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Does the amount of litter collected in our school change across different months?
This question was chosen in order to make the issue of climate change and human impact on the environment relatable and visible to the children. As part of Green Schools, the children are actively engaged in initiatives to combat litter and waste issues. The children could begin with a school-based litter survey. Following this, they would collect, sort and record types of waste at different times of the year- for example before school holidays etc. This activity would provide the children with an opportunity to engage as researchers while developing their skills of linking data to environmental issues. Within groups, the children could be given roles including recorder, data collector, analyst and reporter. Following completion of their projects, the children could share their findings within the classroom and the school community. Their findings could inform Green School initiatives within the school, allowing them to see how their research can lead to real world changes.
Hi Catherine,
I like the inclusion of the first sentence of the film in your response; it is a powerful statement and a reminder of the fragility of Earth and our responsibility as its guardians. I agree with you in that some of the images within the film would be too much for small children, I liked your idea of breaking it in to parts in order to use it as a classroom resource.
The film home by Arthus Bertrand was captivating. Spanning over 90 minutes, the film delivers an intimate portrayal of our planet’s beauty. Based on the message that human activities are rapidly degrading Earth’s ecological balance, Home interweaves important facts with aerial views, ensuring that its environmental warnings are both compelling and emotionally resonant. Even the narration of this film appeals to the senses, causing the viewer to appreciate that it is our responsibility to protect the plant in order to ensure its sustainability for future generations.
This would be a useful video to include as part of lessons on the topic of climate change. Given the length of the film, it could prove more useful to present shorter snippets to the children. One approach may be to show a clip from the film as a lesson stimulus in order to elicit the children’s prior-knowledge of the topic. From there, the teacher could engage in direct teaching and guide the children in researching their own aspect of the impacts of climate change.Hi Carmel,
This is a great question and one that could lead to a very interesting climate-related discussion in the classroom. I love your idea to link the research to the children’s immediate environment.
Hi Catherine,
I also chose this assignment. Likewise, I found that this resource provides hands-on activities which would prove very effective in the classroom when teaching STEM. I love your idea of establishing a weather station within your school.
The pupil activities included within the ESA resource ‘Nose High Up in The Sky’ are engaging, collaborative and hands-on providing. The plans included within each activity are comprehensive and provide excellent support to teachers teaching about space. A number of activities within this pack stood out. One such activity was Activity 3 which outlines the procedure of building weather stations. Within this activity, the children work collaboratively to build different weather instruments to record air temperature, wind speed and rain. I particularly liked this activity within the ESA resource as it supports hands-on learning, providing the children with an opportunity to build an anemometer and rain gauge. This form of space would help the children to understand real-life processes and develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. As this is a resource I was unfamiliar with prior to engaging with the course, I would be very keen to use it in the classroom in order to inform my own planning in the area.
Hi Sharon,
I am also impressed by the opportunities this lesson affords to engage the children in teamwork, critical thinking and STEM. Using the ‘Climate Summary’ sheet is a great ideas as it provides a very helpful structure for the children to recording their findings. This lesson integrates various subjects and would be a great way to support learning across several areas of the curriculum.
Activity 3 provides a well-structured lesson which can be used to introduce children to future climate scenarios and deepen their understanding as to how these will impact temperatures. Additionally, this lesson familiarises the children with actions to help lessen/raise awareness of the impacts caused by an increase in temperatures.
The Paxi video would prove an excellent stimulus at the beginning to the lesson to introduce the concept of greenhouse gases to the children in an accessible way. Furthermore, this lesson would be visually engaging and provide a good basis for starting a classroom discussion on the topic.
Secondly, the children could engage with the tool for predicting future temperatures using school ICT. The visual nature of this resource would encourage the children to critically examine the impact of human actions around the globe. This resource could also support collaboratively learning, encouraging the children to gather data in pairs/small groups.
In terms of improvements, following group ideas and suggestions on how to lessen the impact of climate change, the school could organise a small trip for the children within their local area to observe actions being undertaken in the local area to lessen the impact of climate change such as the Tidy Towns Committee, electric car charging station etc.Hi Sharon,
The sorting task in Activity 1 is a great way to encourage observation, reasoning and critical thinking in addition to providing collaborative learning opportunities. Likewise, I found that Activity 2 supports the development of mathematical skills. I love the improvement ideas you shared, all of these ideas would prove excellent ways through which to improve the lesson.
According to Liston (2018), there is an increasing demand for a highly capable STEM population. As a result, there has been calls for education systems to integrate STEM in order to prepare students with the necessary skills and knowledge to function in such a society. Within my own classroom, STEM facilitates innovation, creativity and teamwork. Having engaged with the weather and climate resource presented in this module, I have gained various ideas as to how I can support my approach to STEM education within the classroom. Firstly, activity 1 involves various opportunities through which the children can learn about the different between climate and weather through a teamwork based approach. During this lesson, the children can categorise statements into climate or weather-related allowing myself as the teacher to assess prior-knowledge while also aiding the children’s learning. Activity 2: Weather Detectives likewise provides various opportunities to explore STEM in the classroom through a creative and hands-on approach. In this activity, the children measure temperatures and analysis their results. Through this activity science and maths are effectively integrated. In order to improve this second activity, various equipment could be used in addition to a thermometer to aid analysis including weather apps.
Hi Danielle,
The biodiversity garden in Laois Education Centre sounds like a fantastic place to visit with primary school pupils. It is great to have such a resource nearby where the children can learn about plants and insects in a hands-on way. I agree with you in that these fun and hands-on activities really help the children to connect with nature and develop awareness of the importance of caring for it.
In my local area, sustainability is increasingly visible through community-led initiatives such as recycling and the promotion of biodiversity through pollinator-friendly planting in public spaces. Public transport is easily accessible to people, even in rural areas away from the local village, through the local link bus service. Furthermore, walking paths within the village are well-maintained. Local primary schools participate in the Green Schools programme which further reinforces the importance of environmental stewardship from an early age.
In order to engage the pupils to explore this further, I would organise a local sustainability walk in order to provide them with the opportunity to observe and document eco-friendly practices in the local area. On returning to the classroom, the children would reflect on their findings through a whole-class discussion and engage in creative projects including designing posters, completing projects or digital presentations. If possible, it would also be effective to invite local environmental groups (e.g. Tidy Towns) to speak to the class. This would support the children in making real-world connections, empowering them. Likewise, at a school level, the children could engage in initiatives organised by the Green Schools committee or in the school garden.Hi Helen,
I agree with you in relation to using a cross curricular approach, I would also approach the topic in this way. Engaging with this course has really opened my eyes to the possibility of applying such an approach, particularly in relation to STEM. Likewise, the use of story would support engagement levels and learning.
As a teacher, understanding the nutritional benefits of seafood is essential in order to be in a position to educate on the topic. Our nutrition is an essential part of human health and development with a balanced diet being key to learning. Within the food pyramid, seafood falls into the protein layer which also includes other sources of protein such as meat, poultry, eggs, beans and nuts. 2 servings a day is recommended for seafood and other protein sources in this layer. Seafood is also an important source of various vitamins and minerals including Vitamin A and iron.
This knowledge could be applied in the classroom in a number of ways. One such way is to plan and teach thematically on the topic of the sea/seafood. This could include STEM lessons examining jobs associated with the industry, discussing omega/brain power following examination of the Salmon of Knowledge story in history or teaching about its place on the food pyramid in science.
