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I look forward to completing the rocket mice activity with my Junior Infants. I will read the book “”Roaring Rockets” by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker to explain the concept of force. Show videos of rockets launching.
The students will decorate their plastic bottles during a junk art activity. I will display images of rockets for them to use as inspiration. Older children could come into the class during space week to act as rocket buddies to the younger children helping them to cut, stick and place the rocket mouse on top of the bottle.
Use prompt questions such as:
What made your rocket mouse go up into the air?
Did anyone’s rocket mouse go really high? Why do you think that happened?
What did you learn about how rockets work?Activity set: Where do you live and weather.
Display images from the local community and as a whole class describe the images focusing on their features. Ask students to think, pair share and describe where they live using the keywords. Next give students modelling materials and ask them to begin creating their houses. Give each table images of houses to use as inspiration. Model this activity first. Next ask students to describe the features of their modelled houses to their partner.
In the next lesson, display images of animals in the cold orally describing where they live and the weather they see in the pictures. Ask students to brainstorm how the animals would stay warm. Ask them what they do when they feel cold, can animals do this too?
Give each group a mat with the four seasons and have the students collaboratively match the clothes to each season.
Activity Set: Stars
This lesson would focus on viewing constellations as stories.
Read the picture book “The Zoo in the Sky” by Jacqueline Mitton.
The teacher would display images of constellations on the interactive whiteboard. Using a pen connect the constellations to each other and ask the students what they see. Ask students to share what shapes they see in groups.
For visual arts, give students black card and white crayons/ chalk and allow them to create their own constellation story. Do artist on the chair and have each child sit on the chair and discuss their artwork with the class.
Hi Eleanor, this is a well-integrated lesson and it has shown me ways you can link the topic to other subjects!
I would refer to the sun activities by Dr Maeve Liston while teaching the students about the Sun and Shadows.
Begin lesson by using the picture book “Bear Shadow” by Frank Asch as a stimulus.
Project pictures of sunny and cloudy days and highlight the shadows to the children. Ask them to find more shadows. Play ‘Sesame Street – My Furry Little Shadow.’
Take children outside to the schoolyard. Ask them to sit in a circle and begin to spot shadows outside. Trace the shadows with chalk.
Next, return to classroom and use a flashlight to act as the sun. Place objects in front of the flashlight to create shadows, seeing how shadows change depending on distance.
My name is Maeve and I will be teaching Junior Infants this year. My favourite space fact is that Saturn’s rings are made of ice particles.
Forces activity: Teaching Gravity.
I would begin by reading pages from the picture book “Gravity is bringing me down” by Wendelin Van Draanen.
The children will engage in simple activities to understand the concept of gravity.
Engage in discussion asking what will happen when this ball is dropped- drop and observe what happens, repeat with different objects of different weights. Ask students to think, pair share which object fell quicker. Give groups objects to test themselves. Have students draw the objects which fell on a piece of paper after the experiment.
