Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I really enjoyed reading this. I love how you’ve adapted the activities so that every child can take part. The sensory approach, visuals and clear routines would really help to keep children engaged and build their confidence. I also like the idea of creating simple constellations with stickers and string, as it’s such a practical way to introduce patterns and the night sky. It sounds like a lovely lesson that would encourage curiosity while making sure all pupils can participate.
I would choose the Stars: Draw Your Own Constellation activity as I think it has lots of potential across different curriculum areas. What I like most is that there isn’t a single correct answer. Children are encouraged to use their imagination, explain their ideas and listen to the ideas of others, which often leads to the richest learning.
In my own setting, I work mainly with small groups, so I could see this activity working really well as a discussion-based lesson. After looking at examples of constellations and hearing some of the traditional stories behind them, pupils could create their own constellation and explain what they see in the pattern of stars. Some might choose to draw and label their ideas, while others could tell their story orally or record it using photographs and simple captions. Adapting the recording in this way would allow all pupils to participate successfully.
I also like that this activity naturally encourages children to appreciate that people from different cultures have looked at the same night sky and imagined different stories and meanings. It provides a lovely opportunity to value children’s own ideas and experiences while also developing creativity, vocabulary and confidence in expressing themselves.
This module reminded me that science can link so naturally with art, storytelling and oral language. Sometimes giving children the time to observe, imagine and explain their thinking can be just as valuable as learning scientific facts.I love all the book ideas! Guess How Much I Love You is such a lovely way to introduce the Moon, and I think children would really enjoy observing it at home and sharing what they notice back in school. The playdough and shaving foam activities are great ideas too. Like you, I hadn’t come across the Universe in a Box resources before, so I’m looking forward to exploring them a bit more
I would be most likely to use the ‘What Does the Moon Look Like?’ activity. What appealed to me most was its simplicity. Children don’t need lots of equipment or prior knowledge…they simply observe, notice changes over time and talk about what they see. I think that sense of curiosity is a great starting point for learning.
In my own setting, I work mainly with small groups, and I could see this activity leading to lots of discussion. Many of the children I teach already have their own experiences and traditions connected with observing the Moon, so it would provide a lovely opportunity for them to share what they know while also learning from one another. I like activities that allow every child to contribute in their own way, regardless of their starting point.
I would adapt the recording of observations to suit the pupils I work with. Some children might draw what they see, while others could use photographs, simple labels or talk through their observations. The emphasis would be on noticing, describing and comparing rather than producing lots of written work.
What I particularly liked about this activity was that it could naturally lead into conversations about science, language, art and different cultural perspectives, helping children realise that the night sky is something we all share. It reminded me that some of the best learning comes from slowing down, observing carefully and giving children the opportunity to ask questions and make connections with their own lives.
Hi! Great to see another SET teacher here 😊. I think the space theme will work really well with the pupils we support. The hands-on and visual activities make it much more accessible, especially for children who benefit from practical learning. Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the course!
I would be most likely to use the Mighty Materials inquiry activity in my own setting. Although the lesson is designed for younger classes, I think the inquiry approach could be adapted very successfully for the pupils I support in small groups.
What I liked most about the activity was that it encourages children to predict, investigate and explain their thinking rather than simply trying to find the “right” answer. Many of the pupils I work with benefit from practical, hands-on learning, and I could see this activity leading to lots of rich discussion and opportunities to introduce and reinforce new vocabulary. I also like that children are encouraged to justify their predictions and reflect on what they discovered, helping them to develop confidence in sharing their ideas.
I would probably adapt the lesson by using a smaller range of materials, visual supports and plenty of modelling before the investigation. I would also encourage pupils to work in pairs so they could talk through their thinking before sharing it with the group. Recording results using simple pictures, symbols or photographs would make the activity accessible while still allowing children to compare findings and identify patterns.
