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Great idea Ciara, children so enjoy a competition and can see the value in their working together. I think education is an important part of this project- thinking and discussing alternatives to their use of single-use plastics and sharing these ideas in the school and at home.
Well said Alyson, I think it’s wonderful that we can use our knowledge to build on the students’ interests with such meaningful information and when the resources are so practical and user-friendly.
Ciara, I really appreciate your point fo view here. I completely agree that incorporating the discussion about responsibility and protecting our planet across curriculum areas will support students in understanding the very big concept of protecting our planet and its resources. By helping them gain knowledge about the problems we face we can allow them to be agents of change and come up with solutions and not only fill them with fear.
Great point Enya, using the video to introduce or as another resource to explain the greenhouse effect is a great idea. Often when trying to explain a concept such as the greenhouse effect, students can become confused by the complexities and I find, as a teacher, it’s grat to look for other tools to use.
I really agree with your point about using the children’s own environment and experiences as a starting point for STEM learning. I particularly like your Weather Detectives idea, as the children can collect their own data and look for patterns over the four Mondays. I also agree that STEM can sometimes be taught as separate subjects. Activities like this are a great way to naturally combine Science, Maths and Geography while allowing children to investigate and draw their own conclusions.
Research Question: How does the amount of food waste produced in our school change from day to day, and what could we do to reduce it?
I think this would be a suitable research question for a 4th Class as it is linked to climate change but is also something pupils can investigate directly in their own school. I would begin by discussing food waste and why reducing waste is important. The pupils could then work in small groups to collect data on the amount of food waste produced in the school over a week. They could use weighing scales, recording sheets and clipboards to record their findings. Each group could be responsible for collecting data from a different class or area of the school.
The pupils would record the date, amount of food waste and any patterns they notice. They could present their findings using tables and graphs and compare the results from different days. We could also use information from reliable sources, such as government or environmental websites, to research the impact of food waste on the environment.
The investigation would take place in our school, with pupils collecting the data themselves. At the end, the class could discuss possible solutions and decide on one or two actions the school could take to reduce food waste. This would give pupils ownership of the investigation and allow them to see how their research could lead to positive changes in our school.
I really enjoyed working through the Nose Up High in the Sky resource, particularly Activity 3, where pupils build their own weather station. I think this is a very practical and engaging way for children to learn about measuring weather conditions. Building an anemometer and rain gauge would give pupils the opportunity to develop their problem-solving and practical skills while also learning how scientists collect reliable data. I also liked the idea of keeping a weather diary and recording measurements over a number of days, as this would allow children to identify patterns and compare their findings.
I would definitely use this resource in my classroom, and across year groups. I think it would work well as a collaborative project where groups could build the different instruments, collect data and then represent their findings using graphs. It would also provide opportunities to connect the learning to real-world weather forecasting and the role of satellites in observing the Earth.
I think some clips from *HOME* would be an effective way of introducing climate change, as the powerful images and information help to show children the scale of the issue. I would use short sections of the film with my class, pausing regularly to discuss what they have seen, ask questions and give them opportunities to share their ideas. I think this could work particularly well alongside a topic on sustainability and caring for our local environment.
I would also balance the focus on the challenges of climate change with opportunities to explore solutions. The children could investigate examples of people, communities and organisations that are already making positive changes and consider the impact of these actions. They could then work together to identify practical ways they could make a difference in their own school or local community. I think this would encourage children to think critically about climate change while also developing a sense of responsibility and showing them that their actions can contribute to positive change.
I really enjoyed Activity 3, particularly the Paxi video, as it explained greenhouse gases in a way that was simple and accessible for children. I also found the temperature prediction tool particularly effective because it helped to make the effects of climate change more visual and easier for children to understand.
In my classroom, I could see this activity working well as part of a project on habitats and biodiversity. After learning about different habitats and the plants and animals that depend on them, the children could use the temperature tool to explore how changes in temperature might affect different environments. They could investigate questions such as what might happen to animals if their habitats become warmer, or how rising temperatures could affect food and water supplies. I would then encourage the children to work in groups to explore different scenarios and present their findings to the class. I think this would make the learning more meaningful while encouraging children to ask questions, make connections and think critically about how environmental changes can affect living things.
