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“Do not go gentle into that good night….Rage, rage against the dying of the light!”
Lisa, you brought back memories of leaving cert English to me. Words to live by for sure!
I think it would be fun and fascinating for my class to explore how artists have always been captivated and inspired by the night sky!
Looking at Van Gogh’s Starry Starry Night is a must of course but he also painted the lesser known Starry Night Over the Rhone in 1888. Comparing and contrasting these two post impressionist paintings would be a very worthwhile lesson.
J.M. Turner painted Fisherman at Sea, his first oil painting, when he was only 21. This is a moonlit seascape which juxtaposes the puny warm light of the fishermen’s lamp against the vast darkness and cold moonlight of the night sky. I would introduce the style of romanticism using this example of Turner’s.
A favourite painting of mine called The Moon by Amaral hangs in The Museum of Modern Art in New York. In this contemporary painting the radiant crescent moon stands out from the rest of the nocturnal composition. I think it would be a great idea to task the children with late night homework to create their own version of this using oil pastels from the classroom!
These works of art each connect us to the night sky. Music does this very well too and I would take the opportunity to introduce the pupils in my class to David Bowie who wrote many, many songs about space! We could listen to and delve into the meaning of the lyrics in Starman and Space Oddity. His line “the stars look very different today” is fantastic material to spark discussion and ask question about the artist’s intent. Life on Mars is arguably the best pop song Bowie ever wrote and in the context of the classroom could inspire the pupils to write stories, poems and songs of their own.
Other songs to add to the classroom playlist include Elton John’s Rocket Man, Coldplay’s Sky Full of Stars, Don McLean’s Vincent and of course the age old Silent Night.
Hi Lisa, I think the idea of setting up night vision cameras is an intriguing one and the kids would be completely fascinated by this! I wonder if these can be rented for use? Or perhaps borrowed from a member of the parent body. Definitely something I’d like to try on our school grounds. We are in the city suburbs but I bet we’d be pleasantly surprised by many night-time visitors!
To engage my 6th Class to explore biodiversity in our local area [Cork city suburbs] I would first pose the question what is biodiversity? As a whole group we could begin to fill in a KWL chart detailing what we know and what we want to know. Next, we could do some research in pairs using our tablets. Scoilnet or Britannica Schools are excellent, trusted search engines for primary pupils. Using post-its I would ask the pupils to create a pyramid or diamond pattern with facts and interesting info on biodiversity. As a group we could then write bullet points on what we have learned to complete the KWL.
A local group of environmentalists, Cork Nature Network has a mission to restore nature and ensure urban green spaces in Cork for future generations. Their work shows just how impactful our efforts can be when community comes together to benefit our shared environment. I would be keen to connect with this group and organise a workshop with my class to explore the idea of rewilding some of our school garden. Currently what green space we do have on our grounds is tightly manicured. It would be interesting to get feedback from the pupils and also the experts on how best to do this and over time observe and track an increase in insects and wildlife to the garden.
Our local Beaumont Quarry is an oasis in Cork city. It has a rich biodiversity and is an ideal spot for a Botanical Painting field trip with local artist Sarah Rohu. Creative Ireland are making these workshops possible and encouraging schools in Cork to engage creatively with the biodiversity of Beaumont Quarry.
From the point of view of light Pollution and its impact on local biodiversity it would be worth talking about the Dean Hotel on Horgan’s Quay which was completed in 2020. It’s radical design made it instantly stand out in the city landscape but after dark the hotel also stands out thanks to towering lights beamed high into the night sky. If local residents are mistaking the huge spotlight for the moon and referring to it as a ‘nuisance’ then surely from an environmental point of view it has the potential to confuse and disorientate nocturnal creatures. I would introduce my class to the Kelvin Scale which is a measure of the colour temperature of lights. We could contact Cork City Council to enquire if public lighting in Cork operates in line with best practice of no more than 3000 kelvins according to the International Dark Sky Association.
