[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Elizabeth

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your moon observation plan. It is important to plan for moon observations to identify the best times to observe the moon in the morning sky. This may address the misconception that the moon is only out at night. You should also consider how the learners will record their observations and compare them. This could be in little notebooks or even taking photographs. By using photographs you could also compare them to the different phases of the moon that you have mentioned.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Lyndsy

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your constellation art idea which sounds ideal for 2nd class. Showing the learners a video would be really engaging prior to the hands on activity and you could also consider using Stellarium to show the different constellations in the night sky as a follow up from the activity and asking the learners to identify the different constellations based on what they have learned from making them.

I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Sean

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your lesson ideas for light pollution. I agree that with overly populated areas such as Dublin the wonder of the night sky can be sometimes lost and it is a loss of learning for the learners in that area also.

I think for the learners to experience the night sky you could consider photos of the night sky from rural areas and compare them to photos of the night sky in their own local area. This would allow for lots of discussion and critical thinking as to the difference between the two and then lead to a discussion light pollution. I like your idea of the Star Jar and how you can follow up on this with observing the lighting on the school grounds for further consolidation of the learning on light pollution. The learners may then recognise action they can take themselves at home to reduce light pollution.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Siobhan,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the resource and video in this module.

The video is a great resource and as you have mentioned, it explains night and day in a very visual way. You could consider watching this prior to the day and night song and activity to consolidate their learning and then you could consider how to extend the learning on nocturnal animals with the ESERO 30 Day and Night activity. I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.

 

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Ciara,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the documentary Home. It is very visually appealing for the learners and I think it’s best to choose aspects of the video that you feel are most suitable for the learners in your class.
I agree that there can be a level of anxiety among some children in relation to climate change and it is important to be more positive and solution focused. I like how you are planning to explore this topic across multiple curricular areas, identifying the actions the learners can take and building their own sense of responsibility. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Ornaith,

Welcome to the course. It is great to hear that you liked the activities in the module and found them very practical.

Both activities encourage the learners to share their thoughts and observations in class discussions, while activity 2 does also allow for the development of mathematical and investigation skills. As you have mentioned, recording the weather and gathering their own data gives the learners ownership of their learning.

I think that comparing their own data with that of Met Eireann would also be very engaging for the learners and further enhance the real-life scenarios in STEM learning. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Triona

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the documentary Home. I agree that the learners would need prior knowledge of the greenhouse effect prior to watching the video to ensure they can engage with the content. While the documentary is very stimulating, you could choose specific aspects of the video to explore with your class as you know their prior knowledge and what areas would be of interest to them which would also allow you to focus the learning. I also like how you plan to use the video to inspire a debate which would be very engaging and meaningful for the learners.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Alyson

Welcome to the course, well done on all your work in the other modules so far. It is great to hear your feedback about the Nose High Up in the Sky resource. Space can be a huge interest area for the learners and my own class always look forward to October and Space Week every year where I try to plan as thematically as I can.

The Nose High Up in the Sky does allow for the learners to become more active in their learning and collaborating with others and sharing their thoughts in class discussions. As you have said, there are opportunities for assessment also. There are lots of opportunities for cross curricular integration also in areas of STEM and also the Arts.

Thanks for sharing.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Fidelma

Welcome to the course, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Paxi video. It is a very age appropriate resource to help with understanding a complex scientific topic as you have mentioned.

The Teal tool allows for the learners to explore future temperatures and while it is important to develop digital skills, you could consider exploring the Tool initially on the board and looking at countries that your class are familiar with. It is a great opportunity to build on the knowledge from the Paxi video. The learners could then work independently to explore the tool and make their own observations. As you have mentioned, the learners could then consider the action they can take themselves and represent this in multiple ways such as posters or writing persuasive letters. It is important to empower our learners to take their own actions and as you have said consider how these collective actions can help protect the environment.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Robert,

Welcome to the course. It is great to hear that you found the activities practical and engaging. They do allow for lots of hands on learning in the senior classes and I like how you are considering the cross-curricular opportunities also.

I also like how you are planning for more STEM integration in designing the weather shelter to house the weather instruments such as the thermometer. As you have said it allows for collaboration, problem solving and making connections to real-life problems also. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Enya,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for your feedback on the resources and activities in this module.

Activity 1 provides a good explanation of the difference between weather and climate and as you have mentioned there are links to local weather and the learners’ own experiences – such as weather on their birthday which help to support this.

Activity 2 is great for cross curricular learning as you have mentioned, giving the learners the opportunity to record their own data initially and then using different methods to represent this data. I like how you are also planning to link with historical records also. Lovely ideas, thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy the other modules across this course.

 

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Lorna

Welcome to the course. I really like how you have used stories as a starting point for creating maps. I have always loved picture books no matter what class I have been teaching. While Rosie’s Walk came to mind initially, the books you have mentioned are nicely illustrated and engaging which would allow the learners to create their own maps. I like how this is only a starting point and that you will continue to build on the concept of map making by using digital tools and then creating a 3D map after the walk.

Great ideas, thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy the other modules in the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Niamh

Thanks for sharing the two sites linked in your post. I think that the Van Gogh one is great to inspire multimedia responses to his work rather than everyone creating a painting. I really like the Aboriginal Art also and would be a lovely one to explore with the class for another perspective on the night sky.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the summer break.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Laura

Well done on completing this course.

I really like how you are planning to let the 6th class choose their own inspirational art piece for project based learning next year. This is something I might try with my own class as it allows for lots of choice to support UDL and as you have mentioned it would allow for lots of discussion too.

Thanks for sharing and I hope you enjoy the holidays.

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 1 day ago by Michelle Mannix.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Chloe,

Thanks for sharing your reflection on your own learning in this module.

As with all resources, it is important to adapt and modify them to suit the learners in our own classes. As you have mentioned, it is important to adapt and consider the vocabulary and terms used in the lesson for the junior classes in the school. You have also outlined a very comprehensive integrated plan for teaching about the weather and it incorporates lots of playful learning approaches.  Thanks for sharing this.

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