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This is a great activity and accessible to all class levels. Children would have great fun exploring this question.
Why are Irish winters getting wetter?
Prior to this we would have already used Nose high in the Sky, Earth Under a Lid and The Ice is melting. I might start by showing them a short video about climate change in Ireland (Met Éireann’s Kids Climate Explainer). Then we would discuss if they noticed anything different about the weather in winter? I would get the children to ask their parents about winters in the past and share these ideas with the class. Children could also gather photos, personal or online to chart changes, i.e.: if there was snow or the temperatures were high/low. I could then break students into small groups. Each group investigates one of the following:
How rainfall patterns in Ireland have changed in recent years. They could use the EO Browser and chart their findings.
What causes increased rainfall and floods (e.g. warming atmosphere, jet stream).
How wetter winters affect farming, homes, and nature. The children could interview a farmer (every year I would have one or two children with a grandparent or relative who is involved with farming). They could also ask about storms that occurred in the past (Met Eireann website or parents).
What we can do to help reduce climate change. They could also create posters for this and get the Green School Committee involved.
The children would have access to tablets/laptops with child-friendly websites for this research.
One group could explore how the school could investigate this for future observations, i.e.: set up a simple rain gauge outside and track rainfall over a month or continue to measure varying temperatures.
Children would share and reflect findings. What surprised you? Why does this matter? They could brainstorm one small action the class or school could take. Their findings could also be recorded and shared on the school website.
I used Satellite Tracker to explore which satellites were passing over Ireland. Some are in use while others are not anymore.
SAOCOM 1-A: this satellite helps predict and monitor natural migration of natural disasters.
SJ-16: this satellite tables and graphs forecasts for the next five days.
USA 81 satellite: is a US Air Force signals intelligence satellite.
Resurs-DK N0.1: is an Earth observational Satellite.
HXMT: this satellite is China’s first x-ray astronomy satellite.
It was very interesting investigating what satellites were currently passing over Ireland. It would be a great activity for the children to investigate and then explore when they were launched or if they are still in use or just space debris.
I agree, the app is fantastic! It’s so interesting to see the various satellites and the exact time they will pass. Its also very user friendly. The children will have great fun with this too.
I agree Sharon. I had a few issues with this topic last year, as some of my pupils became anxious about what might happen. So I agree with your approach and easing them in gently and highlighting what they can do to make improvements to our environment.
Home is a visually stunning and emotionally impactful documentary. It was amazing to see the aerial journey across different countries. It was great to see the planet’s diverse landscapes and ecosystems. I felt quite guilty when it portrayed the devastating impacts of our activity on the environment. It really shares an extraordinarily strong environmental message and emphasizes the urgency of addressing climate change, deforestation, water scarcity, and overconsumption. It is noticeably clear and informative, suitable for educational purposes. I feel my class would be captivated by it. It would serve as an excellent introduction to lessons on climate change, helping to spark curiosity and encourage students to consider how they can contribute to positive environmental change. Following the film, students could explore what actions Ireland is taking by watching Our Climate Action Plan (2019). I also completed the form: What is your Carbon Footprint and thought it could be a valuable and eye-opening activity for students to try at home with their families. As a follow-up, it would be great to have the children design posters with achievable goals and targets our school could adopt to help reduce our overall carbon footprint.
Activity 3: I think this activity could be a bit challenging for my class. I enjoyed experimenting with TEAL, and I believe my students would as well. However, due to limited access to laptops and the possibility that some students may struggle with reading the data, I might set up a recording station first. This activity would be particularly well-suited for an older class. I really like the idea of recording information, it’s a wonderful opportunity for group work, with students investigating historic climate changes and making predictions about future trends. One idea could be to assign each group a specific climate change scenario to analyse and predict its outcomes. The Praxi video is extremely helpful and child-friendly, and I think introducing specific extreme weather events beforehand would further support understanding. This activity would also make a strong follow-up lesson to the Greenhouse Effect experiment.
Great idea Lauren! I was focusing too much on charting the information from TEAL and wondered how to use this with a younger class. I love the idea of making posters/projects or they could even use it as a debate in English for reducing carbon emissions.
I feel both activities were extremely helpful and will be useful in the classroom for a more fun and investigate approach. I would have been interested in joining Climate Detectives as a class. It would have been a fantastic opportunity for the children to feel they are making a real difference in protecting our planet. Although the link has expired the activities are great. I feel I could use them with my class. It really helps them to explore climate change and see how human activities are contributing to global warming. I loved the idea of the virtual gallery. I could, team up with other schools in hotter climates so the children could compare weather.
The second activity is much more suited to all ages. I love the idea of setting up a weather station in my school. The children would have great fun constructing these. I might do a STEM activity prior and get them to think of how they would measure rainfall or what they would use. I would explore this with my class and then get them to explain and present it to the younger classes. Their findings could be incorporated into a maths lesson where they would use Data to chart their information. I would also love to do weather predictions based on their findings and upload videos for the school to see.