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Lesson activity for Space Week:
By the end of the lesson/s, students will be able to:
Identify key planets and celestial bodies in our solar system.
Explain basic concepts of space travel and life in space.
Apply creativity to design their own space mission.
1. Introduction – “Blast Off!”
Begin with a short, dramatic video of a rocket launch.
Ask: “If you could visit any planet, which would you choose and why?”
Briefly introduce Space Week and its purpose.
2. Exploration– “Meet the Neighbours”
Present a quick, interactive slideshow of the solar system.
Share fun facts (e.g., Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, Saturn’s rings, Mars’ dust storms).
Pass around planet fact cards for students to read aloud.
3. Activity – “Design Your Space Mission”
In small groups, students will:
Choose a planet or moon to explore.
Name their spacecraft.
Decide what they will study or discover.
Draw their spacecraft and mission patch.
Encourage imaginative thinking — alien life, new minerals, or space habitats.
4. Share / Reflection – “Mission Debrief”
Each group presents their mission to the class.
Discuss challenges astronauts might face (gravity, oxygen, temperature).
End with a reflection: “What excites you most about space exploration?”
Cross curricular:
Art: Create a collaborative “Galaxy Wall” with student artwork.
Literacy: Write a short diary entry from the perspective of an astronaut
STEM: Build simple paper rockets and test flight distances.Wow Elaine, such a fun, engaging lesson!! I am sure the children had so much learning learning through doing and investigating!
Animals in the cold:
Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
Identify at least 3 animals that live in cold places.
Describe one way each animal adapts to survive in the cold.
Understand the concept of adaptation in a simple way.
1. Teacher to show a snow-covered picture and ask: “What do you think it feels like here?” Briefly introduce the Arctic (North Pole) and Antarctic (South Pole) using the globe/map.
2. Teacher shows pictures of each animal and share a short, simple fact:
Polar Bear – thick fur and fat keep it warm.
Penguin – feathers are waterproof, huddle together for warmth.
Arctic Fox – fur changes colour with the seasons.
Seal – blubber keeps them warm in icy water.
Snowy Owl – fluffy feathers trap heat.
Let children touch cotton wool, feathers, and faux fur to feel “warm coverings.”#
3.Blubber Glove Experiment: Fill a plastic bag with vegetable/baking fat, place another bag inside for the child’s hand.Let them dip the “blubber glove” into icy water and compare with a bare hand. Discuss how this is like an animal’s blubber.
4. Students choose their favourite cold-weather animal and draw it in its habitat. Encourage them to add one adaptation (e.g., thick fur, huddling, blubber).
To support STEM-focused School Self-Evaluation, the children will reflect on their learning by thinking about what they discovered, what worked well, what they would change next time and how they worked with others. This will help them develop problem-solving, teamwork and thinking skills while making learning meaningful and enjoyableActivity set- Stars (Infant lesson).
1. Discussion on stars- questions/ talk around ‘what do you see in the night sky? ‘Explanation that stars are giant balls of hot, glowing gas, the sun is actually a star and it looks bigger as it is closer to the Earth.
Why do stars twinkle? Activity- have the children cup their hands around their eyes like a telescope and practice moving them to observe the night sky.2. Thematic Art lesson on Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’.
Show the masterpiece- ask the students ‘what do the stars look like?'( swirling circles of bright lights).
Introduce the artist and explain hoe he painted things exactly how he felt them. He loved the night sky and wanted his stars to feel alive like they were dancing and glowing.
identify Van Goghs style- show the swirly skies, thick paint strokes and bright vibrant colours against the dark blues.3. Children can them paint their own version of ‘The starry night’ using their own interpretations.
4. Reflection on the lesson – stars and the way they have interpreted them through the work of Van Gogh.
Cross curricular links- Music: Listen to calming music while painting to inspire creativity.
Brilliant detailed reflection Lucy, like you, I’ve altered my understanding on the SSE process too, childrens voices should also dictate in which direction we go with new learning, process over product for sure.
Love this lesson idea on stars, most of the children would be familiar with the nursery rhyme and able to join in the sing along!
Lesson- An introduction to the moon and its phases- Junior/ Senior Infants.
1. I would start the lesson by tapping into students prior knowledge about the sky. Gather the class and ask: “What can you see in the sky at night?”
2.I would then read a Moon-themed storybook to capture the students’ imagination, such as Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle or The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons.
During or immediately after the story, clarify a common misconception: explain that the Moon never actually changes shape; we only see the parts lit up by the Sun.
3. Students then engage in a hands-on visual of how the Moon’s phases work using biscuits- Oreos
Give each student a paper plate and a small plastic spoon.
Provide them with 4 pre-separated oreos.
Instruct them to gently scrape or move the cream filling to model the different phases of the Moon (New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Third Quarter).
To visually reinforce the eight phases of the Moon and how the Sun lights them up, show a little video clip from youtube.4. Now to review some “out of this world” facts to excite your class about space travel e.g The Moon is made of rock and has no air or water, Astronauts like Neil Armstrong went to the Moon in a big rocket ship, Because the Moon is smaller than Earth, you could jump 6 times higher on it!
5. Recap/ Evaluation- e.g. A Moon Worksheet where students must match or draw the correct Moon phases, a simple “Fact or Fiction” game where they hold up a thumbs-up for real facts e.g.,”The Moon goes around the Earth”) and thumbs-down for silly fiction.
Cross curricular- Art lesson, paper maché of the moon, Gaeilge- An Gealach, P.E- jumping, bounding like we are on the moon.
Brilliant use of oreos to teach about the moon! Brings back memories of the jaffa ad- full moon, half moon, total eclipse!!
Inquiry based activity lesson I would use in my classroom- Exploring objects that float and sink.
Duration: 40-45 minutes
1. Engage -Place a heavy, solid object (large rock/spoon) and a floating object (sponge/ small plastic ball) in front of the children. Ask the children, “What do you think will happen if I drop these in our water basin?” Have them turn to a partner to share their prediction (an inquiry skill).2.The Investigation: Group the children at sensory tables or shallow water bins. Provide them with a tray of assorted, safe classroom items (e.g., wooden blocks, plastic counters, feathers, paper clips, rubber bands).The Activity: Instruct them to test each item by dropping it into the water. Give them small laminated sheets or whiteboards to draw a happy face (for floating objects) or an anchor (for sinking objects).
Ask questions like: “Why do you think the heavy block floated but the tiny paper clip sank?” and “What does the water do when you push the toy under?”3. Class Discussion: Gather the children to share their findings. Create two large categories on the board: “Floaters” and “Sinkers.”Concept Introduction: Explain that floating means an object stays on top of the water, and sinking means it goes to the bottom. Discuss materials. Often, light or hollow items with air inside float, while heavy or solid materials sink.
4. The Design Challenge: Give each pair/small group playdough or plasticine.The Inquiry: Ask them, “Can we make our lump of dough float?” Let them experiment with shaping the dough into different forms (e.g., a ball vs. a flat, canoe-like boat) and test them in the water.
5. Evaluate/ Conclusion- Ask the children to pick an object and recall whether it floated or sank. Encourage them to use scientific vocabulary: “It floats!” or “It sinks!”
Reflection: Ask what shape worked best for the playdough? Why?
Materials:Water basins or clear plastic tuff trays,a variety of test objects (wood, plastic, metal, foam)Playdough, Whiteboards and markers for drawing observations, towels.