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Hi Orlaigh
Welcome to the course. I like your idea to explore biodiversity in the local area through a light v night mini projects. Engaging the pupils to explore their own local area and make their own observations will give them ownership of their learning. I also like how you plan to explore this across many curricular areas. This will allow for meaningful connections with their learning and how the pupils can be active themselves in reducing light pollution. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Sharon
Welcome to the course, I agree that observing the sun could be explored across the school year to allow for seasonal changes and this would be especially engaging for the senior pupils. Giving the pupils in the class specific jobs to record their observations each week will give the pupils real ownership of their learning and encourage collaboration as the whole class will reflect on the results. I also like how you plan to teach about the seasons to enhance their knowledge and understanding. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.
Hi Jane
Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your lesson plan for sundials. To fully explore the concept of the sun’s movement and the changes of shadows, it is important to explore this on a sunny day but I like how you have planned for indoor activities. Creating the sundial allows for creative extension as you have mentioned, however, it could also be more central to the lesson to ensure the pupils are making connections with the knowledge and concepts of sundials. I like how you plan to explore connections in History to further develop the pupils’ knowledge.
Hi Linda
Welcome to the course.
I like how you plan to explore the sun dial and how it was used in an open ended manner initially, this will lead the pupils to come to their own conclusions of the link with time as you have mentioned. I think it is important to explore the shadows on the lining paper outdoors if possible to ensure the shadow moves and the pupils can make the link between the movement of the sun and the movement of the shadow. It is also a good opportunity to integrate with Maths as you have mentioned fractions and also exploring the cardinal points. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.
Hi Damien
Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing the example of building a shelter for a toy animal in your class. As you have mentioned it is important to explore all areas of STEM in a meaningful way to ensure it is engaging for the pupils. Through building this shelter the pupils will be engaged and will have lots of opportunities to build skills such as team work and collaboration but also design and make skills. I also agree that it is important for pupils to explore many options so there is not one right answer.
Hi Niamh,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the activities in the resource Nose High Up in the Sky. In my own class they loved to explore the different images and what they look like from the ISS. I also found a live stream from the ISS during Space Week last year and from watching it the class predicted where the ISS could be and what continent it was passing over. They were fascinated. This is a link to track the ISS on a map as the live stream isn’t working this evening. https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/International_Space_Station/Where_is_the_International_Space_Station
Hi Niamh,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the activities in the resource Nose High Up in the Sky. In my own class they loved to explore the different images and what they look like from the ISS. I also found a live stream from the ISS during Space Week last year and from watching it the class predicted where the ISS could be and what continent it was passing over. They were fascinated. This is a link to track the ISS on a map as the live stream isn’t working this evening. https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/International_Space_Station/Where_is_the_International_Space_Station
Hi Isobel
The documentary Home is very visually appealing and it would great to watch aspects of this in your own class. However, as you have mentioned it depends on your own class and I agree that you should introduce the climate change facts gradually and sensitively with a view to showing pupils what they can do and empowering them to make changes in their own local area such as recycling and reducing energy use as you have mentioned.
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.