This module reminded me that inquiry-based learning doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes a simple practical investigation can develop curiosity, communication and problem-solving just as effectively as more elaborate activities.Hi everyone, I’m Susan and I currently work in an Additional Educational Needs role in a primary school in Dublin. I’m looking forward to learning some new ideas and practical activities that I can use with the pupils I support. One of my favourite space facts is that a day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus! I think it’s a great fact to share with children because it always sparks curiosity. Looking forward to learning with you all!
Hi Deirdre, I enjoyed reading your activity and thought your learning intention was very clear. I like how the pupils have to sort the scenarios into Human, Search Engine or AI before discussing their reasoning. It encourages them to think about when AI is useful and when another source of support might be more appropriate, rather than seeing AI as the answer to everything. I also liked your idea of comparing one of the ‘Human’ scenarios with an AI response, as I think this would lead to some valuable discussion about emotions, judgement and the limits of AI. One question I would ask pupils is how they could check whether an AI response was accurate before acting on it or sharing it with someone else. As a follow-up activity, it might also be useful to ask pupils to work in pairs to create one or two of their own scenarios for the class to sort. I think that would provide another opportunity to assess their understanding while keeping the discussion engaging.
For this activity I would use it with 4th Class during an SPHE lesson with links to Media and Digital Wellbeing.
Learning intention: Pupils will begin to understand that AI can be helpful, but that its responses should always be questioned and checked before they are trusted or shared.
The AI concept I would explore is accuracy and misinformation. I would begin by showing pupils two photographs of yellow plants, one healthy and one unhealthy, and ask them what they notice. I would then share the AI statement: “Every yellow leaf means a plant needs more water.” Working with a partner, pupils would discuss whether they think this is always true and suggest other possible reasons why a leaf might turn yellow. Together we would compare the AI response with information from a trusted source and discuss why the answers might differ. This would help pupils understand that AI can sound convincing but is not always correct.
One critical question I would ask is: “How could we check if this information is accurate before we believe or share it?”
A key responsible-use message would be that AI can support our learning, but it should never replace our own thinking or reliable sources of information.
To support critical thinking, I would use visual prompts, structured questioning and partner discussion so that all pupils could take part and explain their ideas in a way that suited their individual needs. I would gather evidence of learning through observation, questioning and a short exit activity where pupils decide whether they would trust an AI statement and explain how they would check it. This would support our School Self-Evaluation by developing pupils’ digital literacy, critical thinking and responsible use of technology across the curriculum.<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Hi Kate, I enjoyed reading your reflection. I think this lesson addresses a very important topic, and I like that it allows pupils to explore online safety in a safe and structured way rather than only talking about it. Your point about guiding the lesson as a whole class instead of letting pupils work through it independently really stood out to me. I think that would help create opportunities for discussion and give pupils the confidence to ask questions or share concerns.</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>A meaningful link to SPHE is very clear, but I could also see opportunities to develop oral language skills by encouraging pupils to explain the choices they made during the activity and discuss alternative responses. One suggestion might be to include a short follow-up reflection or role-play activity where pupils practise how they would respond in a similar situation. I think that would reinforce the key messages and give the teacher another opportunity to assess pupils’ understanding.</span>
For this assignment I explored the Empathy Village demo world.
The lesson focuses on helping pupils develop empathy by encouraging them to think about their own experiences and to learn more about the people around them. Each pupil is given a house in the village and personal reflection questions to answer, helping classmates understand one another’s interests, feelings, hopes and worries. The overall aim is to build a caring and respectful classroom community.
The lesson plan provides clear learning objectives around recognising emotions, showing empathy and responding sensitively to others. It also includes an educator guide, discussion prompts and classroom resources to support reflection before, during and after the activity. Rather than focusing on the Minecraft world itself, the lesson encourages meaningful conversations and opportunities for pupils to explain their thinking.
