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Activity 1:
I think this would work well with my 5th class however personally with my classes I don’t think the topic of birthdays would work to begin. I find they work better with a joint experience to start such as sports day, the first day of school etc. It could then be developed to their individual birthdays. I do think they would enjoy this lesson as an introduction. After question 1 I would display pupil page and highlight on IWB which category they put each into. Have them develop oral language skills to describe why they made that choice. Use this discussion to base their answers for q2.
Activity 2
This trend graph would work v. well with my 6th class. I would I would probably aim to complete this after we have completed trend graphs in Maths as it would be excellent revision that is also applied, which is great. Additionally averages will be completed in Maths therefore I would complete this as revision. I would spend a little longer teaching how to read a thermometer before starting this topic as I have completed this activity with a 5th class previously and some results coming back were way off. I would be unsure of the answer if there was a difference from the internet value (if it was in the shade, no hands used, place where wind can flow freely).Hi Helen, This sounds like a very good plan. I think even the time frame your talking about is realistic and it might be something I also do next year, picking one focus to include each term.
William Rowan Hamilton was a Dublin mathematician and physicist who lived in the 1800s. One of his important discoveries was about how light behaves when it passes through different materials, like water or glass. He studied how light bends or changes direction, a process called refraction.
Hamilton’s work helped scientists understand the way light travels and changes, which is important in things like glasses, cameras, and even how rainbows form. His discoveries about light are still used today in science and technology to design lenses and improve optical devices.
Adding to my lesson on light from module 1, I can use Hamilton’s story to show how scientists use math and careful observation to figure out how light works. A simple activity, like shining a flashlight through water or a glass and watching how the light bends, can help students see Hamilton’s ideas in action. By linking the experiment to his discoveries, students can appreciate that science is about asking questions and exploring the world, just like Hamilton did.For this lesson, I want the students to explore bridge building with a connection to Dublin geography. We’ll start by looking at different types of bridges in Dublin, such as the Ha’penny Bridge and the Samuel Beckett Bridge. I’ll show photos and have a discussion about why bridges are important and how natural features like rivers and valleys influence their design. Next, I’ll introduce some basic engineering ideas such as load, tension, and balance, and explain how the materials they’ll be using (popsticle sticks, straws, string, tape, etc.) affect the strength of their bridges.
Then, I’ll give out a worksheet that guides students to sketch their own bridge design, list the materials they plan to use, and outline the steps they will follow to build it. I’ll encourage them to think about what kind of Dublin bridge their design resembles and how the local geography, especially the River Liffey, influences bridge construction in the city.
After that, the students will work in small groups to build their bridges. Once built, they’ll test how much weight their bridge can hold using coins or small objects and record their observations on the worksheet.
To finish, we’ll have a group discussion about which bridges held up the best and why. I’ll ask students to share how their bridge design relates to real Dublin bridges and what they learned about geography through the process.
Maths link: measures, height, width, length. Experiment will make it longer make it stronger / weaker, how to make it longer while maintaining strength.For this lesson, I want the students to explore bridge building with a connection to Irish geography. We’ll start by looking at different types of bridges in Dublin, such as the Ha’penny Bridge and the Samuel Beckett Bridge. I’ll show photos and have a discussion about why bridges are important and how natural features like rivers and valleys influence their design.
Next, I’ll introduce some basic engineering ideas such as load, tension, compression, and balance, and explain how the materials they’ll be using (popsticle sticks, straws, string, tape, etc.) affect the strength of their bridges.
Then, I’ll give out a worksheet that guides students to sketch their own bridge design, list the materials they plan to use, and outline the steps they will follow to build it. I’ll encourage them to think about what kind of Dublin bridge their design resembles and how the local geography, especially the River Liffey, influences bridge construction in the city.
After that, the students will work in small groups to build their bridges. Once built, they’ll test how much weight their bridge can hold using coins or small objects and record their observations on the worksheet.
To finish, we’ll have a group discussion about which bridges held up the best and why. I’ll ask students to share how their bridge design relates to real Dublin bridges and what they learned about geography through the process.
Maths link: measures, height, width, length. Experiment will make it longer make it stronger / weaker, how to make it longer while maintaining strength.Seasonal biodiversity project for my school: I will begin the project in September, when bees are still active. Students will start by learning about the parts of a flower and how pollination works. We will then introduce Ireland’s Pollinator Plan, identifying key pollinators and what they need to survive.
