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I like this idea Blaithín ‘Design your own dark sky place’. This project could be rolled out across the school where each class creates a model of a local dark sky park. There could be multiple models with a design map to show safe pathways, habitats, nocturnal wildlife, information boards and a visitors brochure for stargazing tips locally.
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”> Lesson 5: Songs, poems and art</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>There are many songs, poems and art that are connected with the night sky, such as Starry Night and Stardust. The night sky theme is reflected in many Irish creative works also through the images of stars, night, mystery and nature. The traditional Irish song “Raglan Road”by Patrick Kavanagh uses the evening sky to symbolise love, loss and reflection. For my 4th class lesson, the children would listen to the song “Raglan Road” , identify words that describe the sky before drawing the scene they imagine. The poem “The Great Hunger”also by Patrick Kavanagh explores the quiet Irish countryside, where the dark sky creates a feeling of peace and loneliness. The children could discuss how the night sky makes them feel and write a short acrostic poem using the word STARS. The Irish artist Paul Henry captured Ireland’s beautiful landscape in paintings such as “The Bog Road” where wide twilight skies create a calm atmosphere. The children could paint a simple sunset or starry sky using cool colours and compare it to the work of Henry. Looking at these Irish works help children appreciate the beauty of the dark night skies through music, poetry and art. </span>
Hi Olive, I really like the idea of ‘no mow may and let it bloom in june’ ideas. I think this is something that the children could then extent to their own gardens at home and surrounding communities. As a school community we could work together to help and support others in the community also, neighbours, grandparents etc.
Q4: An engaging lesson for my 4th class exploring biodiversity and the effects of light pollution can be based on the inquiry approach mentioned, where pupils are encouraged to become “biodiversity detectives.” I would begin the lesson by discussing biodiversity, looking at the video ‘What is Biodiversity?’ and introducing light pollution through images of brightly lit and naturally dark environments. Pupils will investigate the school grounds and surrounding community, identifying plants/trees/hedges, animals and habitats while noting areas with artificial lighting such as streetlights or security lights. They will draw up a Bio Blitz in pairs/groups. They can record their observations and consider whether wildlife appears more abundant in darker or brighter areas. Pupils will share findings and discuss how artificial light can affect nocturnal animals such as bats, moths and hedgehogs by disrupting feeding, movement and natural behaviours. Pupils will then design a bio-diversity garden map to make the school more wildlife-friendly. This map/plan will include the following ideas; eliminating pesticides, providing nesting sites, establishing wildlife garden, planting native trees, , creating small pond, allowing hedges to grow. To extend this the children could create a bird/bat box. They could also plan to reduce unnecessary lighting or use downward lighting where possible. This hands-on investigation develops scientific observation, environmental awareness and critical thinking while helping pupils understand the relationship between human activity and local biodiversity.
Hi agree Una and Dympna, the children would really enjoy discussing Vincent Van Gogh ‘Starry Night’ and how he was inspired to create such a wonderful piece. It certainly would encourage them to think about the changes in our night sky and how difficult it might be for an artist to create the same piece nowdays.
Q3: I would introduce this lesson by showing the video ‘loosing the dark’ to the children. Then we would explore what exactly light pollution is and the effects of it on our environment. I would give each group a topic to cover, effects on our sleep cycles, our wildlife, plants and eco systems and energy waste. After exploring these topics we would discuss how it might affect our local community and simple ways in which we can reduce this type of pollution. We would take a walk around our school/community and observe the lighting positions, if there are trees/hedges nearby, discuss if these lights would disturb wildlife. We would then record the number and purpose of each lighting. We could contact the council to find out if these lights are on a timer and what colour they are. All of this information would be used to create a map pinpointing light sources using photos and sketches. The children would then create a toolkit in the form of a flyer for their neighbourhood to help reduce light pollution. In this toolkit they would include;
-Use warm lighting where possible.
-Switch off lighting after use.
-Use fully shielded lighting.
-Light up only what you need.I like this idea Jennifer that when introducing the phases of the moon lesson, you will bring the children outside to observe the last quarter and allow them to record what they see in real time. There is no better way to teach this concept. Children of all ages would enjoy this experience.
Q2: I intend to use the Stellarium software to help my 4th class students locate the North Star and recognise other bright stars. I would also use it to study the night sky above our local area. I would begin this lesson with a discussion about why people have used stars for navigation throughout history. I would show Stellarium on the interactive whiteboard and set the location to our local area. The students could also do this on their own tablets in pairs. The students would observe the night sky and identify the Big Dipper (Plough), using its pointer stars to locate Polaris (the North Star). I would demonstrate how Polaris remains almost fixed in the northern sky while other stars appear to rotate around it. The students would then explore the positions of other bright stars and constellations, such as Vega and Orion, using the software’s search and labelling features. In pairs the students would complete a star map activity, identifying key stars and recording their observations, before discussing how the night sky changes with the seasons. They could then share their findings with each other.
I really like the way this lesson on looking at the movement of the sun could then be used in maths to teach graphs and data, recording hours of sunlight in summer vs winter. One group could take on this task during the month of December, whilst another group could then complete it in June, the children could compare and contrast the results of this experiment showing the different path from east to west and how its position changes throughout the day.
Q1: To engage my 4th class pupils in learning about the seasons, I would use an investigative, hands-on approach. Working in small groups, pupils could build a simple Sun–Earth model to investigate how the Earth’s tilted axis causes seasonal changes. They would explore how the Northern Hemisphere receives more direct sunlight during summer and less during winter as the Earth orbits the Sun, leading to differences in daylight hours and temperature. Using the Climate from Space app, pupils could then analyse the satellite images and seasonal data/photos to identify changes in sunlight, vegetation, and weather patterns throughout the year. They would compare this information with observations around their community/school, discussing how increased sunlight promotes plant growth in spring and summer, while reduced sunlight in autumn and winter slows growth and leads to seasonal changes. By looking at physical models with real data, pupils develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between sunlight, seasons, climate, and living things. This approach could be used from 3rd to 6th class.