I could see this linking well with the SPHE curriculum, particularly around developing positive relationships, understanding different perspectives and creating an inclusive classroom environment. I wouldn’t use the lesson exactly as it is. I would introduce the questions gradually, pre-teach some of the emotional vocabulary and build in regular opportunities for pupils to pause and discuss their ideas in pairs or small groups before sharing with the class. I think this would make the activity more accessible for all learners while also supporting our School Self-Evaluation by promoting pupil voice, wellbeing and respectful relationships.<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Hi Clodagh, I liked the addition of the rotten fruit as well as the healthy fruit. It adds another layer to the game because children have to make decisions rather than just catch everything. I also thought the Maths link worked well, especially using the final score as a starting point for comparing results. I wonder if adding different difficulty levels might make it even more useful in the classroom, as it could be adapted for different age groups or abilities</span>
I created a Timed Catch/Collect game called Word Catch/Star Catcher.
Here’s the link to my game: https://makecode.com/_gDPY2uChy0qy
The player controls a dog and moves around the screen collecting falling stars to build up their score before time runs out.
My original plan was actually to have the dog collecting words rather than stars so it could be used as a literacy activity. I couldn’t quite get that working in MakeCode this time, so I decided to keep the mechanics simple and focus on getting a working game finished. If I revisit it, I’d like to replace the stars with high-frequency words or vocabulary linked to a class topic. I could see something like that working well with the small groups I support, as it would give children another way to practise reading while still feeling like they’re playing a game.
Curriculum area: English (Literacy)
Learning objective: Pupils will reinforce recognition of high-frequency words through an interactive game.
Simple storyboard
Location: A colourful sky scene with stars falling from above.
Player: A dog controlled using the arrow keys.
Game elements: Falling stars that the player must collect before they disappear.
How to play: Move the dog to catch as many stars as possible before the timer runs out. Each star collected increases the score.
Computational thinking
The main computational thinking skill I used was iteration. I spent a lot of time making small changes, testing them and then adjusting the game when something didn’t work as expected. There was definitely a bit of trial and error involved! Although the final version is quite simple, I learned a lot about how the different blocks interact. I also realised that having an idea for a classroom activity is one thing, but translating that into code is another skill altogether. My first version isn’t exactly what I had imagined, but it’s a good starting point and something I could build on as I become more confident with MakeCode.<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>I enjoyed looking at your project. I think the Rock, Paper, Scissors tutorial is a great way of introducing coding concepts like randomisation, inputs and outputs in a way that pupils will immediately engage with. Because the game is already familiar to most children, they can focus on understanding the code and debugging it rather than trying to learn new rules.</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>I also like your idea of linking it to probability by recording and analysing the outcomes. That makes the STEM connection very clear and gives pupils a meaningful reason to use the code they have created. One thing that might strengthen the activity even further would be to ask pupils to explain how the program decides which image to display and what changes they made while testing their code. From an assessment point of view, listening to those explanations or asking pupils to keep a simple debugging record would provide useful evidence of their computational thinking as well as their finished project.</span>
For this assignment I completed the Dice tutorial in MakeCode for the micro:bit.
The tutorial programs the micro:bit to act like a dice. When you shake it, it generates a random number between one and six and displays it on the screen. I found it a nice introduction to the basics of MakeCode and it was useful to see how simple changes to the code affected the outcome. It also reinforced the importance of testing and fixing mistakes along the way.MakeCode Share Link: https://makecode.microbit.org/_7MuKom2Ybas2
I work in an additional educational needs role, so I immediately started thinking about how this could be used with the small groups I support rather than as a whole-class lesson. I think it would work really well during numeracy sessions, especially when looking at chance and data. Pupils could predict which numbers might appear, record the results over several rolls and then discuss what they notice. I also like that the coding is broken down into manageable steps, making it less intimidating for children who can lack confidence. Using the simulator first would give everyone a chance to practise before using the micro:bits themselves. It’s something I’d be happy to adapt for the pupils I work with, while also supporting our school’s focus on developing digital learning in a meaningful way.