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Hello Niamh,
Thanks for sharing your activity. The planet pictures are a nice hook and a good way to start predictions, sorting and investigation. Asking about temperature is a good way to get the children linking the sun and heat. They might make the link that planets do get cooler the further away they are from the sun. However, Venus, not Mercury, is actually the hottest planet, because its incredibly dense atmosphere traps heat. That could make a fun surprise fact to share with the children!
Hello Stephanie,
Welcome to the forum. Using the teddy bear as an engagement stimulus is a wonderful way to get the children to think about where they are on the planet. The use of the hula hoops and bean bags is a great way to add activity and i like the inclusion of explaining the sun is too hot to land on!
To strengthen the inquiry aspect further, you could introduce a question for the children to investigate during the lesson and encourage them to make predictions before learning about the planets. This would give them more opportunities to discover ideas for themselves and make their thinking visible throughout the lesson.
Hello Kate,
Welcome to the forum,
Welcome to the forum. This sounds like a fun way to introduce the Solar System. I like how you use music, discussion, and visual supports to cater for different learning styles and help pupils remember the names and order of the planets.
This lesson does a good job of engaging pupils and encouraging curiosity. To strengthen the inquiry aspect, you could introduce a question for pupils to investigate and encourage them to make predictions before learning the facts. Afterwards, you could discuss what they got right, did anything surprise them?
Hello Sinéad,
Welcome to the forum. This is a lovely inquiry-based lesson. I like how you begin with open-ended questions and encourage pupils to share their own ideas before investigating. The outdoor observations and torch activities give children the opportunity to test their predictions. The shadow art activity is a nice way to combine science with creativity. The chalk shadow extension is also a fantastic idea and could lead to further discussions about how shadows change throughout the day and why.
Hello Emily,
Welcome to the forum, and thank you for sharing your reflection. This is a very thoughtful and inclusive approach that provides multiple ways for pupils to engage. I like how you have considered different communication needs and ensured that all pupils can participate meaningfully.
In terms of the ESERO inquiry framework, your activity does a great job of engaging pupils and providing opportunities for exploration. To strengthen the inquiry aspect further, you could introduce a simple question for pupils to investigate, such as “Which planet is the biggest?” or “How big is the moon?” You could also encourage pupils to make predictions before sorting or matching activities and then discuss what they discovered. This would help bring the process of questioning, exploring, and reflecting while maintaining the accessibility of the lesson.
Hello Wendy,
Welcome to the forum, this is a lovely set of inclusive and varied activities for younger children to grapple with the idea of the moon and changing phases. I like that the variety of activities engage different senses. How would you fit this into the ESERO framework? What questions would you ask to trigger their curiosity about the moon?
Hello Aisling,
Creating a scene to cast shadows onto is a great way to teach this concept. At the beginning of the session you could ask the children what they think will happen when the torch is moved closer and further away from the bear, how would the may a big or small shadow? And get them to use their scene to explore these questions. Can you make bears shadow bigger than the tree?
I love the superhero symbol idea too!Hello Sharon,
Welcome to the forum. I like the idea of linking sleep to the sun and shadows. The night time and dark can be scary for children and understanding why night time happens and where shadows come from can be empowering for them.
A fun extension activity can be to get children to predict how their shadow might look in different poses with different directions of light on them. What kind of shapes can they make their shadow into?Hello Doireann,
Thank you for sharing this lesson. I think this would be a lovely activity for a Senior Infants class. Using the teddy bear is a great way to grab the childrens attention.
Splitting the children into small groups lets them make predictions, test their ideas, and talk about what is happening in play. Tracing the shadows is an excellent way to record their observations and can act as a reference for the children during the discussion part of the lesson.
Hello Alyson,
Welcome to the forum. Beginning with the man on the moon is an excellent idea to stimulate the children’s imagination. There are lots of legends about the moon world wide which can be an opportunity to learn about different places and cultures too.
Oreos are an excellent way to engage children about the moon phases. There is also the potential to use the outside biscuit to talk about eclipses and introduce the relative positions of earth, moon and sun to them!Hello Irene,
Welcome to the forum.
This is a nice inquiry-based lesson that encourages observation, questioning and investigation. I like how you begin with the children’s own experiences of shadows to develop their understanding.
The opportunities to make predictions and test how shadows change in size and shape is a great way to begin learning about the suns movement. As an extension, the children could choose a spot outside (weather and clouds permitting) and trace their shadows at different times during the day to compare the results, leading to further discussion about the Sun’s position in the sky. If weather is poor (unfortunately likely) this could be done with models and flash light you mentioned in your post, moving the flashlight around and inviting the children to trace its shadow.
Hello Gail,
Welcome to the forum. I think this is a great activity. It encourages children to make predictions, investigate for themselves, and discuss their findings. Through the activity, they may discover that only certain metal objects are attracted to magnets, which can lead to further questions.
I also like how the lesson helps children explore the idea of forces. We cannot directly feel the force of magnetism ourselves, but we can observe (and feel) its effects on objects that experience it. Recording their findings in a journal is a great way to encourage reflection and develop their scientific thinking.
Hi Margaret,
Welcome to the course.
I like this activity as it offers lots of opportunities for discussion about how unique every fingerprint is, and how unique every human is. It’s also a little messy, which children tend to enjoy!
Older children might also enjoy playing detective with a few extra steps. They can press their fingers onto a hard, smooth surface (like the mirror in your example) and then lightly brush cornflour over the print using a fluffy paintbrush or makeup brush. The natural oils in the fingerprint will catch the flour particles. The excess flour can be blown or tapped off. Next, place a piece of Scotch tape over the fingerprint, gently press it down, and lift the print with the tape. The tape can then be placed onto dark card to make the fingerprint easier to see.
You could then ask the children why being able to lift and examine fingerprints might be useful.
Hello Caoimhe,
This is a wonderful activity that encourages prediction, observation, and discussion. I especially love the teddy bear element, as it gives the children something meaningful to connect what they are learning with. Wanting to keep Teddy dry and comfortable adds meaning to their investigation.
Hi Laura, Welcome to the forum.
This is a great activity well matched to infant classes and provides plenty of opportunities for observation, discussion, and questioning. The use of the torch on a globe is an effective way to make this abstract concept more relatable for young learners.
The drawing and observation activities are a great way to encourage children to connect what they have learnt with their own environment.
