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Excellent lesson plan Siobhan , thanks for sharing. I think the children will really enjoy blowing through the straws to launch the rockets! Very engaging and creative.
This module has informed me about how to merge maths, art and science skills in a cross-curricular way around the theme of space, sub-theme : Rockets.
Making Foam Rockets
I think a using Rocketman song by David Bowie as an introduction to the class and then stimulus books mentioned in module like Aliens in Underpants or Way Back Home are great places to start to introduce the theme of rockets to children. I will read one of these with my class and discuss the idea of travelling through space and how rockets move. Rocket mice, balloon rocket, Alien chemistry, make a spacecraft projects. I will use the resources to create rocket making lessons with the children to enhance learning about space.
Children will design and make their own foam rockets using simple materials, focusing on concept design, shape of rocket & balance.
The children will work in groups to make predictions and discuss what they think will happen.
They will then carry out a fair test by launching their rockets and measuring the distance travelled. The can then discuss whether the test was fair and what could be improved. How w as it fair? What is a fair test?
Connections to other flying objects in different contexts can be pointed out cross curriculularly by comparing rocket fins to other flying aerodynamic objects/modes of transport/toys/ games.
I will also have 2nd class in September and I really like this idea about a lesson in Animals in the cold Siobhan. I think I’ll do it too! Thanks
Online resources and tools
Stellarium is a fantastic tool for bringing the wonders of space into the classroom. It’s also a downloadable resource which is ideal as there can often be connection issues in my school. For my class, I’d use Stellarium to create an interactive and engaging way for them to explore the night sky. First, I would introduce the program with a simple demo, showing how it simulates the stars, planets, and constellations visible from any location on Earth at any time of the year.
I could use Stellarium for various activities, like identifying constellations such as the Plough (Ursa Major) or finding planets like Jupiter. Students could track the movement of stars over time, learning how celestial objects shift in the sky. I’d also incorporate group tasks, where students could identify patterns in the stars, compare the positions of constellations during different seasons, or even use the program to “visit” other planets and moons. By combining Stellarium with hands-on activities, my students can gain a deeper, visual
understanding of space, sparking their curiosity and creativity and encouraging them to explore further.Stars
I would use the Looking at the Plough activity to ignite the children’s curiosity and introduce them to observational astronomy. This activity not only encourages students to look up and engage with the night sky but also deepens their understanding of how cultural and scientific perspectives can coexist. I would begin with a short storytelling session featuring different cultural interpretations of the Plough — such as its representation as a plough here in Ireland, a bear in many Native American traditions, or a wagon in German folklore.
Then students would engage in a hands-on star-mapping activity using star charts as suggested in this module. I like the idea of pre cut straws to the correct length (instead of the wool), stars and black paper or card so the children ( in my case in 2nd class) can make their own plough.
For homework or as a digital extension, students could record their own
observations using mobile apps and take night-sky photos where possible.Children exploring the night sky at home with parents or guardians is a lovely way to foster home school links. It connects science with culture, mythology, and geography, helping children see that science is not isolated but influenced by human perception and history. Children could present their findings through art projects, poems, song lyrics, visual scores, digital posters or short videos, fostering not just knowledge, but creativity and ownership. This activity encourages creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, and an appreciation of the vastness of the world above us at night!
I agree. I love the idea of making home for aliens using mixed materials – very creative ad engaging. They children would love this!
Orla sound like a great idea! Love the use of fruits – I have second class next year and I think they’d love this!
I chose the Sun and Shadows.
I think this lesson encourages children to explore how shadows are formed with hands on experience using a flashlight (as the light source light the sun) and various objects (opaque, transparent, translucent). This activity would be used in my class as part of a science theme on light and the Sun.
Firstly I would do a mind map in shadows finding out what the class already know. Using questions to elicit their answers like: What is a shadow? How is it made? What do you think happens when light hits different objects?
Students would then work in small groups to experiment with light sources and materials like baking paper, cardboard and cling film. The groups would observe and record the differences in the shadows formed by drawing around them and noticing the shapes that are made. If it was a sunny day I like the idea of taking the class out to the yard and have the children use chalk to draw around each others shadows.
This activity supports inquiry-based learning and helps students understand that light travels in a straight line and that objects block, absorb, or transmit light differently.
It also offers opportunities to integrate literacy (through projects on google slides on their chrome books) and digital learning (e.g., using tablets or cameras to record their shadow experiments by taking pictures/videos/audio recordings and uploading them). Activities like this promote a playful approach to science, curiosity, critical thinking and real-world understanding—skills essential for lifelong learning!
Inquiry Based Lessons – Solving the crime using fingerprints
I really liked the idea in the module about solving the case of the stolen jellies by using finger prints.
Good motivation for the class to work together to solve a crime!
Prompt questions might include:
How would finger prints help us solve the crime?
What are fingerprints?
Are all people’s fingerprints the same?
How can we record finger prints from the crime scene?
I would show the children some examples of finger prints printed off and I would give them time to investigate and to make some prints themselves using eg. ink, rubbing a pencil area and then onto sticky tape, looking through a magnifying glass. I liked the idea in this module of printing the finger print on a balloon so the more air added to the balloon the bigger the finger print becomes.
They could record the finger prints of all of the people in the classroom and solve the case of teh stolen jellies in a fun, scientific way.
This lesson promotes critical thinking, playfulness, curiosity, collaboration and communication.
Hi Aoife
I like the idea of the children questioning why the moon changes shape? It reminds me of the old jaffa cake tv advert!
This lesson encourages curiosity, play and thinking critically.
Hi I’m Zara. I will be teaching 2nd class next year but I’ve been in the senior end of the school for a while so I’d love to get some new lesson ideas for going back to the junior end of the school. Children always seem to be enthusiastic about anything to do with space and planets no matter what their age!
I liked Amy’s fact so I’m going to go with that one too – there are more stars than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the world!