Valerie King :@muinteoirvalerie.com
Thematic Unit: The Seaside
Class level: Junior Infants- Second Class
Lessons:
English x 3
Science x 3
SPHE x 1
Religion x 1
Art x `1
Geography x 2
Music x 1
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Date:
Subject: Visual Arts
Time:
Class: Junior Infants- Second Class.
Duration of Lesson: one hour
Number of Pupils: 16
Theme: The Seaside
Strand: Construction
Strand Unit: Making constructions
Differentiated Learning Objectives:
1. That all children will be enabled to make a beach scene in a shoe-box using shells and sand
2. That most children will be enabled to create their own version of a beach in a shoe box by
using a wide variety of materials, such as card paper, cut-out figures etc.
3. That some children will be enabled to add a lot of detail to their shoe box beach, such as
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waves, clouds and different colours.
Assessment:
Teacher Observation:
I will observe the children while they create their art. I will observe how the children make
use of various lines and shape. I will observe how they make use of the materials available to
them. I will record my findings in my observation notebook.
Language / Literacy Development:
Oral Language:
The children will be using oral language at the beginning of the art lesson, when the children
brainstorm and decide exactly what it is they will include in their beach scene.
Vocabulary:
The children will be learning new words such as, scene, imagine, invent, create.
Teaching Methodologies: (Underline where relevant)





Talk and Discussion: listening, questioning, brainstorming, think, pair, share.
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning: group work.
Active Learning: hands on experience.
Skills Through Content: observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting,
estimating and measuring, analyzing, synthesizing, describing, categorizing, recording and
communicating.
Using Local Environment: use of pupil environment and lived experience.
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
Problem Solving: apply logic and rationality to given situations
Introduction:

We will have a brain storming session.

I will ask the children to think of the beaches near their homes.

I will ask them what they see when they think of the beach- sea, sand, shells?

I will explain to them that we will be creating a beach scene in a shoebox.

I will ask the children to engage in a ‘Think, Pair, Share’ activity. I will ask them to
discuss with each other what they will include in their scene. They will then share it with
the rest of the class.
Development:

The children will gather the materials they need for their beach scene.

I will circulate the room as the children begin their beach scenes
I will help the junior and senior infants with gluing and deciding what to put in their beach
scene. I will have cut out templates of sea creatures for the infants who may struggle in
drawing them.
1st and 2nd class won’t need as much guidance as the younger classes. I will ask them what they
will include, and why.

I will encourage the children to draw, colour and cut out fish for their breach scene.
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Conclusion:

When the children finish their beach scenes I will bring all the children up to the top of
the room. Each child will have a go sitting in the artist’s chair.

The child sitting in the artist’s chair will describe their beach scene. The child will tell
the rest of the class what materials they used, why they included certain objects etc.

I will encourage the rest of the children to ask questions and to evaluate the work of
the child in the artist’s chair.
Teacher Questioning (throughout the lesson):
Higher order questions
What do you see when you think of the beach?
What does the beach beside you look like?
What is your favourite thing about the beach?
What do you think you will include in your beach scene?
What materials will you use?
What do you like most about your work?
Is there anything you would change about your work?
Resources:
Shoe boxes
Sand
Seaweed
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Shells
Coral
Cut out templates
Glue
Images of sea creatures on IWB.
Integration:
English- 04-02-13SPHEMusic- 05-02-13
English 05-02-13
Science 07-02-13
English 07-02-13
Religion 07-02-13
Visual Arts- 08-02-13
Science- 08-02-13
English -08-02-13
Record of Assessment: (To be written after lesson is taught – Report on observations & show
how information gathered is interpreted and used to inform future planning and teaching)
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Action Plan:
Date:
Subject: Religion
Time:
Class: Junior Infants- Second Class.
Duration of Lesson: 30 minutes
Number of Pupils: 16
Theme: The Seaside
Strand:
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Strand Unit:
Differentiated Learning Objectives:
1. That all children will be enabled to listen to and enjoy the story ‘Jonah and the Whale’
2. That most children will be enabled to understand the moral of the story. Most children will
be enabled to answer questions posed by the teacher.
3. That some children will be enabled to discuss the story in detail during a whole class
discussion.
Assessment:
Teacher Observation:
I will observe the answers the children give to the questions I pose. I will observe what the
children say during the class discussion- this will give me an indication as to whether they
understand the story and the moral of the story.
Language / Literacy Development:
Oral Language:
The children are using oral language as they discuss the story ‘Jonah and the Whale’ during our
whole class discussion.
Vocabulary:
Forgiveness, belief, savior.
Teaching Methodologies: (Underline where relevant)




Talk and Discussion: listening, questioning, brainstorming, think, pair, share.
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning: group work.
Active Learning: hands on experience.
Skills through Content: observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting,
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

estimating and measuring, analyzing, synthesizing, describing, categorizing, recording and
communicating.
Using Local Environment: use of pupil environment and lived experience.
Problem Solving: apply logic and rationality to given situations
Introduction:
I will introduce the children to the story. I will tell them that we will be learning all about a
man who God needed to help him.
Development:

I will read the story ‘Jonah and the Whale’ to the children.

