Step 1: Science

STEP 1

Science:
(6 hands-on science investigations, with at least one from each of the four strands)

Living Things:

• Mini beast hunt  2nd class (Sept 2015)
• September gardening with Kay 2nd class and special class (Sept 2015)
• Plants need light to grow 2nd class (Sept 2015)
• How our plants have grown (light or no light) (Oct 2015)
• Garden sowing 2nd class (Sept 2015)
• Gardening 1st class (Sept 2015)
• What do plants need to grow? 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Planting onions Junior Infants (Oct 2015)
• Pumpkin fun Junior Infants (Oct 2015)
• Using our senses 1st class (Nov 2015)
• Gardening Senior Infants (Nov 2015)
• Fruit and Vegetable tasting day 2nd class (Feb 2016)
• Dental Hygiene Workshop 2nd class (March 2016)
• Daffodils in food dye 2nd class (April 2016)
• Chicks and a hen in school all classes (April 2016)
• Wormery and ant hotel 2nd class (April 2016)
• Our ant hotel 2nd class (May 2016)
• Our very hungry caterpillars Junior Infants (May 2016)
• Planting Spider Plants 2nd class (May 2016)

Energy and Forces:

• Straw rockets 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Balloon rockets 2nd class and1st class (Oct 2015)
• Foam rockets 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Air and Water rockets 2nd class and 1st class (Oct 2015)
• Fizzy rockets 2nd class and 1st class (Oct 2015)
• 3,2,1, Blast off: Straw rockets 1st class (Oct 2015)
• Toilet roll rockets 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Gravity 2nd class (Nov 2015)
• Meteors, craters and the end of the dinosaurs 2nd class (Nov 2015)
• Making sprays 2nd class (Nov 2015)
• Awesome catapult 2nd class (Dec 2015)
• Magnet morning 2nd class (Dec 2015)
• Electrical circuits 2nd class (Dec 2015)
• Floating fruit 2nd class (Jan 2016)
• Making passenger boats 2nd class (Jan 2016)
• Learning about sound 2nd class (Feb 2016)
• More sound investigations 2nd class (Feb 2016)
• Investigations with heat 2nd class (March 2016)
• Heating, melting and baking Rice Krispies Senior Infants (March 2016)
• Hovercraft 2nd class (May 2016)
• Light 2nd class (May 2016)
• Magnets  Junior Infants (May 2016)
• Hot air and floating balls 2nd class (May 2016)
• Making Rainbows 2nd class (June 2016)
• Lions in Cages: Tricking Our Brains 2nd class (June 2016)
• Rainbow Spinners 2nd class (June 2016)

Materials:

• All about soil 2nd class (Sept 2015)
• Soil investigations 2nd class (Sept 2015)
• Soil experiment 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Materials and a Microscope 2nd class (Sept 2015)
• How much water does it soak up? 2nd class (Sept 2015)
• Lava lamp 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Gloop 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Waterproof or not Senior Infants (Nov 2015)
• Volcanoes 2nd class (Nov 2015)
• Melting ice Senior infants (Nov 2105)

Environmental Awareness and Care:

• Our local environment: The seashore two 2nd classes (Sept 2015)
• Trip to the beach 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• The beach - exploring our local environment 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• How clean are our hands? 1st class (Oct 2015)
• Spoooky gardening! 1st class (Oct 2015)
• Gardening with Kay Senior Infants (Oct 2015)
• Mould under the microscope and germs 2nd class (Nov 2015)
• In the garden Language classes (Nov 2015)
• Planting daffodil bulbs 2nd class (Nov 2015)
• Water cycle Senior Infants (Nov 2015)
• Bee-friendly garden preparation 2nd class (March 2016)
• Spring Walk Senior Infants (March 2016)
• Marine Biodiversity Workshop 2nd class (April 2016)
• At the beach 2nd class (April 2016)
• Visit from Tom Cuffe the birdman 2nd class (May 2016)
• Gardening Junior Infants (May 2016)
• Visit from the Birdman, Tom Cuffe 1st class (May 2016)
• In the garden with Kay 2nd class, 1st class (May 2016)
• Beach Safari 2nd class (June 2016)

(and also)

Science Speakers:

