[Niamh Geaney]

Lesson on rockets for second class.
I would introduce the theme of space and rockets using a story such as Aliens in underpants. I would source a number of space themed books from the local library to have in the classroom for the children to use in their own time.

The above is a clip of a rocket take off which would also be very useful in getting the children thinking and talking about how we will build our rockets and the fuel we will use!
I have used the milk carton rocket experiment with a group of children in the Summer programme and it was a great success. The children were very excited and had lots of ideas, questions and suggestions of what to try with their rockets. I would investigate further with my class by using different sized cartons- experimenting with the idea of which one sends the rocket highest. Also we could try using different sized rockets/ mice . Investigate if using different types of card or paper affects the ability of the rockets or how far they travel.
The children could then present their experiment and their findings to another class, demonstrating how to build/make the rocket and how to power/fuel it.
Further work that could link in with other subject areas would be to make a picture /drawing of the rocket and use a straw to blow paint to give the effect of fire from the launch. The children could pick a famous astronaut and do a piece of report writing on their journey to becoming a astronaut.

[Niamh Geaney]

Hi Sean

thanks for sharing your ideas and lesson plans  for making rockets during science week . There is something for all classes as it can be adapted accordingly or add challenges such as  measuring and calculating distance with older children

[Niamh Geaney]

I found this module to be very helpful to me personally as the teaching of science in my class has always been somewhat of a struggle or would end up taking a back seat to other subjects. As the modules have progressed I can see how many themes can be used with great success across the curriculum- english, art, pe and not just maths as I originally would of thought.
This module and the many resources I have been introduced are helping me to feel more confident for the year ahead.
Some of the activities I will be using are- The EU universe awareness evaluation guide. I like how they give the children a chance to give a before and after drawing of what any previous knowledge and what they have learned.
The astronomy picture of the day is something I would like to use for science week and also continue it at different time during the year maybe once a month. It could be used as a conversation starter or as a a prompt for a piece of writing or art.
I think the children will love the ‘do try this at home ‘ activities with the characters Marvin and Milo.
Also I thought some of the games and activities on ESA kids would be a nice way to use some of our class ipad time exploring all things science.

[Niamh Geaney]

I think using hands on activities works really well and the children are more enthusiastic an excited to take part. They get alot more from a practical hands on lesson whether it be  junior infants or sixth class.

[Niamh Geaney]

This sounds like a really lovely lesson for infants, thanks for sharing your ideas. I would love to use this if I have infants again in the future

[Niamh Geaney]

I will have second class this coming school year and I would like to do a module on the planets.
I would introduce the lesson in PE and teach the children how to play the planets game. I never would of thought how science and space lessons could be linked with so many other subjects. This game will give the children an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the names of the different planets.
Following on from this I would teach them the planet song. The aim of this is to give the children a starting point for their projects.
as they are second class I would split them into small groups of 3/4 to work on a project/ presentation on each planet. They can use a variety of materials to make a model /replica of their planet and also use kiddle or other online childrens search engines , to find interesting facts about their planet.
As a whole class activity, when each group has completed their project , we could go outside to the yard have a child from each group to hold a planet and construct our own map of the planets. We can also have a child to be the sun so as to put the position of the planets in perspective for the class.
I would like to follow on from this set of lessons to a more detailed study of the moon and the significance of moon phases, how they come about and why we see the moon and its different shapes at different times of the month

[Niamh Geaney]

Last winter during the really cold weather, my second class had an impromptu science investigation! They were saying how they didnt want the snow to melt . Our school is situated in an exposed hilly area and we had quite a bit of snow and ice while some children living only 5 mins away only had sleet and slush.
We chatted about why this was and we started an experiment as to which was the best insulator if we wanted to keep the snow a little longer or bring some snow home!!
We used some paper cups and filled them with snow. We then wrapped the cups in different insulators- tin foil, cotten wool, kitchen roll and cloth. We ;eft one with nothing , just the paper cup itself.
They decided and chatted amongst themselves how to carry out a fair test – not putting the cups too near the sunny window or radiator, but finding a place where the temperature is relatively constant. The chose a shelf at the side of the classroom and we checked them at various times during the day. The children gave their predictions as to what they thought would be the best insulator and which would not be a good one. afterwards they wrote up how they conducted their experiment and their results and findings.

[Niamh Geaney]

<li style=”text-align: left;”>Topic : Stars
Class/ age range : second class.
I would like to do a lesson or series of lessons with my class on stars.
I had second class this year and they enjoyed and had a really good understanding of maths.
I would introduce the lesson by having a chat with the children on what they think stars are and see what level of understanding they have.
We would look at pictures of stars in the night sky. I would ask them lots of questions about shapes stars make in the sky and if they know of any of these. I would hope that this would help the children’s understanding of what a constellation is.
The6t lesson would be whereby the children would make a replica of the plough constellation.
I think this lesson is a wonderful example of maths / science/ geography/art all incorporated into 1 lesson.
Children could work in pairs or small groups to help each other to assemble their constellations.
A class/ group discussion could follow to explore how constellations seem according to how we view it.
In another lesson The children could design and make and name their own constellations and present them to another class upon completion.

• This reply was modified 6 months ago by Niamh Geaney.

[Niamh Geaney]

Hi

Thanks for sharing this lesson. I really like how you incorporated differenciation in the lesson especially using concrete / sensory materials to do so. My class next year has a huge range of abilities and  I would love  to try your approach/ lesson with my class.

[Niamh Geaney]

Hi

I thinknthe ideas and activities you have introduced in you lesson are really useful,  i especially like the idea of using sunscreen onbthe beads to see if it effects the colours . Would be interesting to test different sunscreens and factors too !

 

[Niamh Geaney]

I love this fact, amazing to think of that many stars and I look forward to reading and sharing  the facts with my class

[Niamh Geaney]

Hi , my name is Niamh Geaney , next year |I will be teaching second class. My favourite space fact is the concept of light years

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