I will ask the children to retell the story to me in their own words. Each child will give
one sentence.

I will have sequencing cards for junior and senior infants to put the story together

I will ask the children what Jesus is trying to tell us in this story.

I will ask the children why the whale saved Jonah.

I will ask the children what they would do in that situation.

Once we have completed our discussion based on the story, I will give the infants the
sequencing cards to sequence the events in the story.

I will give first and second class a sheet with pictures of various parts of the story.
They will write three/ four sentences beside each picture to explain what happened in
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the story.
Conclusion:
We will conclude the lesson by revisiting the moral of the story- God wants us to help each
other to be the best people we can possibly be.
Teacher Questioning (throughout the lesson):
Higher order questions
Imagine what it would be like to live inside a whale for three days.
Why did Jonah not want to help the people?
Why did God send the whale to save Jonah?
Did God send the storm?
I wonder what happened after Jonah helped the people to be good again.
I wonder why God picked Jonah to go to the people for him?
Resources:
Sequencing cards
Usborne’s Children’s Bible- ‘Jonah and the Whale’
Teacher-designed task for 1st and 2nd class.
Colouring sheets for early finishers in junior and senior infants.
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Integration:
SPHE- 05-02-13 –Myself- water safety at the sea-side.
Science 07-02-13- Materials and Change- making ice-cream for the sea-side.
English 07-02-13- Writing - project work on the seaside.
Visual Arts- 08-02-13- Construction- making shoe box beaches.
Science- 08-02-13- Materials and Change- using water to make lava lamps.
English –Writing- 08-02-13- project work.
History: Story: ‘The Salmon of Knowledge’
Geography: Environmental Awareness and Care- looking after our beaches.
Music- 05-02-13- Listening and responding- ‘Baby Beluga’
Music- Performing- Song Singing- ‘My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean’
Record of Assessment: (To be written after lesson is taught – Report on observations & show
how information gathered is interpreted and used to inform future planning and teaching)
Action Plan:
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Date:
Subject: English
Time:
Class: Junior Infants- Second Class
Duration of Lesson: 30 minutes
Number of Pupils: 16
Theme: The Seaside
Strand: Oral language/ writing.
Strand Unit: Receptiveness to language, competence and confidence in using language.
Differentiated Learning Objectives:
1. That all children will be enabled to listen to (infant classes) the poem about the shark in
the book ‘Commotion in the Ocean’. 1st and 2nd class will be able to read the poem aloud
themselves in turns, focusing on how to make it sound scary and exciting.
2. That most children will be enabled to discuss what we already know about sharks.
3. That some children will be enabled to hypothesis on the creature the shark.
Assessment:
Teacher designed task:
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
I will listen to 1st and 2nd class read the poem and see if they can read it clearly, lowering
and raising their voices at certain points in the poem. I will assess the infant class’
comprehension of the poem by asking questions about it, and by discussing what kind of
the person the shark might be.

I will record my findings on a checklist under the following headings:

Can 1st and 2nd class read the poem, using effective story telling techniques, such as
lowering and raising tone of voice, whispering etc.

Can junior and senior infants comprehend the poem and tell me what it is about? Can
some of the children read the poem?

Can 1st and 2nd class discuss sharks and hypothesis on what their lives are like? Each
child will write a fact file on the shark.

Can junior and senior infants make sentences orally from the picture flashcards of the
sea?
Language / Literacy Development:
Oral Language:
The children will be developing oral language as they discuss the life of a shark.
Junior and senior infants will be using oral language as they make sentences orally out of the
seaside flashcards.
Vocabulary:
Life cycle, techniques, nature, facts, poetry.
Literacy:
The children in 1st and 2nd class will write a fact-file about the shark.
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Teaching Methodologies: (Underline where relevant)






Talk and Discussion: listening, questioning, brainstorming, think, pair, share.
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning: group work.
Active Learning: hands on experience.
Skills Through Content: observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting,
estimating and measuring, analyzing, synthesizing, describing, categorizing, recording and
communicating.
Using Local Environment: use of pupil environment and lived experience.
Problem Solving: apply logic and rationality to given situations
Introduction:

I will ask the children if they can remember the name of the book we read yesterday. I
will ask if they can remember the poems we read.

I will ask the children what they know about sharks.

I will write a ‘KWL’ chart on the whiteboard and we will fill in the ‘know’ and ‘want to
know’ sections.
Development:

I will gather the children around me in a semi-circle. I will ask one of the children in
second class to read the story aloud in his/her best story telling voice.

I will ask another child to pretend to be a newsreader, reporting the news that a shark
has been found in Mannin Bay. The child will describe what the shark looks like and the
danger it poses to the children in the school.

We will then have a discussion on sharks. I will divide the children into their groups,
three groups of three in 1st and 2nd, and 2 groups of three in junior and senior infants.

Each group will try think of as many facts as they can about sharks.
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
I will help the infant classes with this task.

When the children have delivered the facts to the rest of the class, I will put up extra
facts on the whiteboard which they may not have known.

