Monitoring your Classroom (new)

This is a project that the learners can do for a few minutes each week of the year. You can introduce variety into the tasks or keep them the same and rotate them around groups in your class. The task can involve....

  • Data Literacy - Using PPDAC (Problem, Planning, Data, Analysis, Conclusion) to process the data and come to a conclusion.
  • Digital Literacy - To access the data and understand in simple terms the workings of a sensor
  • Numeracy - to analyse the data, looking at averages, peak values, graphs, time, comparison and correlation
  • Science - to understand what is causing some of the variations in CO2, Temperature, Light and Humidity
  • Language - to present and discuss conclusions

What do I need?

You need one or more sensors from the IOT in Schools project. One sensor will allow you to monitor the environment in one location. Two would allow for a comparison between the classroom and another environment.

You should have at least four sensors in each school. 

MClimate Solar Sensor

What do I do now?

Milesight AM307

Ask the learners to place the sensor somewhere in the classroom.  It depends on what they want to measure - they might want to experiment, which will be a good discussion point.

Note that if the sensor is in an MClimate CO2, it will likely require light to power it, either sunshine, classroom lights or daylight.  The pupils can monitor the battery level, which will change slightly depending on how much light it needs.

If you have more than one sensor or are working alongside another class, your sensors can be placed wherever it will give the learners what they want to investigate.

Find the data for your sensor

School Dashboard


Learner led investigation

The learners may have many questions about their environment. Let them decide what they want to investigate.  Here are some that might be of interest to them.

Indoor Environment Investigations

  • What is CO2 and where does it come from?  Where does it go when it reduces?
  • Does the CO2 level in our classroom change throughout the school day, and when is it the lowest and highest?
  • How does opening windows for 5 minutes affect the temperature and CO2 levels in our classroom?
  • Is our classroom warmer in the morning or afternoon, and why might this happen?
  • Does the humidity in our classroom change on rainy days compared to sunny days?
  • How long does it take for our classroom to warm up after we arrive in the morning?
  • Do different classrooms in our school have different temperatures at the same time, and why?
  • Which classroom in our school has the best air quality (lowest CO2) and what makes it different?
  • Does our classroom get stuffy (high CO2) faster on hot days or cold days?

Comparing Indoor and Outdoor Conditions

  • How does the temperature inside our classroom compare to the temperature outside during different times of day?
  • Is the humidity higher inside or outside, and does this change with the weather?
  • On very cold days, how much warmer is it inside compared to outside?
  • Does the indoor temperature stay more stable than outdoor temperature throughout the day?
  • When it rains heavily outside, does the humidity inside our classroom increase?
  • How long does it take for outdoor temperature changes to affect indoor temperature?

Light Investigations

  • Which part of our classroom gets the most natural light during the day?
  • How does the light level in our classroom change on cloudy days versus sunny days?
  • Does the position of the sun affect how much light comes into different parts of our room?
  • How much does turning on classroom lights change the light sensor readings?
  • What time does our classroom become bright enough that we don't need electric lights in different seasons?
  • Do north-facing and south-facing classrooms get different amounts of natural light?

Activity and Occupancy Studies

  • Does the classroom temperature increase when more people are in the room?
  • How quickly does CO2 build up during lessons, and how fast does it drop during break time when the room is empty?
  • Can we predict what time of day it is just by looking at our sensor data patterns?
  • Does the classroom feel stuffier (higher CO2) when there are more people in the room?
  • How does having PE affect temperature, humidity and CO2 compared to a normal day?

Weather Pattern Investigations

  • Can we use our indoor temperature data to predict the weather outside?
  • How many days does it take for weather changes outside (like a cold front) to affect the temperature inside our school building?
  • Can we find patterns between outdoor weather conditions and when our classroom feels most comfortable?
  • Does wind speed outside affect how quickly our classroom temperature changes?
  • On the hottest day and coldest day of the month, what's the biggest difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures?

These investigations develop skills in data collection, graphing, pattern recognition, making predictions, and understanding cause and effect while exploring real-world science concepts about buildings, weather, and environmental comfort.

Children working in class

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