Topic:
Humanism – Summer Solstice
LT focus:
- Recall various celebrations studied to date and their corresponding religions.
- Discuss some common ways in which we celebrate.
- Investigate the school surroundings using the five senses.
- Compose a question for explanation writing prompted by the outdoors.
Introduction
In class:
- Recall various celebrations studied to date and their corresponding religions.
- Discuss/note on the board some common ways in which we celebrate.
- Highlight the summer solstice as a day celebrated by many people, including humanists, agnostics and atheists. Note that the 21st June is also World Humanist Day.
- Discuss what the children already know about non religions such as humanists, atheists and agnostics.
Development
Outdoors:
- Introduce the sensory wheel to the children and explain how the class will used their senses to fill the wheel.
- For the tasting segment of the wheel set up some bowls of summer fruits at the picnic area for the children to taste.
- Encourage the pairs to close their eyes and guess the fruits their partner gives them.
- Tell the class that you would also like them to look around the outdoors for something that they would like explained.
- Give examples of questions to clarify what is being requested.
-Why are leaves green?
-How do bees make honey?
-Why are birds beaks pointed?
-What species of butterflies do we have in Ireland?
- Allow the children to freely explore their surroundings to fill their wheel and to inform their question.
Plenary
Outdoors:
- Listen and respond to some examples of what the children’s senses discovered for each of the five senses.
- Listen and respond to some examples of questions the children would like to have explained. (These will be researched and explained by the children in a follow up English lesson.)
- Celebrate the day by having a class picnic with the children’s lunch outdoors.
Other teacher resources for teaching this topic:
Differentiation:
- Activities – Pupil A can draw instead of writing on the senses wheel.
- Resources – Question sheet will include examples to aid pupil A.
- Assistance – Peer assistance/Cooperative task.
- Product – Variance in the complexity of the questions for explanation writing according to abilities.
Resources:
- Clipboards
- Senses wheel worksheet and paper to compose a question
- Variety of chopped summer fruits
- Children’s own lunch for a picnic
- Class camera
Linkage
- Ethics and the Environment – Knowledge and Awareness of Environmental issues – A lesson on waste management in our school surroundings
Integration
- English – Writing – Explanation writing
- S.E.S.E. – Science and the environment/Human Life/Plants and animals/Caring for the environment
- S.P.H.E – Developing citizenship/Knowing about my body/Food and nutrition/Environmental Care