We will also look at pictures of all the different sharks on the interactive whiteboard.

I will show them the ‘mermaid’s purse’ from the Beach Display table. I will explain that
the shark’s eggs are in the purse.

When the children in 1st and 2nd class are well armed with facts, they will fill out a factfile on a shark.

Senior infants will write three facts about sharks from the board and will copy the facts
onto a sheet of paper.

The child in junior infants will orally describe to me what a shark looks like, what it eats
and so on.
Conclusion:
We will gather all our facts about sharks and we will read them together at the end of the
lesson. This will consolidate the learning for the children, while getting them to read at the
same time.
We will place our Shark Fact Files in the project folder.
Teacher Questioning (throughout the lesson):
Higher order questions:
Do you remember the book we read yesterday?
What was it about?
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Which sea creatures did we read about?
Do you want to learn about another sea creature?
Are you afraid of sharks?
What do you think of them, are they scary?
Imagine what would happen if a shark came to Ballyconneely?
What would you do if you saw a shark whilst you were swimming in the water?
Are there sharks around here do you think?
What do sharks eat?
What do you think of the shark in the poem- why does he want you to come closer to his mouth
I wonder?
Resources:
Chart containing facts about sharks.
Big book – ‘Commotion in the Ocean’
Flashcards of images from the seaside.
A toy shark.
Integration:
SPHE- 05-02-13 water safety at the sea-side.
Science 07-02-13- making ice-cream for the sea-side.
English 07-02-13- project work on the seaside.
Religion 07-02-13- Jonah and the Whale
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Visual Arts- 08-02-13- construction- making shoe box beaches.
Science- 08-02-13- using water to make lava lamps.
English -08-02-13- project work.
History: Story: ‘The Salmon of Knowledge’
Geography: Environmental Awareness and Care- looking after our beaches.
Geography: Human Environments- People at work- Fishermen.
Record of Assessment: (To be written after lesson is taught – Report on observations & show
how information gathered is interpreted and used to inform future planning and teaching)
Action Plan:
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Date:
Subject: SPHE
Time:
Class: Junior Infants- Second Class.
Duration of Lesson: 30 minutes
Number of Pupils: 16
Theme: The Seaside
Strand: Myself
Strand Unit: Safety and Protection- Safety issues.
Differentiated Learning Objectives:
1. That all children will be enabled to discuss the seaside and what games they play at the
seaside, what they do there etc.
2. That most children will be enabled to discuss ways in which the seaside may be dangerous.
Most children will be enabled to recognise water hazards at the seaside.
3. That some children will be enabled to discuss ways to be safe at the seaside.
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Assessment:
Teacher Observation:
I will observe the children during the class discussion. I will assess the answers they give to
questions, and whether they understand the dangers associated with the seaside. I will record
my findings in my teacher observation notebook.
Language / Literacy Development:
Oral Language:
The children will discuss water safety at the beach. They will engage in the ‘Think, Pair ,Share’
activity. Most children in the class live right beside the beach, hence, I will ask them to give
examples of when they were at the beach, what they played, have they ever been in a
dangerous situation?
Literacy:
The children in 1st and 2nd class will complete a ‘Stay Safe at the Beach’ poster. They will each
write a safety rule on the poster. Junior and Senior infants will illustrate the poster.
Vocabulary:
Hazards, safety, depth, precautions, drowning.
Teaching Methodologies: (Underline where relevant)





Talk and Discussion: listening, questioning, brainstorming, think, pair, share.
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning: group work.
Active Learning: hands on experience.
Skills Through Content: observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting,
estimating and measuring, analyzing, synthesizing, describing, categorizing, recording and
communicating.
Using Local Environment: use of pupil environment and lived experience.
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
Problem Solving: apply logic and rationality to given situations
Introduction:
I will show the children a poster on the interactive whiteboard of a boy playing at the seaside.
I will ask them to point out all the dangers in the poster.
Development:


We will have a class discussion on ‘Safety at the Seaside’.
I will divide the children into groups. They will engage in a ‘Think, Pair, Share’ activity. I
will ask the children to discuss what they play at the beach, and how it might be a
dangerous place.

I will show the children the ‘14 steps to safety’ pictures from the website ‘Aqua Attack’.

We will then discuss as a class, ways in which we can be safe at the beach.

We will write up a ‘Stay Safe’ poster on the whiteboard for the sea-side. Each child in 1st
and 2nd class will write a safety rule each on each poster, in their best handwriting.

. I will divide the children into groups of three. Each group will draw a poster.

We will display the posters in the school hall for the rest of the school to see.

