[Emer Murphy]

Wow Christine, what a fantastic bank of resources there. It’s great how you have posted a cross curricular links and I look forward to teaching the theme of space in future.

[Emer Murphy]

If I was to carry out a school wide project to collect traditions and stories of the night I would first introduce the duchas folklore collection as a starting point. As a whole class we would brainstorm possible traditions and stories related to the night that they could research. Examples include:

Myths and legends about the moon and stars.
Nighttime festivals and celebrations.
Bedtime stories and lullabies.
Songs and poems inspired by the night sky.
Rituals and customs associated with the night.

Together we would discuss research methods and provide guidelines for conducting interviews. We would look at a sample interview questionnaire together. The children would then carry out an interview with an older family member/ neighbour and decide how they are going to present the findings. There would be lots of opportunities for using IT when carrying out the project. Afterwards we would have a feedback session as a whole class and then it would be nice to have an open celebration inviting families and the wider community in to see the compilation of the work. I think this would be a really lovely idea and so important to document all these wonderful stories and traditions.

[Emer Murphy]

What a lovely suggestion of the “Can you see the stars tonight” book. I know the children would love this book and what an engaging way to touch on the topic of animals affected by artificial light.

[Emer Murphy]

First of all as a class we would research and identify nocturnal species in the area. In addition to this we would carry out a light pollution assessment of the school grounds. As a result of this we could adapt our lighting as necessary so that it is more dark sky friendly. Equally rather than leaving lights on all night long we could arrange for lights to turn off after a certain time or perhaps invest in sensor lights. However as my school is at the end of its own cul de sac this should not be a problem after school hours as it is not in use. After we have completed the above then we could move on to creating suitable habitats for the nocturnal creatures. These would include bat boxes, bird nesting sites and bug hotels. We could enhance it further by planting native species that would attract wildlife to the area. It would be a nice idea to organise workshops from Heritage Ireland or other wildlife experts to explore the area further with the children. It would also be an idea to set up a night cam to watch back the animals that appeared. I know the children from my school love getting involved in campaigns so designing posters etc highlighting what we were trying to achieve would raise awareness at home and in the local community.

[Emer Murphy]

Absolutely, I think it is really highlighted when you fly into Dublin at night time. The spread of light and glow from not just the city itself but all the commuter towns surrounding it is unbelievable. I think it is really sad that so many people don’t get to experience the dark skies and all that can be seen.

[Emer Murphy]

I found this module very interesting. Having moved from Dublin back to a rural area in Galway I can definitely attest to the huge difference in light pollution. It was really highlighted recently when the northern lights were visible over Ireland, getting amazing views here in our dark sky location.

To begin I would briefly introduce the concept of light pollution and its effects. I would describe the different types of light pollution (skyglow, glare, light trespass, clutter) and show examples and images for each type. Next I would discuss the impacts of light pollution on:

Astronomy: Reduces visibility of celestial objects.
Wildlife: Disrupts natural behaviours and habitats.
Human Health: Affects sleep patterns and circadian rhythms.

Following on from this I would show the Globe at Night website and navigate through the resources available on the whiteboard. Then I would provide students with an opportunity to explore the website and constellations at the various magnitudes. After which we would come back and share our findings/ points of interest. I would then encourage the children to complete their own globe at night observation at home and ask them to bring their findings to share in the next class. After analysing the findings this would then lead on to carrying out some investigations such as the one featured in the module about how can we reduce the effects of light pollution and how we could adapt the local environment to do so. I think the children would love getting involved and contributing to the campaign.

[Emer Murphy]

Hi Marian,

This sounds like a lovely lesson that the children would really enjoy.  I like how you incorporate Stellarium into the lesson as a reference point for the children.  The sharing session at the end would be invaluable also. I have no doubt the children would be engaged and learn so much from this lesson and look forward to using it in future.

[Emer Murphy]

I think Stellarium is a fantastic resource and I have no doubt the children would be fascinated by it. To begin I would introduce the resource and demonstrate the basic features on the whiteboard. Moving on from this I would let the children explore it on the tablets with a set of task cards with specific items to find such as the North star, what planets were visible last night, find 2 constellations, what time did the sunset etc. To end the lesson we would feedback together and share the learning. I would then encourage the children to explore the resource at home, perhaps looking at the night sky for that night. The lesson allows for so much integration- art- drawing their own constellations, literacy- writing a report about a constellation, history- mythology. I look forward to using this resource in future and seeing the children happily engage with astronomy.

[Emer Murphy]

Hi Michelle,

As a fellow SET teacher it was really interesting to hear how you use the Lego Spike kits. My school has recently invested in the kits so it is something I look forward to using going forward. It sounds wonderful that the children will be working together and using skills like problem solving in such a creative way. Thanks for sharing your fantastic ideas.

 

[Emer Murphy]

I think the earth tube lesson sounds amazing and definitely something the children would love. What a great hands on, exploratory activity that would extend their learning of the planets in the solar system and also the idea of mass/weight. It is a great cross curricular activity that would tie in with science, geography, maths and art. I would also tie the learning into the literacy writing lessons of the week by asking the children to write a report on their chosen planet and use the corresponding facts learned from this activity in it.

For this lesson I would split the class into 7 small groups with each one working on a different planet. Each group will have an empty pringles tube. The unopened can of pringles would be planet Earth that will be compared with later. Each group will have some rice and a weighing scale that they will use to measure out the accurate amount needed. When it is filled they tape the top and label it with the name of their planet. Following on from this the group decorate the tube to reflect their planet. When all the groups are finished we can carry out an investigation, first making predictions and using prior knowledge- which is the largest planet, will this be heaviest etc. Then the groups would have a chance to explore the various tubes after which we would come together and note the actual weights and highlight the key information.

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