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Question: What impact do trees have on our climate and why we need them?
As my class are Senior Infants and too young to carry out the actual project we will start by reading the book the ‘Lorax’ by Dr. Seuss – it teaches children to treat our planet with kindness and to speak up when people are mistreating it. It is also a film that the children are familiar with. After we watch the film we will carry out a KWL chart and a mind map to ascertain their prior knowledge of what trees can do for us.
Watch videos ~ ‘Climate heroes – the importance of trees’, ‘What if everyone in the world planted trees’ and more.
Question the children as they will be able to extend their answers this way.
I feel these are the best methods to engage the children in this project as they are too young to carry out other methods.Data collection – going on field trips to Marley Park and Bushy Park ~ observing the trees and how many buds they grow in Spring and then return again before the summer holidays to see how many leaves there are. They can also use measuring tapes to measure the truck of the trees and then measure again to see if they got bigger. The children can also observe trees that have been cut down – they can look at the rings as you can tell a lot about the conditions during the years by looking at them.
The children can do earth observations by observing, measuring ~ taking pictures and using a measuring tape. The children can make a collage of their findings by using photographs and also drawing pictures of their findings.
Once the children have carried out their research and concluded their findings we will share their results by holding an assembly with the rest of our stream where my class can present them with their project and tell them about their findings and get the other children involved so they too can help us make a difference.
Áine, I’m sure the children will really enjoy carrying out this project and will be delighted with their findings.
Aisling, I also found these activities very interesting and fun. I loved the different facts about the ISS which will make it very relatable for the children.
3. I decided to carry out question 3 which was to download the Teacher Guide & Pupil Activities for the ESA Resource ‘ Nose High Up in The Sky’ (slide 19) carry out the pupil activities myself and post my thoughts on the resource and if I would use it in class.
Slide 19 – Teach with Space ‘From the ground and from the sky’After carrying out all these activities I found all three very interesting, engaging and fun to complete. I would definitely use these resources and activities with my class. The activities are suitable for all ages and abilities but the activity sheets will have to be differentiated to suit individual needs in each class. It makes Space more accessible for children – they will have a better understanding of what it is like to look down on earth from Space.
Activity 1 – The Earth seen from the ISS
This activity will appeal to the children of all ages. They will know the size of the ISS as it is the size of a football pitch which they all know the size of and they will be able to imagine it floating around space. Being able to see the photos from five different astronauts was fun and interesting and the children will love looking at them.Activity 2 – Match the photos & Activity 3 – Higher up are interlinked
The children will love carrying out this activity as they will be able to pretend to be astronauts looking out the window and they can match the photos to what they are – mountains, lakes, rivers, etc – this activity is very hands – on and accessible for all.Module 3:
The film ‘HOME’ by Yann Arthus-Bertran is a fascinating and powerful video that shows us the impact we as humans have had on this planet so far. For children in a junior school it would be too much to show them this video in full – I feel breaking it up into much smaller sections or even just some of the pictures that are related to the topic we are doing that day would be more beneficial and the children will be able to concentrate and understand the topic better.
I believe that we need to focus on the positives for young children, things that they can do themselves that will help – recycling both in school and at home, walking to school or getting the bus instead of taking the car, using LED bulbs at home, turning off their tvs, games and lights once they are finished using them. Every small bit will help.
I enjoyed using the carbon footprint calculator but it was scary to see what impact I am having on the climate. I feel this calculator would be a fantastic resource to use with the senior side of the school as they will be able to use it correctly and they can also understand their impact on the climate.Enda, I like your idea of using role play for the children to see how each choice of energy affects the Earth’s temperature.
Hi Karen,
I like your idea of carrying out an experiment with the children, This will reinforce the effects of Greenhouse gases.
Activity 3 – Climate Reporters:
As I teach in a Junior school and as I will be teaching Senior Infants this coming September I would start this lesson by completing a KWL chart with the children to find out what they already know. After we have discussed their prior knowledge and what they would like to learn about I will then show them the Paxi video on Greenhouse gases. This is an age appropriate video that the children will be able to follow and understand easily. It will give them a good introduction into greenhouse gases. The worksheet for this lesson will have to be simplified as it is too advanced for my class. I would include simple pictures and a matching activity as well as space for the children to draw their answers.
I would show the children the tool for predicting future temperatures on the board and then I would download it onto iPads, split the class into groups and then give them an iPad, one for each group, so they will be able to use it for themselves.I agree Clare, this paper does offers guidance on how to deliver an authentic STEM experience in solving problems and real-life applications which is very helpful and it will make our lessons more interesting and enjoyable for the children.
After reading and reviewing the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Liston 2018) I feel that removing traditional barriers of separating the four disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Vasquez, Comer and Sneider 2013) is key for the children to be able to carry out and understand STEM activities to the best of their ability. The children will become critical thinkers and active learners by using a hands on approach. In my classroom this year (Junior Infants) the children work in small groups with concrete materials so they can carry out their practical tasks by thinking critically and learning through investigation.
Activity 1: Is it weather or climate?
This activity was enjoyable and will be relatable to all children. I feel that relating the weather to the children’s birthdays will help the children understand the difference between weather and climate. I also feel the videos that are provided are age appropriate and particularly useful when explaining the difference between weather and climate for all children.Activity 2: Weather Detectives
This activity can also be differentiated so that even children as young as Junior Infants will be able to carry it out. The children can help develop a weather station to mount the thermometer so that it will be able to be used by other classes in the school and there will be no fear that the heat from the children’s hands will change the temperature, the results will be constant and reliable. This will help the children become critical thinkers as they will have to decide on the best area for the weather station. They will become hands on learners as they will have to design and make the actual station.