I will work with the infants while 1st and 2nd are making their posters. I will show the
children a water safety ‘spot the difference’ activity on the interactive whiteboard. I
will allow them to play the game as a cool down activity. I will also let them play the game
‘Get Dopper Home Safely’ in which they will steer a dolphin home safely from the sea, or
‘Find the Match’.
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Conclusion:

We will discuss our posters and the rules we made. We will hang the poster in the school
hallway.
Teacher Questioning (throughout the lesson):
Higher order questions
Do you ever play at the beach alone?
Why is it important to have someone with you at all times?
Is it safe to swim after eating?
Is it safe to swim alone?
How should you swim at sea?
Have you ever encountered a dangerous situation at the seaside?
Is sun protection important?
Resources:
Aqua Attack website.
Poster paper.
Games from the ‘Aqua Attack’ website for junior and senior infants.
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Integration:
English- 04-02-13Geography- 04-02-13
Music- 05-02-13
English 05-02-13
Science 07-02-13
English 07-02-13
Religion 07-02-13
Visual Arts- 08-02-13
Science- 08-02-13
English -08-02-13
Record of Assessment: (To be written after lesson is taught – Report on observations & show
how information gathered is interpreted and used to inform future planning and teaching)
Action Plan:
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Date:
Subject: English
Time:
Class: Junior infants- Second class.
Duration of Lesson: 30 minutes
Number of Pupils: 16
Theme: The Seaside.
Strand: Writing
Strand Unit: receptiveness to language
Differentiated Learning Objectives:
1. That all children will be enabled to make rice crispie squares using the recipe given by the
teacher.
2. That most children will be enabled to write down the recipe and ingredients from the
whiteboard.
3. That some children will be enabled to refer back to the recipe after making their buns to
check and see if they completed all steps. Some children will be enabled to write about how
their squares tasted after making them.
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Assessment:
Teacher Observation:
I will observe the children while they make the rice crispie squares. I will see whether they
can follow the recipe accurately and stick to the method they wrote down. I will check their
recipes to see if they wrote everything down correctly. I will record my findings in my
observation note-book.
Language / Literacy Development:
Oral Language:
We will discuss the recipe as we make it, the children will say orally what they are doing step
by step, e.g. ‘We are melting the marsh-mellows’ and ‘we are heating up the chocolate’.
Literacy:
The children are using literacy skills as they copy the recipe for the rice crispie squares from
the whiteboard into their copies.
Vocabulary:
Ingredients, recipe, method, equipment, utensils.
Teaching Methodologies: (Underline where relevant)






Talk and Discussion: listening, questioning, brainstorming, think, pair, share.
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning: group work.
Active Learning: hands on experience.
Skills Through Content: observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting,
estimating and measuring, analyzing, synthesizing, describing, categorizing, recording and
communicating.
Using Local Environment: use of pupil environment and lived experience.
Problem Solving: apply logic and rationality to given situations
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Introduction:
This is a lesson on procedural writing.
I will talk to the children about recipes.
I will ask have they ever followed a recipe before, and what is the importance of following a
recipe exactly.
I will tell them that we will have to follow a recipe very carefully in order to make rice crispie
squares.
Development:
I will write the recipe on the whiteboard for the children in steps 1-5.
The children in 1st and 2nd will write the recipe onto a sheet to use for making the rice crispie
buns.
I will read the recipe with junior and senior infants.
The children in 1st and 2nd class will read a line of the recipe each.
When I am satisfied that the children are familiar with the recipe and they have written it
neatly into their copies, we will begin making the rice-crispie squares.
The children will refer to their recipes in their copies as they complete the recipe.
Each child will have a job to do in creating the rice-crispie squares.
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Conclusion:
When the rice-crispie squares are ready, we will refer back to the recipe to make sure we have
covered every step.
We will taste the rice-crispie squares and we will have an oral discussion on how the squares
taste.
Teacher Questioning (throughout the lesson):
Higher order questions:
Have you ever followed a recipe before?
What are recipes used for?
Why is it important to follow a recipe exactly?
Can you tell me how we will make our rice-crispie squares?
Do you understand the recipe?
How do they taste?
Did we follow the recipe exactly?
Resources:
Rice-crispies
Marsh-mellows
White and dark chocolate
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A microwave
A recipe for making rice-crispie squares.
Integration:
Record of Assessment: (To be written after lesson is taught – Report on observations & show
how information gathered is interpreted and used to inform future planning and teaching)
Action Plan:
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Date:
Subject: English
Time:
Class: Junior Infants- Second Class.
Duration of Lesson: 30 minutes
Number of Pupils: 16
Theme: The Seaside
Strand: Reading/ writing.
Strand Unit: developing cognitive abilities through language.
Differentiated Learning Objectives:
1. That all children will be enabled to read their readers for me. All children will be able to
partake in an oral discussion.
2. That most children will be enabled to fill out a fact-file / cloze procedure about sharks.
3. That some children will be enabled to read a book containing shark facts to find out extra
facts and report them to the class.
Assessment:
Teacher designed task:
The children in 1st and 2nd class will complete a cloze procedure work-sheet about sharks.
The children in senior infants will write three facts from the whiteboard and draw a picture of
a shark.
Child AC in junior infants will work on oral language by making sentences from flashcards.
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Child AH will not participate in the lesson.
Language / Literacy Development:
Vocabulary: hammerhead shark, great white shark, prey, hunt, fatal, species.
Oral Language: The children will have researched sharks at home. Each child will tell the class
what they found out about sharks.
Literacy: The children in 1st, 2nd, and senior infants will fill out a shark fact file.
Teaching Methodologies: (Underline where relevant)






Talk and Discussion: listening, questioning, brainstorming, think, pair, share.
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning: group work.
Active Learning: hands on experience.
Skills Through Content: observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting,
estimating and measuring, analyzing, synthesizing, describing, categorizing, recording and
communicating.
Using Local Environment: use of pupil environment and lived experience.
Problem Solving: apply logic and rationality to given situations
Introduction:

I will ask the children to tell me their news before we start the lesson on sharks. We
will play the RTE news game.

