I would have also been reluctant but this theory and approach would encourage me and allow for more free investigations.

[Author]

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