[Sarah Murphy]

A great lesson Sarah.. Very engaging.. The children would love this

[Sarah Murphy]

I like how you compare rocket fins to darts and other objects. That is something that I will add into my lesson in the future. I will also look into your book recommendation as I have used the same one for quite a while now

[Sarah Murphy]

Lesson: Paper Rockets

Class: Senior Infants
Theme: Space and Forces

Learning Objectives-
Children will:

Recognise that rockets travel because of a push (force).
Predict what will happen before testing.
Observe and compare how different rockets fly.
Use simple scientific language such as push, fly, high, far, predict, and observe.

Materials
Rocket template (from Spaceweek.ie)
A4 paper
Straws (one narrow straw inside a wider paper tube)
Scissors
Tape
Crayons/markers
Recording sheet with smiley faces.

I will show pictures of rockets and ask questions like:

Have you ever seen a rocket?
Where do rockets go?
What do astronauts need rockets for?

I will the read a story called “Whatever Next!” It tells the story of Baby Bear who is travelling to the moon in a cardboard box.

After reading I would ask:

How did Baby Bear travel?
Could a cardboard box really fly?
What does a real rocket need?

Investigation: The main question- Which paper rocket will fly the furthest? The children will decorate their rockets and before launching they will predict with thumbs up/down or point to a picture:High?Low?Far?
Launch each rocket using the straw. We will observe:Which went highest?Which went furthest?
Why do you think that happened?
Allow children to test several times. A class discussion will be had and I would introduce the word force. “When we blow into the straw, the air gives the rocket a push. That push is called a force.”

Recording-Children draw their rocket-A happy face if it flew high,
a surprised face if it did something unexpected.
Finish the sentence:

“My rocket flew ______.”

At the end of the lesson the children will be asked: What made the rocket move? Did everyone’s rocket fly the same?
What did we learn today?

[Sarah Murphy]

I like the idea of the children designing their own clothes dependant on the season.  This is a lovely hands on activity and one that I would incorporate into my lesson when teaching this theme again

[Sarah Murphy]

Lesson: Where Do We Live?
Theme: Homes Around the World

Learning Objectives-
Children will:

Talk about where they live.
Explore that people live in many different types of homes around the world.
Understand that homes meet people’s needs.
Design a home using their own ideas.
Work collaboratively to create a class community.
Begin with questions:

Where do you live?
Who lives with you?
What makes a house feel like home?
What rooms are in your house?
What do we all need in a home?
Record the children’s ideas on the WB

I would then tell the children that “Homes can look very different, but every home is a place where people live, feel safe and belong”. I would read a story e.g. ‘A House Is a House for Me’ .It explores the idea that many places can be homes and encourages children to think creatively about what “home” means.

Explore Homes Around the World
Show photographs of:

Apartments
Detached houses
Cottages
Houseboats
Igloos
Yurts
Mud-brick homes
Stilt houses
Tree houses (for fun!)

Questions and discussions would be had throughout e.g.

Why are some houses on stilts?
Why would people build with snow?
Which house would you like to visit?
What is the same about every home? I would place emphasis on
Different weather
Different materials
Different cultures
Same purpose—keeping people safe and comfortable.

Activity: Design Your Dream Home
I would ask the children what an architect is and that “Today you are architects! You are going to design a home that is perfect for you.” We would discuss things like
How many rooms?
What shape will it be?
What colour?
Does it have a garden?
Is it underwater?
In space?
In a tree?
Does it have a slide instead of stairs?
I would inform them that every design is different because everyone imagines home differently.

Collaborative Class Activity: Our Street, Our Village, Our World.

I would roll out a long sheet of backing paper across a table or display board. We would draw simple features like paths, trees, roads etc. Each child cuts out their home and places it somewhere on the large map. The display title would be – “There’s No Place Like Home!”

Oral Language: The children would  present their house using starters like My home is…
I chose…
My favourite room is…
My home has…
I made it special by…

Sit together around the display and have a discussion-What did we notice about everyone’s homes?
Were any two exactly the same?
What makes somewhere feel like home?
Animals and weather can be nicely linked into this as well as an extension lesson.

Weather: Ice Animal:Emperor penguin, Home/Adaption: Huddle together for warmth

 

 

 

[Sarah Murphy]

I have used the book Aliens love Underpants in the classroom. It’s a lovely book for children. I really like your idea of getting them to work in pairs and draw the alien that their partner is describing. Really fun and engaging

[Sarah Murphy]

Theme:Space and Aliens

Learning Objectives –
Children will:

Listen and respond to a story.
Predict what might happen in a story.
Describe aliens using simple vocabulary.
Create their own alien using different materials.

I would read the book called Aliens Love Underpants. The children would make a prediction prior to reading the story.

Questions during reading
*What do you think an alien looks like?
*Why do the aliens come to Earth?
*What is your favourite alien?
*How do you think the people felt?
*What would you do if an alien visited your house?

