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This is an excellent study area as it’s meaningful and inspiring for the children. I can see the children out with their rain gauges. Well done!
Can we study the currents of 1 lake or river in Ireland?
I have chosen this question in light of water safety concerns, particularly in this hot weather.
Firstly children could be asked to speak about their own experience swimming or playing in a lake or river? Did you notice a current? Was it scary or dangerous? Was there a part of the lake/river that received the biggest current?
Children could then examine on google what causes currents in lakes or rivers.
The children could chose 1 lake or river. Is there anyway we can investigate the tides of this lake/river? Can we look at it from a satellite through the EO Browser? Can we use the EO browser or the MET Eireann website to investigate the prevailing winds of Ireland? Is there any time of day or any day when the wind is less and would mean it would be safer to swim here?
Yes I as with all have been fascinated by the volume of satellites passing over Ireland and have been investigating a few of them.
From the Ground and From the Sky.
This is an excellent resource pack that kids would find fascinating.
The first activity involves initially imagining what space would look like from the ISS and then studying actual photos taken form the ISS. This lesson would invoke wonder and awe in the children and also teach them about satellites and the ISS and how satellites are doing an amazing job for mankind. This lesson could be done by all classes from 1st to 6th. The infants could share their opinions on the earth and the photos.
The 2nd and 3rd activities are somewhat similar. Children could begin the activities by discussing and matching the photos in pairs or groups. Teacher could prompt responses with questions such as what can you see in the ground photo that you can’t see in the satellite photo. After that the worksheets could be done independently. This activity could be done from 3rd to 6th classes.
Yes I agree with you Elspeth and everyone else that we must be careful with how much we show to the children. And of course we must be sensitive and compassionate to how some children might react to some of the images.
Home is an awesome movie both visually and informatively and develops into broadcasting petrifying facts about the current state of health of our planet. However it concludes on an optimistic note.
The 3 big environmental issues explained in this movie, i. e. agricultural processes, oil, and deforestation, could be studied in separate lessons. With the study of each issue, a KWL chart or mindmap could be done to see how much children know about the issue. Teacher could elicit more information from the children with specific prompts, such as mentioning details of shocking current situations e. g. the current state of the Amazon Rainforest. The movie could then be watched. Afterwards the L part of the KWL could be filled in.
The Climate Aid 2020 video could be introduced before the Home movie. Children could see the destruction of the world prior to the learning of how life was created and the current situation we live in.
Ireland’s Climate Action Plan could be the basis of a lesson for another day. The children could be asked what steps the country and us taking to curb climate change and in other ways to take care of the planet.
Hi Sean I like the idea of the groups producing posters or pictograms to represents their future projections.
The Paxi video on greenhouse gases explains the greenhouse effect very clearly but in a child friendly way. I think most age groups could watch it although the smallest children won’t really understand the process. After watching the video children could engage in a comprehension worksheet based on the video, or write a summary of the greenhouse effect in their owns words, or there could be a Quiz.
For a follow up lesson children could do the Greenhouse Effect experiment involving 2 jars with thermometers inside each and with one of the jars having cling film on the top.
I think Teal is a really interesting climatic recording and projection tool. It can show children at a glance the countries/areas of the world receiving, the most precipitation/the highest air temperatures/etc. Children could explore the website and then could be asked to list the countries with the most precipitation/the highest air temperatures/etc.
5th or 6th class class could use the climate projections feature on Teal to make a weather report for a country, incorporating the summary worksheet from the ESA Weather V Climate Pack.
Delores I am inspired by your small STEN projects you conduct in your classroom. I feel a little overwhelmed as to how maths can be be included in project work but I see for you it can be in comparing the size or measurement of one groups bridge to another. If this is not what you meant I apologise. But of course Construction involves 3D Shapes which is a maths strand.
I also like how you say you make an intentional plan to incorporate all elements of STEN.
I think the ESA Weather V Climate Resource is very good and informative for all and I think children would really be interested. I also believe that although the age range for the activities is for between 8 – 12 year olds, the first 2 activities could be done with younger children using simpler language and simple worksheets.
I think a lot of classes would like to create their own weather recording instruments and record the weather over a period of time. Seasonal differences would be interesting. Further to this the older kids could plot their results on graphs.
A weather station could be set up in the school grounds using shop bought weather measuring equipment. A class rota could be created where classes could take it in turns to measure the weather. I. e. daily/weekly/etc.
Children could then watch the Paxi video climate change and then discuss and make predictions about the future if elements such as rainfall or temperature, etc., increase. Or decrease. Children could then brainstorm and discuss and do further research on methods to curb bad trends.
I believe this constitutes STEN.
In order to lead the school in studying and communicating the weather and climate knowledge and ideas I learned, I would share the ESA resources with them. And I would suggest the above to them to form a collective practice.
Manus.