Visit from a photographer

Visit from a quality controller with Boston Scientific

Visit from a dentist

Dental Hygiene Workshop

Visit from a fire alarm tester

http://scoilchaitrionajnrmsflannery.blogspot.ie/2016/03/dental-hygiene-workshop.html

Marine Biodiversity workshop with Explorers Education Programme

Explorers Programme in April
Science Week Event:

School visit from Killaloe Planetarium for all 1st and 2nd classes

Step 2: Technology (ICT)

STEP 2

Visit from a technician with Apple computers

Technology:
(2 or more examples of the children using ICT)

EU Code Week 2015

• Using a digital microscope 2nd class (Sept 2015)
• Mould under the microscope and germs 2nd class (Nov 2015)
• Using our interactive board 2nd class (Nov 2015)
• Using an iPad to take photos 2nd class (Sept 2015)
• Scratch on the iPad 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• EU Code Week: Kodable 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Kodable with Ms.Cunningham's class 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Scratch with Mr. Elwood's class 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Kodable in Ms.Groarke's class 1st class (Oct 2015)
• Coding in Ms. Connolly's class 1st class (Oct 2015)
• Coding in the LEGO club 1st and 2nd classes (Oct 2015)
• Coding with Scratch 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Hour of Code: Minecraft 2nd class (Dec 2015)
• Hour of Code with Ms. Connolly's class 1st class (Dec 2015)
• Using SKYPE all five 2nd classes (April 2016)

Junior First LEGO League, Radisson Hotel, Galway, 12/4/16

Step 3: Engineering

STEP 3 

Engineering:

(2 or more examples of the children investigating engineering in class or in the local area)

STEPS Visit from an engineer with Avaya

• Engineer's Visit with STEPS 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Making and launching straw rockets 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Making and launching foam rockets 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Making and launching air rockets 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Toilet roll rockets 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Papier Mache Planets 2nd class (Nov 2015)
• Awesome catapult 2nd class (Dec 2015)
• Pop Up Santas push and pull toys 2nd class (Dec 2015)
• Designing and making traffic lights 2nd class (Jan 2016)
• Building bridges 2nd class (April 2016)

Step 4: Maths

STEP 4 
Maths:
(2 or more examples of the children using their maths skills as part of their science work)
Maths Week 2015

Hallowe'en Maths

• Making a data chart of September weather information 2nd class (Sept 2015)
• Data chart of the planets 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Rocket construction 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• More rocket construction 2nd class (Oct 2015) 2D and 3D shapes (cone, cylinder, circle, triangle, square, rectangle..changing circles into cones, changing rectangles into triangles, turning squares into triangles, changing rectangles into cylinders, symmetry)
• Maths Week: Maths Trail 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Maths fun in Ms. Cunningham's 2nd Class 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Maths trails and maths games in Ms. Connolly's classs 1st (Oct 2015)
• Maths week in LEGO club 1st and 2nd classes (Oct 2015)
• Maths trail in Ms. Mullin's class 2nd class (Oct 2015)
• Colours Junior Infants (Oct 2015)
• Maths Trail in Ms. Crotty's class Senior Infants (Oct 2015)
• Maths trail through the school Language classes (Nov 2015)
• Shapes in our locality 2nd class (April 2016)

Step 5: STEM show and tell

STEP 5 
STEM Show and Tell:
(at least one example)

• Demonstrating and explaining all about soil to Ms. Mullin's class 2nd class (Sept 2015)
• Ms.Donnellan's class visit the rocket morning and make foam rockets 1st class (Nov 2015)
• Ms. Cunningham's class visit our magnet morning 2nd class (Dec 2015)

Junior First LEGO League, Radisson Hotel, Galway, 12/4/16

Awards 2014-2015

Welcome to our Discovery Log

Step 1: Science

(6 hands-on science investigations)
Living Things

A hedgehog in autumn

A lamb in our class

Learning about our lungs

Learning about pets
lhttp://scoilchaitrionajnrmsferguson.blogspot.ie/2014/10/our-trip-to-petmania.html

Coloured daffodils
Tadpoles in our school
A hen and chicks in school
Using our senses
Our caterpillars have arrived
Planting seeds
Featuring: Ms Halliday's,  Ms. Needham's, Ms. McLoughlin's,  Ms. McCaul's  and   Ms.Ferguson's  classes