Hands-on Activity 1: Build Your Own Alien
Materials: coloured paper, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pom-poms, glue,scissors,markers/crayons.

Instructions:
I would tell the children they are scientists discovering a brand-new alien. I would ask them to think about:

*How many eyes?
*How many arms?
*Does it have antennae?
*What colour is it?

The children would create their alien and give each alien a name. Afterwards they would work in pairs and tell their partner

“My alien is called…”
“It comes from…”
“It likes to eat…”
This develops oral language alongside creativity.

Alternative Sensory Activity dependant on the class: Playdough Aliens
Children use playdough to make aliens. I would provide the children with a variety of materials

“Can you make an alien with three eyes and four legs?”
This also reinforces counting.

Movement Break (5 minutes)
Alien Freeze

I would play space music and the children move like:Floating astronauts,Tiny aliens,Giant aliens
Fast aliens, Slow moon walkers
When the music stops:
“Freeze!”

[Sarah Murphy]

A really nice simple yet effective lesson. I really like the idea of allowing them to draw what they imagine is on the moon. This would allow for a lot of creativity

[Sarah Murphy]

Activity Set: The Sun and Shadows

Class: Junior and Senior Infants
Strand: Energy and Forces – Light
Duration: 40–45 minutes

Learning Objectives:

*Recognise that the Sun is a source of light.

*Explore how shadows are formed.

*Investigate how moving a light source changes a shadow.

*Observe their own shadows outdoors.

*Use vocabulary such as light, shadow, sun, torch, bigger, smaller, near, far

Materials needed: torches, plastic bears (one per pair), white paper or card, chalk (for outdoor activity)

Introduction (5–10 mins): Ask the children

1. What gives us light during the day?
2.  What gives us light when it is dark?
3. Have you ever noticed your shadow?
4. When do you think we get a shadow?

I will then explain that we are going to become scientists and investigate how shadows are made.

Investigation 1: Bear and Torch Shadows (15–20 minutes)

Question: How can we change a shadow?

Equipment: Each pair receives:

* One torch
* One plastic bear
* One sheet of white paper

I will then ask the children to predict: What do you think will happen when we shine the torch at the bear? Where do you think the shadow will appear?

I will then allow children to explore before giving prompts.

Encourage them to:

* Shine the torch at the bear.
* Move the torch closer.
* Move the torch further away.
* Shine the torch from different directions.

The types of questions I would ask are:

* Where is the shadow?
* What happened when the torch moved closer?
* What happened when the torch moved further away?
* Can you make the biggest shadow?
* Can you make the smallest shadow?

A discussion would then be had:

* Light cannot pass through the bear.
* The bear blocks the light.
* This creates a shadow.
* Moving the light changes the size and direction of the shadow.

Investigation 2: Outdoor Shadow Hunt (15 minutes)

I would take the class outside on a sunny day and ask them to: Find their shadow,walk beside it, jump on it, stretch to make different shapes, wave their arms and watch what happens.

I would then choose one child and use chalk to draw around their shadow. I would then allow them to explore for a few mins before returning to the drawing. I would then ask them:

* Has the shadow stayed in the same place?
* Has it changed?
* Why do you think that happened?* Can you lose your shadow?
* What happens when you move?
* Why do we only have shadows when there is light?

Conclusion (5 minutes)

Gather the children together and discuss what they learned.

Ask:

* What makes a shadow?
* Can we have a shadow without light?
* How did we make the bear’s shadow bigger?
* What did you notice about your own shadow outside?

 

 

 

[Sarah Murphy]

A lovely lesson Sarah.. Very hands on which the children always enjoy. I like that you asked them if they could find another object of their own that sinks or floats

[Sarah Murphy]

Inquiry Based Lesson: Floating and Sinking

Class: Junior and Senior Infants

Time: 30 minutes

Learning Outcome: To find out which objects float and which objects sink.

Materials:Large bowl or tub of water, stone,cork,plastic toy,wooden block,metal spoon,leaf, sponge,coin

Inquiry Question: Which objects will float and which will sink?

Introduction (5 minutes) : I will show the children the objects. I will then ask what do they notice about these objects?Which ones do you think will float?Which ones do you think will sink?

The children will be given pictures of smiley and sad faces and make their predictions. These will be recorded on the WB for the end of the lesson.

Investigation (15 minutes)

1. One at a time, children place each object into the water.

2. After each object, I will ask: Did it float or sink? Was your prediction correct? What do you notice?

3. The results will be recorded on a simple class chart with two headings:Float or sink

Discussion (5 minutes): We will look at the chart together and I will ask ,Which objects floated?Which objects sank?Did anything surprise you?What did we learn today?I will explain that some objects float while others sink because they are made from different materials.

Conclusion (5 minutes): I will ask the children:Can you name one object that floated?Can you name one object that sank?What did you discover today?

[Sarah Murphy]

Hi my name is Sarah and I’m teaching Junior and Senior Infants. The children always love learning about Space and I would really like to come up with new and engaging lessons to teach them.

[Author]

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