[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Bríd-Síle,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your idea on constructing bridges with the learners in your class. I like your discussion and prompt questions to allow for lots of discussion on bridges they know whether in their local area or around the world. You could also consider images of bridges in the local area to further engage the learners specific to their own local area.

I like how you have considered multiple materials for the learners, I would also consider some time for the learners to explore the materials and consider a specific plan before they get to making their bridges. They could also consider some materials from home to help them in their task also.

I like how you are allowing for critical thinking when considering the designs and predicting which would be the strongest. You could consider using specific weights or recording the weights of the coins and objects used for testing the bridge to further enhance mathematical thinking and maths skills.

It is a great opportunity for integration with other curricular areas too as you have mentioned. I hope you enjoy the other modules.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Majella,
Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your observation plan along with the dates that would allow for observation of the moon.

It is important to address the misconception that we only see the moon at night time and observing the moon during the school day will address this and allow for lots of discussion and critical thinking about the moon.

I also really like your plan to create an observation journal to record their observations and consider the different variables as you have outlined. As your observation dates are for the last quarter you could also consider exploring the other phases of the moon using photographs or resources such as Stellarium to further enhance the learners knowledge.

I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Siobhan

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your own observations and thoughts on the night sky in rural Ireland v Dublin. It is unfortunately true that for some learners, they may never experience the dark sky with stars. You could consider taking photos of the night sky in your own local area of the west of Ireland to share with the learners as the photos you have outlined in your post and allow them to make connections and comparisons with what they have experienced themselves. I like how you are planning to make connections with home and allow for more observations at home which would raise awareness of the light pollution at home also.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Naomi,

Welcome to the course. I like how you plan to use Stellarium to help with observations of the night sky at home. This will help the learners to identify the planets of Jupiter and Saturn in November and December as you have outlined. While we can often see the lights in the sky we may not know that it is different planets that we can see which would allow for learning for everyone at home.

I like how you are planning for an observation record where they note the time, direction and weather as this can impact observations too. I like how you have planned for the learners to notice how the planets have changed position in the sky during this time. Thanks for sharing this observation plan.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Niamh

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on creating a sundial for your class level. I agree that the bamboo stick in the pot allows for the task to be accessible for all learners. It also allows for trial and error from the learners as they make their own observations and compare them as you have mentioned. I like your shadow game as the learners engage in playful learning experiences while observing the sun’s location during the day. Sunflowers are also a lovely idea to track where the sun has moved during the day. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Karolina,

Welcome to the course, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the observation plan based on your education setting. I know of the importance of preparing the lesson and trips outdoors to allow for transitions and reduce anxiety as you have said.

I like how you plan to get the learners involved with the help of the SNA where needed to trace the shadow of the pot. I like how you plan to record yourself with photographs to allow for comparison and to sequence the photos which allows for concrete meaningful learning as you have mentioned. Thanks for sharing your plan for your educational setting. It reminds us of what we can do to support all learners in our class to engage in meaningful learning tasks.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Daniel,

Welcome to the course. I also live in rural county cork but can see the impacts of developments on the night sky. You could consider taking photos of the night sky around you and asking learners to do the same to allow for comparisons, depending where the learners live. This might allow for comparison of housing developments v rural housing. It would then allow for the discussion on light pollution in the area as you have outlined. I think it is great to open the discussion on reducing unnecessary lighting and allowing the learners to consider ways to do so. As you have said it would encourage the learners to reflect on real environmental issues in their own local area and consider ways to take action themselves. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Ciara

Welcome to the course, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the biodiversity plan to support nocturnal species.

I like how you are using information from the other modules as part of the plan such as the use of sensor lights or changing the bulbs used in outdoor lights to reduce the impact of lighting on nocturnal species.

I like how you plan to develop the sensory garden too to allow for plants to attract nocturnal insects and moths. While we often think of pollinators and insects we see every day, we can forget the nocturnal insects. I like how you are planning to incorporate this learning across the school and minimise light pollution where possible. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Bernadette

Welcome to the course. I had not heard that mnemonic before either and it is something I will use next year. You could also consider drawing out the cardinal points on the yard to reference for the location of the sun during the day.

I like how you are planning to record different items, the place of the sun in reference to specific points and key landmarks across the day and also looking at the shadows the children created at each stage of the day. You could also consider photographing the shadows created or the outlines of each shadow for further analysis and comparison back in the classroom. It is a great idea to predict at each observation where the sun might be next.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Sam,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the climate reporters task. I agree that there are lots of opportunities for vocabulary development in the video and pre teaching the specific vocabulary will allow the learners to engage with the video more and apply their learning when using the Teal Tool.

I agree that the Teal Tool allows for high ceiling tasks in allowing the learners to explore at their level and allowing for more difficult tasks for some learners and encourage them to present their work in multiple ways. I think that the Teal Tool would be very relevant to learners this year, given the high temperatures we have experienced and the high temperatures across Europe. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Carrie,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your reflection on the activities in light of the paper by Liston.

I agree that there are many opportunities for language and vocabulary development in the lessons but it also gives the learners the opportunity to use this vocabulary in a meaningful way too within the lesson.

I like how you are planning activity 2 in a cross curricular way with opportunities to link with data in maths and making real life links between the concept of averages and mean in maths with the data recorded for the weather. As you have mentioned, it is important to differentiate for the learners in the class and consider multiple ways for the learners to engage and present their learning.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Patrice

Welcome to the course. I really like your investigation for Climate Detectives. I like how you are keeping it specific to the school grounds and allowing the learners ownership in carrying out their own observations and predicting what they can plant to entice more insects and protect the local biodiversity of their school.

I like how you are planning for multiple ways for the learners to present their observations and learning and focusing on different areas in the school such as poly tunnel, flower beds and wild areas and they could look at the observations from each area and allow for discussion on what plants are attracting insects and how to use this information in developing the specific area they are assigned to.

As you have said, this climate detectives research question allows the learners to explore the full process of a scientific investigation. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Laura,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the documentary Home. I agree that the footage used in this documentary is stunning and is a very visual teaching resource.

For the younger classes, it is important to focus on the actions they can take themselves and even incorporating it into the classroom routine such as turning lights off when leaving the room. I like how you are planning to link aspects of the video with practical tasks for the infants such as litter picking and planting their own flowers and vegetables. Hands on tasks like these and linking them to the video will introduce the actions they can take and as you have said it will empower the class to consider actions they can take, this could be at home and even their community.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Barbara

Welcome to the course. It is great to hear your feedback on the activities in this module.

I agree that there are lots of opportunities to develop topic specific vocabulary but also gives the learners the opportunity to use this vocab in discussions and tasks and when sharing their learning. I like the weather or climate resource as it explores both concepts in a relatable manner and explores the differences between the two, there can be many misconceptions about the difference between climate and weather and as you have mentioned the worksheet for this task consolidates their learning and could allow for some assessment also.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Claire.

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Paxi video. I agree that some resources and videos online on the topic of global warming can be a bit heavy and can cause some anxiety in children. However, the Paxi video, as you have mentioned, strikes the perfect balance in outlining the concept in a child-friendly manner.

The Teal tool is a great resource to explore and I agree, having senior classes myself, that the learners using it themselves would depend on the class. It might work as a demonstration or teacher exploring the tool initially on the smart board before the learners work independently. I also agree that it is a fantastic opportunity to integrate with maths and using real life data. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

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