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I think looking at the closure of mines is very relevant to Ireland as we have witnessed recent closure of some silver mines in counties. Looking at the environmental effects on the local region and asking some locals on their perspective might give some interesting contrasting between the environmental affect on rivers, air quality etc and economic effects such as job losses.
Research question
How does the increase in temperatures affect cities and how can cities combat rising temperatures?
To get pupils engaged in the lesson I will show the class a picture of a woman using an umbrella to shield herself from the suns rays. The students will be asked why this is unusual (Umbrellas primary purpose is used when it is raining).
I will then ask the students how they have coped with unusual weather days in their city/town. Using the ESA climate detectives site the students will then look at the city of Singapore and its changes using satellite imagery. The forest and scrublands will have been replaced by a concrete jungle of buildings. Working in small groups the students will research how the city is addressing the issue of rising temperatures (planting trees, gardens in city areas, white reflective paints on buildings).
The students will engage with a school from Singapore to discuss steps in preventing rising temperatures in schools and cities for example: limiting water consumption and electrical consumption with air conditioning.
The students will then create a mind map using mindmup with visual emojis to share their findings with the other school classes.
I think this is a great resource for building students interests in astronomy through the use of hands on activities. With geometry to shadows you could have the students create their own video on shadows silhouettes.
Elevator Pitch – EO Browser
The EO browser is a user friendly online tool created by Sentinal Hub where users can explore satellite imagery using routine data from satellites. The tool brings the Earth observation data to the user in the manner of a few clicks. Users can explore high resolution data from missions such as Sentinal 1 and 2. Current satellites over Ireland include: cosmos 2228, starlink satellite, national oceanic and atmospheric satellite. The online tool allows the user to visualize changes over time and track deforestion, urban growth, vegetation, weather patterns, water bodies or national disasters.
For classroom activities I would integrate the tool during a Geography/Science/SPHE lessons. The class could look at the effect of urbanization in the village or town and see the effects of it using the time lapse feature. Students can create videos using the tool and differentiate the lessons by focusing on an additional feature such as pollution or deforestation.
I really like the idea of showing a clip of Greta Thunberg. Having someone young speaking can inspire students to take action and reflect on the urgency of climate action. Having the students design posters, slogans and presentations can inspire the school community to take pride in protecting the school facilities and local community.
The documentary ‘Home’ is a groundbreaking portrayal of the human footprint on Earths natural resources and the devasting effects on plant and wildlife. The film allows us to understand the interconnected relationship on climate, ecosystems and biodiversity from human interaction. There is stunning visualisation through the use of aerial shots from different landscapes. The music is also powerful and dramatic and really strikes a chord when watching scenes of different terrains. The documentary is powerful and leads the viewer to reflect on how humans have treated the planet we live on and the catastrophic damage to future generations if we do not act now!!
Before showing the film to children I would have the students close their eyes and play the audio of the film for five minutes (starting at 1 hour 13 minutes into the film). Teacher questioning of what the students heard and their opinion of what they think the film is about. I would then play the five minutes of the video from for the students to watch what they have just listened to and assesses their reactions. After watching further clips of the film I would divide the students into groups to brainstorm potential solutions and ideas for protecting our planet. The group could also focus on a school recycling campaign such as collecting old bottle caps for school murials focusing on animals from different terrains.
I really like the follow up discussion of “what choices humans make to change these outcomes”. Having students critically analyze future global warming scenarios and providing changing human habits will encourage environmental awareness and the need for each global citizen to protect planet earth.
Activity 3 with the paxi video offers an engaging cartoon which students will find engaging and retain focus during the lesson. It helps to simplify the understanding of the greenhouse effect with the Earth’s atmosphere retaining heat.
The teal temperature prediction tool is a historic timeline of global warming in the world which students will find fun seeing the coloured heat maps rise throughout the decades. A class discussion on student findings can reinforce the key learning objectives when using this tool; such as the pronounced effects on different continents and its rapid progression.
I would integrate activity 3 with a further expansion of the teal temperature tool with students designing a future warming prediction tool for the next 50 years. This tool can be a timeline on A3 sheets or using computer software for high tech students in older classes.
The small garden in the school is a great way of relating the effects of weather on crops. The students could perhaps inform other classes on the status of the crops and daily weather updates on the school intercom or at assembly. The weather station will give the students ownership of the learning though the green team and student council.
I think this activity is important in distinguishing the differences between weather and climate in the minds of the students. I like the idea of a weather station in school as a hands on activity to observe and record weather. The findings of the weather could be integrated for Irish and a school trip to a local weather station if an airport is close by might be a nice way of reinforcing the learning objectives. Flight paths are at the mercy of the weather and the students may be interested in finding connections in learning that airport control towers monitor flight paths using ‘x’ and ‘y’ grids (coordinate plane) which they will come across in Math.
Representing and interpreting the data could be displayed in the school playground for other classes to discuss and remark on. The children could also represent their weekly weather data findings on a Friday with tv weather forecast presentations as integration with Drama.
