Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I agree that the Rocket Mice activity would be very suitable for the younger classes and I look forward to trying it with my class next year
Engage with Space Week
Monday
Introduce the concept of space and the planets by reading a story set in space or a space themed story such as Aliens in Underpants Save the World. Show pictures of each planet. Discuss the characteristics of each planet such as distance from the sun and some age appropriate facts. Finish the lesson with a crayon resist space art activity.
Tuesday
Teach students about the phases of the moon using jaffa cakes. Discuss the importance of the moon in space exploration. Listen to an audio clip of the first landing on the moon by Neil Armstrong. Finish the lesson by baking rock buns with the children.
Wednesday
Reminding the students of the audio clip they listened to yesterday, introduce the concept of astronauts and space exploration. Watch a video clip of the moon landing. Show the children different types of rockets that have been launched over the years. Finish the lesson by providing the children with craft materials to create their own rocket.
Thursday
Explore the concept of stars and constellations today. Define “star” and explain what stars are made of. For younger classes you could play the song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Complete a “connect the dots” activity to form constellations from stars. Finish the lesson by creating individual telescopes. If possible, use a projector to project stars on to the ceiling of the classroom and have the children use their telescopes to go star gazing.
Friday
Pupils complete a quiz online such as Kahoot as a revision of what they have learned all week. Pupils make alien slime in the classroom. Pupils then use kids art hub to draw an alien.I like the idea of putting all the factfiles together in a book form. It’s a reference that could be placed in the class library.
Where do you live ESERO 5.
I have completed a lesson in my class this year based on where do I live. I introduced the lesson by reading the pupils the story of The Three Little Pigs. We listened to the story and looked at the pictures. We then discussed the different types of homes mentioned in the story, drawing attention to the types of materials used in the three houses. As an extension activity to this lesson, the pupils recreated the houses belonging to the pigs using a variety of different materials.
Following on from this I asked the pupils to relay to the class the type of house that they lived in. We discussed similarities and differences. I also told the pupils that I live in an apartment but that I grew up in a bungalow and showed them pictures. I think by relating it back to their lives it makes the lesson more relevant and more interesting to them.
I then brought up on the whiteboard an array of different homes, some that they would not have been aware of and asked which was their favourite and why.
We finished the lesson by using lego to create houses and had a show and tell to end.I love the idea of creating rockets as an extension activity. I know this lesson would go down well in my class.
I would begin my lesson by reading the book Aliens love Underpants by Claire Freedman. The illustrations in the book would provide a stimulus for talking about aliens and help when asking the children to describe the aliens.
I would then ask the pupils to draw a picture of an alien, hiding it from their partner. Their partner would then describe their alien and ask the other pupil to draw based on descriptions given. This is integrating both art and literacy.
Coming together as a class, it would be a nice idea to ask the pupils where they would recommend their alien to visit based on their favourite areas in Dublin or indeed Ireland. I would ask the pupils to give reasons for their recommendations, integrating persuasive writing into the lesson. This can be done orally or in written form depending on the level of the class.
Finally, as my class really enjoy using playdoh, I would ask them to create their own alien and share their creations with the class.Module 2: The Planets
I would base my lesson on The Planets.I would begin the lesson with listing the planets on the board and asking the children to read the names and to report back anything they know about planets to establish prior knowledge. I would then play The Planets Song for the pupils. This is a great starting point as it will spark an interest in the topic.
A trip to the school library would be useful then as we can collect a variety of age appropriate books on the planets. I would also use ICT for gathering information. Depending on the age of the pupils I would either ask the children to split into small groups and assign a planet to each group. I have used the form of a news report with microphone and cardboard screen cutout to orally relay information on the assigned planets to the rest of the class. This way everyone can get involved. Something else I have used in my class is using playdoh to create the planets as papier mache may be too difficult for some pupils.
I have shown clips of the first moon landing to various classes – they have all been fascinated by it. It’s a great opener to learning about the moon and space.
Sharon, I always feel like having a prompt such as book/ story/ movie before introducing a topic is an excellent way to spark interest.
Hi, my name is Lorraine and I’ve been teaching for 16 years in a boys school. I currently teach in an MGLD class. I love teaching science in my class as despite all of the children in my class being at different levels and having different needs, it is the one subject that interests them all. My favourite space fact is that one million Earths could fit inside the Sun – and the Sun is considered an average-size star, puts things into perspective!
One lesson I have completed in my class this year was learning about penguins and how they keep warm
Living Things> Plants and Animals
Know the characteristics of animals living in a cold environment
The original lesson came about after penguins came up in discussion in class from a boy who had watched a movie in which there was a penguin. We first brainstormed what we already knew about penguins and recorded as a class. We then completed the lesson, learning facts about penguins and watching a short video about penguins. I ensured that all the language in the video was pitched an appropriate level for my class. The children then were given the opportunity to share their favourite fact.
As an extension of this lesson we investigated how animals in colder environments keep warm. Our first activity was to examine photos of penguins and polar bears and list the physical things that could keep these creatures warm. Their fur and feathers act like a coat.
We then discussed the layer of fat some animals have to keep them warm. In order to demonstrate this I asked the pupils to dip their fingers into a bowl of iced water, covering one finger with fat and one without and describing the results. This is a fun way for the children to get involved and they really enjoyed it.