We will re-cap on what we learned about sharks yesterday. I will ask the children if they
discovered any new facts about sharks since then.
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
I will show them a short video clip (3 minutes) of a great white shark. Our writing lesson
will be focused on the great white shark.
Development:

I will show the children a power-point presentation about great white sharks.

The children will then engage in a ‘Think, Pair, Share’ activity. They will think about a
shark fact, share it with their partner, and then tell the class.

I will write up shark facts on the whiteboard for the children in senior infants. They will
copy these facts into their shark-shaped writing template.

1st and 2nd class will work independently on their shark cloze procedure worksheets.

If any children finish the task early, I will listen to their English reading.
Conclusion:
We will have a whole class discussion on sharks. I will ask each child to give me an interesting
fact about sharks.
The children will read out the answers from their cloze procedure worksheets.
I will allow the children to play a game based on sharks on the IWB.
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Teacher Questioning (throughout the lesson):
Higher order questions
Based on our discussion yesterday, what can you tell me about sharks?
Have you learned anything new today about sharks?
What do sharks eat?
Can you tell me anything about sharks’ teeth?
How many types of sharks can you name?
Resources:
Power-point.
Shark story book.
Children’s readers.
‘Ocean Facts’ book.
Video showing a great white shark.
Colouring sheets for early finishers in infants.
Integration:
SPHE- 05-02-13 water safety at the sea-side.
Science 07-02-13- making ice-cream for the sea-side.
Religion 07-02-13- Jonah and the Whale
Visual Arts- 08-02-13- construction- making shoe box beaches.
Science- 08-02-13- using water to make lava lamps.
English -08-02-13- project work.
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History: Story: ‘The Salmon of Knowledge’
Geography: Environmental Awareness and Care- looking after our beaches.
Geography: Human Environments- People at work- Fishermen.
Music- 05-02-13- Listening and responding- ‘Baby Beluga’
Record of Assessment: (To be written after lesson is taught – Report on observations & show
how information gathered is interpreted and used to inform future planning and teaching)
Action Plan:
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Date:
Subject: Music
Time:
Class: Junior Infants- Second Class
Duration of Lesson: 30 minutes
Number of Pupils: 16
Theme: The Seaside
Strand: Performing
Strand Unit: Song Singing
Differentiated Learning Objectives:
1. That all children will be enabled to develop their musical potential and to experience the
excitement and satisfaction of being actively engaged in musical creativity. All children’s self
esteem and self confidence will be bolstered through participation in musical performance. All
children’s song singing will be improved by focusing on posture and breathing.
2. That most children will be enabled to sing the song ‘My Bonny lies over the Ocean’ along with
the CD.
3. That some children will be enabled to learn the words of the song ‘My Bonny lies over the
Ocean’.
Assessment:
Teacher Observation:
I will observe the children while they listen to the song. I will observe whether they are
enjoying it. I will observe the children reading the words from the chart- I will assess whether
they understand all the words on the chart. I will observe the children singing the song, I will
assess whether they can stay in tune. I will record my findings in my observation note-book.
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Language / Literacy Development:
Vocabulary: bonny, pitch, tone, key, tune.
Oral Language: The children will be using oral language at the beginning of the lesson when we
discuss the song and the seashore.
Teaching Methodologies: (Underline where relevant)






Talk and Discussion: listening, questioning, brainstorming, think, pair, share.
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning: group work.
Active Learning: hands on experience.
Skills through Content: observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting,
estimating and measuring, analyzing, synthesizing, describing, categorizing, recording and
communicating.
Using Local Environment: use of pupil environment and lived experience.
Problem Solving: apply logic and rationality to given situations
Introduction:
Rhythm work: clapping games- ‘pass the clap’- clap the syllables in your name.
Interval work: clapping, call and response.
Warm up- The Fly Game.
Breathing exercises- drop head to chin, hold for five seconds, roll neck three times, do five
fake yawns. The children will place hands on stomach, and breathe in as far as they can. They
will breathe out while keeping hands on stomach, and will feel their diaphragm falling.
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Development:
I will:

Tell the children that we will be learning a song called ‘My Bonny lies over the Ocean’.

Ask them if they have heard of this song before.

Ask them what they think it is about.

Play the song for the children.

Ask them what it is about.

I will draw the children’s attention to the words of the song on the poster paper, which
will be stuck to the whiteboard.

I will sing a line, and the children will sing it after me. We will do this for the whole song.

The children will then sing it with the CD.

