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I love the idea of exploring the changes within 20 years and how the can involve their families in their exploration if this research topic.
For module 5 the research question I have developed is ‘How does the melting of the polar ice caps and rising in sea temperatures affect marine life’. Throughout my teaching experience if I’ve learnt one thing it is that children adore the sea. They love the idea of the bottomless depths where anything could lie hidden. To put it simply children find it interesting and therefore would find this research question engaging and fun to explore.
I would start off a lesson based on this question by drawing mind maps of sketches, terminologies and key subjects involving our topic. We could discuss these explorations and watch a few news clips and informative YouTube videos on the affects of the polar ice caps melting and rising in sea temperatures on marine life in different areas of the world.We could make use of sites such as the National Geographic and more like it .
We would then discuss how these problems cause issues for marine life ?How through these issues the composition of the sea itself is being altered affecting the ,marine species that call it their home.Marine animals are losing their habitats and finding their food sources disappearing. We could create model beaches with play sand and other craft items before seeing the effects of us flooding them to test the effects of the melting of polar ice caps.
I find the idea of allowing the children to track environmental changes and natural disasters. It shows a real life situation where their learning comes in clutch allowing them to engage further in their learning and lessons.
The app I chose to download to complete this module’s task was ‘Satellite Tracker’ an amazing resource ,which I believe children would find interactive and fun to use. It does however come with the cost of 49c .The app itself gives you updates to when satellites will next pass over your area in a countdown form.From the app I learnt that the satellites that have recently passed by my vicinity/ireland are as follows;
-The ISS
-METEOR PRIRODA
-COSMOS 1833
-SKYMED 1
-OKEAN O
The ISS is more commonly known as ‘The international space station’, Its platform orbiting earth at around 400 kilometres and that is supportive of scientific research, technological development. It serves as a home where crews of astronauts and cosmonauts live as well as a host to a unique science laboratory.
I love the idea of breaking down the topic and interconnecting it with different subjects .I think students will engage well with this tactic of teaching as they can find a part of the subject they have a passion for.
After watching the short documentary ‘Home’ by Yann Arthus-Bertrand the least I can say is that it is food for thought.It points out the flaws in our society and how easy it for one country to cast blame upon another while really it is an international issue which each nation should join together and unite to solve this worldwide issue. The documentary uses the tactic of shock to open our eyes to the ugly sides of climate change and really we must change. the fact that this documentary was posted 4 years ago and released in 2009 is shocking. In a5 years we have not even begun to stop this issue, in fact we’ve made it worse doing irreparable damage to out planet. Upon our return to school I will most definitely be showing this to my class as it is something that needs to be seen and something students need to be exposed to as it is their future this issue will affect and the issue of generations upon generations to come. The shocking visual concepts and infographics of this documentary would be I hope helpful in a classroom as it would allow the children to truly absorb the information in it . From the beginning where it showcases the beauty and rich history of our planet to its climax where it exposes its slippery downfall since human society formed 200,00p years ago. This documentary is truly a work of art .
I love the idea of walk on Wednesdays , it’s such a great idea to promote the greener way of living and educate the children in a hands on way of climate change. It is a way they can make their own difference while learning and allow them to engage further in the topic .
Activity 3 : To begin my lesson for module 2 , I would first show my class the paxi video on this topic as I’ve found in my experience children can both respond and engage well with visual learning, especially with videos as informative and creative as the paxi ones.
I would follow up with a discussion on greenhouse gases and their effects. We will discuss tactics and efforts to end their consequences on our environment. In our society I hope to found the children will have a background knowledge on this topic but as I’ve learned in teaching you can never assume. I will have pre prepared a PowerPoint on this topic with things such as recycling ,reuse, the bottle return project, electric cars and environmentally friendly modes of creating energy. Children can share their opinions on this and their own efforts if they have any at home.
Finally I would introduce the temperature predictor tool to the class and explain how it works and why it is functional and useful to us. It can be used to show temperature changes in our vicinity and future temperatures. We could create grafs using data from this tool. A great way to introduce different types of grafs and charts to the children.
I love the idea of having the older children comparing a diy anemometer to a bought one as it incorporates science and technology seamlessly into an activity which can then be used by other years in the school.
