[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Chantelle,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your ideas for observing the moon. It would be a great time to explore during Science Week, you could also consider Space Week in October to observe the moon. It is important that the pupils do have knowledge and understanding about the phases of the moon first to ensure they can make connections between what they see and what they know already. I like how you plan to get the pupils to sketch what they see to record their observations and make comparisons across the week.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Ciara,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing the ideas for the infant classroom. I agree that they will be really curious about the moon and the changes in the moon. It is important to use the moon calendar to ensure you have the best time to observe the moon. I also like how you plan to explore this using art materials too. It is a great opportunity to consolidate their learning and show their understanding in art.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Patricia,
Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your plan. I like how you plan to observe the sun over a week long activity. This would encourage lots of critical thinking as they observe the sun and the changing shadows each day. You could take photos each day to allow for comparisons and these could be added to the notes you have planned for within the lesson.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Michaela

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Liston’s paper. I agree that the STEM acronym can be overused and it is important to explore STEM across all the subjects ensuring there is meaningful learning across all areas for an effective STEM lesson.

I like how you plan to incorporate lots of storybooks and songs to explore the sun with a junior class. As you have said this would encourage discussion and building the knowledge of the concept of the sun and how it travels across the sky.

I hope you enjoy the other modules.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Killian,

Welcome to the course. I am glad that you like Stellarium. It is a great resource to explore in the classroom and when I used it with my own pupils they went on to explore it further at home.

It is a great idea to explore the concept of night and day with the younger classes which will show their knowledge and understanding of the planets also. Older classes do love to explore the constellations, there are also activities online to make 3D constellations which is a big hit with senior pupils.

Thanks for sharing your ideas and I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Emma,

Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on moon observation. I like your idea to create a demo for the children initially to learn about the phases of the moon. They can then develop their own connections between the demo and their own observations of the moon.

I like how you plan to record their observations of the moon in the logbook. This is important to observe over time and note any changes for the children to establish what phase of the moon they can see. While it is a record of their work it will also demonstrate their understanding of this topic.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Aoife

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your lesson idea. The satellite images would allow for lots of discussion and critical thinking as to what season it could be. There are lots of opportunities to compare the photographs also and compare the vegetation as you have mentioned.

The hands on activity you have outlined is a good demo of the sun rotating the earth and would also give the children a good understanding of the changing seasons. As you have said the hands on activities make it easier for children to understand these concepts.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Doireann,

Welcome to the course and I am glad that you found the activities in this module interesting for children. The Paxi video provides a child-friendly explanation of climate change and as you have mentioned it provides ideas for children to take action themselves such as recycling. It is important for the children to recognise the importance of taking action, even if they feel is a small step.  The Teal Tool would also raise awareness of the changes to the climate and highlight the importance of the children taking action in their local community.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Triona,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your thoughts on the documentary Home. It does send a very powerful message regarding the action we need to take for this environmental crisis.

For senior classes this documentary would provide for lots of discussion and you could consider showing smaller clips to the class to support this. It would also give the pupils specific areas to consider when working on posters and projects. There are lots of learning opportunities from this documentary.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Jane,

Welcome to the course and I am glad that you liked the resources outlined in this module. Curious Minds is a fantastic bank of resources for the Irish primary classroom.

The Climate Reporter and Paxi video activities are child friendly and explore the concept of climate change in a child friendly way. As you have said the video would be a great introduction to the topic and lots of discussion following the video would show what prior knowledge the children have and also lead to wondering and exploring. I also like how you plan to use the Teal Tool with children in the class from other countries. It would allow more diverse discussion and critical thinking.

Thanks for sharing your ideas on these resources.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Ainoa Angel,

Welcome to the course and I am glad that you enjoyed the activities in this module. Having used Weather Detectives in my own class they are always engaged in recording the temperature and making comparisons with Met Eireann. We also used the data for our own trend graphs which really brought data to life in my class.

I like your idea to reach out to another class in a different area. I have penpals for my class and it might be a lovely idea to use that to explore weather trends in another area. There are lots of lovely cross curricular options as you have mentioned. Thanks for sharing.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Lora,

What an amazing event to explore the history of the school and to hear about life long ago from the past pupils. Oral history is one thing that can bring history to life and it is important to take these opportunities as they arise and the book you have created is a fantastic record of their learning and of local history. I would have loved to visit your school on the day of the visit. I can just imagine the lovely stories they had to tell.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by Michelle Mannix.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Natasha,

Welcome to the course and I am glad that you will continue to explore GeoHive with your class next year.

Children in the junior end love to explore their school and their own local area and creating their own map using twigs, stones and other materials from nature would be a fantastic learning opportunity for them.

Google Maps is great also. You can show the children the school and zoom in. And as I learned from a visitor to our school last year, if you bring it up on the screen and trace over the school grounds you can create your own scale map of the school for children to use as they explore the school grounds for insects, trees etc.

As you have said for these younger classes it is important to focus on the places they are familiar with.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Veronica,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your thoughts on mapping activities. It is a great opportunity to explore the map of Ireland first and then narrow the focus to their own local area of Dublin as you have mentioned.

Google Maps is a great opportunity for the pupils to explore the city and develop their own digital learning skills. Exploring the areas that are familiar to the pupils will engage them and then exploring this area using GeoHive will allow the children to compare and contrast the area over time and develop many skills in both history and geography.

Creating their own maps is a fantastic opportunity for the pupils to demonstrated their learning in a meaningful context.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Karen,

Welcome to the course and I am delighted that you have lots of resources from this module that you can use with your class next year.

Weather or Climate provides practical examples for the pupils to demonstrate the difference between the two concepts. As you have said when they are clear on the difference between them, the pupils can learn more about the individual topics without confusion.

Weather detectives gives the pupils real ownership of their learning as they are the ones to create the weather instruments and collect the data. As you have said it will maintain their interest and keep them engaged for longer. If you had a friend teaching in a contrasting area it would be great idea to explore the differences between their locations over time. Otherwise you could consider collecting this data at different times each school year to compare seasonal changes etc. I hope you enjoy the course

[Author]

Posts