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I like the idea of making this a year long activity, sometimes a lot of the lessons we do we just want to tick the box and mark complete, this way the children get to see it over different seasons and how it grows and thrives throughout the year.
We would take a walk along the local trail to our neaest river. On the way the children could gather the items required to make a map of their trip to the river using sticks, stones flowers, pebbles etc. The children could also create Mandalas using flowers and other objects from the surrounding area.
In music the children would take some time quietly listening to the sounds of the local area. We would have a discussion about the sounds we heard – how can we recreate them using body percussion and instruments in the class. The children in groups would create a composition based on this. They also would have to create a song or rap based on our trip to the river or what they experienced there.
In drama we would create still images of our experience of the trip to the river. The children could also create a drama based on the animals we witnessed around the river.
Under the bridge over the river and surrounding area is a place where many bats are found. We would learn about the life of a bat and write a creative piece about bats and their lives.
I agree, I think it is fantastic how you let the the children explore with the materials and try to develop and create their own designs. I also like the idea of including the financial aspect of the build, this is an important area that also integrates money.
Firstly I would introduce the lesson by talking about the local area. The local area in Irish is called Cora Finne- Loosly translated on a legend as the currach of Finn. The story goes that before the bridge was built there was a man called Finn and people used to travel across the river in his currach – hence the name. We would take a walk to the local bridge and look and see what way it was designed, focussing closely on the arch. When we return to the class I would show them various different famous bridges around the world and discuss their features. I would then display the various pieces of equipment the children could use to create their bridge and explain that it must be at least 20cm long and be able to hold at least 3 toy cars. The children would explore with the materials and use what they have learnt to create their own bridges in groups. In order to introcue maths we would discuss the fact that maybe Finn charged a fee or a toll for people to cross the river. How much could we charge people to cross our bridge. The children would have to calculate or deduce how much it would cost to build their bridge, then figure out what would be a fair amount to charge people to earn their money back. Finally the children would evaluate their work and see what they could improve on and what they were really happy with.
I think it is a wonderful idea to be able to utilise the skills of the post primary students in making the bee hotels. I also agree I too found it difficult to think at the beginning how that would work but after reviewing the module it has given me plenty of ideas for the future.
I found many of the tools and resources during this module incredibly useful. One of the most important things I took away from it was the fact that it’s ok if I don’t know or can’t identify some species of plants or animals or insects for the children. This is one of the reasons why I would be slow to take the children outdoors but this module has inceased my confidence in the area. The use of many of the items outlined in the module- the wildflowers of Ireland, the image guide in the wild connections flora trail, the tree council of Ireland, birdwatch Ireland and the minibeast challenges are all invaluable resources in identifying all the amazing flora and fauna in my locality. I would really enjoy getting my class involved in citizens science projects. We would take a walk along the trail to a local river and see what species of plants and animals we find along the way. Making sure of the identification of something is very important so I would encourge the children to ask others to verify what they have found. On the website the children would enjoy looking at what species are recorded the most in their locality and also across the country. It is also a great way to incorporate IT into the lesson as the children will have to take photos and upload them onto the website in order to verify their findings.
A treasure hunt is a fantastic idea, the children will be really engaged and also locating their own school and house will be interesting for them.
For younger classes, describe how you would plan and conduct a lesson on map making and explain how you might incorporate some online tools such as Google maps or Geohive
In order to plan for the lesson I would first do a little research about our local area, especially on placenames. I find the “logainm.ie” website extremely useful in this regard as I could also integrate the lesson with Irish. The names of places in Irish can be very revealing and literal – therefore we would look at the names of places in the locality in Irish and then look at the maps to see if we can match the reason for the name to its place. For example Castleconnell in county Limerick is called – Caisléan Uí Chonaill in Irish – the children would use google maps to locate the castle. Sixmilebridge in County Clare is called Droichead Abhann Ó gCearnaigh – can they find the bridge that flows over the Owengarney river etc. We would then look at the walk from our school to the local GAA pitch. We would look at the placenames that we pass through and see if we can find the reason for what they are called. We would then go for the walk and spot the places ourselves. On the way the children would gather the items required to make their map -sticks, flowers, stones, pebbles etc. On our return the children would create the map themselves.
I would also like to use the helicopter propeller lesson and try to make it as child led as possible as you state. I would then take the children to the Shannon Flight Museum where the children could learn more about flight and try the flight simulators.
After reading the paper “Unravelling STEM” by Dr. Maeve Liston and by completing this module, it has given me a greater understanding of how I can better utilise and incorporate Stem into my lessons. In my classroom I enjoy carrying out STEM lessons with the class but at times can find them very labour intensive setting up all the equipment and items required. After going through the paper however and completing the module I think I now realise that I am carrying too much of the lesson and trying to do too much myself, rather than letting the children carry out the concept and try to understand it and explore it for themselves. The seven key points highlighted at the start of the paper nearly all begin with “Students” which to me means that it is all about their understanding and development and trying to figure out these concepts for themselves. I also agree with her that at times we can pick up a box labelled “STEM” and utilise it in the classroom. However if we were to really dig deep into it we would realise that maybe it is only dealing with the science and maths aspect, as Dr. Liston says “engineering has to take centre stage”. Therefore it is important that I think about that more in my classroom the next time I carry out some STEM activities that I have picked up from this course.
Pupils will gather and share local superstitions, piseógs, and stories connected to the night sky—such as weather signs linked to moon circles, stars, or evening skies—from the Dúchas.ie Schools’ Collection and their own community.
I would introduce children to the Dúchas Schools’ Collection. I would then show them examples like: A circle around the moon at night is said to forecast bad weather. A red sky at night is a sign of good weather. Following this students would interview family members or neighbours asking the following questions: “Are there any old sayings about the moon, stars, or night sky?” or “What did your grandparents say about weather from looking at the night sky?”
Pupils will then bring their collected piseógs and present them in class. In order to integrate with other subjects the children could design, draw or create using different objects the piseógs, superstitions and stories they have learned about. Finally we would compile all collected traditions and illustrations into a small class booklet or display.Really enjoyed the idea of interviewing grandparents. We can learn so much from them and their past experiences. Also the Piseógs and stories that they have heard over the years will be lost unfortunately if not recorded in some way.
Many great ideas here, I really like the idea of the bat box and the night scented flowers. Also children really enjoy sharing their ideas with the whole school community – on occasion we have done a showcase day where all the classes come in and see one topic we have covered during the term.
Module 4: How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
Incorporating the needs of nocturnal animals especially those affected by light pollution into school biodiversity plans: We would first conduct a light pollution survey to ensure that the lighting on the school grounds is properly shielded and targeted to where needed, no brighter than necessary, used only when useful and warm in colour. We would map out the area and include areas with trees and wildflowers for moths such as honeysuckle. We would also make sure that there is adequate tree cover for bats. The children could look into the possibility of having a bat box installed depending on the suitability of the school environment. Raising a moth as described in this module would be a fantastic way for children to appreciate the level of intricacy in the life cycle of a moth. As described in this module releasing the moth into an appropriate place is key. The children could use a night vision camera to see if there is any area of the school grounds attracting moths unnecessarily.
