Lifelong Learning Programme

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Also available in: fr el ie it lt pt ro en fb yt

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

E-lessons

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E-LESSON DATA

TITLE OF THE E-LESSON
E-learning from Nature: Copters - Investigating flight and seed dispersal
COUNTRY
Ireland
INTRODUCTORY TEXT TO THE LESSON
This video describes the geographical location of the initial site visit. It puts the rationale behind the project in context.

As part of the project, the students visited intertidal mudflats, close to the Shannon airport lagoon - an artificial saline lake that was constructed in the 1940s to prevent flooding at Shannon airport. The lagoon is the location for a diverse range of habitats, including salt marsh, reed beds and freshwater marsh. It has become a local biodiversity 'hotspot' and birding area.

The students observed different kinds of seeds during their studies of the area of natural interest. In particular, they observed the 'helicopter' seeds on the sycamore trees. They linked this with a local sculpture.

This led to a discussion about seed dispersal and germination. To link to man-made activities the students investigated the properties of 'copters' and linked this back to the dispersal and potential germination of seeds. This was linked to their Junior Certificate science curriculum.

The activitiy was used to promote fair-testing, prediction, hypothesis development and investigation, as well as data gathering and making deductions

The site visit was the trigger for development of a number of transferable skills..
THEMATIC AREA
Math, Biology, Physics
TARGET AGE GROUP
16, 15
VIDEO