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I really like this activity. Comparing AI-generated information with a trusted source is a great way to help the children understand that AI can make mistakes. It encourages them to think carefully about what they read. As a follow-up, the children could work together to create a list of ways to check if information is trustworthy
Class: 3rd Class
Curriculum Area & Learning Intention: SPHE/Wellbeing and Digital Learning. The children will understand that AI can generate information and images, but that people need to think carefully about whether the information is accurate and trustworthy.
AI Concept Being Explored: Accuracy and misinformation.
Activity/Discussion Outline: After watching Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners, discuss how AI can help people learn and solve problems. I will show the children two short facts about an animal, with one fact generated incorrectly. Working in pairs,the children will decide which fact is accurate and explain why. Discuss how they can check information using trusted sources such as books or teacher-approved websites.
Critical Question: Can AI ever give us information that is wrong?
Responsible-Use Consideration: Always check AI-generated information before sharing it with others.
Supporting Critical Thinking: Encourage pupils to explain their reasoning and compare information from different sources.
Evidence of Learning: The children complete an exit ticket stating one thing AI can do and one reason we should check AI-generated information.
For this task, I explored the Bad Connection demo world in Minecraft Education. This world helps pupils learn about being safe, responsible, and respectful when using the internet and digital devices. Through a series of challenges and scenarios, pupils are encouraged to think about the choices they make online and how these choices can affect others.
The lesson plan includes opportunities for discussion, problem-solving, and reflection. The learning objectives focus on helping pupils identify trustworthy information, understand the importance of positive online communication, and recognise how to stay safe online. The accompanying resources include teacher notes, discussion questions, and extension activities that support learning beyond the game.
This lesson links well with the SPHE curriculum, particularly in developing children’s understanding of personal safety, relationships, and responsible decision-making. It also supports the Digital Learning Framework by helping pupils become responsible and confident users of technology.
I would use this world with my class but would provide additional support and regular discussion breaks throughout the activity. I would also include a follow-up class discussion where pupils could share what they learned and make connections between the situations in the game and their own experiences using technology. This would help ensure that the learning is meaningful, engaging, and relevant to their everyday lives.
Hi Felicity, I really enjoyed reading your reflection. I agree that online safety is a very important topic and that Bad Connection provides an engaging way to explore it with pupils. I particularly like your idea of creating a class internet safety agreement and involving parents, as this helps reinforce safe online behaviours both in school and at home.
I really enjoyed engaging with your Valentine’s Day Dash game, your instructions at the start were very clear(I need to amend how my game starts now!). The theme is creative and engaging, and I like how you linked it to numeracy and spatial awareness skills. It’s great that you used debugging to solve coding problems independently. Your reflection shows perseverance and a positive approach to learning new coding concepts.
MakeCode Arcade Game Reflection
Game Type: Timed Catch/Collect
Game Title: Hungry SHARK
MakeCode Arcade Link:
https://makecode.com/_domR1bUbWHujCurriculum Area and Objective:
Mathematics – Number Learning Objective: Pupils will practise counting and addition by collecting items and keeping track of their score during gameplay. They will also compare score difference with peersSimple Storyboard:
- Location: Under the Sea with fish ‘swimming’ around.
- Player: A sharkt controlled using the arrow keys.
- Game Elements: Fish, score counter, and a 15-second timer.
- How to Play: The player moves the Shark left and right, up and down to eat the fish before they get away. Each fish collected earns one point. The goal is to eat as many fish as possible before the timer runs out.
Computational Thinking:
I used debugging while creating the game. At first, the fish were falling too quickly along one side of the screen and were too easy to catch. I tested the game several times and adjusted the speed until it was challenging but still enjoyable. This helped me understand the importance of testing and improving code to make a game work effectively.This game could be used in the classroom to introduce children to coding concepts such as events, variables, and game design.
Hi Rachel, I really like the simplicity of this countdown activity and the clear connection between coding and real-world applications. The opportunities for the children to modify sounds, visuals, and counting patterns promotes creativity and problem-solving. Your reflection questions are excellent for encouraging computational thinking and helping the children to see how small pieces of code contribute to larger systems.
For this activity, I completed the “Name Tag” tutorial on MakeCode for micro:bit. I found it to be an excellent introduction to block-based coding and the use of loops and display commands.
The code I created displays “Sarah Here Saying Hello” on the micro:bit’s LED display. Using the simulator, I was able to test the program and see how the text scrolled across the screen. The tutorial demonstrated how simple code blocks can be combined to create an engaging and interactive output. It also helped reinforce concepts such as sequencing and repetition, which are important foundations for computational thinking.
https://makecode.microbit.org/S76544-44105-78673-34734
To turn this into a STEM activity for 3rd class, I would ask children to create a scrolling name tag that includes their name and one interesting fact about themselves. They could test their code, make changes to the message speed, and share their finished designs with the class. This would help develop coding, problem-solving, creativity, and communication skills in a fun and age-appropriate way.
