STE for 5th Class

From the properties that make a material right for a job, through natural versus manufactured, mass (including air), states of matter and dissolving, to a first look at school waste and sustainability. This module is where planning a fair test is first taught in full.

Investigate everyday forces, simple machines, magnetism, light and sound, connecting Energy and forces to the wider field of Physics. Measuring with care is taught in full inside the friction fair test and revisited across the module.

From how digital systems work as inputs, processes and outputs, through unplugged computational thinking, to a first run of real coding in Scratch. Pupils write, run and debug real programs, each paired with Investigation Journal recording and Irish context. Longer MakeCode and micro:bit work comes in 6th Class.

Build the foundations of the Stage 4 design process through ties and struts, annotated sketching, strong structures, bridges, and material choice, ending in a two-lesson design-build project on a real local school problem. Longer bird-feeder, mechanisms and capstone work come in 6th Class.