Energy and Forces

Making straw rockets

Foam rockets: construction and flying league

Magic magnets

Making rainbows and shadows

Our eyes are playing tricks

Mixing colours of light

Colour spinners

Separating colours

Working with electricity
All about moving air
More about moving air
Toys that use air to move
All about bubbles
Floating and sinking
Floating boats
Making levers
Sound and hearing
Dangers of sound
More investigations with sound
Sound in Ms. Flaherty's class
Featuring:  Ms. McLoughlin's  and   Ms.Connolly's  classes

Materials

Waterproof umbrellas

Investigating materials: Pass the Parcel

Waterproof? Yes or No
Mopping up spills
Raw or cooked eggs
Red cabbage, acids and caring for our teeth
Investigating coats
Solid or liquid gloop?
Featuring:  Ms. Flaherty's, Ms. McLoughlin's and Ms. Small's classes

Environmental awareness and care

Tidy Towns: Best School Garden Award 2014

Gardening in Ms. Small & Ms. Lally's class

Gardening in Ms. Connolly's class
Gardening in Ms. McCaul's class
Gardening in Ms. McLoughlin's class
Weeding our garden
More planting
Fruit and Vegetable Tasting Day
Sowing strawberries and cabbage
Rain and rainmakers
Saving energy with Guzzler

Recycling:- visiting the bottle bank with Ms.O'Connor
Ms. Flaherty's class visit the bottle bank
Ms. McLoughlin's class visit the bottle bank
Litter picking

Solar eclipse
Featuring:  Ms. Connolly's,  Ms. McCaul's,  Ms. Flaherty's,   Ms. O'Connor's,   Ms. McLoughlin's,  Ms. Small's and Ms. Lally's classes
(and)

Science Speakers

Visit from a Medtronic scientist

Dental Hygiene with Ms. Ferguson's, Ms. McCaul's, Ms. Gillen's and Ms. Lavery's 2nd classes

Visit from Tom Cuffe the Birdman

The Birdman in Ms. Flaherty's class

Explorer's Education Programme

Featuring:  Ms. McLoughlin's, Mr. Carleton's,  Ms. Flaherty's,   Ms. Ferguson's,  Ms. McCaul's,  Ms. Gillen's and Ms. Lavery's  classes
Visit to a DPSM centre

Ms. McCaul and Ms. Coade's classes visit Galway Atlantaquaria on 15/10/14

Featuring:  Ms. McCaul's  and  Ms. Coade's classes
Science Week event

Explorer's programme
Dissecting a squid in Mr. Carleton's class

Featuring:  Ms. McLoughlin's and Mr. Carleton's classes

Steve Allman  Science Tricks
Click here to see a slideshow of the visit

Featuring:  ALL CLASSES!

Step 2: Technology (ICT)

(2 or more examples of the children using ICT)

Today we had lots of fun making a movie. Teacher was the director and we were the actors. Check us out!! And the Oscar goes to......
Check out our LEGO videos here

Visit from a quality supervisor with Hewlett Packard

Using a sound recorder to add to our online avatar from Voki

Avatar of Interview for Green Schools

Using Bright Sparks 4Kids Electricity kit

Exploring materials using the digital microscope

Recording our reading

Hour of code: Programming in Ms.McLoughlin's class

Hour of code, Ms. Connolly's class
Learning to code, Ms. Ferguson's class

Coding again

We are very busy at the moment getting ready for Junior First Lego League. The theme this year is Think Tank. We decided to build a lego man who is having an idea. Here is our progress so far. Thank you Ms. Groarke!! :)
Featuring:  Ms. McLoughlin's, Mr. Carleton's, Ms Ferguson's and Ms. Groarke's & Ms. Connolly's classes

Step 3 Engineering

(2 or more examples of the children investigating engineering in class or in the local area)

Engineers from Medtronic in Ms. Ferguson's class

Investigating traffic lights

Designing traffic lights like the ones outside our school

Investigating bridges

Learning about bridges in our locality

Featuring:  Ms. McLoughlin's and Ms. Ferguson's classes