Hi Matthew. I grew up in the countryside in West Limerick where the dark starry skies are still as beautiful as ever. I’m not sure how practical it would be but I do think that a night time field trip to a rural place devoid of light pollution would be an amazing opportunity for city children to star gaze and appreciate dark skies in all their glory.
I live and teach in Cork city centre. I recently realised the extent of the light pollution when I was unable to see the northern lights phenomenon despite clear skies.
I think it would be interesting to brainstorm with my 6th Class the ways in which wildlife, human life and indeed the aesthetic beauty of the city is being impacted by light pollution.
I would aim to elicit from the pupils that the habits of nocturnal animals such as foxes, bats, owls etc who rely on darkness for feeding can be disrupted by excessive lighting. We are lucky to have a local group called Cork Nature Network and it might be a good idea for the children to contact this group by email to ask questions or arrange a talk/workshop to find out more about this.
I live directly across the river from Páirc Uí Chaoimh and on occasion the intense lights in that stadium are left on late into the night. I would like to discuss the impact of light pollution on human health and how exposure to artifical light can disrupt our sleep patterns. Again a query could be made to the management of this local facility to enquire about what curfews may be in place for the stadium lights. I think this would encourage a sense of agency and citizenship within the pupils.
Finally we will discuss whether or not our school should continue to be lit at night and what the safety and security reasons for this might be. Our stargazing opportunities in the city are very much reduced and I think a class debate to determine whether quality of life for local residents is improved or lessened would be an engaging way to explore this topic.
Hi Lisa, I agree that creating model moons will increase the playfulness and creativity of this lesson. Styrofoam balls attached to skewers might work very well!
Observing the moon in the morning should work very well in September 24 during the last quarter phase because it is bright enough to compete with the sunlight. This month will begin on Sept 1st with a waning crescent phase. The first week of observation should involve a lot of shading depending on visibility of the moon. For each week we will use the Moon Observation Log, shading in the part of the moon they cannot see. As far as I can tell the third quarter phase will be best for observing from school each morning. I think the pupils will be surprised to realise that the moon, traditionally a night symbol, is visible in daylight almost every day. I’m sure we will discover as a group that clear weather with minimal cloud gives the best viewing experience. As a class we will hopefully learn through our observations that the morning moon cannot be seen during the full moon and new moon phases and we can discuss and research why this is. I will bring binoculars for the pupils to try to get a closer look at the moon’s surface features. I think a very nice and simple art lesson to compliment our observations would be moon drawings using chalk on blue sugar paper.
I think our morning moon-watching sessions will be a fun opportunity to learn about our closest celestial neighbour!
Constructing Sundials in our sensory garden.
This will be an exciting topic for my 6th Class to work on in groups next year. Our classroom is located beside the school sensory garden. Within this area we will first need to select a sunny spot. I will send the class out in groups of 4 to ascertain the best location for their sundial and report back on their reasoning behind the choice. We will discuss factors such as shade, wind, visibility etc. Each group will decide on the location they think will receive maximum sunlight throughout the day.
I will provide each group with a treated circular wooden base. This will be important for the sundial to survive the Irish elements. Each group will be required to gather other materials needed such as straight sticks, compasses, protractors and markers.
In their groups the pupils can research online the best way to make their sundial, imagine what it will look like and draw their design on paper.
The next step will be to build it. Brainstorm how to attach the gnomon [stick] at a perpendicular angle in the centre of the base. What problems will we encounter and how can we overcome them? What tools will we need?
Once the sundial is installed in it’s sunny spot each group will then need to find North using their compass and align the stick’s shadow with this at noon.
During the day we will mark the position of the shadow at each hour on the base. A bright and sunny day will be vital for initial marking.
Label each hour and check accuracy of sundial with classroom clock. This is the test and evaluate stage.
Finally we will discuss as a whole class ways to improve or indeed redesign our sundials were we to attempt the task again.
Hi Patrick, I have 6th Class in September and our classroom is conveniently located beside the school sensory garden. I will have to figure out if this is a good location for a sundial because I’d love to go ahead with this project. It provides for a good scheme of work across the SESE subjects and it’s a hands-on, measurable activity for the pupils. Wish me luck!