[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Jacqui,

Thank you for sharing your response.

You have included a really interesting range of satellites, and it is clear that you got a lot out of the activity. As you highlighted, this would make a very engaging classroom activity, as pupils could track satellites in real time and then investigate what each satellite is doing. This would help build both their digital literacy and investigative skills. I also like your point about how space technology connects to everyday life, from weather forecasts to monitoring environmental change. This makes the activity even more meaningful for pupils.

Just a small technical note: some formatting code seems to have pasted into your post. Using “paste as plain text” or clearing the formatting before posting can help avoid those extra characters appearing.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the modules. Just a reminder to return and comment on someone else’s post in each forum, as this will help complete the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Marie-Therese,

This sounds like a lovely creative project rooted in local natural heritage. Scohaboy Bog would provide such a rich stimulus for pupils to explore plants, animals, habitats and the importance of bogs in the local environment.

There are also some fantastic contemporary Irish artists making work about bogs that could be really interesting to explore as part of this project. For example, Siobhán McDonald’s Library of Lost Smells explores the scents of bogland, which could inspire pupils to carry out a sensory exploration during their visit. This would encourage them to slow down and notice the textures, colours, sounds, smells and living things around them.

The creative writing element is also very engaging. Writing from the viewpoint of a bog plant or animal would help pupils develop empathy for the natural world, while also reinforcing their learning about habitats. You could also link this with STEM by exploring why bogs store carbon, support biodiversity and help manage water in the landscape.

I hope you enjoyed the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Sinead,

That sounds like a really practical and well-planned approach to supporting pollinators in your school. It is great that you have already registered your own garden, as this will give you confidence using the Actions for Pollinators website before introducing it to pupils in September.

I really like the idea of connecting the school account with the Green Schools Team, as this gives pupils real ownership and responsibility. Your ideas for improving the neglected wildflower area and introducing a no-mow schedule are great also. The unused mown area sounds like it could become a valuable habitat for pollinators. Signage, pollinator-friendly pots and advice from a local garden centre would all help involve the wider school community and build upon important skills for the students too.

Best of luck with it, and hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Una,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your approach to investigating light pollution in your local area. The Navan Road area is a great place to explore, and I really like your idea of asking children to record different types of artificial lighting, and then map these using symbols. This would create strong links with geography, maths, design, art and data handling, especially when pupils turn their findings into bar charts or grids.

Your discussion around balancing safety with protecting biodiversity and the night sky is also very important. To extend this further, pupils could design recommendations for the local area based off their research, and turn them into pitches for local council bodies which would strengthen their presentation and communication skills.

Thanks for sharing and hope you enjoy the rest of the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Katie,

Thanks for sharing such a lovely, child-centred approach to exploring the One Year on Earth activity with a junior class. The senses walk in the park sounds especially engaging, as it would allow children to notice seasonal changes through direct experience while also building on their communication skills as they explore and describe to each other.

I also really like the idea of using taste, picture books and songs to support learning, as well as all your other cross-curricular suggestions! Creating a changing seasonal display with children’s photographs and observations would be a lovely way to document learning over time and help pupils see patterns across the year.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Dearbhail,
Welcome to the course.
Thanks for sharing such an engaging and creative approach to the sundial activity! I really like your approach, as involving so many imaginative prompts and questions will be sure to have the students really invested.
Even how you introduce the sundial – from under a box – initiates a sense of mystery and curiosity from the outset. There’s also a lot of active learning going on there getting the pupils to explore the relationship between the Sun, shadows and time including prediction, discussion, diary writing and reflection prompts. This creates strong links across science, history, literacy and outdoor learning. Reading The Sun Thief at the end would add a nice storytelling element too.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.

• This reply was modified 1 week, 3 days ago by Shannon Wilson.
• This reply was modified 1 week, 3 days ago by Shannon Wilson.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Shauna,

Welcome to the course, and thanks for sharing your reflections.

It’s great to hear that you feel encouraged after reading Liston’s paper. As you point out, beginning with your students’ own experiences will help keep them motivated and interested in the lesson. Another great idea is to use what’s happening in your day to day school life, for example using a rainy day to explore materials that absorb and repel water.

Your reflection on the activities also shows how intergrated the investigations can be with other curricula such as languages, while also helping the students to build on important skills such as teamwork and curiosity.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Patrick,

Thank you for sharing your research question. Your investigation brings together science, maths and technology in a very meaningful way, while also encouraging collaboration and discussion. I really like how it focuses on the school environment and allows pupils to gather real data from surfaces they encounter every day. It would help pupils see clearly how different materials absorb and retain heat, making the idea of climate impact feel local and tangible.

