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I really like the space dress up day for space week where the children get to dress up as Aliens. It really gives them an opportunity for creativity and imagination, while most children will also be able to think about what protections and added body parts the alien might need on their planet.
Activity set: Rockets and Aliens
To begin I would read the story “Aliens in Underpants Save the World” for enjoyment and discussion.
To get the children thinking about rockets I would show the video of a rocket launching.
Then we will make a simple rocket mouse and play with them for a while. Then we will formulate a questin to investigate like – which bottles makes the rocket mouse jump higher. The children will make predictions and discuss how to make the test fair e.g. using the same rocket mouse on different bottles. Finally we will record our results.To take the next step we will brainstorm other things that fly through the air and what they have in common.
STEM: who cam create the paper aeroplane that travels the furthest?
PE: look at the foam arrows and play around with different heights when throwing and projections.
The Tiny Seed read aloud is a lovely story that I hadn’t come across before thank you for sharing. I really like the connection between weather and nurturing plant growth.
Activity set: weather
To identify prior knowledge I would ask children if they know any animals that live in the cold and what they look like.Then I would play the video How do Arctic Animals survive in cold weather? as a spark with the children to engage them and to get them thinking and talking about how these animals have adapted to the cold.
Show the pictures of the penguin and polar bear. Tell the children that the areas where the polar bears and the penguins live are so cold that this thick layer of fat is not enough. That’s why the polar bear also has a thick coat of fur and the penguin has a thick layer of feathers.
Brainstorm in pairs – what do people do when they feel very cold.
Discuss with the children that the penguin’s feathers and the polar bear’s fur are also covered in a layer of grease to repel water. Rub Vaseline on one of each child’s hands. Now the children also have a greasy layer on their skin. Drip some water on this hand. What happens to the water? Come to the conclusion that the water rolls off the hand with the greasy layer
Show the children the picture of the polar bear and penguin again. What do you notice? When they point out colour explain that the animals that live at the North and South Poles are often white, like the polar bear. This means they don’t stand out in the snow which helps them to hunt unseen. Penguins have a black back and a white front. So when they are swimming in the dark water they cannot be seen from above. And looking from underneath their white front blends in with the colour of the sky. This makes it harder to catch them.
Read the Rain, Wind and Storm story from What Clothes to Wear activity and get the children to do the actions.
STEM: design a coat that you could wear in Ireland. Consider different factors such as
-what season is it?
-what material will they use
-how can they make it practical
-first plan and draw the coat then create it by collage on card.
Experiment: do the Hot and Cold ice-cube experiment and record the resultsI would choose the activity set: Stars
To engage the children I would show the One Billion + Stars video
Next I would do the activity from universe in a box where you out marbles in a jar and ask if there are more stars in the sky than marbles in the jar. Then add more marbles to the amount of pupils in the class, then fill the jar with marbles and ask if there are more stars.
Using the chromebooks the children will access the Britannica Launchpack Space Exploration Years 3 – 5 and look at the videos and do the activities in the pack.
Then we will listen to the constellation song
In maths we will do a poll for what to name a star. We will gather the information and graph the results.
Finally in Art we will draw an alien on white paper with white wax crayons. Then we will paint a dark sky background over it. To finish the children will add lots of stars using combs and toothbrushes.That sounds like a good lesson to use for STEM week. I can see how it can be adapted for all levels. I like the idea of children taking pictures that can be shown in school of the constellations.
Hi Carol Anne. The wakey wakey song is a lovely way to the start the lesson. I love the sorting activity in groups giving access to all learners. It’s a very interactive lesson that I’m sure the children would really enjoy.
Paula
I would choose the activity set: The Sun and Shadows
To engage the children I would show pictures of astronomer slooking at the sky and then ask the children to daw a picture of the sky at night and during the day with accompanying sentences if possible.
Following this we will read the book Moon Bear’s Shadow discussing his shadow in different situations and when he has a shadow.
After looking at shadows of objects in the classroom using torches and various objects in the classroom, I would bring the children outside and get them to find their shadow. For fun the children will then draw their partner’s shadow using chalk.
On another day I would close the blinds and look at the uv beads with the children talking about their colour. The we will make bracelets and go outside to observe the effects of the sun’s light on the beads. We will discuss the danger of uv rays and importance of wearing suncream and not looking directly at the sun.Hi Sean. I really like this activity as you are helping the children to focus the research by providing background information and relevant resources but also giving them the autonomy to come up with solutions to the problem in groups. The final presentation I find works well along with the opportunity for other students to ask questions and offer possible modifications and improvements. I would often let the groups revisit their project after this step to allow them to think about advice they have received from peers and make any changes they wish.
Learning Objectives:
design and make a boat that will float
explore the relationship between the shape of the boat and the weight it will carry
To engage the children I will ask them to roll a piece of plasticine into a ball and drop it into the basin of water. Did it sink or float?
Predict: could we get the plasticine to float?
Ask the children to play around with the plasticine to see if they can get it to float.
Children record the results in 2 boxes: sink and float. They would do this by simply drawing the shape of the plasticine in the relevant box e.g. draw a ball in sink
Look at some record sheets as a class and discuss the shapes that floated.Wonder- What shape floats best?
Next steps: look at pictures of boats and their shape. Watch video of a boat cutting through the water. Discuss what we see.
Design and make: make a boat with plasticine that will float and carry as many passengers (peas) as possible.Hi. My name is Paula and I will be teaching first class in September.
A space fact that I like is that the moon is the shape of a lemon. While I appreciate that it is more of a slightly flattened sphere, I love the reaction from children when you say this to them and their curiosity about why this is the case.
