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Thank you for recommending the Seek App, Gearldine. I hadn’t used it before, but it looks like a great tool. I’m definitely planning to introduce it to the class in the upcoming school year.
To conduct a seasonal biodiversity project across the school year, I would use tree/nature identification guides and nature observation recording sheets from the course resources. Recommended websites such as ‘Birdwatching Ireland,’ ‘Tree Council of Ireland’ and ‘Wildflowers of Ireland’ would be very useful also. The year would be divided into four seasonal surveys; Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer, focusing on changes in plants, insects, birds, and weather.
Students would use spotter sheets and tally charts to record findings during regular outdoor sessions, ideally once every two weeks. We’d explore different habitats around the school, eg. grassy areas, hedgerows, and trees, to observe how biodiversity changes with the seasons.
Resources needed include tablets/camera, clipboards, pencils, weather data charts, and a simple class biodiversity journal. We’d also create a wall display that updates each season with photos, sketches, and key discoveries.
Cross-curricular links would include activities from the following subjects; Science -life cycles, habitats, weather. Maths -data collection, graphing findings. Art -drawing species, leaf rubbings.
This project would encourage observation, care for the environment, and teamwork, while embedding outdoor learning into our regular school routine.Hi Veronica,
Great idea! Using Google Maps in small groups makes learning interactive and helps students connect with their local area, which is perfect preparation for drawing their own maps.
As a teacher of First and Second class I would use some of the following online data sets in my teaching of data in maths;
· Simple online data sets, like weather reports, zoo animal counts, or sports scores, help children see how maths is used every day. For example, weather websites can show daily temperatures. Children can record this and create bar charts, learning to compare numbers and talk about the hottest or coldest days. Using real-world data makes learning more fun and meaningful.
· Animal data from a zoo site can help students make pictograms or tally charts. They can count how many of each animal there are and answer questions like “Which animal is most common?” A class survey, such as favourite fruit or pets, can be turned into a simple graph. This helps children collect, organise, and talk about data from their own lives.
· These activities connect maths to real-world situations like shopping, weather forecasting, transport, and sport. They also build early skills in reasoning and communication. Using colourful visuals and digital tools, students stay engaged while developing important maths skills. Overall, real data shows children that maths is not just numbers on a page, it is something we use every day to understand and make decisions about the world around us.
I really like your lesson idea, Margaret. I’m sure the children would enjoy comparing their own telescopes to the one at Birr Castle, it sounds like a fun and engaging way to bring history and science together!
After reading Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (Liston, 2018), I’ve started to reflect on how STEM is taught in my classroom. While we cover science, technology, and maths regularly, they’re often taught separately, and engineering only appears now and then through projects. Liston challenges this kind of disconnected approach. Instead, he encourages a more connected and meaningful way of teaching STEM, one that’s inclusive, socially aware, and focused on real-world issues.
What really stood out to me was his idea that STEM isn’t just about skills and content, it’s also about culture, values, and ethics. It made me think- Are we helping students consider who benefits from new technology? Are we giving them space to think about how science affects different communities? Are we encouraging them to reflect on the responsibilities that come with knowledge?
Moving forward, I’d like to bring more real-world, hands-on learning into my STEM lessons. For example, students could work on projects like designing eco-friendly communities or solving local environmental problems. I also think adding storytelling, like learning about the lives and achievements of diverse scientists and engineers would make STEM feel more personal and inspiring.
Liston’s work has helped me see STEM not just as a group of subjects, but as a powerful way to build critical thinking, creativity, and active citizenship in young people.