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Marie,
I really like your idea of looking at how daily school life impacts the planet. Your ideas really bring the topic to a child friendly level and look at things that each child can do to make an impact.
For my research question I would explore weather patterns in different parts of Ireland through the question ‘How do the weather patterns in Kilkenny compare to those in other parts of Ireland and what impact do these weather patterns have on our school lives?’
I would have my class connect with other fourth classes in different parts of Ireland- one on the west coast, one in an area of Cork that has experienced a lot of recent flooding and one in the northern part of the country (I have friends and family teaching 4th class in these areas so it will be easy to make class connections.)
To engage the pupils I would first of all start by showing them pictures of the different areas and their landscapes and asking the class questions such as ‘What do you think the weather is like in these places?’ and ‘What in the images makes you think that?”. I would then use newspaper clipping and news reels showing weather reports and incidents from those areas. I would get the group to compare the predictions they made based on the photographs with the news reports.
I would then have the class make their own weather station which we would set up in the school garden. I would have the children collect and record the data from the weather station. They would present the data using different types of graphs and charts. As our research project involves looking at weather patterns in other areas I would have the class connect to the other classrooms via Zoom when making the weather stations and have the different classes making them at the same time. We would also connect via Zoom at the end of each month to compare data from each area. Any issues with the collection of data could be discussed.
Part of the research question was about the impact of weather patterns on our school lives. The children could look at additional information that is relevant to their school lives such as did any of the schools have to close due to weather, how many days out of the month were any of the classes unable to go out on yard, were any schools matches cancelled due to weather conditions etc.
I think the opportunity to engage with children in other areas of Ireland and learn not just about the weather in their areas but also their school lives in both urban and rural areas and in small and very large schools would be highly engaging for the pupils.
I really like your idea about the students studying extracts about life onboard the ISS. The ISS website has a great daily blog and a video channel on Youtube which would be great for supporting this idea.
I downloaded the Satellite Tracker app and used it to explore satellites which have passed over Ireland recently. Firstly I have to say I was amazed at how many satellites there are passing Ireland on a daily basis and the variety of purposes which they serve.
The International Space Station (ISS) regular passed over Ireland- I have set up notifications on the app so it tells me when it is going to pass. The ISS is of course a multi-naitonal project and is involved in scientitc research and education through its live broadcasts and social media networks.
Another satellite which passed Ireland recently is NOAA 20 which is a weather and environmental monitoring satellite. It orbits the earth from pole to pole and is used to enhance hurricane tracking, tornado formation, to collect data on atmospheric temperature, clouds, sea temperature etc.
The Terra Satellite (NORAD ID 25994) is an Earth observation satellite operated by NASA. Its purpose is to monitor Earth’s land surface, oceans, snow and ice, to observe the Earth’s atmosphere and to provide long term data to help us understand how Earth is changing and the consequences of these changes for all life on Earth.
A number of Starlink satellties such as STARLINK-34482 have passed over Ireland recently. The purpose of these satellites to provide high-speed, low- latency broadband service.
USA 81 which is United States miltiary signals intelligence satellite also passed over Ireland recently. This satellite is considered a classified military asset so detailed information about it is not availble.
Anne,
I agree with you about how the carbon footprint questionnaire could help the children see how our daily choices impact the environment.
I found my own results really interesting as I would consider myself quite environmentally aware and I really try to reduce my carbon footprint where possible and yet my results were higher than average.
I thought the film ‘Home’ was an extremely powerful film. It was beautifully shot and I thought its use of aerial photography was particularly impactful. I also loved Glenn Close’s narration which I felt was quite poetic at times and really brought the visuals together. The film really highlighted the interconnected issues of consumerism, resource depletion, habitat destruction, the impact of agriculture and the interconnectedness of life on Earth.
I feel that for primary school children I would probably show the film in segments and use to involve the children in discussion and critical thinking. It would be important to have open discussions on the topics covered in the film as there are parts of it that might be very worrisome and bleak for children so it would be critical that they know we are using it as a tool to empower us to make positive changes that can help the Earth.
The film would lend itself well to research projects on environmental issues such as water conservation, endangered species, the circular econemy.I would also definitely use the Greta Thunberg Ted Talk. The children are already familiar with her and many view her as a role model. I think for them to see her speaking as a teenager would really encourage them to believe that young people can make a real difference in the fight against climate change.
I agree that there is so much scope to discuss how the Covid lockdowns made such a big impact of the level of CO2 emissions. I think it could lead to great discussions and reflections on issues such as travel. I also really like the David Attenborough video and the fact that it shows that are changes we can make that can have actually counteract the effects of climate change- I find that while children are really interested in the topic they can sometimes see it as something we can’t change or improve.
Activity 3, ‘Climate Reporters’, is an engaging way to increase pupil understanding of the Greenhouse effect and its impact on climate across the world. The Paxi video is ideal for teaching younger children about the impact of greenhouse gases on our climate. This is an abstract concept that many children find difficult to fully understand so having it presented in such a clear, child-friendly way would be beneficial.
I liked the fact that the activity focuses on exploring the distinction between weather and climate through data interpretation. The activity would really develop critical thinking, group work skills and mathematical skills. The use of TEAL as a predictive tool is a really good way of helping children to connect the data, our every day actions and the changes we could make to tackle climate change.
