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Number 2: Consider how many songs/poems/art you can think of to connect us with the night sky.
Since the beginning of time people have been in awe of the night sky and it is the centre of countless songs/poems/sayings/ stories/traditions/feasts /artworks. Poetry, song and art are wonderful stimulus to any lesson in primary school classrooms.
Nursery Rhymes: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I see the moon and the moon sees me.., Hey Diddle Diddle, Wish Upon A Star
To more modern songs… A Sky Full of Stars, Fly me to the Moon, Lady Stardust, Firework, Moon River, Because the Night Belongs to Us, Reach for the Stars..
https://www.musicalmum.com/songs-about-night-sky/ this website had 20 great songs inspired by the night sky.
Poems: When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” by Walt Whitman, 2. “Bright Star” by John Keats, “The Starry Night” by Anne Sexton
Artwork: Vincent Van Gogh “Starry Night’, Edvard Munch “Starry Night” and Georgia O’ Keefe “Starry Night”. J. M. W. Turner, “Fishermen at Sea”. James Whistler, “Nocturne in Black and Gold”. Harald Sohlberg, “Summer Night”Number 1: How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
There are many ways of engaging my pupils, and indeed school community, in exploring biodiversity in our local area; having completed our Green School Flag-Biodiversity in recent years some steps have been taken in this areas but from completely this module I now see there are many more aspects that we could further develop. To begin with we would revisit the topic of biodiversity to ensure all pupils have a good understanding about what it is. (A student shared a wonderful David Attenborough short video in the forum which I think would be a wonderful way to recap the topic and engage pupils). Light pollution is not something that has been covered with our pupils to date, but I now feel well equipped to the lead the learning in this area. The next step would be discussions and observations in our local area relating to the local wildlife and light pollution. We are lucky for such a small school to have large school grounds and this includes hedgerow and a small woodland area. Being a rural school we have access to local streams and woodland walks also. Pupils would really enjoy recording and documenting local species, then researching their nocturnal habits and the effects of light pollution on them. I can think of a local man who is full of knowledge in this area who may be willing to share his time and expertise, if not heritage in schools has local experts who will come to the school for a small fee to further develop the learning.Number 1: Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
Like many of the other participants I am lucky enough to live in a rural area, surrounded by fields and very little light pollution. The night sky is a sight to behold on a clear night and we often camp out with the children in the garden or surrounding area and take it in. I can however appreciate and recognise an increase in light pollution in my nearest small town; it has developed and expanded in recent decade, which comes with its advantages and disadvantages. Certainly light pollution is an issue but its not something I would have taken note of until it was highlighted in this module.
My pupils also mainly live in a rural part of the country but I can think of lots of examples of light pollution in the local village. I think the children will enjoy engaging with this topic and identifying where artificial light sources are located and how they interfere with the night sky. I would highlight the benefit of sensor lights (which we have in the school). I would also utilise the video clip “Losing the Dark” to get the children to consider the effect light pollution is having on animals/plants/humans. This would all link in really well with our Green Schools initiatives and children could also be part of coming up with ideas/actions to tackle the issue.
Number 2: Create a short teaching resource using Stellarium.
I love the idea of using Stellarium with my class; it is a completely new resource to me! I found the online Stellarium Handbook and the You tube videos very useful in showing how this app can be used.
I would involve the children in downloading the app onto our school IPads. A KWL chart would be useful to assess where the children are at; some of them may have never heard of Constellations whereas others may be able to identify ones near their homes in the night sky. I like the idea of giving the children time for free exploration of the app in pairs; I believe this would stimulate lots of interesting discussion. Then I would allow children to pick a constellation to research and make (using any materials desired) as a mini project and report back to the class. I would love to organise a stargazing session in the school grounds but if this was not possible I would definitely encourage and equip children with what they need to do this at home with their families. I think the children would really enjoy designing and creating their own constellations in Art class. I look forward to trying this out in September.
Number 5: One Year on Earth- Understanding the Seasons Resource.
I will engage my students with this wonderful activity/resource from the European Space Agency and use it to support their learning/understanding of the seasons. The resource is suitable for 8-12 years- I teach in a multi-grade class , 3rd to 6th, so this is an ideal resource. It is laid out in a very user friendly, sequential order to support differentiation and engagement at all levels. I think my pupils will really engage with the tasks involved especially the hands- on task using the polystyrene sphere-Why does the earth have seasons?
The worksheets and satellite images are ideal to engage the pupils and hook their interest in the topic (stimulus). All resources support peer and group learning which pupils really enjoy and benefit from. The resources required are minimal so therefore I would envisage children carrying out the experiment in small groups. Discussion and questioning throughout the lessons will be hugely important to gauge pupils understanding, assess their learning and reflect on the process. Overall this is a wonderful resource that could be used with all pupils 3rd class upwards. It integrates Science, Geography, Maths, Art.