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I would love to participate in the SFI Science and Maths Awards. As a beginner I would start with the cert and see where we go from there.
We have a raised bed planting area on our school grounds. It is a semi enclosed area. One part of the area gets a lot of sunlight throughout the school where as the other side gets no light till much later in the evening. The question posed :
Will the plants in the shaded area or the ‘sunny’ area grow better?
I would use the DPSM framework to shape my lessons.
We would first have a class discussion about the topic to find out the children’s prior knowledge and pre conceptions.
I would then pre teach the vocab and allow the children to do some research eg web search , speak to a keen gardener.
We would then plant various herbs (easy to grow) at the same time in both areas of the raised bed garden. We would then observe, photograph and analyse plants in both areas weekly.
Children could create various graphs etc to analyse their findings. A review and analysis of the outcomes would then be made into a video for other classes to watch,
I chose the 3rd module assignment.
I liked the ESA resource ‘From the ground to the sky’
I would think this would use this with 4th /5th class.
· As a nice starter activity I would use my drone with the class to take photos of the school grounds from the air then take photos from ground level. It might be a nice introduction.
· I really liked the photo matching activity. The children would enjoy matching the photos taken from the ground with those taken from satellites or the International Space Station. The photos are really varied and should capture their interest.
· I would get the children to complete the activity worksheet provided in groups then we would have a whole class discussion on their answers.
· I also like the sentence starters eg Photos of Earth taken by Earth Observation Satellites…. This and the others given would spark off a great brainstorming session.
· I think this whole area would be a fabulous topic for English writing eg Write the diary entry of an astronaut on the ISS who took one of the photos.
· The links provided also would be super for project work.
I found the video ‘Home’ very moving. The drone footage and music really added to the emotion of the whole thing. I think what struck me the most is that in terms of time our existence on earth is so insignificant yet we have had such a detrimental effect on this planet. It also amazed me to learn that over 1 billion people still like as humans did 6,000 years ago. These people live in a way that barely if even has any negative impact on the planet. Yet these are often the most vulnerable to climate change. We have been taping into the ground for our energy for hundreds of years now, fossil fuels and many other resources are running out rapidly. Yet the wealth, power and greed of a few are controlling or at least influencing our response to this. The solution is staring us in the face : get our energy from the sun!!We have the science, technology and knowledge for this but not the will due to greed. I found the drone images of quarries very upsetting. I also was struck by the chemicals being pumped into the atmosphere by industry. I am also very proud of Irish farmers after watching this , we farm in such a sustainable way compared to the USA, the 2 systems are literally worlds apart. It is hard to know how I would use this in the classroom, perhaps I would show parts of it to show what a beautiful planet we have and that we must protect it.
Good point Saoirse..we have to balance the severity of the issue with hope and possible solutions. I also find empowering the pupils with a few simple things they can do helps with anxiety.
Hi Saoirse, I agree that it was nice that the video ends on a hopeful and positive note. I think a lot of children are experiencing anxiety around this whole topic. It is important that they understand how serious climate change is but equally that they know they can take action to help.
I liked this activity ‘Climate Reporters’. I feel it may be best suited to middle or senior classes.
· I would begin with a discussion around climate change. Hopefully children would have a good grasp of the concept after completing activity 1 and 2.
· I know that the Paxi’s video is mainly aimed at younger children however I think I would use it with middle /senior classes as I think it explains the concept of global warming in a nice clear way.
· Class discussion – how scientists predict what earth’s climate will be like in the future. Focus on how scientists make and run models to predict future climate. Explain climate scenarios.
· Divide the class into groups – use the Teal link to source different climate scenarios. I would use the worksheet provided for this activity. Children discuss how their scenario would affect their lives. How could we take action at home, in school and in the wider community to reduce the impact of the scenario.
· Each group reports their findings and conclusions to the class.
