Anokha Sunday Stories

5 Stories to Share With Your Class This Week

Five fascinating stories to spark curiosity, conversation and connection in your classroom. Explore the stories together, discuss the questions and see where the conversation takes you.

28th September–4th October 20265 storiesIrish primary classrooms

Classroom Slideshow

Show the seven slides to your class. Use the big arrows, swipe, or the left and right arrow keys. Choose Full screen for your interactive whiteboard.

Slide 1 of 7: Stories to Share With Your Class This Week, 27 September 2026, with a lapwing and its chick in a meadow

Slide 2 of 7: Mars had more water than we thought. NASA Perseverance rover on rocky Martian ground, with a Talk About It question about what to look for next

Slide 3 of 7: 143 lapwing chicks give Mayo wildlife a boost. A lapwing and chick in the marsh grass, with a Talk About It question about protecting small places

Slide 4 of 7: Scientists find two new giant stick insects. A giant stick insect on a mossy branch, with a Talk About It question about hiding from scientists

Slide 5 of 7: Irish pupils are designing smarter cities. Children building a model city with a micro:bit, with a Talk About It question about solving problems with technology

Slide 6 of 7: Two sisters, two European golds. Boxing gloves, an Irish flag and a gold medal, with a Talk About It question about keeping going in tough competitions

Slide 7 of 7: This Week in the Classroom, 28 September to 4 October 2026: European Week of Sport ends, National Tree Day, ADHD Awareness Month begins and Space Week begins

Slide 1 of 7

This week’s five stories

1 Space · Discovery

Mars Had More Water Than We Thought

NASA’s Perseverance rover has found evidence that part of Jezero Crater was shaped by ancient lakes, groundwater and hot mineral-rich fluids.

This suggests water played a bigger part in Mars’s past than scientists once thought.

Talk About ItIf you discovered an ancient lake on Mars, what would you look for next?

Source: NASA / JPL

2 Wildlife · Ireland

143 Lapwing Chicks Give Mayo Wildlife a Boost

At Annagh Marsh in Co Mayo, 67 breeding pairs of endangered Lapwings raised at least 143 chicks to flying stage this summer.

Looking after one small place has made a real difference for a threatened bird.

Talk About ItWhy can protecting one small place make such a big difference for wildlife?

Source: BirdWatch Ireland

3 Discovery · Australia

Scientists Find Two New Giant Stick Insects

Researchers in Australia identified two new large stick-insect species, showing that even familiar wildlife can still surprise scientists.

Stick insects look so much like twigs and leaves that they can be very hard to spot.

Talk About ItHow could an animal hide from scientists for so many years?

Source: University of Sydney

4 Technology · Ireland

Irish Pupils Are Designing Smarter Cities

Around 800 primary pupils across 18 schools have taken part in Trinity’s Connective Detective programme, designing technology ideas to solve problems in their communities.

Their ideas show how children can use technology to help the places where they live.

Talk About ItWhat problem in your school or town would you use technology to solve?

Source: Trinity College Dublin

5 Sport · Ireland

Two Sisters. Two European Golds.

Roscommon sisters Lisa and Aoife O’Rourke both won gold at the European Elite Boxing Championships in Sofia. Lisa won at 80kg and Aoife at 75kg.

Two sisters from the same county reached the top of European boxing at the same championships.

Talk About ItWhat helps someone keep going when a competition gets really tough?

Source: RTÉ Sport

This Week in the Classroom | 28th September–4th October 2026

30th Sept

European Week of Sport ends

Finish the week with a game, a walk or a class challenge.
1st Oct

National Tree Day

Look at the trees around your school and talk about why they matter.
1st Oct

ADHD Awareness Month begins

A good moment to talk about how different brains work and how we can support each other.
4th Oct

Space Week begins

Link to this week’s Mars story and ask what children want to find out about space.

This Week in the Classroom, 28 September to 4 October 2026: European Week of Sport ends, National Tree Day, ADHD Awareness Month begins and Space Week begins

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