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Good ideas and I think I could also run a project with the children on our Greenschools team to compare what the apps like Stellarium can show us and what the pupils can actually see in the area where they live.Using questions and observations we will be able to get an understanding for light pollution effects.
There are lots of songs and poetry to consider, and one that comes to mind first for me is David Bowie’s ‘Starman’ song,the version sung by Chris Hatfield when he was up in the International Space Station passing over Ireland 17 times a day.I had the pleasure of seeing him live in Bord Gais in June and he gave a very entertaining 2 hour talk about the dark sky above us and his life as an explorer and astronaut.
Other songs to do with the Skies are Don Mc Clean’s ‘Starry starry night’.This iconic song is a direct homage to Vincent van Gogh’s painting ‘The Starry Night’. It beautifully connects the artist’s tormented soul to the swirling, celestial energy he captured on canvas. The lyrics paint a picture of a sky that is both a beautiful wonder and a source of overwhelming emotion.
“Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles: While it’s about the sun, the song’s context is a transition from a dark, cold night. The lyrics “Little darlin’, it’s been a long, cold lonely winter” perfectly capture the feeling of waiting for the sun to rise, a powerful connection to the daily cycle of night and day.
Poetry
In the module we read the lovely W.B. Yeats poem about the night sky and our dream time ,I had not read it before and it is a wonderful poem.
In terms of another WB Yeats poem that I like to think of, The lake Isle of Innisfree comea to mind, which has a lovely line: “And midnight’s all a glimmer, and moon a purple glow.” This week I was down in Clonakilty on a few days break and the course had me out watching the night skies .At 11.30 pm there was a beautiful orange/purple moon to the east.There was the sense of peace and natural wonder in the rural setting I had on a hill looking out to the Atlantic, with the glimmering stars as a central part of this rural landscape. By midnight the moon had moved out over the sea and as the line of the poem says the sea was ‘all a glimmer’. Also as it turned out I also had numerous bats swirling over my head attracted by insects who were drawn by the house lights. This connected me to the Irish context and the importance of the night sky in the Irish literary tradition.Thank you for great ideas ,especially the one to ask parents and grandparents.We have seen from the satellite pictures the increase in the light pollution over recent years.The childhood memories of dark skies might be lovely to capture from grandparents.Their folklore stories may really engage the class too.
The expansion into the Greenschools committee and lessons on Nocturnal Biodiversity is a great idea.Thank you Grainne,I am our Greenschools coordinator and our next flag is Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity.I am excited about the activities I can use with them over the next few years on nocturnal animals and the steps we can take to raise awareness of lightpollution and its biodiversity impacts.I hadn’t thought of the Greenteam so thank you.
How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans.
In the school I work in the pupils that attend are mostly living in urbanised estates of terrace and apartment complexes.They may spend little time in areas of wild natural landscape and have little help in understanding their local environment as their parents are not from the area.It is all the more important that as a teacher I get time out with the pupils exploring the local area and explaining that they do still live close to lots of wildlife.
I like the idea of creating a bit of magic and mystery around a hunt for nocturnal insects.I plan to get this put into the school biodiversity plan and to create a lesson plan that can be used during school Science clubs and Science week activities.
I plan to build as a school resource a night trap similar to what was demonstrated by Albert Nolan of Heritage Ireland.The activity will inspire the children to discuss other nocturnal animals such as bats and then how our built environment and light pollution can be detrimental to them.Hi Aimee,
I too live near an Airport in Finfal and it causes alot of light pollution .It will be a good discussion point for the impact on our local environment of the Airport and on our birds and nocturnal animals.
Engaging Primary School Children to Explore Light Pollution
Fingal County, is the location of our school while the school is rural and close to coastal areas, is not immune to the growing problem of light pollution. Fingal’s proximity to Dublin city and its own expanding urban and suburban centers mean that the night sky is becoming increasingly bright.
My plan for teaching the school children about light pollution will be a fun and interactive way to introduce them to environmental science, sustainability, and astronomy.
