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Hi Deidre,
I had a look at the book ‘The hundred decker rocket’ on YouTube. It’s brilliant! Thanks for sharing.
The activity set I have chosen is: Rockets.
I would complete this activity during our ‘Transport’ theme in AISTEAR. In the engaging section of the framework, I would begin with a simple rhyme ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ to introduce one mode of transport. The children would use the skills of collaboration and in pairs, they would come up with different modes of transport we could use both now and in the past. This allows the children’s minds to wonder and would lend to a conversation on rockets and who uses them.
To begin the learning on how rockets work, I will show the children pictures of different rockets and a video entitled ‘How do Rockets Fly?’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lti6a_YYQl0&t=150s . The children will play a game of ‘two truths and a lie’ to recall the information learned from the video.
Next, the hands on activity would require the children to use the science skills such as questioning, observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting, estimating and measuring. The children will be asked to make their own rocket in groups. This will require teamwork and use of fine motor skills. The children will complete the rocket mice activity where they will gain an understanding of air pressure, gravity and air resistance. We will set up different stations and show how the size of the containers can affect how high the mouse will fly. This will link with the video where the children learned how the oxygen and hydrogen mixed together to form a hot cloud underneath the rocket to push it upwards.Hi Laura,
I agree, Milo and Marvin would definitely get the children excited to learn! They could even create their own little Milo and Marvin puppets for role play surrounding the Astronomy picture each day!
The hands on activities I would choose would be Weather (What Clothes to Wear and Animals in the Cold), using both lesson plans but adapting them slightly.
I would introduce the topic by using a selection of pictures of different locations e.g. the beach, the desert, the arctic, an ice rink, a rainforest etc. I would elicit prior knowledge by asking the children what the weather is like in these areas, how they would feel if they were stood there and what they might wear.
Next I would introduce the songs ‘On a Cold and Frosty Morning’ and ‘Summer Clothes’, where the children sing about clothes they would wear in the winter versus clothes they would wear in summer.
In groups, the children would be given a bundle of clothes and asked to separate them into two hula hoops, one labelled ‘cold weather’ and one labelled ‘hot weather’. In completing a STEM focused SSE, the children could gather materials from their own home and bring them into school. Together, we could create items of clothing suitable for the different weathers.These activities would then lead us into a conversation on how animals survive in different climates, without the help of clothing. We would have a whole class discussion on animals that live in colder climates e.g. polar bears, whales, penguins. I would show the children images of different animals in their own environments and discuss their unique features that allow them to withstand the different climates e.g. polar bears have blubber to keep them warm or camels with padded feet to protect them from the hot sand of the desert. One activity to show children the effects of blubber that I used in my class last year was spreading Vaseline one hand and allowing them to place both their hands in cold water. Before putting their hands in the water the children completed a think-pair-share activity and predicted what they thought would happen. The children could then see that the hand that had the ‘blubber’ on it did not feel the cold water as much.
Activity Set: Space and Aliens. This lesson encompasses many of the subjects in one.
Religion – To introduce the topic of planets, I would pre-teach the song from the Grow in Love Senior Infant programme ‘Thank You God For Our World’ which lists many different features of planet earth. The children would do a think-pair-share of their favourite features of earth e.g. the oceans, lakes, plants, trees, birds etc.
Geography- I would then use pictures of the planets as a stimulus to start the discussion on the differences between Earth and the other planets in our solar system, focusing on planet Mars. The children would be encouraged to think about how it looks different, how far it is from the sun, what they think might be on it. They would refer back to their discussion on their favourite features of Earth and discuss whether they think these things would exist on Mars.
English – the children will then read the book ‘Emma on Mars’, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG72QWL22Fw) which shows the landscape of Mars, how close it is to the sun etc.
Art – I would then pose the question of what they think a Martian would look like, based on the atmosphere and the environment of Mars. The children will be supplied with different materials in order to make their own Martian figure.
Drama – the children could use their Martian figurines to do a role play of life on Mars or a role play of the first meeting of humans and Martians.The activity I would choose to teach to junior and senior infants is activity 4: The Sun and the Shadows.
I would begin this lesson by gathering the children in circle on the floor and using the story ‘When the Sun goes Home’ as a stimulus. Using the same framework for inquiry, I would then encourage the children to think about the sun – what it is, how it helps us, what it looks like, what it does etc. I would elicit any prior knowledge about the sun and list the learning objectives using a WALT chart.
Next I would explain that the sun is a source of light and pose the question of how light can create shadows. The children can then predict how they think shadows are formed and we could put our predictions on an anchor chart. Outside, I would pair the children and allow them to see how the sun is creating their own shadow. They can then use chalk to trace their partners shadow on the ground. In class, I would place the children in small groups and encourage them to use torches and varying objects (solid and translucent) to investigate how some objects will form a shadow. The children can use card paper to create their own superhero shadow (like batman).As we all know, children are like metaphorical sponges, absorbing information at all times. However, to ensure all children are concentrating and taking in information, teachers must plan engaging and ‘fun’ lessons. Inquiry based activities ensure that all children have the opportunity to question, ponder, investigate, and analyse a theory put forward to them.
I like to begin all SESE and STEM activities with a prompt. Previously I have used songs, videos, pictures and oral or visual scenarios. I have found that the more dramatics surrounding the ‘problem’ the more engaged children become. I would use the format of the ‘Framework for Inquiry’ to structure my lesson. When completing a lesson on space exploration, I would use a story book such as ‘Chicken in Space’ as the prompt to begin the discussion on space, allowing the children to wonder and explore the idea of travelling to space.
I would then pose the problem of how a rocket travels to space. Using balloons, the children will predict how the balloon will move forward, which resembles how the hot gases at the back of a rocket push the rocket forward. The children will investigate the theory and use iPads to picture and document their learning.Hi Rachel,
I never thought to bring in the children’s own life experience of swimming. I will be using this going forward!!
