Duration: 45 minutes

SPIRIT Skills:

• Critical thinking
• Creativity

Brief Description:

There are four tables with different material:

• Students explore how to make sounds with the materials. 
• Each group presents their “solutions.”

Students try to imitate the softest sound possible. 

• They try to imitate the loudest sound possible. 
• They try to imitate a sound that is neither too soft nor too loud. 
• THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS WITH THE SAME ‘MATERIAL’ 

Each group presents their ‘solutions.

How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills

Critical thinking (is this the softest sound possible?), creativity (how can we make the sound softer?)

What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?

Critical Thinking (e.g., “Is this the softest sound possible?”):

Children actively reflect on their sounds and adjust their techniques to produce softer sounds. They compare their sounds and question whether it can be softer. Behaviour:

• Pause and rethink their approach.
• Experiment with materials by making small adjustments.
• Discuss with each other about the result (e.g., “Is this the softest sound?”).

Creativity (e.g., “How can we make the sound softer?”):

Children try new approaches and explore different techniques to achieve their goal. They think outside the box and experiment with the materials. Behaviour:

• Experiment with various ways to modify the sound.
• Collaborate within their group on alternative methods.
• Flexibility in their approach, by making changes when their initial attempts fail

Academic/Curriculum Objective connection

• Students can produce loud and soft sounds with different kinds of materials.

In the translation it must be adapted! They are the national curriculum!

Materials and tools needed for implementation 

• Own body (without voice) – valuable free material – Orff musical instruments – Percussion instruments.

Preparation notes

• group students into small teams. 

Guided Questions

• Is this a soft sound? Is this the softest sound we can produce? CRITICAL THINKING. In this way, the students are engaged in intrinsic quality awareness (it is not the teacher who evaluates)
• Who liked this sound? This way, you can work on empathy, as you can take into account who finds which sounds ‘nice’.”

Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)

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Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges

• Place the groups in a different room or space so they can carry out their sound investigation without interruptions.
• It is important for you, as the teacher, to visit each group during the activity to challenge them to explore even more creative ways to produce loud or soft sounds with their instruments.
• Encourage multiple solutions and really challenge them to find an even softer sound

Duration: 90 minutes

SPIRIT Skills:

• wondering
• curiosity
• critical thinking

Brief Description:

Warming up

In the previous lesson, we learned how precipitation forms.

• Who can explain this again? 
• What was ‘condensation’ again? 
• What is a cloud made of? 

Tweets and weather photos from the past few days are shown; Ask the students what they see and read. This way, the students will understand that there are different forms of precipitation.

Explanation

We discuss the different forms of precipitation (with their associated intensity) and their typical appearance. The photo is shown, and the teacher asks questions (e.g., what do you see here? How is this photo related to precipitation?). The teacher writes the different forms of precipitation on the board (+ explanation + different intensities).” 

Students record each form of precipitation on their sheet and can choose how to explain it (through drawing or words). Ask the students what they would like to know more about regarding one of these forms of precipitation

Review exercise 

The whole classroom together: First, review the photos/tweets from the orientation phase and see if they can now name/describe them correctly 

Individual: Distribute a worksheet. In the left column, you will find the different forms of precipitation. In the right column, you can find the descriptions of the different forms of precipitation. It is up to the students to determine which description matches which form of precipitation. Be careful: there is one description missing. We will then correct the worksheet together.

How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills

• Wondering (By mentioning various facts and records about the forms of precipitation, you create a sense of wonder—for example, how large the biggest hailstone was), 
• Curiosity, critical thinking (They need to make choices about what the correct solution is. This is critical thinking).

What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?

Wondering (e.g., “How large was the biggest hailstone?”)

Children’s sense of wonder is sparked by the interesting facts and records shared, prompting them to ask questions and express surprise. Their curiosity leads them to explore and seek answers to new questions about precipitation. Behaviour:

• Wide-eyed curiosity when new facts or surprising details are shared.
• Raising hands or sharing thoughts about facts they find intriguing (e.g., about hailstone size).
• Engaging in discussions with peers about unusual or surprising facts, showing excitement to learn more.

Curiosity (e.g., “What do you want to know more about?”)

Children show their curiosity by asking questions and seeking further exploration of precipitation forms. They feel the need to explore topics that spark their interest. Behaviour:

• Asking follow-up questions based on the teacher’s explanations or photos.
• Sharing personal observations or wondering out loud (“How does hail form?” or “How big can hailstones get?”).
• Looking for patterns or connections between different types of precipitation and their real-world implications.

Critical Thinking (e.g., “What is the correct solution?”)

Children demonstrate critical thinking when they are tasked with making choices about the correct descriptions of precipitation forms. They compare options and evaluate the accuracy of information based on their understanding. Behaviour:

• Looking carefully at the pictures or tweets and then deciding which form of precipitation matches which description.
• Discussing with peers to evaluate which description fits best, showing they can compare and analyse.
• Cross-checking their choices with others or with the teacher’s explanations, showing confidence or hesitation as they refine their answers.