Activity “Night Sky in a Box”
Objective: To demonstrate the concept of skyglow and how light pollution obscures stars.
Materials: A large cardboard box, a smaller shoe box, a torch, black paper or tin foil, scissors, and a pin.
Procedure:
Have the children create a “planetarium” by poking tiny holes in the bottom of the shoe box. These holes represent stars. Place the torch inside the shoe box.
In a dark corner of the classroom, have the children look into the planetarium to see the “stars.”
Next, create a “street scene” inside the larger box using blocks or paper cutouts. Place the planetarium inside the larger box.
Introduce a small, unshielded light source (like a mini LED light) to represent a street light. Place it inside the box.
Have the children observe the night sky again. The light from the street light will create a “skyglow” that makes it harder to see the stars.
Discussion: I will ask the children what they observed. Why were the stars harder to see? This helps them understand the impact of unshielded light on the night sky.We will chat about the sky they observe at night in Fingal and have they seen clearer skies in other parts of the world.I agree I like these apps as they bring the sky alive and you can fix the positions of the planets and stars you want to observe.
During the Autumn period pupils will be prompted to take time in the evenings to look at the sky as Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are often visible with the naked eye, while binoculars or a telescope will be provided on a loan basis as they provide a much better view, revealing details like Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons.
The observation plan will focus on the children tracking for the month of September the planet Saturn.The app Skyview will be used to show where the children should look in the sky. It will build a discussion until Sep 21st when Saturn is at its strongest in the night sky..Mars and Mercury will also be observed.
During October Mercury will be the focus with it at its strongest in late October.
In November the planet that the pupils will focus on will be Uranus as it reaches opposition and will be the best time to observe.
That is a great use of Chat GPT.It explains the moon phases so well.It has so much to offe for making Science interesting for pupils .In the morning discussions with the pupils and all the interesting facts are to hand.Morning observations area great idea I hope the cloud cover is kind to you in Mayo.
Assignment 1
Project 2
Construct a sundial in the immediate area of the school or locality.
In reviewing the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Liston 2018) and reflecting on what STEM education looks like in your classroom you can see where the argument for ensuring STEM means taking Engineering and Maths into Science lessons.
The Sundial is a good example of STEM in action .The Science lesson might be as follows
To engage the children a discussion around the hypothesis, how do we tell time? Picture of ancient Eygpt dials ,ship dials an Newgrange.
The technology is the sundial build by the children.
Initially on a good sunny day the children will create their own shadows and mark them with chalk.Work in pairs.Repeat this over the course of the day and discuss.
The Engineering is the thinking ,design,materials and building of the type of sundial by the children.
The class have grown sunflowers so we will place our tallest sunflower on the south facing side of the school where a good shadow can be observed.Using stones and times on card mark the movement of the shadows.
The maths is the recording of the time and the measuring of the shadows.
The accuracy of the markings can be checked against the class clock and by checking over a number of days.
There is lots of active fun and discussion in this STEM project.
Assignment 1
Project 2
Construct a sundial in the immediate area of the school or locality.
In reviewing the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Liston 2018) and reflecting on what STEM education looks like in your classroom you can see where the argument for ensuring STEM means taking Engineering ,technology and Maths into Science lessons.
The Sundial is a ideal STEM lesson.
If you take STEM to this project.The Science lesson might be as follows
A discussion around the Hypothesis how do we tell time? Picture of ancient Eygpt dials ,ship dials and pictures of Newgrange.To engage the children to think about the sun and shadows.
The technology is the sundial build by the children.
Initially on a good sunny day the children will create their own shadows and mark them with chalk.Work in pairs.Repeat this over the course of the day and discuss.
The Engineering is the thinking ,design,materials and building of the type of sundial by the children.
The class have grown sunflowers so we will place our tallest sunflower on the south facing side of the school where a good shadow can be observed.Using stones and times on card will mark the movement of the shadows.
The maths of this lesson will be the recording of the time and the measuring of the shadows.
The accuracy of the markings can be checked against the class clock and by checking over a number of days.
There is lots of active fun and discussion in this STEM project.