I reflected on what STEM looks like in my own classroom. I agree with the idea that STEM should involve more than simply completing a Science or Maths activity. It should provide children with opportunities to investigate, collaborate, solve problems and apply their learning to real-life situations.
I particularly enjoyed the Weather and Climate activities, especially Activity 2, ‘Weather Detectives’. I think children would enjoy collecting their own weather data and using it to create graphs, identify patterns and draw conclusions from their findings. Activity 1, ‘Is it Weather or Climate?’, would also be a useful way to introduce the difference between weather and climate through discussion, questioning and real-life examples.
With my own class, I would extend Activity 2 by allowing the children to decide what additional information they could collect, such as rainfall, wind direction and cloud cover. They could then compare their findings with data from Met Éireann and discuss possible reasons for any differences. I think this would give the children greater ownership of their learning while also making the activity more investigative, collaborative and meaningful.
Prepare a school project to collect Piseógs/Traditions/Stories of the Night
This could be a meaningful cross-curricular project that runs across the school or is explored in-depth within a single classroom. Students would work in small groups to research folktales, myths, and traditions from different cultures that relate to the stars, moon, or night sky. Ireland’s increasingly diverse population offers a rich opportunity to learn from the many cultural backgrounds represented in our own school community. Students could begin by choosing a region or country to focus on; either their own heritage or one they’re curious about and explore stories that explain constellations, phases of the moon, or the origins of night and day.
Each group would compile their findings in a creative way—through posters, artwork, drama, storytelling, or digital presentations. These could be shared in class or at a school assembly, celebrating different perspectives on the night sky. The project could naturally lead to discussions about similarities and differences across stories: What values or themes appear again and again? What do these stories tell us about the cultures that created them?
To deepen the connection, we could invite parents or local community members from different backgrounds to share night sky stories from their own cultures. This would not only enrich the students’ understanding but also strengthen links between the school and wider community. It’s a creative way to explore both astronomy and global heritage, while promoting inclusion, curiosity, and shared wonder.This is a wonderful idea and could hopefully encourage students to think of ways to overcome light pollution in urban areas and recognise the effects on people as well as the environment.
Answering ‘How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans’
As a Dublin school, we don’t have a lot of biodiversity around us but we do have a school garden and the students love watching the insects and squirrels during the day so they do have a relationship with the biodiversity in our area. I would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species into our biodiversity plan by raising awareness of how artificial light impacts local wildlife. We would begin by conducting a simple audit of outdoor lighting on school grounds, limiting unnecessary lights at night and using low-glow, downward-facing fixtures where needed. This is an easy solution that could truly benefit our environment.
In class, students would learn about nocturnal animals like bats, hedgehogs, and moths, and how they rely on darkness to navigate, feed, and breed. We would build bat boxes and plant night-scented flowers to support pollinators active after dusk and use the video from the module to explain how factors can interfere with bats senses.
Through the Globe at Night project, students could explore the effects of light pollution and collect real data. We would also include this theme in our Green Schools biodiversity work and promote “lights-out” events or stargazing evenings to link science, nature, and community action. This approach combines learning, action, and care for often-overlooked species. and is a great way to bridge community involvement.
this is an interesting point of view and it’s great to get a different perspective from different school/ community enviroments!
2. Introduce students to light pollution using the Globe at Night citizen science programme.
I would begin by telling the story of Orion’s Belt and the mythology behind the constellation. I would then prompt students to discuss and reflect if you could see this constellation from everywhere else in the world/country/ city and what factors might change their ability to see at night? I would ask them to discuss these factors- urban vs rural, population and thus light pollution . Then, show students how to use the Globe at Night website to submit observations.
For homework, students could go outside on a clear night with a parent/guardian, find the constellation Orion (as it’s visible from Ireland), and compare what they see to the sky charts on the website. They log their location, time, and sky brightness using the online form.
Back in class, students share their findings and discuss how light pollution varies depending on where they live. You can plot results on a map or compare with data from other countries. It’s a simple, hands-on way to build awareness about our environment and participate in real science.
A continuation of this would be to work with a school in a more rural area or Ireland and allow students from both schools to compare their findings that they have logged on the app.