Lastly, the children will sing the song by themselves.
Conclusion:
Relaxation exercisesReach upwards to touch the ceiling, swing arms back and forward, take several deep breaths.
I will show the children an amusing clip of a cat singing the song ‘My Bonny lies over the Ocean’
at the end of the lesson.
Teacher Questioning (throughout the lesson):
Higher order questions
What is this song about?
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What/ who is bonny?
Is it a happy or sad song?
Do you enjoy singing?
What is your favourite part of the song?
I wonder did bonny ever come back?
Resources:
The words of the song ‘My Bonny lies over the Ocean’ on poster paper on the whiteboard.
A recording of the song ‘My Bonny lies over the Ocean’.
Integration:
SPHE- 05-02-13 water safety at the sea-side.
Science 07-02-13- making ice-cream for the sea-side.
English 07-02-13- project work on the seaside.
Religion 07-02-13- Jonah and the Whale
Visual Arts- 08-02-13- construction- making shoe box beaches.
Science- 08-02-13- using water to make lava lamps.
English -08-02-13- project work.
History: Story: ‘The Salmon of Knowledge’
Geography: Environmental Awareness and Care- looking after our beaches.
Geography: Human Environments- People at work- Fishermen.
Music- 05-02-13- Listening and responding- ‘Baby Beluga’
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Record of Assessment: (To be written after lesson is taught – Report on observations & show
how information gathered is interpreted and used to inform future planning and teaching)
Action Plan:
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Date:
Subject: English
Time:
Class: Junior Infants- Second Class
Duration of Lesson: 30 minutes
Number of Pupils: 16
Theme: The Seaside
Strand: Oral language/ writing.
Strand Unit: Receptiveness to language, competence and confidence in using language.
Differentiated Learning Objectives:
2. That all children will be enabled to listen to (infant classes) the poem about the shark in
the book ‘Commotion in the Ocean’. 1st and 2nd class will be able to read the poem aloud
themselves in turns, focusing on how to make it sound scary and exciting.
2. That most children will be enabled to discuss what we already know about sharks.
3. That some children will be enabled to hypothesis on the creature the shark.
Assessment:
Teacher designed task:

I will listen to 1st and 2nd class read the poem and see if they can read it clearly, lowering
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and raising their voices at certain points in the poem. I will assess the infant class’
comprehension of the poem by asking questions about it, and by discussing what kind of
the person the shark might be.

I will record my findings on a checklist under the following headings:

Can 1st and 2nd class read the poem, using effective story telling techniques, such as
lowering and raising tone of voice, whispering etc.

Can junior and senior infants comprehend the poem and tell me what it is about? Can
some of the children read the poem?

Can 1st and 2nd class discuss sharks and hypothesis on what their lives are like? Each
child will write a fact file on the shark.

Can junior and senior infants make sentences orally from the picture flashcards of the
sea?
Language / Literacy Development:
Oral Language:
The children will be developing oral language as they discuss the life of a shark.
Junior and senior infants will be using oral language as they make sentences orally out of the
seaside flashcards.
Vocabulary:
Life cycle, techniques, nature, facts, poetry.
Literacy:
The children in 1st and 2nd class will write a fact-file about the shark.
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Teaching Methodologies: (Underline where relevant)






Talk and Discussion: listening, questioning, brainstorming, think, pair, share.
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning: group work.
Active Learning: hands on experience.
Skills Through Content: observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting,
estimating and measuring, analyzing, synthesizing, describing, categorizing, recording and
communicating.
Using Local Environment: use of pupil environment and lived experience.
Problem Solving: apply logic and rationality to given situations
Introduction:

I will ask the children if they can remember the name of the book we read yesterday. I
will ask if they can remember the poems we read.

I will ask the children what they know about sharks.

I will write a ‘KWL’ chart on the whiteboard and we will fill in the ‘know’ and ‘want to
know’ sections.
Development:

I will gather the children around me in a semi-circle. I will ask one of the children in
second class to read the story aloud in his/her best story telling voice.

I will ask another child to pretend to be a newsreader, reporting the news that a shark
has been found in Mannin Bay. The child will describe what the shark looks like and the
danger it poses to the children in the school.

We will then have a discussion on sharks. I will divide the children into their groups,
three groups of three in 1st and 2nd, and 2 groups of three in junior and senior infants.

Each group will try think of as many facts as they can about sharks.

I will help the infant classes with this task.

When the children have delivered the facts to the rest of the class, I will put up extra
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facts on the whiteboard which they may not have known.

We will also look at pictures of all the different sharks on the interactive whiteboard.

I will show them the ‘mermaid’s purse’ from the Beach Display table. I will explain that
the shark’s eggs are in the purse.

When the children in 1st and 2nd class are well armed with facts, they will fill out a factfile on a shark.

Senior infants will write three facts about sharks from the board and will copy the facts
onto a sheet of paper.

