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Hi Rachel,
There has been lots of great ideas both across this module and in the forum for teaching the weather, regardless of what class you are in, pupils love to explore the weather and be a weather reporter whether in Irish or English. I have used A3 maps with symbols in my class for pupils to create their own weather forecast and then present it on the smartboard or using the green screen. They can use lots of topic specific language in their forecasts and also make meaningful connections with the lessons on the weather.
Hi Mary,
Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this module. I agree that the weather station would be best built after a series of lessons on the weather and climate in order to give the pupils more understanding of these concepts and they can make real-life connections as they create their own weather station. Creating their own weather forecasts using a green screen is always great fun, I have tried this as Gaeilge too to support language and vocab development.
I really like your idea to colour code the weather and it would make it an accessible way to record the weather for all pupils. It is a great idea and would make a beautiful weather chart in any classroom.
Hi Patricia
Thanks for sharing the book recommendation Mae among the Stars. It would be a lovely book to explore during Space Week and to link with History as we could explore the lives of people who travelled to Space and the significance of Mae Jemison as the first African American woman to travel into space.
Hi Aisling
Thanks for sharing about NASA’s Daily Moon Guide. I will check this resource out for my own class during Space Week this year.
Hi Adrienne
Citizen Science activities are fantastic for the pupils in our classes as they can compile their own data and look at the data from other areas that is collection. As you have said it makes science meaningful, real and pupils can make connections to their own observations and learning.
HI Mark
Thanks for sharing your plan to observe the night sky. There were lots of great tips to identify the planets in the night sky for the autumn term.
Hi Shona,
Welcome to the course. I like how you plan to explore the concepts of shadows first before moving on to the sundial. Pupils love to explore shadows and tracing them on the yard allows for comparison and critical thinking. I like how you plan to let the pupils work on developing the sundial and recording each hour. This will give them real ownership of their learning and connect their learning about shadows and the sundial. It is also a great topic for integration as you have mentioned.
Hi Roisin
I think it is a great idea to explore the local area initially with pupils and using the Seek app the pupils can take ownership of their learning as they record their observations. I also like how you plan to use flags for each discovery rather than picking wildflowers. Citizen Science projects are a fantastic opportunity for pupils to engage in, as they can record their own data and compare it to others. it is real-life data collection and as you have mentioned an opportunity for pupils to engage with nature and gain a better understanding of biodiversity and become real-life scientists as they gather data. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Michelle
Welcome to the course thanks for your feedback regarding the resources in this module. Using familiar topics and examples from the pupils’ own experiences will engage pupils and give them opportunities to reflect on real-life problems and discuss possible solutions. This may lead to more natural integration with maths whether it is data or using measurements. I agree that STEM education does allow for many opportunities for critical thinking and lots of skills development across different curricular areas in a hands on and active approach as you have mentioned. I hope you enjoy the course and the many more resources across these modules.
Hi Cliodhna
Welcome to the course, thanks for sharing your views on the documentary Home. I agree that is is visually amazing and would grab the attention of senior pupils. I like how you plan to show different clips and show the contrast between healthy forests and cleared land. It would encourage the pupils to observe and critically think about the changes and the effects on the environment. I also agree that showing clips from this documentary depends on the pupils in your class. At times there can be high levels of anxiety among pupils regarding climate change and we have to focus on positive aspects such as the pupils themselves being agents of change and empowering them to make changes in their own locality. As you have said, it is about making it real and hopeful for the students.
Hi Lisa
What a fantastic opportunity to use the pupils’ own local heritage site to bring engineering to life in the classroom. Lots of opportunities for a fully integrated STEM project to explore the pyramid and the history behind it also.
Hi Liadhan
What a fantastic outdoor space to have in your school and so engaging for the pupils to learn about the biodiversity in their local area and become active in planting and digging in the garden too. So many learning opportunities and encouraging pupils to be active in supporting biodiversity in their local area. It is great!
Hi Lisa,
As teachers we can often underestimate the level of resources available in our local tourist office when exploring maps. I really like how you plan to use the tourist map to build on it and create layers to represent woodland, human features etc. This would draw on the pupils’ observation skills and allow for lots of critical thinking and discussion. Linking it with digital tools will allow for more real life connections to their learning and mapping skills.
Hi Margaret,
Welcome to the course. What an ideal location for your school to be in close proximity to Birr Castle and be able to visit the telescope and make meaningful connections with your learning on light.
Third class pupils will need lots of opportunities to explore mirrors and even a level of free play for them to be curious and ask their own questions. As you have said lots of opportunities to explore mirrors and lens over a number of lessons would be ideal for the children to develop their own problems or investigations and then bring that knowledge together in a design and make task.
Hi Maria
Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your thoughts on Liston’s paper. We are all guilty of covering STEM areas as individual subjects and as a disconnected approach but this paper does make us reflect on our approaches and how to make it more meaningful for the pupils, ideally by linking with real-world problems or scenarios.
I am not sure if you are familiar with the STEPS to Engineering project that runs in Term 1. Pupils from 3rd and 4th class identify problems in their local area and then create a prototype or model of solutions to these problems. It is a great project and there are lots of opportunities for skills development across all areas of STEM. As you have mentioned it builds critical thinking, creativity and active citizenship in our pupils.