I found this module extremely helping in terms of methods to teach Stem to primary school children , filled with resources I can use in my teaching this coming school year.
I feel the videos by ‘Paxi’ do an incredible job of explaining the difference between the 2 topics of climate and weather incredibly and clearly for younger children so that they can grasp the topics and there differences accordingly.
I loved reading the paper “Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics” by Dr Maeve Liston. It showed me what parts of stem we take for granted and how truly interconnection all of the parts are ; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.Their connections allow them to be taught accordingly to show children how to open their minds up to out of the box thinking and critical thinking , skills they will need throughout life.
An activity I cannot wait to try in my own school/class would be to build a weather station , it’s an amazing opportunity for children to learn in a hands on and creative way. They would learn how to use equipment such as a thermometer, rain gauge and perhaps an anemometer which would link in science as well as technology already . They could create things like tables are grafs to show the changing of weather and display the level of rainfall.
This module is an incredible asset to teaching not only the ‘S’ of ‘STEM’ but it in entirety.
Helen , I love this hands on activity , as it truly allows the students to engage and learn in a creative and fun way ! Allowing them to absorb more information .
While teaching a younger class during space week , this is the rough lesson plan spanning the 5 days in which I can promote space , encourage an interest in it and how it can be both educational and fun to learn about . I created this lesson plan using ideas from not only the previous modules but also online resources.
Monday: Galaxy
Discuss our galaxy , contents ? Solar system ? Aliens ? How much do we know about our galaxy ? How big is it ? Following the discussion I would recreate a hands on activity to further engagement. For this topic , creating Galaxy glow-in-the-dark sensory bottles.
Tuesday : Stars
To begin the lesson , I would encourage the exploration of what stars are. What are they made of ? How old are stars ? What do they look like ? What are constellationms ? Yet again following this discussion, another hands on project would be recreated, in this case being creating our own constellations using paper, pens beads etc
Wednesday : The Solar system
For the start of this lesson , I would have the children discuss and exchange their ideas and opinions of what a solar system is ? How big they are ? How many planets are in a solar system ? And how big they are / small ? Following this I would recreate another experiment and the children could design and create their own physical solar systems from either styrofoam, clay or play dough . After this they could present their creations to the class.
Thursday: The Moon
First off I would have the children explain to me their knowledge of our moon. It’s changing stages , effects on earth (eg ocean) and what they think its importance is. We would then read stories about the man on the moon, watching the short movie as well ‘La Luna’ . https://youtu.be/7UMecxjQAvk?si=eWIsGcjo1UXxZnDK . Following on from this we could continue into the topic of rocket ships and spacecrafts . I would discuss with the children what makes a good rocket ship and have them each design and create their own rocket ships following the basic outlines I would provide. They could then display these around the classroom or hallways in honour of space week.
Friday : Aliens
I would first of all kick off the lesson by reading the popular children’s book ‘Aliens love underpants ‘ . Following reading we would then begin the discussion over what is an alien ? How do we know they’re aliens ? Where would you find an alien ? Etc . Children could write their opinions /answers on paper and hold on to it for later in the lesson .As a fun activity then I would have the children divide in to pairs and close their eyes. They would take turns to pretend that their partner is a
Martian visiting earth . They have to ask each other what the physical
appearance of a Martian looks like. What size are you? What colour are you? Do you have arms/legs/eyes just like humans? Allow the children to then sketch their version of what their Martian will look like. Finally they could decorate them further, display around the school and we would revisit the earlier questions (what is an alien etc) and correct our mistakes.
We see day to day how vital STEM truly is, it is everything around us and in the future . Therefore it is incredibly important that it is taught properly in schools and not brushed over as it not a compulsory subject such as English or maths . I always try to make sure when teaching lessons involving science that I give the same time and preparation that I would for any other subject. Because of this I find online resources incredibly helpful a classroom aid to add creativity and fun to science lessons . It’s incredible to think as a teacher that we are helping to educate the next generation of scientists, engineers and so much more ! A website I love to use is Science for Kids – Fun Experiments, Cool Facts, Online Games, Activities, Projects, Ideas, Technology . I find great experiment ideas , learning games and project ideas to incorporate into my lessons ,which the children always seem to love and interact with well. I have found amazing experiment ideas for example harnessing gratification electricity with balloons .
