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I planted lavendar plants in my school in the past and the children were amazed at the amount of bees, butterflies and moths that were attracted to them! They were seriously buzzing with life – it was brilliant! We also made a bug hotel and named it ‘As Snug as a Bug Hotel’ – children had a great time designing, constructing and painting it! Such fun!
Research Question: Has the amount of rainfall in County Wexford changed over the past ten years?
I think this would be an interesting question to explore with pupils as weather is something they are all familiar with and can relate to. I would begin by asking them if they think we are getting more rain now than we have in the past and if so, why do they think this is happening.
I would encourage pupils to work in small groups and look at rainfall records from Co Wexford over the past 10 years. They could compare the figures, make graphs and look for patterns or changes. They could also keep a rainfall diary themselves for a number of weeks and compare their own resluts.
I think making it local keeps it relevant to the children. We will discuss how rainfall impacts our lives, gardening, sports, outdoor activities, travel, food production etc.Hi,
Similarly, I hadn’t tracked satellites before or thought much about them at all! I am quite interested in finding out more now and I’m sure my pupils will be too!
Sinéad.
I downloaded the satellite tracker app and found five satellites that had recently passed ireland. These included the international space station (ISS), Hubble Space Telescope, Sentinel 2A and 1A satellites and Tiangong Space Station.
They all have different purposes. The ISS is used by astronauts to carry out specific scientific research in space. The hubble Space Telescope is used toobserve stars, galaxies and other objects in the universe. The Sentinel satellites are used for Earth observation and can help monitor things such as weather, land, oceans etc. Tiangong is china’s space station and is also used for scientific research.
This is all new learning for me and I’m sure it would be for my pupils also. It would be a very interesting project to assign a satellite to a group, allow them to research its purpose and present to the class. They could demonstrate how to use the app and show us when the satellite is due to pass over us.Hi Breege,
I agree, I think the video would be best broken up and perhaps clips selected and discussed would be the most beneficial.
Sinéad.
The video is dramatic and probably useful for the very upper end of primary only. It is a though provoking video for sure. It contains some amazing facts and details the impact humans have had on the planet over the past 200k years, which has been pretty stark to say the least. It shows our progression from hunter/gatherers to farmers to city dwellers and how we have cleared vast swathes of land for our own benefit and it is clear we exploit like no other species. It may induce feelings of sadness or anxiety in pupils so it may be necessary to introduce and discuss the ideas in a balanced way ahead of viewing. Yes, we have to take action now in regards climate change and habitat loss etc. but lets also reassure pupils by showcasing the Gretta Thunberg’s of the world and highlighting the action we can take to make a real difference.
I don’t think we should be putting our heads in the sand – pupil’s need to be aware of this topic for sure. We need to be clear about personal responsibility and the responsibility held by government agencies for perspective and balance. The resources and videos are informative and engaging overall and I will certainly be drawing on them in the coming years.Hi Claire,
I really like the idea of creating a future weather report also (as scary as that might be!). You could divide pupils into groups and give a 2050 forecast for different regions to highlight the effect globally.
Sinéad.
The video is concise and visually appealing. It is a topic that deserves our attention. Our pupils probably hear about climate change on an almost daily basis but many will not understand the science behind it. I agree with other posters who emphasize the importance of pre teaching the vocabulary. The video will go over the pupils heads if the terminology is not explained in advance. The children would enjoy the practical element of the lesson and it certainly allows for cross curricular links. This is a real stem project which allows for collaboration, critical thinking, investigation and evaluation. During the recent heat wave weather in June, I had my pupils make solar ovens in which they cooked their own s’mores. They thoroughly enjoyed this activity and were amazed how we could utilize solar power so effectively using every day items such as foil, cardboard and black card. The pupils worked to their strengths during this project.The teal tool will allow pupils to analyze and interpret data and draw their own conclusions. I am excited to use these tools and resources in the future.
Love making the bird feeders, so important to teach empathy and make the connection between weather and its impact on living creatures.
Weather and Climate: Many adults seem to confuse these. It is very important that our pupils can differentiate between the two. The video resources were helpful. I like the simple idea of using your senses to observe weather. Keeping a daily log of the weather is a lovely idea in junior end – especially if you have a mixed, interesting forecast on the horizon. Extending this to creating your own instruments to record wind, rain etc would be very engaging. Such activities offer enormous potential for integration, maths, science, english, art and even gaeilge if you wish. Children like ourselves are often fascinated by weather, especially our more extreme weather events of late, storms, flooding, extreme temps and it is vital we teach the science and termonology to go with such events and the impact such weather and overall climate change is having on global and local environments.