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Hi Sinéad, thank you for sharing such a great research plan. I really liked how you connected increased rainfall and flooding specifically to a local location like Cork City which makes the project very relevant for the children. The inclusion of local data sources like Met Éireann and Cork City Council is a great way to help children learn how to use real scientific information in their research. Your ideas encourage critical thinking and data analysis which are great skills for them to develop.
Research Question: How does the amount of litter in our school playground and Longford town affect our environment, and what actions can we take to reduce it?
I think this climate issue is relatable and it also in the children’s everyday experiences. Litter is something pupils see daily, and they often make comments about it to me during the school day. By using the Climate Detectives Research Question Planner, I would guide the class in breaking the question down into smaller parts such as:
The types of litter we find in the yard.
What areas of the yard/town we see the most litter?
Who could be responsible for it?
Why is the litter being thrown/dumped?
To encourage participation, I would take a whole class and inquiry-based approach. Pupils would work in groups and collaboration would be a key approach in the research. Before the research would begin, I would bring the class out litter picking around the school grounds one afternoon, after the activity we would discuss and look at the amount of litter we picked. During the research the children could take on roles, data collectors, photographers, mappers, and interviewers. I have found this very beneficial in previous class projects, the children have a sense of purpose within their group and clear expectations. We could explore litter in our yard/town, conduct surveys with the school/local community, and write a letter to the local county council/tidy towns, interview members of the green school committee in school, and watch educational videos. I would also integrate the project across the curriculum using graphs in Maths, reports in English, and map work in Geography.
Hi Niamh, I agree with your thoughts, it is such a useful and valuable resource. I also really liked the inclusion of weather proverbs, it’s a good way to connect science with history and literacy. The home-school linkage encouraging children to talk to older family members about how weather was predicted in the past is a lovely idea. It’s great to see how easily this can be adapted for all class levels.
3. After exploring the ESA resource Nose Up High in the Sky I found it to be a highly engaging and a well structured resource that would make excellent lessons for a wide range of class groups. The activities are practical, hands on, and link closely with the SESE curriculum. I especially liked how the resource encourages pupils to observe and describe the weather using their senses, which is a great way to develop vocabulary and oral language skills. The instructions for creating simple weather instruments like a rain gauge and anemometer are easy to follow and require very little materials. This would make it accessible for most schools, even those with limited resources and funds. I liked the fact that this resource promotes outdoor learning and collaboration among pupils. I would definitely use this resource in my class for Geography and Science lessons, particularly during a unit on weather or climate. It supports inquiry based learning and helps children make real world connections, while also being fun and interactive.
Hi Diarmaid, I agree with your reflection of HOME truly is a useful tool for engaging students visually to the topic. The way it combines stunning imagery with real environmental data helps children connect with the issues, making topics like climate change more accessible. Your idea of encouraging pupils to reflect on their daily habits and explore local issues is a great way to make the learning personal and relatable.
The film HOME is a powerful documentary that presents the story of our planet from its creation to the current climate crisis. Through brilliant aerial footage, the film captures the beauty and diversity of Earth while also highlighting the extensive damage caused by human activity such as deforestation, over consumption, pollution, and global warming. The message is both urgent and hopeful, encouraging us to act before it’s too late.
Other clips in the module reinforce this message by presenting facts and statistics in a child friendly and age appropriate ways. To introduce these climate change facts to pupils, I would begin by sparking curiosity using images, short clips, and discussion or a quiz to explore what children already know. We could then move into group projects or inquiry based learning, where students explore specific environmental issues (e.g., melting ice caps, plastic pollution) and present their findings through posters, drama, or digital media. I think using cross-curricular links with Geography, Science, and SPHE would support deeper understanding for the children.
Hi Louise, I completely agree with these ideas, especially the way the activity has been adapted for younger learners. The Paxi video is an excellent starting point it’s simple, engaging, and perfectly pitched for primary students. I really like your idea of following the video with a class discussion and having children draw ways to reduce emissions. It gives them a chance to process what they’ve learned in a creative and meaningful way. Creating a class poster from their drawings is another lovely idea and includes collaborative learning. These strategies make the activity more age appropriate while still keeping the core message of climate action strong and clear.
Activity 3 is an engaging way to deepen students understanding of how greenhouse gases influence climate, while also giving them practical experience interpreting climate models.
I think watching Paxi’s video on greenhouse gases provides the children with a clear, age and language suitable introduction to the topic. Then, using the tools like TEAL to predict future temperatures enables learners to visualise the impact of different emission scenarios. In class I think the children in groups could select a future emissions scenario from a given list and collect projected monthly temperature and precipitation data using TEAL or similar tools.
They could create a short climate report in any format they wish and present it, reflecting on differences between scenarios and discussing local impacts.Hi Elaine, thanks you have mentioned so many great ideas in your response. The hands on, cross curricular approach offers so many rich learning opportunities. Your idea that I think would work particularly well in the classroom is creating a Weather Club. It gives children ownership and responsibility while reinforcing daily routines, teamwork, and communication skills. Having students lead weather reports, update a weather board, or even share findings over the school intercom makes learning visible and meaningful, I could see the students fully engaging with this.
I think these activities would help students differentiate between day to day weather and long-term climate by analysing statements and collecting real temperature data at school.
In the classroom I liked the idea of discussing proverbs, This could be a povocation to spark curiosity and interest in the topic. I think giving the students the opportunity to build a weather station by creating instruments, take daily readings from them, and discussing their findings would be fantastic. I think older classes could be given some agency with how they would like to record and display their data- digital tools/ weather logs/ posters/ graphs/ powerpoint/video presentation etc. Comparing their measured weather from their weather station to official meteorological or satellite data would be beneficial to teach accuracy and reliability. I think the hands on approach in these lessons engages the learners by allowing them to actively learn about weather and climate in a meaningful, fun and memorable way.
To add to these resources I think encourage classes to share data with other classes who could also be using the weather station in the school or another local school. If possible with a school in another region of the world to compare their data. The children may have a chance to share some of their findings with the whole school community at an assembly.