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Hi Andy! I really like your idea of combining Home with Greta Thunberg’s speech. It would definitely make a powerful impact on a senior class. The visual and auditory elements of the documentary are so engaging, and I agree it’s a great way to spark meaningful discussions around climate issues like deforestation and carbon emissions. Getting the children to calculate their carbon footprints is a brilliant way to make the topic more personal and relevant. I also love your creative project ideas using digital tools like Canva and Book Creator gives students a chance to express their learning in really engaging ways.
Home is a visually stunning film with a powerful message. The facts it shares are really eye-opening, especially when combined with such breathtaking footage. Like David Attenborough’s video from the previous module, it starts by looking at how the Earth was formed and spends time focusing on that. I also like that the film is split into clear sections, which makes it easier to choose specific parts to show to children. It’s a great way to introduce the topic of climate change to younger students.
If I were teaching it, I’d begin by using it in a Geography or SPHE lesson to explore the Earth itself, without diving into climate change straight away. That way, children can really take in the wonder of the planet’s beginnings. The way the film moves into modern human development also feels like a celebration of human innovation.Hi Megan! I really like your approach to Activity 3 starting with the Paxi video is a great way to introduce the topic to younger pupils in a fun and accessible way. The drawing activity and class display are lovely ideas to reinforce the learning and highlight individual responsibility.
Your plan for using the temperature prediction tool with older learners is also very effective. It’s great that you’re encouraging real data use, critical thinking, and collaboration. I also agree that a follow-up storybook or video could really help younger children connect emotionally with the topic.
I found Activity 3 to be a really valuable resource that I can definitely see myself using with my class. The video that goes with it is clear and detailed, making it especially useful for visual learners. It also opens up lots of opportunities for class discussion and questioning. TEAL is a great tool for helping students understand how current actions can impact future temperatures. It gives children a chance to explore how climate change might affect their own lives.
In groups, children could investigate and present the effects of rising temperatures at local, national, and international levels. They could then review each other’s work and take part in an action project to explore ways we can reduce the impact of climate change. The activity also allows for differentiation, so it can be adapted to suit different learners. Overall, it’s a very engaging way to get children thinking deeply about the topic.I completely agree that Unravelling STEM made me reflect more deeply on what meaningful STEM education actually involves. I liked how you pointed out the importance of connecting the different STEM areas through hands-on, inquiry-based learning, that really stood out to me too. Your idea of a whole-school inquiry project on weather and climate sounds fantastic! It would be such a brilliant way to get pupils collaborating and applying their learning in real-world contexts. I also think using birthdays in Activity 1 is such a clever way to make the learning personal and engaging.
Dr. Maeve Liston’s paper ‘Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym’ really helped me understand the value of taking an integrated approach to STEM in the classroom. It especially highlighted how the Engineering Design Process brings science, maths, and technology together. Reflecting on my own teaching, I realise I tend to focus more on the science and maths parts of STEM, and I’m less confident when it comes to the technology and engineering elements.
I really like how Activity 1 starts by clearly focusing on the difference between weather and climate – it’s such an important foundation, and getting that sorted early on helps everything else make more sense. I also liked the idea, which others have pointed out too, of using the children’s birthdays to spark interest. It’s a great way to make it personal and engaging, especially for younger pupils. Asking them to describe weather and climate in their own words is also a brilliant idea – it really helps show how much they’ve understood. I think the Climate Zones video is a great tool as well for introducing the topic in a fun, accessible way.
Activity 2 looks like something pupils would really enjoy. It’s hands-on and quite detailed, which is great, although I’d probably need to adapt it slightly to suit the classes I teach. In my experience, students can sometimes struggle with creating graphs, particularly when it comes to scales and accuracy, but because they’re involved in collecting the data themselves, I think that could help them feel more invested in getting it right.