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The urban glow from the city and increasing local street lighting have noticeably affected the evening sky. This light pollution directly threatens the local nocturnal biodiversity, disrupting hedgehogs and moths. To bring this environmental issue to my first-class pupils, I would launch a hands-on project and we would begin by reading a story about the dark. I would then set a weekend homework challenge for the pupils to enjoy and to step outside at bedtime with a parent to count how many stars they can see from their garden, noting if nearby streetlights block their view. In the classroom, we would build a simple “Starry Night” map. Pupils will place bright stickers on areas with heavy artificial light and dark felt on areas with natural darkness. This helps the class visually grasp how excessive light washes out the night sky. We would then create drawings to encourage their families to turn off outdoor lights.
<div class=”otQkpb” role=”heading” aria-level=”3″ data-animation-nesting=”” data-sfc-cp=”” data-sfc-root=”ep” data-sfc-cb=”” data-complete=”true” data-processed=”true” data-sae=”” data-copy-service-computed-style=”font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; margin: 24px 0px 12px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);”>Observation Plan of the moon for first class. Allow pupils to research facts about the moon and listen to a story about the moon. Discuss how the moon can be visible/invisible during the day. We will observe the moon in<!–TgQPHd||[]–><span class=”T286Pc” data-sfc-cp=”” data-sfc-root=”ep” data-sfc-cb=”” data-complete=”true” data-copy-service-computed-style=”font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);”> the yard at 09:30 AM. and look toward the southern or western sky. Pupils will have <!–TgQPHd||[]–></span><!–TgQPHd||[]–><span class=”T286Pc” data-sfc-cp=”” data-sfc-root=”ep” data-sfc-cb=”” data-complete=”true” data-copy-service-computed-style=”font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);”>clipboards and can draw the shape of the half-moon and the surrounding sky. The class will go back</span><span class=”T286Pc” data-sfc-cp=”” data-sfc-root=”ep” data-sfc-cb=”” data-complete=”true” aria-owns=”action-menu-parent-container” data-copy-service-computed-style=”font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);”><span class=”T286Pc” data-sfc-cp=”” data-sfc-root=”ep” data-sfc-cb=”” data-complete=”true” aria-owns=”action-menu-parent-container” data-copy-service-computed-style=”font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);”> inside and discuss why the Moon looks white against the blue sky. We will follow this plan of observing the moon for the following dates.</span></span>
<div class=”n6owBd awi2gc” style=”text-align: center;” data-sfc-cp=”” data-sfc-root=”ep” data-sfc-cb=”” data-hveid=”CAEICRAA” data-complete=”true” data-processed=”true” data-copy-service-computed-style=”font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);”>The best school-week mornings to look out the window or step outside in the <span class=”T286Pc” data-sfc-cp=”” data-sfc-root=”ep” data-sfc-cb=”” data-complete=”true” data-processed=”true” data-copy-service-computed-style=”font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);”>Northern Hemisphere<!–TgQPHd||[]–></span> include<span class=”T286Pc” data-sfc-cp=”” data-sfc-root=”ep” data-sfc-cb=”” data-complete=”true” data-copy-service-computed-style=”font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);”> 2–5 September, 2–5 October, 31 October–3 November, 30 November–3 December, </span><span class=”T286Pc” data-sfc-cp=”” data-sfc-root=”ep” data-sfc-cb=”” data-complete=”true” data-copy-service-computed-style=”font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);”>1–4 March, 30 March–2 April, 28–30 April.<!–TgQPHd||[]–></span></div>
</div><p style=”text-align: left;”>I really like your lesson plan David. It is great for pupils to be engaged with a lesson that family can be involved with and engages them with their locality. They can then report back to the rest of the class on their findings and integration with art in the lesson.</p>
I liked your idea of using outdoor observations and translating this to designing postcards to help pupils develop an understanding of the movement of the sun. Your emphasis on encouraging pupils to make this a creative homework project is very nice. These hands-on experiences are essential for STEM learning that pupils can engage with.
To help pupils observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day, I would organise a project across a week. I would engage the pupils by asking them, why does the Sun appear to move across the sky and show photographs of sunrises and sunsets and discuss where the Sun appears in the sky at different times. Pupils investigate by working in groups to observe the Sun’s position from a safe designated observation area, either in the classroom or outside. Observations would take place at morning, midday and afternoon times.
Pupil safety to be ensured by directing never to look directly at the sun. Pupil record: creating a simple observation sheet showing: date, time, direction of the sun, position in the sky, weather condition at the time. Analyse: Pupils compare observations over several days.