In the classroom I feel that the Climate Reporters activity would work really well as part of an integrated thematic approach to weather and climate. Presenting and recording weather forecasts could be done as part of Drama or Gaeilge. The topic integrates well with all aspects of SESE, Maths and the Myself and the WIder World strand of SPHE. Persuasive writing on making changes to tackle climate change could be done in English. Drawings and posters could be created as part of Visual Arts.Stephanie,
I really like your idea of pairing children with a class in a different part of the country to monitor and explore the different weather patterns.
Dr. Maeve Liston’s paper ‘Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics’ really explains and highlights the importance of an integrated approach to STEM in the classroom. It highlights the importance of Engineering Design Process and how engineer really pulls science, maths and technology together. Reflecting on STEM in my own class I probably don’t integrate the various aspects of STEM together as much as I could- I am probably more confident in teaching the Science and Maths parts and less confident at the Technology and Engineering aspects.
I really like the two activities on ‘Is it weather or climate?’ and ‘Weather Detectives’. Pupils hear so much about climate and climate change and yet most of them do not understand the difference between climate and weather.
I have previously made weather stations with my class, however the ideas given really made me think about how I could expand what I have been doing with them. I also like the songs and activities for younger classes. I am the Green Schools coordinator and I could see myself using these lessons as a basis for a whole school action based around monitoring our weather. We already have a school garden so it would be ideal to have a weather station there all year round and to add weather bulletins to our Green Schools board.I agree with the idea of looking at electicity usage using bills etc. We always thought our electricity usage was average for a school our size, however when we got our solar panels installed we were told that our energy consumption was well above the average compared to similarly sized schools. The monitoring panel that was installed with our panels provides us with lots of data on our energy produciton and consumption and has actually really opened our eyes into our previous over consumption of energy and electricity.
Climate change is causing more extreme weather in my local area. Just thinking of this year alone we went from the school being closed for four days to reopening (for those who weren’t still nowed in) to having to close again for Storm Éowyn. The area I live in wasn’t among the worst hit thankfully but yet we were hit with power outages, fallen trees and damage to buildings. Across the last few years I have seen badly flooded and waterlogged fields in areas where I would never have witnessed this before. And yet summer rainfall is dropping causing droughts at other times during summer months. Crop growth and livestock are both impacted by climate change and this is particularly relevant to my school as we are located in a rural area with many farming families.
I feel that pupils are really interested in the topic of climate change and want to learn more about it. One thing I have done before and which I hope to do again this year is a diy weather station containing a wind vane, rain gauge, anenometer and thermometer. The children love observing, measuring and recording the information received in the station and it makes them very aware of changes in the weather.
A second way to engage pupils, which has been mentioned by many people here already, is the setting up of a school garden. This could be divided into areas with an area for growing edible plants and vegetables and a pollinator garden. The importance of planting trees should also be emphasised. This year we were looking enough to get apple trees for the school via the Veolia Orchards for Schools initiative. The pupils loved working together to try to choose the best places for planting- they were testing which areas got water logged, which were too exposed etc.
Like many schools we are part of the Green Schools programme and as part of this we have really been focusing on our waste reduction, recyling and composting. We have pupils in each class assigned to monitor the bins and pupils record what waste they are putting in the bin by marking checklists. We also have energy monitors whose job it its to ensure that lights and devices are switched off when their class leaves the classroom for breaks, PE, at the end of the day etc.
With regards to SSE the modules in this course really support what we are trying to do in terms of wellbeing and inclusion. Also student voice is such an important part of our SSE and it is vital to include pupils on issues related to citizenship, inclusion, equality and climate change. Having students be part of committees such as the Green Schools Committee and Student Council gives students a voice and a chance to really give their input into how our school deals with all these areas.
Orla, thanks for sharing the story of your sixth class pupil with us. It was heartwarming to hear the love and support he has received since arriving in Ireland, however it really brought home to me the level of trauma that the refugee children coming in to our schools have experienced and how there is a real need for further training and support to help teachers and staff support children who have experienced such trauma.
I live in Kilkenny and work in a rural school close to the city. A local community and family support centre runs The Immigrant Support Clinic which offers support and information in relation to immigration permissions, visas, citizenship, family reunification, housing and more. They also offer free English language classes to adults. As well as this the centre is home to the UKranian Cultural Centre which is open every Saturday.
In our school we support refugees by creating a welcoming space for all. Displaying signs in different languages, and pictorial signs, that welcome people to the school and direct them to different areas is something that is simple to do but can have a real impact. I think it is vital that other communications such as emails, newsletters etc are translated into other languages where possible and also that teachers remember to select the translation button on Aladdin for issuing reports. Another area that needs planning is in relation to meetings- how can translators be accessed for parents who need them?
I also think schools could do more to provide more training for staff on trauma-informed care. Understanding how trauma can present and how it can impact on learning and behaviour is vital for teachers to support both refugee children and others who have experienced childhood trauma.
Hi Barbara,
I think the idea of linking up with the Tidy Towns committee for community clean ups is a great idea as it would help to teach children about the importance of working together and being responsible for more than just their own individual space and actions. How often have we as teachers asked a pupil to pick something up and been met with responses of ‘It’s not mine’ or ‘I didn’t put it there.’?