Hi Fiona, I really enjoyed reading your reflection. Your focus on Assistive Technology highlights a strong commitment to inclusion and meeting the diverse needs of pupils. I particularly like your measurable action steps, especially sharing AT strategies with colleagues. It can be an area that teachers find daunting especially at the start of the year, of how to support the implementation successfully in a busy classroom that allows a child/ children to benefit fully from it. Building confidence in AT across the school will benefit both staff and pupils and support more equitable learning opportunities.
One area of the Digital Learning Framework that is particularly relevant to my practice is Teaching and Learning: Learner Experiences. This focus encourages teachers to create opportunities for children to actively engage with digital technologies in meaningful ways that support learning, collaboration, and creativity.
A key strength in my current practice is the use of digital tools to enhance pupil engagement and participation specifically in SESE, Literacy and Maths. I regularly incorporate interactive quizzes, online learning platforms, and multimedia resources into lessons. These tools help make learning more accessible and engaging.
An area I would like to continue to develop is providing children with more opportunities to create and share their own digital content. While technology is used regularly in my classroom, with children creating PowerPoint presentations, written pieces, and digital word walls, I feel they could take a more active role in using digital tools to demonstrate their understanding and further develop their digital literacy skills. I have found these activities particularly effective with older pupils; however, as I move to a younger class, I want to ensure that I continue to maximise the use of digital technologies in an age-appropriate and meaningful ways.
To support this development, I plan to:
- Implement at least one pupil-created digital project each term, such as a presentation, video, podcast, or digital story.
- Use collaborative digital tools in at least one lesson per week to encourage communication, teamwork, and peer learning.
By focusing on learner experiences, I hope to promote greater pupil ownership of learning, strengthen digital literacy skills, and create a more collaborative and engaging learning environment for all learners.
I really like how children make predictions before testing their rockets, helping them develop scientific thinking skills. The opportunity to design, build, and evaluate their own rockets promotes problem-solving, collaboration, and a deeper understanding of forces and motion. This is a lovely and engaging lesson idea.
The Fizzing and Alien Slime activity provides an exciting and hands-on way for children in 1st and 2nd class to explore scientific concepts such as chemical reactions, states of matter, and the properties of different materials. Using familiar examples such as fizzy drinks, children can investigate how carbon dioxide gas is created and observe its effects through demonstrations like dancing raisins and balloon inflation. These activities encourage children to make predictions, ask questions, and develop their observation skills. The fizzing explosion experiment allows children to work together in groups to create colourful reactions while learning that gases take up space and can be trapped to form bubbles and foam. The Alien Slime activity gives children the opportunity to explore an unusual material that behaves like both a solid and a liquid, promoting curiosity and discovery through sensory play. These engaging experiments support inquiry-based learning and help children develop scientific language as they discuss, describe, and explain their findings. The activities can also be linked to other curriculum areas, including literacy, art, and oral language, making science both enjoyable and meaningful.
I really enjoyed reading about your experiences with the “Where Do You Live?” theme. It is wonderful to read how engaged the children were, particularly through the junk art houses. The creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills they demonstrated are a great example of meaningful STEM learning in action. I also love how you extended their learning through construction activities using LEGO, Magna-Tiles, playdough, and other resources. Thank you for sharing.
Hands-on STEM activities provide meaningful opportunities for children in Infant Classes to Second Class to explore, investigate, and learn through play. Incorporating activities such as building bridges, creating tinfoil boats, designing parachutes, and carrying out simple experiments fosters curiosity, creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. These practical experiences allow children to engage with STEM concepts in a tangible and age-appropriate way while developing important skills such as prediction, observation, communication, and critical thinking.
The “Where Do You Live?” and “Weather – Animals in the Cold” activities offer excellent opportunities to connect STEM learning to real-world contexts. Through exploring different homes and habitats, children can compare human homes and animal habitats, use maps, and discuss how weather and climate influence where living things survive. Investigating how animals stay warm in cold environments through simple insulation experiments encourages scientific inquiry and data handling skills. Children can make predictions, test materials, record results, and share their findings.
To support a STEM-focused School Self-Evaluation, I would continue to embed STEM across the curriculum through inquiry-based and cross-curricular learning experiences. I would encourage children to design and test shelters, build habitat models using recycled materials, and use digital tools to explore weather patterns. Reflecting on pupil engagement, learning outcomes, and pupil voice will help ensure that STEM learning remains meaningful, enjoyable, and effective, while fostering a lifelong love of exploration and discovery.I really like how you incorporated Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star at the beginning and end of the lesson to engage the children and reinforce learning. The use of marbles and sand to help children understand the enormous number of stars is a fantastic hands-on approach that makes a difficult concept much more meaningful and memorable for young learners
