Seasonal Shifts

Preparation

Reminders

• All hardware has been charged and sanitised.
• Student Devices have the most recent updated version of CoSpaces installed.

Tasks

• The following slide deck Teaching Deck – Year 1 Seasonal Shifts has been checked and the teacher has accessibility.
• Students have been divided into pairs.
• A copy of the Seasonal Shifts Booklet Template has been printed for students to complete.
• A copy of the Seasonal Shifts Word List has been printed for students to use.
  

Learning Sequence

Introduction

• Take the class outside, find a quiet place (close to trees / gardens) and sit as a group. 
• Encourage students to speak about how the environment affects their choices e.g. ‘it feels quite warm right now, did anybody decide to wear shorts today because it’s warm?’ ‘I decided to walk to school today because it’s so sunny outside.’
• Ask the class ‘Would your answers be the same if we were sitting here at 8:00 tonight?’ and discuss their thoughts.
• Tell the students that they will be using their senses to explore the environment around them. Ask them, ‘What can you see / hear / smell / taste / feel as we are sitting here?’
• Explain to the class that in today’s lesson they will be exploring how the environment changes throughout the day and the seasons, and how this affects people and animals. 

Development

• Using slide 3 of the Teaching Deck – Year 1 Seasonal Shifts, explain to students that they will be viewing a Merge Cube to learn more about how the environment changes during the day and during different seasons.
  
• Model to students how to access the Seasonal Shifts Merge Cube using the CoSpaces app using slides 4 and 5 of the Teaching Deck – Year 1 Seasonal Shifts.
  
• Tell students to pay attention to what happens to the people and animals when the scene changes from day to night, summer to autumn etc.
  
• Split students into groups of 2, and give each pair a Merge Cube and a student device. Give students time (5 – 10 minutes) to take turns in exploring the Seasonal Shifts Merge Cube.
  • In this experience, students can explore 5 different scenes (day/night, summer, autumn, winter, spring).
  • To change the scene, students need to tap on the sign that says ‘Go To ____’
  • In each scene, students need to explore the environment, people and animals and compare them.
    

• Once students are finished viewing the Seasonal Shifts Merge Cube, come together as a class once again to discuss the next task.
• Explain to the class that they will be making a mini-book to showcase what they have learned. They will have the following pages to complete:
  • Day / night 
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter
  • Spring
    
• Each page of their mini-book should include pictures showing the time of day / season and how it affects the choices we make (e.g. clothing, activities) and some labels.
  
• Use the example on slide 6 of the Teaching Deck – Year 1 Seasonal Shifts to show students what their pages could look like. Students should remember to include
  • A different season or day/night on each page
  • A drawing of their chosen season or day/night
  • A simple explanation of the changes they noticed between seasons and day/night
    
• Hand out the Seasonal Shifts Booklet Template for students to complete individually or in pairs.
  
• Provide students with a copy of the Seasonal Shifts Word List to assist them with their writing. 

Conclusion

• Choose 2 or 3 students to show one of their mini-book pages to the class with the season / time of day covered up.
• Ask the class to look at the page, and identify what time of day / season they think is being depicted.
• Encourage students to talk about the reasons behind their thoughts e.g. ‘I think this page is showing day time in winter, as the sun is out but the people are wearing big coats and boots.’