Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Caroline, I really love this story “In Every House on Every Street” by Jeff Hitchman. It is a beautiful way of introducing what it means to belong and to feel loved in your home and extended community. It lends to many follow up discussions and activities about how and where people live.
This is a lovely activity Louise with lots of ways to capture the children’s imagination and interest and opportunities for cross curricular links.
Activity set: stars
1.Introduction: I would use a visual of a picture of a starlit night sky for the children to view and prompt discussion. I think I would use something factual from ESA’s satellite images, but Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ could be used too if it integrated into Art lessons/ themes in other subjects, etc.
2. Discussion: Discuss the pictures and do a KWL/ Mind Map with the class to see what they already know about stars, what they want to learn about them-jot down any questions they have about stars.
3. Hands-on Activities: Make a Star Constellation-they could use the plough template in the activity from this module. https://teachnet.ie/ej/pdf/dpsm_class_activity_the_plough.pdf or they could make their own using construction straws and play dough.
5. Integrated learning: They can write poems, stories based on stars or create artwork based on the star picture used as a visual aid/ prompt.
6. Digital Learning: Allow the children to investigate the Stellarium apps on the iPad. The Stellarium app could be shown by teacher on the IWB first of how to use it/ by using a QR code to share with the class etc. This may only work for 1st/ 2nd class rather than infant level.
7. Conclusion: To finish the lesson by summarizing what they have learned about stars-finishing their KWL Chart for what they’ve learned and name a few constellations that they found out about.This is a lovely activity to do with junior classes. The idea of a magic bag and show & tell is a great opportunity for descriptive and language skills development. The use of playdough to make the planets will be very enjoyable and a sensory lesson. It also links into maths and their knowledge of shape.
Activity Set: Stars-The Constellations Class:3rd/4th
Introduction: Begin by introducing the topic of constellations with the students. Discuss the importance of stars in the universe and their role in the night sky. Pose questions and facilitate a class discussion on the following: Where do these points of light come from? How do they form? How do they shine and why do they twinkle? Why do scientists study stars? Why are stars important? Are stars all the same? If stars are born do they die? Watch the YouTube Clip GAIA and 1 billion + stars: This provides a visual to stimulate their imagination and curiosity and enhance their interest to learn more about the constellations. Literacy: Students read about ‘the world of constellations’ from module 5 universe in a box resource and discuss. Art Activity: Draw their own constellation using the template from space week, then look at their drawing and discuss. History: link to the history of astronomy and its Greek origin. Read constellation stories from (universe in a box). Conclusion: Teacher would ask the same questions as at the beginning of the lesson and the children would answer them. The children would reflect on what they have learnt and recap on the key vocabulary they have learnt. Science/Art follow up activity: Make a star lantern using science week resource sheet. As a fun activity and with the permission of their parents they could become star gazers for a particular night at home weather permittingHi Criona, this is a fantastic idea for a lesson, it would fuel their imagination and infants would love such a fun creative activity!
Hi, my name is Vera and I work in SEN with 3rd and 4th class. I am looking forward to learning a lot about space so I can share with our pupils. Last year we got Beebots on loan from our local education Centre and the pupils loved engaging with them.
I would use the following inquiry based activity in the classroom-Floating and sinking
The “Sinking or Floating: Buoyancy Exploration” experiment introduces young children to the concept of buoyancy through hands-on exploration. By predicting and observing the behavior of different objects in water, children develop critical thinking skills and gain an understanding of why objects sink or float.
Engage:
Present the children with a wide range of materials.
Pose various questions to the children such as “ Do you think this plastic will float or sink?”
Materials:
Container of water
Various objects (wooden block, plastic toy, metal spoon, rubber ball, foam ball, paper clip, etc.)
Notebook or chart paper
Pencil or markers
Paper towels for cleanup
Wondering- The children will brainstorm ideas on what makes an object float or sink.
Exploring- Allow the children to go through the items and try classify objects according to whether they float or sink
Investigate:
Starter question-why do some things float and why do some things sink?
Prediction-Do you think the items will float or sink-record your predictions on worksheet
Introduce buoyancy and discuss sinking and floating objects.
Have children predict whether each object will sink or float based on its characteristics.
