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For this assignment I have picked the theme of Constellations – Seeing Stars, making The Plough.
There are lots of books in this link that would provide an ideal start to this lesson: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/72424.Picture_Books_About_the_Sky
The number 1 constellation that children are likely to recognise is The Plough. This lesson clearly outlines the number of stars in this constellation and their distance from each other and from the earth. I think that this lesson would work well with senior classes with wool. It offers opportunities for integration with Maths, Art, Literacy. I like also that there is differentiation available for junior classes, with straws instead of wool.
I would have the children working in groups. We would start with a deep dive into The Plough, using the Stellarium as our exploratory tool. Each group would work on their own model, using their calculations to pull the correct length of wool through the card. They could discuss and report their process to the class afterwards. Extension work can take place using other constellations. I would let the children select their favourite constellations for this. I like the extension activity on this lesson using 3-D shapes. Senior classes especially would really enjoy this.
Hi Rory,
This is a lovely lesson. We live in a rural area also, about 10 mins from an urban setting. I like your idea of presenting at your science fair!
Sounds like a great lesson, Siobhán! The stellarium resource is super, I like your idea of sending home the link also.
For this assignment, I have picked constructing a sundial. This is an accessible, engaging and fun activity which is impactful and effective and has many opportunities for integration.
I would start with music as a prompt. Some of the songs on this link would be suitable: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3CBYdIYiZG4CzJa3LaFYLz
There would be a class discussion on the passing of the time every day, how we punctuate our day with all of our routines, breakfast, school arrival, break, lunch, home time, etc. We would discuss how we tell the time, looking at clocks, fitbits (as so few have watches now!), time on laptops, chromebooks, phones, etc. We would discuss how people tracked the passage of time before any of these methods were in use and that the sun was used to track time.
I like that this can be a group sundial or individual sundials depending on your class, space, arrangements, etc. The trickiest part of this is waiting for a guaranteed sun day! There are lovely opportunities for integration with Art as the children can decorate their own sundials, and also with History for research on sundials, and also with Geography for exploration of weather. For Junior Infants, the basics of the four cardinal points can be introduced effectively. The use of pebbles in 1st and 2nd can provide more accurate time telling. These sundial activities will effectively introduce relevant vocabulary for the children, e.g. sundial, rotation, position, gnomon, angle, shadow, etc.
Hi Dervla,
I like the practical, interactive nature of your lesson and the possibilities for integration with other subjects.
For this module assignment, I would use the lesson on Rocket Launch. The very mention of a rocket would engage the children straight away!
Starting with a story from books on this link would be an effective introduction to the topic: https://bestkidsbooks.com/curations/5-best-picture-books-about-rockets-and-spaceships/
I think this experiment would work well with 1st/2nd Class. I like the graded approach starting with just balloons initially. This is very accessible. Ideally it could take place outside on a calm, dry day with little or no breeze. Everyone could have the opportunity to launch their own balloon and observe the effect of the air coming out of the back of the balloon, pushing it forward. This is an impactful way to explain the effect of hot gases coming from the back of a rocket, pushing it forwards. As everyone launches their balloons, we will also be able to observe the random paths followed by the balloons.
When everyone has had the opportunity to launch their own balloon, I would arrange small groups for the next stage. This step in the experiment provides for observations in a more controlled environment. Each group will follow the steps with string, straw, balloon and clothes peg and record what happens in their own group, as well as observe what happens in the other groups. The contrast of the random balloon path with the controlled balloon path is very effectively illustrated here as well as the forward motion created by the release of hot air.
Hi Elaine,
I love the fun and interaction in your lesson, and also the opportunities for practising turn-taking – always a plus!
For this assignment, I would use the lesson based on Animals in the Cold – Climate. As with so many of the lessons on this course, there are lots of opportunities for integration. I would use some of the stories based on animals in cold climates in this link: https://mrsjonescreationstation.com/20-animals-in-winter-books-for-little-learners/
The introductory talk about the weather would definitely yield results, as even at 5 or 6, children in Ireland are very well versed in weather-speak! Some children in the junior end of our school have been very lucky to get to Lapland in recent years and have brought back photos and stories about the animals they encountered which they would love to share.
