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Lovely list of songs with star references . I also love the ‘when you wish upon a star’ from early disney movies.
Q2. Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky?
Songs:
‘Vincent’ (Starry, Starry Night) by Don McLean which is a heartfelt tribute to Vincent van Gogh, celebrating the beauty of his artwork while reflecting on his loneliness and emotional pain.
‘Sky Full of Stars’ by Coldplay is about the joy and hope that love can bring, comparing someone special to a sky filled with bright stars. The song also makes reference to a sky full of starts being a heavenly view
‘Stand by Me’ uses the image of the night sky—”when the night has come and the land is dark and the moon is the only light we’ll see”—.
‘By the Light of the Silvery Moon’ uses the moonlit night as a romantic setting. The song celebrates the beauty of the night sky.
‘How Far I’ll Go’ from Moana refers to the stars and the horizon as symbols of adventure, guidance, and the desire to discover what lies beyond the familiar. The song suggests you should use the vast night sky to help you explore.
Poem
Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas
“Star light, star bright,”
Lullaby
Twinkle Twinkle Little StarWe are similar to yourself in that we are close to a woodland area and your suggestions are something we sometimes do and the children really enjoy it. We haven’t done anything before on light pollution and its affect on nocturnal animals so it will be interesting to hear their views and findings.
Q2: How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
Our school biodiversity plan could include practical actions to protect nocturnal wildlife and the dark skies that many species depend on. During class time students could learn about native nocturnal Irish animals and research how artificial light can affect their way of life.
As a staff we could review our outdoor lighting and ensure we are only using essential lights and that they are also downward facing. Lighting will be kept away from our school green areas and garden to help night active species in the area.
Students could be involved in recommendations to help the school’s biodiversity monitoring. They could research night active species in both bright areas and dark areas to highlight the importance of reducing light pollution.
By having a whole school approach with staff, students and families it will help create awareness for nocturnal wildlife while fostering environmental awareness, scientific inquiry and a shared commitment to biodiversity conservation.I really like your idea of engaging students with books relating to stars at the start of your lesson. The star jar part of the lesson sounds very exciting for students.
Q1. Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
Engage
I would start by asking older primary students in winter months for their homework to up at the night sky in Castletown-Geoghegan. Can you see thousands of stars, or only a few? Why do you think this happens? Discuss how streetlights, homes, and buildings can make the sky brighter at night. They might also notice the lights coming from the Santy experience in the local village that has a lightshow as part of it.
Investigate
They could be asked to go outside after dark with an adult and observe the night sky from different places around Castletown-Geoghegan. Count the number of stars you can see in each location and note where the brightest lights are. Compare your findings and consider how artificial light affects wildlife, people, and our view of space.
Next Step
The next part of it could be that they design ways to reduce light pollution in your school or community. Create posters encouraging people to switch off unnecessary lights, use downward-facing outdoor lights, and protect the night sky.
Reflect
What did you discover about light pollution in Castletown-Geoghegan? How has your thinking changed? Share your ideas on why dark skies are important and how small actions by everyone can help preserve them for future generations.1. Create an observing plan for autumn that shows which planets are visible in the evening sky.
Engage
I would start the lesson by asking the students what planets they think they’d be able to see the autumn evening sky and how planets differ from stars. I would then show them the resource ‘Uncle Al’s Hands-On Universe’ and encourage them to make predictions about what planets they think will be visible. They could discuss why some planets are easier to observe than others.
Investigate
Using Uncle Al’s Hands-On Universe, I would allow time for them to explore the autumn evening sky to identify visible planets such as Saturn, Jupiter, and, when conditions allow, Mars. They could showcase what they’ve noticed depending on the date and time and they could record their observations in a journal. They could work together to identify patterns and discuss why the planets appear to move against the background stars.
Next Steps
Students could share their findings and discuss if anything is different from what they originally predicted. They could do a simple poster of the sky according to the date and time they chose to focus on. Their learning could be extended by challenging students to continue observing into winter and compare seasonal differences in the night sky.Question 1. Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner.
I would design my lesson/ activity around the ESERO Framework for Inquiry and start the lesson by asking students questions such as ‘would they weigh the same on every planet?’ The questions at the start would be to ‘engage’ them. I would then introduce the concept that gravity is the force that pulls objects towards a planet, explaining that while our mass stays the same, our weight changes because each planet has a different gravitational pull. I would then proceed to the next step of the activity where they would ‘investigate’ by assembling an Earth tube and a couple of other planets. They could decorate them according to how they look and their features. During this part I would ask further questions such as “Which planet has stronger gravity?” and “How would moving or jumping feel there?”. I would ask them to compare tubes. The activity would conclude with them hopefully ‘making connections’ by sharing their completed models and discussing what they discovered about gravity and weight.
Your sundial activity is a wonderful way to make science meaningful and engaging. It encourages curiosity, hands-on learning, and gives students a memorable opportunity to explore how the Sun’s movement can be used to measure time.
Question 1. Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner.
I would design my lesson/ activity around the ESERO Framework for Inquiry and start the lesson by asking students questions such as ‘would they weigh the same on every planet?’ The questions at the start would be to ‘engage’ them. I would then introduce the concept that gravity is the force that pulls objects towards a planet, explaining that while our mass stays the same, our weight changes because each planet has a different gravitational pull. I would then proceed to the next step of the activity where they would ‘investigate’ by assembling an Earth tube and a couple of other planets. They could decorate them according to how they look and their features. During this part I would ask further questions such as “Which planet has stronger gravity?” and “How would moving or jumping feel there?”. I would ask them to compare tubes. The activity would conclude with them hopefully ‘making connections’ by sharing their completed models and discussing what they discovered about gravity and weight.