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I liked what Liston (2018) had to say about STEM education, particularly the emphasis on providing meaningful, integrated learning experiences rather than teaching each subject in isolation. I aim to create hands-on learning opportunities where pupils work together, investigate questions and make connections across different areas of the curriculum, which reflects the approach described in the paper.
I found Activities 1 and 2 to be practical, engaging and well suited to my class. Activity 1 helps pupils clearly understand the difference between weather and climate through discussion and relatable examples, making a difficult concept easier to grasp. Activity 2 encourages children to become “Weather Detectives” by collecting and recording weather data, while naturally integrating Mathematics through measuring, graphing and interpreting their results. Both activities promote active learning, teamwork and inquiry, which are important aspects of STEM education.
I would use these activities as part of an integrated unit of work on weather. To extend the learning, I would encourage pupils to compare their findings with weather data from other locations or over a longer period of time. It could also be beneficial to include a simple engineering challenge, such as designing a rain gauge or a weather shelter, to strengthen the engineering element of STEM and provide further opportunities for problem-solving and creativity.What actions can schools take to reduce their carbon footprint?
I believe this could be my research question for our Climate Detectives project. The children in our school are already actively involved in many of the Green Schools initiatives and consistently demonstrate a positive attitude towards caring for the environment. Building on this strong foundation, I believe the Climate Detectives programme would provide a valuable opportunity to develop their understanding of climate change through inquiry-based learning. Using the videos and resources from this summer course, we would begin by exploring the causes and effects of climate change and examining global climate data. The children would then investigate local environmental issues by collecting and analysing data from their own surroundings. This would encourage them to think critically about the impact of human activities and identify practical ways to reduce our school’s and community’s carbon footprint. By combining scientific investigation with real-world action, the project would help pupils develop important skills in observation, data analysis, teamwork, and problem-solving while empowering them to become informed and responsible environmental citizens.
I think this is a great research question. The children will have a vested interest in finding solutions. A local start is perfect and then you can look at global solutions to similar problems or share your solutions and findings. Great idea to find solutions to the flooding on the school pitch.
Several Earth-observation satellites were passing over or monitoring Ireland.
Meteosat-11 is a geostationary weather satellite positioned above the Equator at 0° longitude. It continuously observes Europe, including Ireland and the UK, scanning the region every 15 minutes to provide cloud cover, weather, and surface temperature data used in forecasting.
Sentinel-2A is an Earth observation satellite that captures high-resolution images of land, vegetation, forests, farmland, inland waters, and coastal areas. It helps monitor environmental and agricultural changes.
Sentinel-2B works alongside Sentinel-2A, providing additional optical imagery to improve coverage and reduce the time between observations. Together, the two satellites revisit the same location approximately every five days.
Landsat 9 is a joint NASA and USGS satellite that records high-resolution images of Earth’s surface. It is used to monitor forests, agriculture, water resources, urban development, and environmental change over time.
In addition to these satellites, several Starlink satellites were also passing overhead. Unlike the Earth-observation satellites, Starlink satellites form a large constellation designed to provide high-speed internet access around the world.It really is amazing how many satellites are up there and passing over us all the time. I think the children will be equally fascinated with the tracker app.
Home is a thought-provoking and visually powerful documentary that provides a clear overview of how the Earth has changed over time, with a particular focus on the significant environmental changes that have occurred since the 1950s. Through striking aerial imagery and compelling narration, it highlights the impact of human activity on the planet and encourages viewers to reflect on the importance of protecting the environment.
I believe that this documentary, or selected age-appropriate excerpts from it, would be a valuable resource for use with older primary classes. It could effectively support learning in areas such as climate change, sustainability, and environmental responsibility by helping pupils to understand the scale and urgency of the issues facing our planet.
However, it would be important to balance the documentary’s message with examples of the positive actions being taken around the world to address climate change. Highlighting successful environmental initiatives, renewable energy developments, conservation projects, and local efforts within Ireland would help pupils to develop a sense of hope and empowerment rather than feeling overwhelmed. Providing practical examples of simple actions that individuals, schools, and communities can take—such as reducing waste, conserving energy, recycling, and supporting biodiversity—would encourage pupils to recognise that everyone has a role to play in protecting the environment. Overall, the documentary has the potential to inspire meaningful discussion and promote environmental awareness when used alongside solutions-focused learning.I agree with this too, it is indeed scary to think that humans are causing such destruction on planet Earth. For children who really engage and think deeply about climate change it can be very upsetting to think of the consequences.
I think the TEAL tool would be an excellent resource to use in the classroom. I like the fact that you will combine this with Biodiversity Green Schools Flag. Your idea of using the parachute is excellent.
I believe this activity (3) would be highly effective for use with a fifth-class group. Before beginning the investigation, it would be important to ensure that pupils have a clear understanding of the greenhouse effect and are familiar with the key vocabulary associated with climate change and global warming. Revisiting these concepts beforehand would provide a strong foundation and allow pupils to engage more confidently with the activity.The videos included in this module would serve as an excellent recap of the topic, reinforcing prior learning in an engaging and accessible way. Displaying vocabulary flashcards around the classroom would also provide useful visual supports, helping pupils to recall and apply subject-specific language throughout the lesson.
This activity effectively incorporates all aspects of STEM by encouraging pupils to explore scientific concepts through practical investigation while developing critical thinking, problem-solving and collaborative skills. The hands-on nature of the experiment, particularly the opportunity to use ICT in the classroom, is likely to increase pupil engagement and curiosity. Overall, it is an interactive and meaningful learning experience that promotes both scientific understanding and active participation.I believe the creation of a weather station is a brilliant idea too. It is practical advice easy enough to accomplish. There are links with language, art and maths as well as STEM. I to am looking forward to creating this station with my class this coming school year.
I think the roller coaster STEM lesson is excellent. It gives children an opportunity to use skills and develop knowledge of all the aspects of STEM and Art. I agree that there is some apprehension before encouraging children to embark on such an engaging activity but usually the love it and really do well and show their creativity.
The ESA resources’Nose Up High in the Sky’ and ‘Weather vs Climate’ are engaging, inquiry-based activities that encourage pupils to investigate the world around them through observation, measurement and data analysis. The resources are practical and age-appropriate. The Nose Up High in the Sky resource encourages pupils to observe weather conditions using their senses before progressing to building simple meteorological instruments to measure temperature, rainfall and wind speed. This helps children understand that scientists use reliable instruments, alongside satellite observations to produce accurate weather forecasts. A great activity is to set up a weather station in the school grounds. Pupils could construct a simple rain gauge, thermometer shelter and anemometer, then collect daily measurements over several weeks or months. Recording temperature, rainfall, wind direction, wind speed and cloud cover would provide authentic scientific data for analysis.The activities provide excellent opportunities to develop a wide range of STEM skills:
Science: observing, predicting, measuring, investigating, recording evidence and drawing conclusions.
Technology: using digital thermometers, weather apps, spreadsheets and comparing school observations with satellite or national weather data.
Engineering: designing, constructing and improving weather instruments such as rain gauges and anemometers.
Mathematics: measuring accurately, collecting data, calculating averages, creating graphs and identifying trends.
The investigation also promotes important scientific enquiry skills such as asking questions, identifying variables, ensuring fair testing and interpreting evidence. Pupils develop critical thinking by comparing their own observations with professional forecasts and discussing possible reasons for any differences. Overall, these ESA resources encourage active, hands-on learning that makes abstract scientific concepts accessible. By engaging pupils in collecting real data, building instruments and communicating their findings, the activities foster curiosity, collaboration and scientific literacy while developing essential STEM skills that can be applied across the primary curriculum.