The follow on conversation about planting trees or increasing green spaces is a particularly strong link to the Engineering Design Process as pupils could even use their findings to design a practical solution for cooling part of the school grounds, such as adding shade, planting or creating a greener play area.

I hope you enjoyed the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Orla,

Welcome to the course.

I really like your idea of using specific clips coupled with the learning outcomes you want to focus on with your class, which should make the footage really practically useful. I also love your suggestion of using child-friendly stories such as The Lorax alongside the Paxi videos. From my own experience it’s a great way to combine cross-curricular exploration while also capturing the students’ curiosity and imagination.

Your focus on child-led, enquiry-based learning and your points about emphasising empowerment rather than anxiety are equally important.

Thanks for sharing, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Diarmaid,

Bull Island is a fantasticly rich focus for a Climate Detectives project, as it gives pupils the opportunity to investigate a real nature reserve close to them. I really like how you would begin with field trips, binoculars and iPads, allowing pupils to observe the flora and fauna directly before shaping the research question together. This gives the children ownership and helps ensure the investigation is led by their own curiosity – building on all those important skills the new curriculum encourages.

Using EO Browser to compare water levels over time would also bring in a strong STEM element, as pupils would be working with real data and satellite imagery. I also love your idea to encourage the pupils to share the findings with the school community as well as reaching out to local authorities and action groups. It would give the project a meaningful audience and encourage positive local action.

Hope you enjoyed the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Freda,

Thank you for sharing your research question. The River Barrow is a very meaningful local focus, and I like how you would begin by eliciting pupils’ prior knowledge through a KWL chart before moving into investigation.

You have suggested a strong range of research methods. These would give pupils a real sense of working as Climate Detectives and using evidence from different sources.

One way to strengthen the climate link further might be to explore how heavier rainfall or flooding can increase run-off from farms, roads and urban areas into rivers, affecting water quality and habitats. Pupils could also investigate how pollution impacts biodiversity in and around the river.

I really like your final focus on practical strategies, as this helps pupils move from investigation to meaningful local action.

Hope you enjoyed the course!

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Miriam,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing such a lovely observing plan for second class. I really like that you would begin by asking the children about their own experiences of looking at the night sky, as this would help connect the lesson to their everyday lives.

I especially like the home sky watcher element – giving the students a moniker like that makes it sound so exciting, while also involving families and showing children that science can happen beyond the classroom. Reassuring pupils that weather or cloud cover may affect what they see is also important. To strengthen this further, you could provide a simple observation sheet or checklist with suggested evenings for viewing, which could link it to weather tracking.

Thanks for sharing.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Elaine,

Welcome to the course.

I really like how you would guide the children through questioning rather than simply giving answers. This would really support inquiry-based learning and help pupils develop skills in observing, predicting, investigating and communicating.

The link with Birr Castle and the Great Telescope is especially strong, as it connects the science learning to the pupils’ own local heritage. Visiting the telescope would help them see how classroom investigations link to real scientific discovery and the history of astronomy in their community.

One small extension to stregthen the engineering design process could be to get the pupils designing their own simple viewer or periscopes after exploring mirrors and lenses.

Thanks for sharing and hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Seamus,

This sounds like a really engaging way to use the ESA Climate from Space app, and I love the idea of pupils being able to zoom in on their own local area from orbit! This would make it really interesting and engaging for them. Looking at Offaly, the Shannon and the local boglands through satellite data would be a fantastic way to help pupils connect global climate science with places they know.

There are great opportunities here for inquiry-based learning too. Pupils could ask questions such as: What areas appear greenest? Where do we see signs of wetland or bogland? How might soil moisture change across the seasons? How does land use around Birr compare now with older maps?

The cross-curricular links are really strong, especially with Geography, History, Maths and Visual Arts. Graphing seasonal temperature or moisture data would also help pupils see how maths is used in real scientific contexts.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the course!

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Eva,

Welcome to the course. Making a star constellation wheel after studying the Plough sounds like a lovely way to help children become more familiar with the night sky and develop curiosity about the world around them.

I really like the idea of pupils creating their own planetarium with an assigned constellation. Asking the other groups to work out which constellation has been represented would encourage observation, reasoning and discussion, while also building important skills such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving and justifying their thinking. These are all very relevant to the new curriculum and support pupils in learning through collaboration and active participation.

Designing their own constellation is a great creative extension. The link with storytelling and myth-making is especially strong, as it allows pupils to connect astronomy with literacy, history and imagination. To develop this further, pupils could present their constellation myth alongside a labelled star pattern or class night-sky display. Thanks for sharing.

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