The child in junior infants will orally describe to me what a shark looks like, what it eats
and so on.
Conclusion:
We will gather all our facts about sharks and we will read them together at the end of the
lesson. This will consolidate the learning for the children, while getting them to read at the
same time.
We will place our Shark Fact Files in the project folder.
Teacher Questioning (throughout the lesson):
Higher order questions:
Do you remember the book we read yesterday?
What was it about?
Which sea creatures did we read about?
Do you want to learn about another sea creature?
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Are you afraid of sharks?
What do you think of them, are they scary?
Imagine what would happen if a shark came to Ballyconneely?
What would you do if you saw a shark whilst you were swimming in the water?
Are there sharks around here do you think?
What do sharks eat?
What do you think of the shark in the poem- why does he want you to come closer to his mouth I
wonder?
Resources:
Chart containing facts about sharks.
Big book – ‘Commotion in the Ocean’
Flashcards of images from the seaside.
A toy shark.
Integration:
SPHE- 05-02-13 water safety at the sea-side.
Science 07-02-13- making ice-cream for the sea-side.
English 07-02-13- project work on the seaside.
Religion 07-02-13- Jonah and the Whale
Visual Arts- 08-02-13- construction- making shoe box beaches.
Science- 08-02-13- using water to make lava lamps.
English -08-02-13- project work.
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History: Story: ‘The Salmon of Knowledge’
Geography: Environmental Awareness and Care- looking after our beaches.
Geography: Human Environments- People at work- Fishermen.
Record of Assessment: (To be written after lesson is taught – Report on observations & show
how information gathered is interpreted and used to inform future planning and teaching)
Action Plan:
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Date:
Subject: Science
Time:
Class: Junior Infants- Second Class.
Duration of Lesson: 30 minutes.
Number of Pupils: 16
Theme: The Seaside
Strand: Materials
Strand Unit: Materials and Change
Differentiated Learning Objectives:
1. That all children will be enabled to watch and understand while I model the experiment for
them.
2. That most children will be enabled to also document equipment used, method and results of
the experiment.
3. That some children will observe the matter changing.
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Assessment:
Teacher Observation –
I will observe the children whilst they carry out the experiment. I will observe whether they
understand the process of the experiment. I will observe the children who appear to be having
difficulties. I will record my findings in my observation notebook.
.
Language / Literacy Development:
Vocabulary: observing, predicting, experimenting and analyzing.
Oral Language: the children will be using oral language as they describe their ice cream at the
end of the class. They will also describe what it tastes like.
Teaching Methodologies: (Underline where relevant)






Talk and Discussion: listening, questioning, brainstorming, think, pair, share.
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning: group work.
Active Learning: hands on experience.
Skills Through Content: observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting,
estimating and measuring, analyzing, synthesizing, describing, categorizing, recording and
communicating.
Using Local Environment: use of pupil environment and lived experience.
Problem Solving: apply logic and rationality to given situations
1. Introduction:
We are going to see if we can make a liquid milk turn into solid-like ice cream by lowering the
temperature to the freezing point.
I will ask the children what their favourite ice-cream is.
I will ask them do they know how ice-cream is made.
Development:

I will model the experiment for the children. I will explain the equipment we need, and
the method we will use.
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
I will explain how ice-cream is made in five easy steps on the whiteboard.

I will divide the children into groups of four.

I will give each child the equipment they need.

Each child in the group will have a role. The roles will be recorder, secretary, materials
collector and scientist.
Conclusion:

At the end of class we will have an ice-cream tasting. Each group will taste their icecream and describe how it tastes.

Each group will describe exactly what they did in the experiment.

I will award the group with the tastiest ice-cream stars on the star-chart.
Teacher Questioning (throughout the lesson):
What do you think ice-cream is made from?
What is your favourite ice-cream?
What steps are there in documenting an experiment?- materials needed, method used and
conclusion-how it tastes.
Resources:
Zip-lock bags
Milk
vanilla essence
salt
ice
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Integration:
Record of Assessment: (To be written after lesson is taught – Report on observations & show
how information gathered is interpreted and used to inform future planning and teaching)
Action Plan:
Date:
Subject: Geography
Time:
Class: Junior Infants- Second Class.
Duration of Lesson: 30 minutes
Number of Pupils: 16
Theme: The Seaside.
Strand: Human Environments
Strand Unit: People at work
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Differentiated Learning Objectives:
1. That all children will be enabled to investigate the work of fishermen in the local area. All
children will listen to a story about a fisherman called Jamie.
2. That most children will be enabled to discuss and record what tools a fisherman needs to
work, e.g. a boat, pots. Most children will be able to identify what fishermen give us, e.g. fish in
restaurants.
3. That some children will be enabled to identify the type of fishing which takes place in
Ballyconneely. Some children will be enabled to discuss how fishing in our local area differs
from fishing in other areas, E.g. Compare crab fishing here with crab fishing in America.
Assessment:
Teacher designed task:
The infant classes will fill in a picture of a boat with the tools a fisherman needs to work, the
clothes a fisherman might wear and the fish fisherman might catch.
1st and 2nd will complete a project together called ‘The Life of a Fisherman’.
Language / Literacy Development:
Vocabulary:
Fishing nets, fishing pots, trawler, skipper, occupation.
Oral Language:
The children who have a fisherman in the family will tell us all about the occupation.
Literacy: 1st and 2nd class will complete a project on the life of a fisherman.
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Teaching Methodologies: (Underline where relevant)






Talk and Discussion: listening, questioning, brainstorming, think, pair, share.
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning: group work.
Active Learning: hands on experience.
Skills Through Content: observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting,
estimating and measuring, analyzing, synthesizing, describing, categorizing, recording and
communicating.
Using Local Environment: use of pupil environment and lived experience.
Problem Solving: apply logic and rationality to given situations
Introduction:
I will show the children photos of fishing boats, fishermen, pots, nets etc. I will ask the
children whether they know of any fishermen-
I will tell them about my father who is a fisherman.
Development:

We will discuss who might work on the sea- a fisherman. We will discuss the tools they
need, type of fishing boats, equipment.