Fill the container with water and invite children to take turns placing objects in it.
Record observations in notebooks or on chart paper.
Facilitate a discussion on patterns and similarities between sinking and floating objects.
Summarise buoyancy concept and encourage reflection on predictions
Reflection-
Ask children to consider what materials they would use to construct a boat. Pose questions such as ‘What other factors other than buoyancy would you need to consider in order to make a boat‘I like the idea of keeping a weather diary in class as it is a very practical and it would capture their interest by recording it daily. it would make them more observant of changes in their environment. It can also be linked to other areas of the curriculum especially geography and maths.
Locally the past storms have caused serious damage to structures and trees. There have also been increased flooding in areas and on the other hand farmers can experience very dry periods of weather earlier and earlier in the year which in turn effects the production and harvesting of crops and the generation of grass growth for animals. Three actions we could consider could be to monitor the use of electricity in our school and extend this to pupils’ home as well, conserving energy where possible. Enforce our recycling policy of reduce, reuse and recycle by organizing groups to monitor it in school. The third action could be to plant a school organic garden with native trees and a wildflower patch to attract bees and insects to support biodiversity. Encourage the children to find other ways to control pests rather than using chemicals in the garden. Development Education fosters inclusion and empathy, supporting a positive school culture. Whole-school projects can link directly to an SSE’s focus on leadership and collaborative practice, it also supports SSE by promoting active learning, global citizenship, and wellbeing. It encourages pupils to think critically about real world issues which enhances learning and classroom engagement.
This is an incredible story about a boy who just encountered the right people at the right time and was given a second chance at life. It is wonderful to hear of such a good luck and kindness story.
New Horizon is a community group which has been working with International Protection applicants in Athlone since 2000. Their main focus is on almost 500 residents in Direct Provision sites in the Athlone area. They also work with Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection, Ukrainians living in state-provided accommodation in the area. They are a group of voluntary, unpaid workers with very limited state funding. They welcome asylum seekers and refugees and wish to help and support them as they start to rebuild their lives. Our school and community have taken many actions to help all families feel very welcome and integrate into our school communities. We have many students from other countries and we create a welcoming environment for all of our pupils by exploring different cultures and traditions. We hold a multi-cultural day every year where every student can bring in food, dress in their traditional dress and showcase any talents and share information about their culture. Students work on projects from their countries which are displayed on the day. The local town has also begun to have a multi-cultural festival day. This fits well with our School Self-Evaluation because it helps us focus on respect, inclusion, and caring for others. Development Education supports this by helping students understand global issues and how to act locally to make a difference.
I think starting a school garden would be very meaningful to children as they would experience how easy it is to grow their own fruit and veg and maybe continue this skill into adulthood and help to contribute to more sustainable food systems
To encourage students to take action in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ireland, aligned with ESD to 2030 Priority Action Area 5 l we could investigate as a school how we could become more efficient and less wasteful in the environment around us linking into our green school policy of how we can make improvements to reduce, reuse and recycle. Project groups could investigate clothing, food, plastics etc. As part of this project, I would also guide the children to explore where our discarded and unwanted clothes end up. Encouraging students to explore supply chains and make more conscious consumer choices. Discuss the of use of fast fashion and investigate how and where these products originate from and if child labor is involved in the manufacture of these goods. Look at the excessive plastic packaging, particularly when ordering items online and how the pollution from overconsumption contributes to climate change and biodiversity loss. Through projects, children can research the causes and effects of climate. Using a whole school approach and encouraging SSE, children could create posters and signs for the local community to encourage others to take action.
This is so true as I would have encountered when discussing occupations in the classroom. The traditional roles are still considered either male or female. Some story books and picture books would still be promoting certain gender roles.
I have observed gender stereotypes in the junior classes during play time where girls will choose role play with the toy kitchen and dolls, whereas the boys will play with lego, bricks and cars etc. In the older classes few girls will choose sports such as rugby or soccer. whereas boys show little interest in art and craft. Through Developmental Education I would hope that this would change their mindset and pupils would gain an understanding as to what they believe ‘gender’ is through interactive child led lessons. If this happens at a young age child will begin to understand that they can do anything they wish to do and it is not defined by their gender.
