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The climate change crisis has been eye opening in this module. It is hugely importantly that children are made aware that we are all accountable in trying to be sustainable in our daily practice, in an age-appropriate way of course.
Sustainability in Terenure Village is becoming more and more vivible. Local cafés reduce packaging, shops encourage reusable bags, and residents choose to walk or cycle, giving children clear examples of what sustainability looks like in real life. Green spaces such as Bushy Park show how protecting habitats supports local wildlife, helping pupils understand the impact of unsustainable behaviour both at home and abroad.
In our school, the children involved in a litter picking project around the school, the local village and along the local river. The children engage in this at various points in their time in primary school and the conversations around these activities are superb in raising awareness around sustainability.
To explore this topic further, I would guide pupils to notice sustainable actions in the village, map them, and discuss how unsustainable choices affect environments. Pupils could interview shop owners about waste reduction or compare food sources to learn how aquaculture supports sustainable food production. Encouraging children to reflect on their own habits helps them become more sustainable consumers and strengthens their sense of responsibility within the community.
Hi Naomi,
Isn’t it great to see local groups allowing the children get involved and contribute sustainably to the local area. Hopefully this activity has incited some of your learners to become more actively involved in their community and that they feel a sense of purpose having being part of this project!
I love the links and ideas for integration you have suggested Katie. The practical element of the children creating menus/ recipes always adds motivation for the children too.
Learning about seafood nutrition has helped me see how easily it can be integrated into everyday classroom practice.
Exploring how protein supports the body through muscle repair, growth and hormone regulation gives pupils a real-world link to biology, especially when they discover that fish and shellfish are rich sources of essential amino acids. Understanding the role of healthy fats, including unsaturated fats and the important oils found in salmon, allows children to connect diet to organ protection and overall wellbeing. The ARC resources and BIM-Seafood-Nutrition-Handbook-Final.pdf highlight key vitamins and minerals in seafood, such as iron in mussels and oysters, and Vitamin D in salmon, which is particularly relevant in Ireland where deficiency is common.
Teaching pupils about Omega 3 helps them understand why salmon is often called brain food and how these oils support heart health and development.Conversations around this might raise awareness around how the children can incorporate seafood into their diet and different recipes could be shared.
Using the ARC online lessons has shown me how aquaculture can strengthen STEM teaching in a real and meaningful way. The resources specified would allow me to connect STEM to everyday Irish contexts, especially through problem solving and inquiry. The lessons support cross curricular learning, allowing pupils to explore geography, environmental awareness and local industry while still engaging in core STEM skills like questioning, analysing and designing. They really highlight how aquaculture acts as a community resource, which encourages pupils to think about sustainability and local employment. The videos really make the importance of aquaculture contextual and many children in my class could connect with the speakers. They also highlight the interesting, spontaneous and exciting elements of this industry, which as we know really appeal to children. The various careers would really appeal to some children in my class and creating this awareness is hugely important.
Reflecting through the SSE process, I can see how these lessons would help me identify strengths in my current STEM practice and set targets for improvement. The ARC materials make it easier to plan whole school approaches, share ideas with colleagues and consider how STEM can be embedded across subjects. They also support my ability to apply SSE guidelines to STEM teaching in a practical, classroom focused way.
Hi Rachel,
I too love how the redeveloped STEM curriculum encourages and promotes integration across all specifications. I believe that this something we have always done as teachers but it is great to see it in policy now.
The design and make element that you’ve mentioned here promotes both collaboration and autonomy and i will definitely be aiming to make this part of my lessons moving forward!
Assignment 1:
Classes: SeniorI would begin this lesson by introducing pupils to oceans as a resource by exploring how little of our waters are used for aquaculture. Using Google Maps on satellite view, the class would identify natural coastal features and begins to recognise the geography of the Irish coastline.
The children’s attention would be drawn to beaches, rivers, harbours and estuaries, comparing rural and urban areas to understand how landscape influences human activity.
Working in groups, pupils discuss where aquaculture is possible and where agriculture is more suitable, supported by information around what our main aquaculture crops are. They would then apply mapping and mathematical thinking to plot suitable locations for fish, mussel and oyster farms, justifying their choices based on depth, shelter and water movement.
Hi Niamh,
I totally agree with you. I think the various videos in this and the previous module, really highlight the importance of supporting local aquaculture, and believe they would really allow older children to understand this importance also.
Hi Celine,
I totally agree with you on this. My school isn’t based near the coast so a visit from the ARC would be such a lovely opportunity for all the children in my class to experience the wonder of aquaculture.
The “Taste the Atlantic Young Chef Ambassador Programme” project is my favourite because it brings learning to life in a way I could see children in my class instantly connect with.
Irish seafood is something they see in shops and restaurants, so exploring where it comes from makes the learning feel real and relevant. Hearing young chefs describe their experiences adds a human element that inspires pupils and shows them the wide range of careers linked to food production. The project encourages curiosity, hands on thinking and a sense of pride in Irish produce. It feels meaningful, creative and rooted in real life, which is exactly the kind of learning I want for my class.
I love how the project integrates science, geography and history, letting children discover how different species are farmed and why aquaculture matters. It also gives me fresh, authentic stories to share in class, especially when talking about coastal communities and sustainability.
To get the class excited about our local heritage, I’d use Rathfarnham Castle as our main inspiration as it’s somewhere they are all familiar with.
We’d start by looking at pictures and chatting about what we notice about the castle. We’d consider the tall towers, the shapes, the colours, and all the little details. If possible, we’d take a short walk to see it in real life, and then after, explore it online using Google Maps.
In art, the children could sketch parts of the castle or paint their own imaginative versions. For music, we might create simple soundscapes using things we hear outside i.e. birds, footsteps, wind, the river, to capture the feeling of being near the castle. Drama could involve acting out life in the castle long ago or inventing characters who might have lived there.
For creative writing, I would encourage agency as creative writing can be daunting for some learners. I would suggest that the children could write poems, diary entries, mini stories, comic strips based on their visit.
This would bea lovely way for the class to use their imagination, explore with their senses, and feel connected to a place they know well, while enjoying learning outdoors in a way that includes everyone.
Hi Cristina,
I love the Japanese Gardens, you’re so lucky to work close to them! I really like the idea of comparing the “exotic” element of the Gardens to the typical Irish landscape. This is something that would open up many conversations around climate and potentially other countries too!
Task 2:
To explore engineering in our local area, I would start by showing the children the video of “What is an engineer”. There would be chat around what engineers exist and I would list local male and female engineers. We would then list some buildings and structures in the local area, it is likely that Rathfarnham Castle features on that list.
The children will be shown pictures of Rathfarnham Castle and we will chat about why buildings like this were designed the way they were. We’d look at its strong walls, shapes, symmetry, and tall windows, helping pupils notice simple engineering features. We would compose a list of questions for use on our site visit. A short walk to the castle and a sequential virtual look‑around using Google Maps would help them see the castle in its real setting. Google Maps acts as a great resource for reference when we have returned from the castle.
For the design and make project, pupils could sketch their own “mini‑castle” ideas and build small models using cardboard, blocks, or recycled materials. The mathematical element would come through measuring lengths of walls, comparing heights of towers, counting windows, and using simple shapes to plan their structure. They could estimate and record these measurements as part of a class data chart.
Children would test their models for stability and make improvements. Presenting these to other classes or having a whole school challenge would open up endless possibilities in terms of collaboration, inquiry and reflection.