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I really enjoyed all the activities in this module. I have done rockets before with third and fourth class but wasn’t sure how to approach the topic in junior classes. The milk bottle mouse is perfect. It’s effective and encourages lots of questions and investigating. If I apply more force will the mouse go further? If the bottle is bigger will the mouse go further? How far do you think the mouse will travel? put a cone on the ground for your prediction. Does the material the container is made of make a difference? Can we add anything to the mouse to make it travel further? So often in science the make and do part can take up so much time that there is not much time for questioning and reflecting. This activity allows for the children to extend their learning in lots of different ways. Depending on how well they tackle this activity we can try the rocket with the vitamin tablet and container as a whole class or in groups.
All the resources in this module would be useful. I really like the idea of using Stellarium, it can be very abstract to talk about space and the night sky during the daytime. This resource is great to put an image with the discussion.
The activity I would use with first and second class is ‘Where do you live?’. I would begin with identifying rooms and features in a house. We would do a walk around the school and tick off any of these features we see in our school. We would then extend this by completing a walk of our locality. On this walk the children would complete a checklist of features they see, flat roof, tiled roof, slate roof, conservatory, bay window, solar panels, two storey, bungalow, terraced, detached, semi-detached, etc. When we return to the school we would discuss what we noticed and how many of these features exist in our own houses. Finally the children would complete models of their own homes using play doh or junk art materials.
I would choose the activity ‘making a star’. This is a real hands on activity and lots of room for differentiation within the lesson. I would begin with some star wars music in the background while the children share any songs or rhymes they know with the word star in them. Have you ever looked up at the stars at night, what have you noticed. Do the stars make shapes? Are some brighter than others?
I will them show them some images of constellations, the plough, orions belt etc.
Using black card with the glued on template the children will create the plough constellation in pairs. Tin foil will be used for the stars and wool for the distance. I will have the distances written on the templates the children are using so all they need to do is use a ruler to measure. I like the idea of hanging the constellation on the ceiling and under their desks so they get the idea of how stars appear from different directions.
All the activities in this module look worth doing but if I was to start with one it would be the Spherical Earth. I teach 1st and 2nd class and I think that to get any sense of what space is they need to begin with their own planet Earth. The activity in the Spherical Earth is easy for the children to complete without much prior knowledge. I would begin with a video on the earth and what lies beneath us. We would then as a whole class label the parts of the earth. I would encourage the children to be accurate on the layers beneath the earth but then they have the opportunity to be creative with their houses/buildings above the earth. The finished collaborative piece really gives a sense of the shape of the earth. This activity links into so many other areas in the 1st and 2nd class curriculum. Looking forward to doing it with my class in September.
Really like the idea of the stations. Every child is getting a good chance to contribute and all the activities look enjoyable.
My name is Sinéad, I’ll be teaching first and second class in September and my favourite fact about space is that there are more stars in the sky than grains of sand!
I usually begin the year with an activity on making bubbles.
I begin with the question why do bubbles burst?
When we have had a whole class discussion on this we will investigate if there are any ways of keeping a bubble for longer.
I will then show the class a diagram of a bubble – two spheres with and layer of water trapped between. The bubble bursts when this layer evaporates.
The children will then have fun making bubbles with washing up liquid, water and syrup.
The will explore how a soapy bubble wand will hold the bubble for longer. Adding the syrup helps the bubbles to form.
They can then do a follow on activity making bubble wands in different shapes will a bubble always be spherical?
This activity can then lead in to further investigation on other materials and their properties.