They identify patterns, noting that the sun rises in the east, reaches its highest point around midday and sets in the west. Communicate: Groups present their findings using posters, charts or digital presentation and pupils discuss seasonal changes and compare their results with online resources.I like Rachel’s idea for a no waste lunch. This is important across the pupil and staff lunches and is becoming more relevant with schools reporting a lot of waste from the school meals programme.
Sustainability is practiced in my locality in numerous ways. Recycling is encouraged in the community with bottle banks and clothes banks. When forests are felled for timber, they are then replanted to ensure that the resource does not become depleted and will be available again in future years after regrowth. There are local farmers markets encouraging buying local produce. There are swap shops for clothes, including the bring five and take five method. There are local book swap libraries, where there was previously a phone box and books can be donated and swapped.
The school community looks at sustainability through the Green Schools initiative. Along with separating waste and encouraging recycling, the school promotes sustainability in clothes; parents of outgoing pupils are encouraged to donate the uniform to the school and after Christmas, the school encourages donations of Christmas jumpers which are then sold before the following Christmas to raise funds for the school or a local initiative.
I like Eimear’s ideas for bringing cooking into the teaching – pupils are likely to enjoy and remember when they have opportunity for hands on learning and having the chance to taste new and different seafoods.
Teaching about the food pyramid and the importance of fish in our diets is an important aspect of the SPHE curriculum. The food pyramid presents fish in the category with meat, poultry, eggs, beans and nuts and recommends 2 servings per day of this food group. Fish and shellfood are protein rich foods. Protein is an essential macronutrient made out of amino acids and is necessary for muscle repair and growth and hormone regulation and forms part of skin, hair and nail structure. It is particularly useful to introduce pupils to learning about good fats using fish, as fats are often considered to be detrimental to health. Pupils can learn that fish including salmon in particular contain healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. The iron content of shellfish is heme iron which absorbs easier than plant based iron. Pupils can often be aware that Vitamin D comes from the sun but that it is important to maintain levels in the winter months and eating salmon is a great source for maintaining these levels.
I really like Joanne’s ideas for incorporating aquaculture into history lessons and I think it’s great that a class can visit the lifeboats, this could extend to more learning about the area and its relevance to aquaculture.
The ARC – Online Lessons and Resources provides a very useful tool for inquiry-based aquaculture and the application of this in the classroom is hugely relevant to the SESE subjects in particular. There is opportunity for integration across the STEM subjects, including science to include the teaching of ecosystems and marine biology in aquaculture, coastal environments in geography, and problem solving including measures and data collection in maths. This aligns with the STEM Education policy statement for hands-on and real world investigation.
When working on the SSE, aquaculture can take a relevant part by the school implementing a Blue School initiative whereby a marine or aquaculture team can be formed in the same vein of the Green Schools committee. The school can examine classroom projects on marine life farmed in Ireland and its relevance to the local community or a nearby community and in particular, by inviting a member of the aquaculture community from any sector, to speak in the school.
Sinead refers to the significance of aquaculture as a sustainable source of food; this is relevant to the communities and businesses involved in the long term reliability of the industry and can be seen in the multi-generational involvement in fishing.
Aquaculture farms are mainly located along the west and south west coast of Ireland, incorporating Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Donegal. Employment, either directly or indirectly relating to these farms is hugely significant to the local economies. These farms include the farming of salmon, mussels, oysters and seaweed. Industrial activity can often be remote in these areas, therefore the employment of people directly as fishers and on trawlers along, moving it from farming to plate and those who are employed in the packaging and food service sector, make the aquaculture farms a central aspect of the local economy. There can often be a multi-generational and traditional aspect to fishing and fishing communities have relied on the sea for their livelihoods for many decades. Tourism is also promoted through aquaculture; events such as the Galway International Oyster Festival and tours and tastings in Kellys Oysters are important revenue for the localities.
I agree with Orla and Rachel, aquaculture is relevant to the SESE and SPHE curriculum and I agree that students would love to have fishermen and local chefs speak to them regarding the industry and their experiences.
Learning about Aquaculture and Social License enables students to learn about the economic, social and environmental implications of fishing. Students are afforded the opportunity to learn about the roles of different people within fishing, including the community, policy makers around ensuring the viability around aquaculture as an industry, scientists and the fishers themselves.
Sustainability is an important element of aquaculture and teaching and learning in the area of Social License allows pupils to learn about the various aspects of involvement of stakeholders and this is important to recognise in this area, along with becoming knowledgeable in how it functions in other aspects of society. Learning about community voice enables students to see the importance of decision making that is informed and whereby civic awareness is developed in a system that recognises the impact on the environment along with other social implications to become part of a wider community development process.