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Prepare a school project to collect Piseógs/Traditions/Stories of the Night
I found the talk from Clodagh Doyle from the National Museum of Ireland so interesting and packed with lots of great ideas relating to Piseógs of the Night, particularly for Halloween. There are some great cross curricular links between History, Science, Geography and Gaeilge. As well as this, you could have a lot of fun with your class exploring the traditional games linked with Oiche Shamhna.
I would start by explaining that in the past, people were very in tune with nature and the changing of seasons. Celebrations took place to mark the beginning of the dark season, Samhain and the beginning of the light season, Bealtaine. These were often linked with the supernatural.
Many of the children or their families may be familiar with piseógs/traditions and stories relating to Halloween. Using some of the material from presentations, we would discuss these in class. Then, I would set the children homework to conduct an interview with a family member about this. We would decide on some sample questions as a class. Children would be given an opportunity to present their findings with their classmates.
It sounds like you have lots of great initiatives in place that support biodiversity. We also have a wild garden in our school but the idea of a no Mow May campaign sounds like a great idea!
How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?
Engaging the children to explore biodiversity and the impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity can be engaging and hands-on. I found the videos about What is Biodiversity and the Gardening for Biodiversity booklets a great starting point to introduce this topic to the class. The children’s book and colouring pages could be sent home as homework to encourage the children to ask at home about biodiversity in their own gardens.
In the previous module, I discussed how the topic of Light Pollution could be introduced to the children. We would recap on this information to ensure the children are clear on how this can affect wildlife.
In order to really engage the class, we would conduct hands-on activities and data collection. We would do nature walks and explore the biodiversity in our local area. We could participate in projects such as insect surveys and plant identification.
Using the light pollution mapping activities that we completed in previous lessons, we would assess what hotspots of light pollution exist and their proximity to animal habitats. If we find this to be the case, we could write letters to local TDs discussing this issue.
Such an interesting point about the Northern Lights! This was a huge topic of discussion in my class this year and comparing photographs of this from different areas in Ireland would show the effects of light pollution.
Living in Dublin City, I’ve noticed that the night sky is not as dark as it used to be. Streetlights, house lights and signs from businesses, illuminate the night, washing out the stars and disrupting the natural darkness. This has not only affected the beauty of the night sky but also has broader implications on local wildlife and human health.
Firstly, the light pollution has a huge impact on stargazing. Stars and constellations that were previously visible, are now impossible to see in our area, due to the glow from unnatural light. As well as this, our local wildlife is significantly impacted. Nocturnal animals, which rely on darkness for hunting and navigation, find it increasingly difficult to survive. Birds, insects, and other creatures are drawn to artificial lights, leading to fatal consequences. Finally, light pollution disrupts human’s circadian rhythms and makes it difficult to sleep, which has a negative impact on overall health.
To engage learners to explore this, I would use a number of resources shown in this module. We would use the videos showing ‘What is Light Pollution?’ and ‘Exploring Colour’. We would explore the 4 categories of light pollution as well as the components of light pollution. This would provide the students with plenty of information before we engage in observations and research of our local area. We would conduct an investigation of our local area using some of the prompt questions:
• Consider the area – are there trees or hedges nearby?
• Would the lights disturb wildlife after dark?
• Is it urban or rural? Are there other lights nearby at night?
• Count the number, type and purpose of the lights
• Are the lights shielded?
• Potentially as homework, children could return at night – are the lights causing light pollution? What colour are they?
• Are the lights on a timer or switched on from dusk to dawn?4
Children could then create a light map of their area using photographs from their investigation. We would then use LightPollutionMap.info to compare how our local area compares to other areas around the world.
Plan to observe the Moon – which phase of the Moon is best for observing in the morning from school? What dates will that be?
I would introduce the topic of the Moon and its phases using the video of Paxi and Our Moon: Phases and Eclipses. I think this explains this topic of Phases in a very clear way with the support of bright visuals. We could create our own posters to represent the 4 phases of the moon.
The third quarter would be the best phase for observing the Moon from school. During this phase, before the New Moon, the moon rises in the early morning and is visible before sunrise, which aligns well with the time students are likely to be at school.
September 2024 Moon Phases:
- New Moon: September 17, 2024
- Third Quarter Phase: September 10-16, 2024
I would use http://www.timeanddate.com to check the Moon Phases.
I really like the Moon Observation Log from Esero that asks the children to illustrate how the moon looks each day by shading in the circles. This could be an interesting activity to complete as a class, with one child having the job to fill it in each day.I think this would be a lovely activity for classes to complete in groups next year. As well as having lots of cross-curricular opportunities, I think there would be lots of opportunity for problem solving when considering what challenges may face them when choosing a location for their sundial. (time of the year, weather, materials used).
ESERO 30 Day and Night in the World
I found the ESERO 30 Day and Night lesson Plan very beneficial with great cross-curricular links.
The opening discussion on Diurnal and Nocturnal Animals would be great for promoting group discussions. I think I would provide pictures of a mixture of animals to smaller groups, rather than as a whole class. Children would be prompted to notice any similarities between the Nocturnal Animals.
From generally working with younger classes in our Senior School, I think the children would find the directions and the fine motor skills necessary for Task 1 and Task 2 quite tricky. However, I think they would really enjoy the action song from the slides. I love the idea of using the lamp/torch.
I also think the final activity with using the oranges and labelling one side Europe and the other Australia would be very beneficial for the younger classes. It makes it very obvious that when the Sun is shining on one side of the world, it is dark on the other. I would probably give oranges/torches to each group to complete this activity.
There is lots of great tier three language being used and discussed in this lessons, as well as lots of nice links between Music, Geography and Science. I’m looking forward to doing this with my 2nd class next year!