In September and October, classes will carry out flower-insect counts, recording which pollinators they find and where. These observations help students understand pollinator activity and how to support it. (I am still nervous about allergies)
During the winter months, when bees are in hibernation, the focus will shift to planning improvements for our school grounds. Students will map the area, identify existing pollinator-friendly spots, and suggest new ones. As part of this, we could plant lavender to attract more bees, I didn’t know this before but I have a decent amount of lavender in my garden and every time of gone out to it this summer my flowers have had multiple bees on the flowers- I think it’s the lavender that’s attracting them.
From March to June, students will repeat their insect counts, graph their results, and hopefully see signs of improvement. They can share their findings and ideas with younger classes to help grow the project.
Curriculum links include:
• Maths (data recording and graphing)- this would be good for the new curriculum,
• Science (plants, habitats, caring for the environment)
• English (oral language, presentations)
• Geography (natural and local environment)I teach maps a similar way, I find it hard to change the plan each year, I’m teaching 4th-6th almost the same lesson. I wish we could see examples of sample maps from infants to 6th.
Children will map our school park which has several plants and trees around it. Students will explore the school park to map vegetation at different heights. Working in small groups, they’ll observe and draw what plants grow at three levels:
1. On the ground (e.g., grass, moss, small flowers),
2. At 1 metre high (e.g., shrubs, tall wildflowers),
3. Above 1 metre (e.g., trees).
Each group will use a clear poly pocket placed over a printed base map and draw one layer using coloured markers. Alternatively they can draw on the map and transfer it in the classroom. They’ll label what they find and mark location. The children can then bring out the Ipads and use PlantNet to identify the plants they found and mark them in the key using numbers as suggested in the video. When they go back to the classroom they could research some of this plants finding questions like are bees attracted to this type of plant.I like this idea, we have a fox that the kids love to race to the window to see whenever he passes. I never thought to get them to research red foxes.
To introduce the topic, I would begin with the initial activity suggested in the resource: placing a glass prism on the classroom window ledge. As sunlight passes through the prism and produces rainbow patterns on the walls, it is likely to capture the pupils’ attention and naturally spark curiosity. I anticipate that this will lead to questions about what causes the rainbow effect and how it works, I would get the children to write their questions on sticky notes and stick them to the whiteboard. This would lead into a series of lessons on light, beginning with the idea that white light is composed of seven different colours. To teach this concept, I would carry out the rainbow spinner activity as listed. This is a simple but very effective demonstration that helps children understand that white light can be broken into individual colours—and that those colours can also be recombined to recreate white light. To integrate a maths link, I would have the children use a compass to draw a circle, divide 360 degrees by 7, and measure the angles using a protractor. They would colour each section, make a hole in the centre (the pencil method seems easier) and spin the disc to observe the outcome. Their observations would be recorded in their SESE copies.
When teaching the topic of lenses, I would probably start with reflection as the kids already are familiar with this. We would play the mirror game where you copy someone else’s movements facing each other, I would draw attention to one person is using their right hand and one is using their left hand etc. I would then go into the activities on the reflecting light resource. I would use the reflecting light 10 minute activity shining the torch on different objects and asking questions. The children would be given a torch in groups and task sheet 1. I would use the activities outlined in resources, but for some of the experiments would need to organise them into a station-based format. Then they would go onto task 2 making a periscope, and then the look even further task 3.
For many of the other ideas I would use stations as we don’t have enough resources in our school to do this on a whole class basis. Each station would be supported with prompt questions and diagrams to complete, helping to guide the children’s thinking and ensure focused engagement. This format also helps with classroom management and resources.
One station would involve the straw-in-water demonstration. Children would view the straw from different angles and describe what they notice. The aim would be for them to identify that the straw appears bent at the surface of the water, introducing the concept of refraction.
Another station would explore reflection through a mirror writing task, alongside the worksheet on page 3 of the “Mirror writing” document.
Further stations would focus on convex and concave lenses. With the convex lens, children would observe how it magnifies objects when viewed up close and then investigate how this changes at a distance. They would also be encouraged to consider real-life examples of where convex lenses are used. At the concave lens station, children would carry out similar observations, comparing the effect to that of the convex lens.
The final station would involve exploring a selection of simple telescopes. The aim here would be to encourage open-ended exploration and curiosity, helping children make connections between what they’ve learned and real-world applications. This also serves as a bridge to the next lesson.
To conclude the series of lessons, we would come together as a class to share our findings from each station. This discussion would lead into the next phase, where children begin designing and making their own simple telescopes.
