Lesson Plans

Lesson 1: The Sky

Lesson Aims: Encourage the children to look up and talk about the sky. Discuss

transient events such as clouds, rain and day and night. Develop

an initial awareness of the Sun, the Moon and the stars

Resources: Picture sheets, colouring pencils, Images of the Sky.

Introduction: The lesson will begin with story whose principle character is a child

from Dublin, Johnny McGory. The story will introduce the children

to the topic of the day.

Development: The children will be taken outside to look at the sky. In the case of

inclement weather images of the sky will be used as a stimulus.

The children will be encouraged to talk about and ask questions

about what they see. Reference will be made to the Moon, the Sun

and the stars.

Conclusion: The children will be given images of rain, clouds etc to colour in.

Lesson 2: The Sun

Lesson Aims: The Sun will be introduced and discussed. Its association with day-

time and light and heat will be drawn out. Some sense of the enor-

mous size of the sun will be conveyed. The dangers of looking di-

rectly at the sun will be mentioned, as well as the dangers of sun-

burn

Resources: Pictures of the sun (illustrating day and night), A ball, A corn seed.

Torch.

Introduction: Again, a story based on the adventures of Johnny McGory will

awaken the children’s curiosity in the Sun.

Development: The children will be asked about day and night, and they will be

led to associate the sun with daytime. In the same way the chil-

dren will associate the sun with heat. The children will explore

their shadows.

Conclusion: The children will be brought outside and the size of the sun will be

illustrated using a ball of 8 inch diameter and a corn seed 26 yards

apart.

Lesson 3: The Moon

Lesson Aims: The Moon will be explained to the children and they will be encour-

aged to observe it that night. It will be explained that the Moon or-

bits the Earth. The phases of the moon will be discussed.

Resources: Balloon, torch, Pictures of the moon and the Apollo landings.

Introduction: Johnny McGory will investigate whether the moon is actually made

of cheese, and finds out to his dismay that it isn’t!

Development: The stages of the moon will be illustrated using a balloon and a

torch. The children, in pairs will dance out the moons orbit of the

rotating earth. They will be shown pictures of the moon, and the

Apollo landings and encouraged to talk about it.

Conclusion: The children will make models of the moon using mala.

Lesson 4: The Stars

Lesson Aims: This lesson will begin to introduce the children to the vast uni-

verse. They will learn that each star is similar to our sun. They will

learn about the Milky Way and the constellations.

Resources: Images from the Hubble telescope. Star sheets.

Introduction: Johnny McGory will tell the story of the constellations in the sky.

Development: The children will be shown pictures from the Hubble telescope of

galaxies and nebula and will discuss them and question them.

Conclusion: The children will be given a sheet of stars and are asked to draw

their own constellations and tell the storys behind them.