[RETIRED 22 Aug 2026 - use 1384] STE for 4th Class

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This course immerses pupils in the interconnected world of science, technology, and engineering through hands-on Irish-focused investigations. Students explore living systems and ecosystems, test material properties and heat transfer, investigate forces, energy sources and light, design algorithms and code on micro:bit and MakeCode Arcade, and apply the full engineering design process from empathy interviews to iterative prototyping. Distinctive emphasis on real-world Irish innovations, pupil-led fair testing, and solving genuine problems for school users equips learners with practical STEM skills and environmental awareness.
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Explore the Course

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Pupils investigate how one organ works, stays healthy and reacts to stimuli; classify Irish living things using criteria they choose and justify; and move outward into adaptation, food chains and interdependence, finishing with a two-lesson school-ecosystem mini-project. Ecological thinking and a real, child-led habitat survey deepen the strand.

The Story of STEM and the Working Body
STEM That Changed Ireland Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
One Organ in Action: Investigating the Heart Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
The Brain, Senses and Fast Reactions: How Fast Can You React? Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Classifying and Adapting
Classifying with Our Own Criteria Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Adapted to Survive Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Our School Ecosystem
Survey Our School Ecosystem Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Food Chains and Interdependence Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Change a Habitat: What Happens?

Pupils deepen the Materials strand: choosing the right material by its properties, states of matter and changing state, reversible and irreversible changes, a two-lesson open-ended heating and cooling fair test they plan themselves, conductors and insulators of heat, and the environmental impact of materials.

Properties, States and Change
Properties and the Right Material for a Job Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
States of Matter and Changing State Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Reversible and Irreversible Changes Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Heating and Cooling Inquiry
Plan and Run Our Heating and Cooling Inquiry Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Repeat, Evaluate and Share Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Heat Conductors and Material Impact
Conductors and Insulators of Heat: Which Spoon Stays Cool? Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Materials and the Environment Investigation Journal Teacher Resources

Pupils deepen Energy and Forces through open force investigations and pupil-designed fair tests, simple machines that make work easier, renewable energy and energy transformation, and a fuller look at light: the spectrum and colour, reflection, refraction and magnification.

Forces and Simple Machines
Forces Change Motion: an Open Force Investigation Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Fair-testing Forces: Design Your Own Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Simple Machines Do Work: Levers and Pulleys Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Energy Sources and Transformation
Energy: Renewable, Non-renewable and Sustainability Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Storing and Transforming Energy Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Light, Colour and Lenses
Light: Colour and the Spectrum Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Light: Reflection, Refraction and Magnification Investigation Journal Teacher Resources

Pupils deepen technology into the inputs, processes and outputs of a real system, algorithms and debugging, and real coding on devices: a two-lesson MakeCode Arcade game build, then programming a micro:bit to follow precise instructions and respond to an input, finishing by weighing the advantages and drawbacks of technology in Irish life.

Systems and Algorithms
Inputs, Processes and Outputs in a Real System Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Algorithms and Debugging: Unplugged to Sequenced Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Make a Makecode Arcade Game
Start and Build a Makecode Arcade Game Teacher Resources
Improve, Debug and Share the Game Teacher Resources
Programming a Micro:bit
Program a Micro:bit: Follow Precise Instructions Teacher Resources
Micro:bit Responds to an Input Teacher Resources
Technology in Irish Life: Advantages and Drawbacks Investigation Journal Teacher Resources

Pupils apply the Stage 3 design process at depth: using empathy to weigh user needs, risks and limits, building and testing simple mechanisms, researching an Irish engineering problem, and running a three-lesson design-build with peer feedback and iteration, finishing with a showcase of the year's work.

Empathy, Mechanisms and Irish Engineering
Triangles Hold Their Shape Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Spanning a Gap: Beams, Arches and Triangles Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Which Join Actually Holds? Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Design-build for a Real User
Choose the Job, Then Test a Small Version First Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Build It Full Size Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Load It, Improve It, Load It Again Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Reflect and Showcase
Engineer of the Year: Show What Holds and Why Investigation Journal Teacher Resources

Pupils investigate how one organ works, stays healthy and reacts to stimuli; classify Irish living things using criteria they choose and justify; and move outward into adaptation, food chains and interdependence, finishing with a two-lesson school-ecosystem mini-project. Ecological thinking and a real, child-led habitat survey deepen the strand.

The Story of STEM and the Working Body
STEM That Changed Ireland Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
One Organ in Action: Investigating the Heart Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
The Brain, Senses and Fast Reactions: How Fast Can You React? Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Classifying and Adapting
Classifying with Our Own Criteria Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Adapted to Survive Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Our School Ecosystem
Survey Our School Ecosystem Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Food Chains and Interdependence Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Change a Habitat: What Happens?

Pupils deepen the Materials strand: choosing the right material by its properties, states of matter and changing state, reversible and irreversible changes, a two-lesson open-ended heating and cooling fair test they plan themselves, conductors and insulators of heat, and the environmental impact of materials.

