Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
This is a very engaging lesson with the young children being able to participate in the rhyming from the very outset. Thank you for the title of another new book.
You have plenty of cross curricular links in this lesson which is also aiding your school self evaluation. Congratulations
Module 3 – Space and Aliens Inquiry Lesson (Junior Infants)
To introduce the topic, I would read The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers and encourage the children to discuss what they noticed about the boy and the Martian. Using “I wonder…” questions such as, “I wonder what it would be like to live on another planet?” and “I wonder how a Martian would survive there?” will stimulate curiosity and discussion.
The inquiry challenge will be: Design a Martian that is perfectly adapted to its planet. Children will work in small groups to decide what their planet is like (hot, cold, windy or rocky) before creating a Martian using playdough, collage materials or recyclable items. They will explain why their Martian has certain features, for example, large feet for rocky ground or three eyes to see in the dark.
Groups will share their creations with the class, describing how their Martian lives, moves and survives. The lesson integrates Science, Visual Arts and Oral Language while developing creativity, collaboration, scientific thinking and problem-solving skills.
The thematic approach for the entire week is fantastic. I never thought of doing things this way because I am always prioritising the 3Rs but there is so much learning and so many enjoyable activities in what you have mentioned there. I think I’d also include Stellarium for your Tuesday activities as it looks so cool.
During this course, I have developed a deeper understanding of how space can be used to inspire curiosity, scientific enquiry, and active learning in the infant classroom. During Space Week, I plan to provide the Junior/Senior infants with a variety of playful, hands -on activities that encourage them to explore, ask questions and investigate rockets.
Our Space Week will begin by introducing the children to the book Aliens in Underpants Save the World (as mentioned in this Module) and some play with Rocket Mice.
The children can then investigate how to propel their mice even higher. We can use various sized bottles and various types of paper/card. Children can predict which bottle, paper/card will propel the mice highest. We can explore if the test was fair again by looking at the size of the mice (all made with same template as seen in You Tube video), the type of paper used, the type of bottle used. And can explore what effect each of these variables might have had on the height our mice achieved. Card was heavier than paper, Size of mouse made it heavier or lighter, size of bottle created more force to propel mouse upward.
The children can record their answers orally or with simple pictures.
These activities will encourage children to develop early scientific skills by asking questions, making predictions, investigating, observing and sharing their ideas.
Senior Infants: Animals in the Cold
Learning Outcome How do animals stay warm in cold environments?
Begin by reading Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
Predict from cover What clues tell us this place is very cold?
What animals might live here? Encourage kids to predict and observe as story is being read.
Display pictures of animals eg polar bear, penguin and Arctic fox. Ask children to observe each animal and describe what they notice. Discuss thick fur, waterproof feathers and blubber for keeping animals warm
Carry out a simple blubber investigation using vaseline.. Have children predict what they think they will notice prior to doing this investigation. One child places a vaseline covered hand inside a bowl of icy water and the other hand not covered with vaseline in the same bowl of icy water. The child now compares how one hand feels compared to the other and communicate it orally to the group or in a simple drawing activity to record their findings.
Reinforce the fact that living things have special features suited to their habitats by revisiting the question at the outset of the lesson by having children explain one adaption that helps an animal survive in the cold
I love the idea of using vaseline on the childrens hands to replicate the insulating properties of blubber. Ingenious!! Great to read simple yet very effective lessons to better our teaching andthe children’s learning! I often find myself relying on the same run of the mill lessons so this is fantastic for me. Thank you
Activity: Design a Martian Space Week Activity for Senior infants/1st class
Show the children pictures of different environments eg desert, the Arctic, the ocean, outer space.
Ask what animals live in these places?
Do all animals look the same?
Why do polar bears have thick fur?
Why do polar bears have white fur?
Why do fish have fins?
Why do frogs have webbed feet?
Explain to the children that we are going to become scientists. Imagine a new planet. Is it hot/cold, dark/light, wet/dry etc etc.Ask them to think deeply about their new planet and perhaps have a few children describe their planet to the group/ to a partner.
Ask your children to think again about their planet and now what type of alien might live there? what will it look like? Will it camoflauge with the landscape? will it have webbed feet/wings etc
Ask them to design an alien that is perfectly suited to live on their new planet. Ask them if their alien will be the same as anyone elses alien? Why?
As they are creating/designing you could encourage them to think about how many eyes/ears/mouths it has? How does it move? What will it use to move? Does it have fur/scales?
When finished you could ask the children to name their alien?
What language does it speak?
What does it eat?
What special body part helps it survive? avoid predators?
I love the introduction with the title of yet another new book for me…thank you! Great to have some new ideas walking away from a course. This lesson gives loads of opportunity for oral language and love the drama aspect….its almost a thematic approach to your science lesson.
I would begin my lesson by reading The Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers. I would have some pre-reading questions to predict why the children think the black rabbit follows the rabbit everywhere? As we go through the story they will realise that the black rabbit is the rabbits own shadow.
After the story we could proceed outside if the day is sunny. Children could work in pairs and they could investigate how their shadows change as they jump, stretch etc. They could also predict what would happen their shadows before changing positions and observe what they notice. You could challenge them and assess them through observation by asking them if they could make their shadow bigger/smaller? and by asking them why their shadow goes with them?
Back in the classroom you could use torches and classroom objects to create shadows. Investigate again how changing the position of the object/torch makes the shadow bigger/smaller, change direction. They could record their observations with simple drawings or simple oral explanations.
I love the idea of using Oreos to teach this rather abstract concept. Its such a simple, yet effective piece of ‘equipment’ that each child can hold and it doesn’t cost the earth (pardon the pun!!) Brilliant!!
Fiona this sounds like such an engaging lesson. I can only imagine the giggles and fun and i think that’s what makes science such a wonderful subject. With predictions there is no right and wrong answer and children of all abilities participate without fear.
Those are actually terrific follow on questions and ones I’m going to take note of for future use. Thanks!!
Hi my name is Susan and am currently teaching in SET in a Gaelscoil. Fun fact about space sound cannot travel through space.
Because young children love following shadows and jumping on them, I would use the ESERO enquiry-based activity Investigating Shadows, working on Energy and Forces. This would have to be done at different times throughout the day so that children could see the changes in our shadows by drawing their shadows on the ground with chalk. The activity encourages children to ask questions, make predictions where their shadow will be (in front or behind them etc), observe investigate and communicate their findings through hands-on -learning. I would facilitate discussion to encourage curiosity and critical thinking. The kids could work collaboratively to investigate how shadows change throughout the day, record their observations by drawing the outlines in chalk on the ground and compare the results, was everyone’s shadow behind them in front of them?) To apply this learning children could continue to predict where shadows would appear.