· Agreement : We would then work as a whole group to compile 2 things we will do in school to combat climate change and 2 things we will do at home to combat climate change. We will check in weekly to see how this is going …this could be taken on by the whole school. Perhaps the pupils from 5th and 6th class could pop in to the other classes once a week for feedback and maybe create a pictogram or chart on progress.
Hi All,
Yes there is plenty of scope for integration here across many areas of the curriculum such as science, math, visual art and english.
I have to say I found both resources given excellent. The background information and facts given provided a nice bit of information for the teacher. The lesson plans were clear and easy to follow and the worksheets provided were nicely laid out.
For the first resource (nose in the sky) I would:
· Ask the children to ask their parents/ grandparents for weather proverbs and then research the background of these in small groups and see what the truth is and if there is any science behind them.
· I would use the sensory weather observation worksheet. I would build a weather station on the school grounds also. The senior classes could make the instruments as instructed (rain gauge and wind speed). The younger classes could use the weather instruments that the school has. All classes would be invited to visit the station and use the weekly weather chart to record their findings. I liked the weather stamps provided too and I think the younger classes would use these.
For the second resource (Weather verses Climate)
· I would use the weather v climate statements and the worksheet to go with this activity.
· I liked the weather detectives activity and it would tie in nicely with the weather station above.
· I like the climate reporters activity and I would use the videos given : Paxi’s video about the Greenhouse effect’ and’ C35 Climate energy education demonstration’.
I enjoyed module 5 : Rockets and Alien Chemistry.
I really love the idea of making rockets and this would be a lovely activity for 1st /2nd class. I would use a story as a starter activity (as suggested) , I actually have the book ‘ The Way Back Home’.
Primary Science.ie has a wide range of suggestions for making rockets. Perhaps you could use this during station teaching and each station could make different types. I really liked the foam rockets, the balloon rockets and I think the Rocket Mice activity would go down well also …great scope for predicting and reflecting here. I would also use the suggested investigation …launching the foam rocket. This would be a nice outdoor activity which could have a mathematical element to it –estimate and then measuring the distance your rocket went, with infants you could use steps or books to measure, with older classes maybe a trundle wheel. Lastly I would use the lesson that shows you how to make a rocket with a fizzy tablet inside. I think this would be a great hit. There are also some great clips on you tube showing footage of rocket launches and being inside a rocket, these clips could be a great springboard for a writing activity or perhaps drama.
Hi Laura, this sounds like a fun activity! I think the children would really enjoy this and what a great way to link the theme to other subjects across the curriculum.
There was a huge amount of resources and activities provided in this module! I particularly liked the online tools to support science and space. As a teacher I could see myself using the ESA website, it is very well laid out and informative. I think the children would enjoy the ESA kids site. Some of the games here such as ‘Milky Way Match’ would be lovely for a station in Aistear (using I pads).
I also loved the Stellarium software. I love that you can view the sky from and point in the world …. We have pupils from other countries …it would be lovely to view the night sky from their home town. I also liked the nice simple explanation given for finding the north star. I will use the idea of asking children to take a selfie with the north star behind them. I also liked the way you can show the constellations with/without their ‘picture’. The calendar function would also be handy for observing the phases of the moon also. This excellent resource would be great for senior classes.
Hi Michelle, I agree that the interactive games would be a great tool in the infant room ! This would make a nice station activity in Aistear.
I again found this module very interesting and full of ideas and resources. I like that the activities put the complex information into such simple and clear language for the children.
I would like to try an activity from the Stars set : Lots of stars.
How many stars: The lesson plan is well laid out and easy to follow. I really liked the idea of using clear containers and marbles to explore this concept. The idea of adding 5 then maybe 30 then a full jar. The discussion sheet provided would also be great here.
Making a Starry Sky: This is an activity that children would really enjoy. I like that it introduces the concept that stars are different colours too. I think I would do it as a group activity using a very large sheet of paper. I think this would be messy but fun ! The children would enjoy splattering the paint using toothbrushes, combs and lollypop sticks also. Asking them to try and count the stars after would be fun also and then you could explain that there are so many stars that humans need to use a computer to count them.