The idea of fur and fat as ‘coats’ that the animals wear is very accessible for the children. The half term after October in the run up to Christmas would be an ideal time to explore this lesson as we could use discuss not only coats but hats, gloves, scarves, thermal layers, skins in sports activities, etc., any protective layers or covers that we all use during cold weather.
The use of Vaseline would be very impactful to illustrate the effectiveness of a layer of grease on fur and feathers. This could be extended to include other substances that are fatty in nature but not as effective e.g. butter, oil, cream.
The white colour of polar bears and on the front of penguins can be extended to explore other arctic animals that are white all year, e.g. beluga whales, dall sheep, and, animals that turn white in winter for protection, e.g. artic foxes and arctic hares.
I like your idea of neighbourhood, Niamh and linking the types of homes to various types of clothing. The children, for the most part, love to talk about home and would really enjoy the construction aspects of your lesson.
The activity I would pick from this module would be Space and Aliens – who doesn’t love the idea of aliens in a primary classroom!!
I would use the Special Life – Life in Space lesson as I think the children would enjoy it hugely and there are so many opportunities for integration. I love the idea of the children coming up with recommendations for visiting aliens, they could create an itinerary for a tour around Ireland, or a tour around the locality even. This would integrate nicely with SESE and could see some focus on local areas of historical interest.
The continuation of this into animals and plants that visitors should see would be great fun for the children, they could include family pets, maybe animals on farms at home, or animals they have seen elsewhere, zoos, etc. I love the idea of acting these out so classmates can guess. This could be extended to food also. I have conversations with children regularly about what’s for lunch, what’s for dinner that evening, etc. They would love the chance to suggest favourite dinners aliens would enjoy while visiting!
This activity would work well in groups or as an individual activity. The scene could be set with some reading from some of the books on this link: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/76018.Children_s_Picture_Books_with_Aliens_
I like your idea of the children drawing their interpretations of aliens, Alyson. I think they would really enjoy this, lots of room for creativity and imagination!
Hi Irene,
I love the hands-on aspects of this activity, especially the flashlights! Infants would love this. There would be lots of opportunity for integration. Here’s a link that might be useful for books with shadow themes: https://kidminds.org/15-books-about-shadows-to-inspire-young-scientists/
The activity I would pick from this module is from the Universe in a Box and it is to do with creating a lunar landscape. I think this would work very well with 2nd Class and would be ideal for the summer term, as an outside lesson. Safety would be front and centre, as there would be stones flying at speed so another adult would definitely be needed and clear instructions beforehand!
The children could work in groups of 4 if possible. Everyone would have a chance to throw their stones, discussing in advance the direction, force, angle, etc. Then the resulting craters could be examined for depth, size, width, etc. The throw-off created by the stones would be compared with pictures of real lunar landscapes and keywords and concepts like throw-off, velocity, crater, direction, projectile, could be explored.
The different groups could then present their landscapes to the class, detailing the types of throws they did to create the various craters. I like the follow-on ideas in this activity for creating a more solid structure with paper mâché, paint, etc. This would be a longer-term project and could be presented to classmates as well as the rest of the school at assembly, for example.
Hi Stephanie,
I like the pair aspect of your activity. Sometimes, group work can be very successful, but sometimes pair work is preferable as children have more of an opportunity to be involved, and feel involved.
The inquiry-based activity I would use is the one involving liquids. I think this would work well in many classrooms, but especially Junior rooms, as there are generally plenty of real-life examples to draw on every day!
The prompts for this activity could come from home or school. Children would all have a real-life example to share and would enjoy the class discussion on this.
Working in groups, this activity lends itself very well to exploring the different methods of soaking liquids, the recording of soakage efficiency through smiley faces makes it accessible for everyone as full attention can be given to the experiment rather than literacy issues presenting a difficulty or a block to participation. Involvement in reporting findings is also facilitated nicely.
I like the extension activity of waterproof coats for teddies. During the summer term, we had teddies coming in for picnics, story-telling, sports events, etc. This experiment would integrate successfully with any of those and make it more impactful for the children.
