Teachers Resources

The Explorers teacher's resources and presentations are available to use with lesson plans relating to science, geography, mathematics, history, English, art as well as physical education.  The Explorers Planning Guides for Teachers booklets are available for teachers to use for planning marine themed modules and projects.  These booklets provide quick links to recommended teachers resources, presentations and lesson plans that can be used for developing lesson plan schemes.

Publications

My Explorers Seashore Guide Workbook 
My Explorers Seashore Guide Workbook provides teachers and children the opportunity to record their observations, explorations and discoveries on the seashore. The book supports a range of subjects on the primary school curriculum including science, geography, art, english and ICT. The booklet can be started before going to the shore learning about tides, creating a safety on the shore guide as well as conservation and caring for your environment. The work book also provides lots of other activities that can be completed after the seashore safari, including documenting the sand type, seaweeds and animals found on the shore. Activities also include taking photos, being a citizen scientist with Explore Your Shore!, as well as creating a collage, word art and writing a story.

 

 

Teachers Planning Guides

Explorers Planning Guide for Primary Schools Teachers - Seashore Safaris and Field trips 
The booklet 'Explorers Planning Guide for Primary Schools Teachers - Seashore Safaris and Field trips' provides teachers with an outline for planning an exciting and educational field trip to the local seashore.  The booklet provides an outline and links to recommended cross curricular lesson plans and resources in which students can learn about their local marine environment.The Explorers Seashore Safari teaching module is recommended for all age groups. 

 

 Explorers Planning Guide for Primary Schools Teachers - Explorers Aquarium in the Classroom
The booklet "Explorers Planning Guide for Primary School Teachers - Explorers Aquarium in the Classroom" provides teachers with an outline for planning lessons and projects  while using a salt water aquarium, stocked with animals from the seashore in the classroom.  The booklet covers a range of cross curricular subjects enabling students to develop their marine literacy skills learning about our ocean, living things and the marine environment.  The Explorers Aquarium in the Classroom module is recommended for all age groups.

 

 Explorers Planning Guide for Primary Schools Teachers - Marine Projects: Environmental Awareness and Care
The booklet "Explorers Planning Guide for Primary School Teachers - Marine Projects: Environmental Awareness and Care" provides teachers with an outline to develop projects about caring for the ocean. The booklet provides an outline and links to recommended cross curricular lesson plans and resources.

 

Explorers Planning Guide for Primary Schools Teachers - Ocean Literacy and Engagement

The booklet "Explorers Planning Guide for Primary School Teachers - Ocean Literacy and Engagement" provides teachers with ocean facts, evaluation tools and ideas for the classroom. The booklet provides ideas to develop ocean literacy in the classroom and school.

 

 

Teachers Presentations and Information

 

Science

 

Explaining Tides to Children Presentation

Explaining the Tides to Children Presentation includes information about: Orbits of the Earth, Moon and Sun; Moon phases and the lunar cycle; Gravity; Gravity and the tide; Types of tides; The tides and me!; Tide tables; Extra insight

 

 Planning a Trip to the Seashore Checklist

Planning a Trip to the Seashore Checklist is a useful guide for teachers to use.  The checklist includes useful tips regarding: Access / Facilities; Risk Assessment; First Aid / Emergency; Tides / Changing Tides / Weather forecast; Volunteers; Games and Activities; Designated Meeting Point; Clothing; Equipment; Games and Activities; Safety on the Seashore - in the classroom / on the seashore; Conservation Code on the Sea Shore; Beach cleaning habits.

 

The Explorers Seashore Ecology PowerPoint Presentation

The Explorers Seashore Ecology PowerPoint Presentation introduces students to species and plants found on the seashore. The presentation also provides illustrations of the Seashore Zones, Tides and information on organising a seashore safari. 

 

Living Things – Simple Presentation

The Living Things Presentation provides a range of slides that can be used to introduce the students to the common species found on the Irish seashore.

 

 

Seashore Animals Sorting and Classifying Presentation

The Seashore Animals Sorting and Classifying Presentation provides a range of slides that can be used on an interactive board. Students can learn about sorting and classifying the different species.

 

Explorers Species Information Book

The Explorers Species Information book provides English and Irish names of many of the species found on the seashore. Images of the species included highlight key information about what the animals eat; their habitat; as well as what size they grow to.

 

Anecdotes about Seashore Animals

Anecdotes about Seashore Animals is a useful and fun guide that can be used to create stories about the different animals.

  

Illustration of the Seashore Zones

The Illustration of the Seashore Zones provides information about the zonation typically found on a seashore. This can be used as a hand-out for students.

 

Introduction to Seaweeds Presentation

The Introduction to Seaweeds Presentation provides easy to explain information about the different types of seaweeds that can be found in Ireland.  The presentation also provides ideas for projects that can be used with science, geography, history and art lesson plans.  

 

 What is Degradation? Presentation

The What is Degradation Presentation can be used to explain new words associated with degradation of materials, marine pollution and micro plastics. 

 

Flooding and Coastal Communities Presentation

The Flooding and Coastal Communities Presentation provides an introduction to flooding. It covers: What is a flood? Why does it flood? Where does the water come from? The water cycle; Where is water stored? Examples of Pluvial vs. Coastal flooding; Impacts of flooding; Flood defences; What else influences flooding - Human impacts, Urbanisation, Deforestation, Sea level rise. This presentation can be used with the lesson plan on building flood defences. 

 

 Squid Dissection Presentation

 The Squid Dissection presentation can be use as part of the scientific examination of a squid in class.  The presentation covers: introduction; swimming; feeding; protection; vision and size;    external features; internal features; internal organs.  The presentation also provides suggestions for additional projects about squid that could be displayed in the school, local library or even aquariums.  Also see the Squid Dissection lesson plan for worksheets that can be used in class.

 

Geography 

 

Ireland's marine resource - What would I do with the Real Map of Ireland? Presentation
Ireland’s marine resource - What would you do with the Real Map of Ireland? presentation provides fun illustrations to help students think about the size of Ireland's marine territory as well as coming up with ideas of what our marine resource can be used for. With one of the largest ocean resources in Europe, the “The Real Map of Ireland” shows how the map of Ireland also includes the land under the ocean.  Learning about Ireland's marine resource can be used to support geography lesson plans relating to human environments, natural environments and environmental care.

 

Explorers Caring for our Ocean Action Board Poster
The Explorers Caring for our Ocean Action Board Poster (PDF) can be used with the Geography - Environmental awareness and care lesson plan "Explorers Caring for Our Ocean". The poster is available in English and Irish.  It can be used to help children form a greater understanding of the ocean’s influence on them and their influence on the ocean. The poster can be used to create a strategy to help care for the marine environment as an individual as well as collectively at a local, national and global level setting weekly, monthly and annual actions.