[Catherine Breen]

I would engage the students with a reflective story about my past

Reflection of light pollution in my lifetime

I have lived in the same area for over 50 years. A childhood where it would be strange to hear a car pass in the night. We loved looking up at the night sky and could spot many of the constellations. Street lights were not part of the immediate locality. In our house we had one outdoor light that we would put on if we were going outside. Now it is an unrecognisable place. The hum of traffic is constant. Incandescent street lights have been replaced by Led white light bulbs and they are placed at regular intervals every couple of metres.

While LED lights have a massive 80% efficiency it is at a cost to the environment. It is estimated white LED lamps have a 5 times greater impact on Circadian sleep rhythms than their predecessors. The impact on our night shy’s is huge. No longer can I see the mesmerising constellations or star lit sky. Instead it has been replaced by the Starlink satellites passing through our night skies like Santa’s sleigh. The impact on our wildlife is also negative with birds and insects affected.

We would then count the number of lights in the classroom. We would add on to this the other items that create light in our classroom, e.g. Laptop, whiteboard, ipads

For homework students would survey how many lights they have on at at a particular time.

Compare results, develop discussion to now and then. Promote and enquire about sensor lights / timed lights  advantages and disadvantages

[Catherine Breen]

 

 

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Catherine Breen. Reason: I submitted duplicate entry

[Catherine Breen]

Constellation lesson plan junior class Lesson Plan: Creating a Constellation

Level: Junior infants

Lesson Duration: 30 minutes

Learning Objectives:

– Students will learn about constellations and their significance in the night sky.

– Students will create their own constellation using art materials.

– Students will share their constellations with their peers and explain their design choices.

Materials Needed:

– Black card

– Glue stick

– Silver pen / blue tac

– Star punch

– Tinfoil

– Cotton wool

– Whiteboards

– Markers

Procedure:

Introduction (5 minutes):

1. Begin the lesson by asking students if they have ever looked up at the night sky and noticed the stars.

2. Show the students a picture of a constellation and explain that constellations are groups of stars that form a pattern in the sky.

3. Discuss how constellations have been used throughout history to navigate and tell stories.

4. Introduce the concept of creating their own constellation using art materials.

Activity (20 minutes):

1. Distribute the materials to each student: black card, glue stick, silver pen, blue tac/ star punch, tinfoil, and cotton wool.

2. Instruct the students to think about a shape or pattern they would like to create with the stars.

3. Encourage the students to use the star punch to create stars from the tinfoil.

4. Once they have punched out enough stars, have the students glue the stars onto the black card in their chosen pattern.

5. After gluing the stars, students can use the silver pen to connect the stars and create their constellation. Students can  use silver pen  and or playdough to mark out other stars in the night sky

6. Once the constellations are complete, students can use the cotton wool to represent clouds or other elements in their artwork.

Sharing and Discussion (5 minutes):

1. Have students gather around a designated area where the night sky from Cork, Ireland is displayed on whiteboards.

2. Ask students to share their constellations with the class, explaining the shape or pattern they created and why they chose it.

3. Encourage students to ask questions and make connections between their own constellations and the ones displayed on the whiteboards.

4. Facilitate a discussion about the different constellations and their unique designs.

Conclusion (5 minutes):

1. Summarize the lesson by reminding students about the importance of constellations in navigation and storytelling.

2. Ask students to reflect on what they learned and share one interesting fact about constellations.

3. Collect the constellations created by the students and display them in the classroom for further exploration.

 

[Catherine Breen]

Thank you for the tip of lamp shades. I had been thinking of paper mache. And or string mache with a 🔦 for the sun 🌞

 

[Catherine Breen]

This is a great lesson and incorporates active learning at home.

[Catherine Breen]

For my class I will create a sundial using paper plates.

 

Paper Plate or circle of cardboard

Crayons/Markers/Pencil Crayons

Scissors Sand / sand paper

PlaydoughDrinking Straw or pencil

torch ( if experimenting inside)

 

First poke a hole through the center of the plate.

 

Write the number 12 at the top of the plate with a marker.

 

Using a ruler, draw a faint, straight line from the number 12 to the bottom center of the plate and write the number 6.

 

 

Continue writing numbers around the plate similar to the face of a clock.

For visual impairment ( glue sand / sand paper to the shape of the numbers)

Take your plate and straw outside around and poke the straw or pencil through the center hole. Use playdough under the plate to secure the straw from falling down.

 

 

Now, turn the plate so the shadow of the straw runs along the line to the number ( for time of day it is now)

 

Secure the plate to the ground using a few small rocks to weight it down. Check back in an hour to see if your shadow has moved.

 

[Author]

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