Properties, States and Change
Properties and the Right Material for a Job Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
States of Matter and Changing State Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Reversible and Irreversible Changes Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Heating and Cooling Inquiry
Plan and Run Our Heating and Cooling Inquiry Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Repeat, Evaluate and Share Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Heat Conductors and Material Impact
Conductors and Insulators of Heat: Which Spoon Stays Cool? Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Materials and the Environment Investigation Journal Teacher Resources

Pupils deepen Energy and Forces through open force investigations and pupil-designed fair tests, simple machines that make work easier, renewable energy and energy transformation, and a fuller look at light: the spectrum and colour, reflection, refraction and magnification.

Forces and Simple Machines
Forces Change Motion: an Open Force Investigation Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Fair-testing Forces: Design Your Own Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Simple Machines Do Work: Levers and Pulleys Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Energy Sources and Transformation
Energy: Renewable, Non-renewable and Sustainability Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Storing and Transforming Energy Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Light, Colour and Lenses
Light: Colour and the Spectrum Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Light: Reflection, Refraction and Magnification Investigation Journal Teacher Resources

Pupils deepen technology into the inputs, processes and outputs of a real system, algorithms and debugging, and real coding on devices: a two-lesson MakeCode Arcade game build, then programming a micro:bit to follow precise instructions and respond to an input, finishing by weighing the advantages and drawbacks of technology in Irish life.

Systems and Algorithms
Inputs, Processes and Outputs in a Real System Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Algorithms and Debugging: Unplugged to Sequenced Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Make a Makecode Arcade Game
Start and Build a Makecode Arcade Game Teacher Resources
Improve, Debug and Share the Game Teacher Resources
Programming a Micro:bit
Program a Micro:bit: Follow Precise Instructions Teacher Resources
Micro:bit Responds to an Input Teacher Resources
Technology in Irish Life: Advantages and Drawbacks Investigation Journal Teacher Resources

Pupils apply the Stage 3 design process at depth: using empathy to weigh user needs, risks and limits, building and testing simple mechanisms, researching an Irish engineering problem, and running a three-lesson design-build with peer feedback and iteration, finishing with a showcase of the year's work.

Empathy, Mechanisms and Irish Engineering
Triangles Hold Their Shape Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Spanning a Gap: Beams, Arches and Triangles Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Which Join Actually Holds? Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Design-build for a Real User
Choose the Job, Then Test a Small Version First Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Build It Full Size Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Load It, Improve It, Load It Again Investigation Journal Teacher Resources
Reflect and Showcase
Engineer of the Year: Show What Holds and Why Investigation Journal Teacher Resources

Curriculum Mapping

See exactly how this course maps to official curriculum specifications

NCCA STE Education Specification (2025)
Curriculum Area
Outcomes
Nature of STEM
S1.3.1
Living things
S2.3.1 S2.3.2 S2.3.3
Materials
S3.3.1 S3.3.2
Energy and forces
S4.3.1 S4.3.2 S4.3.3
Technology
S5.3.1 S5.3.2
Engineering
S6.3.1

The curriculum does not include official reference codes for individual learning outcomes, so we have assigned a code scheme to make it easier to identify and track coverage.

What Students Will Learn

Learning Goals

  1. Investigate how the human body systems, Irish wildlife classification, and school ecosystems function and interconnect through observation, measurement, and fair testing.
  2. Examine properties of materials, states of matter, heating and cooling, and environmental impact by planning and conducting practical inquiries.
  3. Explore forces, simple machines, energy sources, sustainability, and light phenomena through designing, building, and testing models and experiments.
  4. Understand inputs, processes, outputs, algorithms, and coding by analysing real Irish digital systems and programming on MakeCode Arcade and micro:bit devices.
  5. Apply the engineering design process by developing empathy with users, creating mechanisms, prototyping, iterating solutions, and reflecting on Irish engineering achievements.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Investigate how the heart, brain and senses work by measuring pulse rate, designing fair tests and testing reaction times.
  2. Classify Irish wildlife using their own criteria and explain how specific adaptations help animals and plants survive in their habitats.
  3. Survey a school ecosystem, construct food chains and food webs, then predict the effects of removing a link from the web.
  4. Test and choose materials for specific jobs, distinguish reversible from irreversible changes, and investigate which materials conduct or insulate heat.
  5. Design, build and fair-test devices that demonstrate forces changing motion, including simple machines such as pulleys, levers and gears.
  6. Sort Irish energy sources by sustainability, build a stored-energy device and trace its energy transformations.
  7. Split light into a spectrum, demonstrate reflection, refraction and magnification, and explain how they occur.
  8. Map inputs, processes and outputs in everyday Irish digital systems and write, test and debug algorithms for real tasks.
  9. Plan, build, test and iterate a Micro:bit or MakeCode Arcade project that responds to inputs and meets defined success criteria.
  10. Interview a real user, write a measured design brief, build a prototype mechanism, gather feedback and improve it through iteration.

What You'll Need

Required Equipment

Equipment used in some of the lessons in this course. Items can be shared among students.

IWB/Projector/Large Screen
IWB/Projector/Large Screen

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