I will ask the children whose fathers are fishermen to tell us about what they do.

I will ask child A.N to tell us about her father, who fishes on a trawler in America and
has featured on the program ‘Deadliest Catch’.

We will then compare fishing on big trawlers around and outside of Ireland, with fishing
in Ballyconneely. We will record our findings on the whiteboard.
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
I will show the children some fishing tools. I will ask the children to describe what they
might be used for.
Conclusion:
We will summarize the work a fisherman does on the whiteboard. We will fill in a fact file on
fishermen. We will staple our ‘Life of a Fisherman’ project together and put it in the classroom
library. (1st and 2nd class)
Teacher Questioning (throughout the lesson):
Higher order questions

Do you know any fishermen?

What do they catch?

Do they need any special tools?

How do they help us, what do they give us?

What clothes do fishermen wear?
Resources:
Fishing tools.
Photos of different boats and fishing equipment.
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Integration:
SPHE- 05-02-13 –Myself- water safety at the sea-side.
Science 07-02-13- Materials and Change- making ice-cream for the sea-side.
English 07-02-13- Writing - project work on the seaside.
Religion 07-02-13 - Jonah and the Whale
Visual Arts- 08-02-13- Construction- making shoe box beaches.
Science- 08-02-13- Materials and Change- using water to make lava lamps.
English –Writing- 08-02-13- project work.
History: Story: ‘The Salmon of Knowledge’
Geography: Environmental Awareness and Care- looking after our beaches.
Music- 05-02-13- Listening and responding- ‘Baby Beluga’
Music- Performing- Song Singing- ‘My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean’
Record of Assessment: (To be written after lesson is taught – Report on observations & show
how information gathered is interpreted and used to inform future planning and teaching)
Action Plan:
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Date:
Subject: Science
Time:
Class: Junior Infants- Second Class
Duration of Lesson: 35 minutes
Number of Pupils: 16
Theme: The Seaside
Strand: Materials
Strand Unit: Materials and change
Differentiated Learning Objectives:
1. That all children will be enabled to complete the volcano experiment in groups.
2. That most children will be enabled to answer questions on how volcanoes erupt.
3. That some children will be enabled to understand that we are modeling a volcanic eruption by
mixing the bread soda with vinegar (causing it to fizz up and spill over).
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Assessment:
Teacher Observation:
Teacher observation to ascertain pupils’ ability to understand volcanoes, how eruptions occur
and how our experiment works. I will do this by questioning throughout the lesson.
Language / Literacy Development:
Oral Language: There will be opportunity to gain confidence in oral language through class
discussion.
Vocabulary: New vocabulary will be introduced – volcano, magma, lava, eruption,
Teaching Methodologies: (Underline where relevant)






Talk and Discussion: listening, questioning, brainstorming, think, pair, share.
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning: group work.
Active Learning: hands on experience.
Skills Through Content: observing, predicting, investigating and experimenting,
estimating and measuring, analyzing, synthesizing, describing, categorizing, recording and
communicating.
Using Local Environment: use of pupil environment and lived experience.
Problem Solving: apply logic and rationality to given situations
Introduction:
To introduce this lesson I will ask the children what they know about volcanoes. I will ask them
whether they can name any volcanoes. I will tell them that we are going to make a volcano
ourselves.
Development:
To develop this lesson we will talk about volcanoes – what they are, why they exist, how they
erupt, what is inside etc.
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Next we will conduct an experiment to replicate a volcanic eruption.

I will have dough made up for each child to build around their volcanoes. The child will
mould the dough into the shape of a volcano.

I will explain exactly what we are going to do.

I will tell the children to add the food colouring, add the bread soda, add the washing up
liquid and finally to add the vinegar.

The volcanoes should then erupt because of the vinegar and bread soda mixing together.
Conclusion:
I will ask the children to complete questions on what we have done and I will also question them
orally.
Teacher Questioning (throughout the lesson):
Higher order questions
What do you know about volcanoes?
What is inside a volcano?
Why do volcanoes exist?
How do volcanoes erupt?
What do you think will happen next in our experiment?
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Resources:
IWB, PowerPoint, model volcano, bread soda, washing up liquid, jug, food colour, vinegar
Integration:
Record of Assessment: (To be written after lesson is taught – Report on observations & show
how information gathered is interpreted and used to inform future planning and teaching)
Action Plan:
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