Academic/Curriculum Objective connection

The students can name and describe the different forms of precipitation

In the translation it must be adapted! They are the national curriculum! 

Materials and tools needed for implementation 

• PowerPoint with photos of the different rain forms + board notes + Worksheet.

Preparation notes

• PowerPoint and worksheet.

Guided Questions

• By asking targeted questions, such as ‘What was once the largest hailstone?’, you create wonder and curiosity.”
• Is precipitation always made of water? You work with this to develop critical thinking and curiosity.”

Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)

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Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges

• Ask plenty of questions about the photos showing different types of precipitation. Have the students describe what they see.
• Choose very recognizable and recent weather photos and phenomena.
• Review exercise: If necessary, work through it as a whole class.

Duration: 45 minutes

SPIRIT Skills:

• Critical thinking
• Problem-solving
• Creativity

Brief Description:

The teacher gives each group a card with a description of a precipitation situation.

Possible sentences they need to vocalize: ·

• First, the snow falls slowly and then turns into a heavy snowfall. 
• The thick fog rolls slowly over the field, and visibility disappears. 
• The hail taps softly at first, then harder, until eventually a threatening hailstorm arrives. 
• On a sultry summer evening, the thunderclouds ominously approach. 
• After a loud thunderclap, a short, intense rainstorm bursts out, gradually turning into a fine drizzle.

 It is up to each group to imitate the sentence/precipitation. They must pay attention to the volume, varying between ‘loud’ and ‘soft’. The students are given time to vocalize their sentences about precipitation. As an interim check, the teacher visits each group. This way, the teacher can hear if the vocalization is correct (test phase of the STEMOOV model)

Afterwards, the goal is for each group to ‘vocalize’ their sentence to the rest of the class without reading it aloud. Each group comes forward and ‘let’s their sentence be heard’. The other students do not look and must try to figure out what was on their card. 

It is important for the teacher to pay attention to the quality of the vocalization: are they really soft or loud sounds? Does the vocalization accurately match the weather situation? If not, it is important to point this out and have them go back to the ‘test’ phase.

Play a sound clip of precipitation The students listen (and do not look) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGRoX2jy7dI ).

• Discuss which precipitation forms were heard and how the sounds were represented. – What differences did you hear? Focus especially on the volume 
• Reflect on how their understanding has grown since the beginning of the lesson. Let them listen to the video again, but this time they can watch and participate. 
• Discuss how their associative field has expanded compared to the first lesson phase

How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills

Critical thinking: Is this the correct sound for this weather situation?

Problem-solving / Creativity: How can we represent this specific weather situation through sound?

What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?

Critical Thinking (e.g., “Is this the correct sound for this weather situation?”)

Children show critical thinking when they evaluate their vocalizations to see if they truly match the described weather situation. They think about whether their sound choices are appropriate in terms of volume and accuracy. Behaviour:

• Pausing to reflect on whether their vocalizations match the weather description (e.g., “Is this a loud or soft sound for a thunderstorm?”).
• Discussing with group members if the sound represents the weather correctly and making adjustments.
• Listening carefully to their own vocalizations and comparing them to their peers, ensuring the sound fits the situation.

Problem-Solving / Creativity (e.g., “How can we represent this specific weather situation through sound?”)

Children use creativity to experiment with different vocal techniques to capture the essence of a weather situation, focusing on the volume and intensity of their sounds. They engage in problem-solving to figure out how to best replicate precipitation sounds. Behaviour:

• Collaborating within their group, trying different methods to vocalize the weather situation (e.g., soft snow vs. heavy rain).
• Exploring different vocal techniques (e.g., using whispers, loud shouts, or varied rhythms) to match the weather description.
• Adjusting their approach after testing, showing flexibility in their solutions and trying again until they feel satisfied with their representation.

Academic/Curriculum Objective connection

Students can produce loud and soft sounds with different kinds of materials.

In the translation it must be adapted! They are the national curriculum.

Materials and tools needed for implementation 

• Cards with a precipitation situation – Own body (without voice) – valuable free material – Orff musical instruments – Percussion instruments.

Preparation notes

Cards with a precipitation situation

Guided Questions

• Critical Thinking: Does the sound accurately represent the given weather situation? Could it be improved?
• Empathy / Reflection: Which sound did you find the most pleasant?

Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)

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Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges

• You can also give the same sentence to two groups. This way, they will realize that not everyone vocalizes the same sentence in the same way.
•  The different sentences can be written on the board as a help for the other students who need to guess what was vocalized.
• Ensure that the sentences describing the weather situations are understood (so that students know what they mean). If necessary, review the sentences with the whole class beforehand.