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I really like the engagement that you promote in your lessons, especially the cross- curricular ones.
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky?
I have had Junior infants and these are songs that I found fun, easy, and engaging for that level.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star – A classic nursery rhyme with simple, repetitive melody celebrating the night sky and igniting curiosity in the smallest children.
Star Light, Star Bright – A short, lyrical lullaby about wishing on the first star seen at night. Ideal for calming storytelling moments.
Shine Little Stars by HooplaKidz – A soft, bedtime song featuring imagery of stars glowing gently to lull children into sleepiness.
Sun, Moon, and Stars” by The Singing Walrus – A simple, upbeat tune introducing these celestial bodies in playful, age appropriate terms.
Four Little Stars – A counting rhyme that embeds simple subtraction in a starry theme—great for combining numeracy and night sky imagery.I really like the hands on approach for the kids in this lesson. I feel engagement would be very high.
How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into an irish primary school biodiversity plan
Dark skies underpin nocturnal species’ lifecycles. Many Irish bats, moths, owls, amphibians, earthworms, and nocturnal insects rely on uninterrupted natural darkness for feeding, pollination, navigation, reproduction, and predator avoidance. To help get this message across to my class I would have a class discussion on how important it is for animals to have darkness at night. We would talk about nocturnal animals and then create a school garden section with minimal lighting for these animals. We also have a student council in our school from 2nd to 6th. I would suggest a pupils designed school lighting policy using motion sensor lighting or timers. This would allow the kids to take ownership of the topic. I feel that this would ensure nocturnal biodiversity becomes a lived experience for the children.
1. Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
Dublin emits nearly seven times more artificial light than the rest of Ireland, overwhelming other counties. This sky glow drowns out stars, disrupts circadian rhythms, and contributes to sleep disorders, eye strain, and anxiety. Ecologically, blue rich LEDs disturb invertebrates, birds and nocturnal insects, upsetting pollination and wildlife cycles.
To investigate this in the classroom I would carry out a survey on how many visible stars the kids can see at night. We would do this over a week in case we have cloudy nights. I also have a friend in a rural school in Mayo. I think we could link these surveys with both classes and compare what the kids in rural Mayo see at night with what we see at night in Dublin City.2. Create a short teaching resource using Stellarium
This is a lesson that I would use with my Junior infants next year.
1. Open Stellarium on a classroom my Interactive whiteboard.
2. Set your location and adjust the time to show:
Morning: Show the sun rising.
Midday: Show the sun high in the sky.
Night: Show stars and the moon.
3. Ask questions:
“What do you see in the sky now?”
“Where is the sun? What colour is the sky?”
4. Children respond through drawing what they saw on a printable “Sky Time” worksheet (morning, midday, night).4. Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day”
In my infant class next year, I will plan a simple, hands-on approach over several days to help the kids observe and record the sun’s position. Each day, we will go outside at different times. Morning, midday, and afternoon. We will look at where the sun is in the sky. We would use trees or buildings to describe its position. The children will draw what they see in their SESE copies or on a class chart using symbols and simple pictures. We would also observe how shadows change and use chalk to trace them. For sunrise and sunset, we could watch short videos or discuss what they notice at home. Throughout the week, we’d talk about patterns and sequence the sun’s movement using storyboards or picture cards.
I really like the idea of taking photos or drawing pictures of the sky. I will try this next year. Thank you.
Research Question: How is climate change affecting the weather in our local area.
There are a few ways I would encourage pupils to participate in this project. I would really try to make it as engaging as possible and hopefully this would inspire them to do the best work possible. To achieve this, I would try to make the topic relatable to their lives.
1. I would start by giving some local context. We would discuss the recent weather in the local area. We would discuss if the weather is good or bad, sunny or wet etc. If we were a country school, we would discuss how the weather affects farming compared to shops.2. To make the topic more engaging I would try to do some hands-on activities and interactive learning. I would look at videos about weather data collection devices to give them an understanding of the instruments and what they do, then I would get them to make their own rain collecting devices etc.
3. I would then introduce the Climate Detectives research question planner after the class has a good interest in the topic. We would then look at some of the great videos on this course to help us with our research.
Really cool idea for a question. Would also give you scope to search for mini beasts around the school garden if the school has one.
I tried to use the websites, but I found them hard to use. I thought the functionality was poor and not very user friendly. I will be teaching first class this year and do not think the websites would be easy to use for that level. I found that in particular the heavens above website did not give a whole lot of information about what the satellite was doing.
The satellites I saw on Heavens above were:
Starlink 1459 (45769)
Starlink 2432 (47840)
Starlink 31523 (59220)
Starlink 3270 (50199)
Starlink 5137 (53975)
To see what these satellites were doing I had to do further research. After a google search, I found a website called in-the-sky.org and I was able to find out that they were part of Elon Musk’s spaceflight company, and their aim is to bring internet access to people around the world currently living without access to high-speed internet.Home by Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a visually stunning documentary that illustrates the Earth’s fragile beauty and the devastating impact of human activities on the environment. The film uses breathtaking aerial footage to highlight the interconnectedness of all life and the urgent need for sustainable practices. Its compelling message is a call to action for global awareness and responsibility in addressing climate change.
To introduce climate change to students, I would use interactive methods like multimedia presentations, hands-on experiments, and discussions. Starting with “Home” clips can engage students emotionally, followed by exploring the science behind climate change through experiments like carbon footprint calculations. Encouraging students to brainstorm local solutions and participate in eco-friendly projects can make the issue personal and actionable, fostering a sense of empowerment and responsibility.
I would also allow them to watch the Greta Thunberg videos. I think it would be quite empowering for them to see someone close to their age with big ideas and views being listened too. I think they could respond and show great engagement after seeing a young person deliver a powerful message.