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This is a good list of materials to inspire the students from many different perspectives. I really like the use of Irish artists here. I am sure this would also help with their own creative writing in literacy also.
Project on Piseogs, traditions and stories.
I did something similar myself growing up, our school principal asked us to gather all the superstitions that we could from our grandparents. It was a great way to connect with the local knowledge, hear of tales we had never heard before and it opened some curiosity about the matter.
I guess I would do this in a very similar manner: KWL on what the students know on the topic followed by what they would like to know and what they did learn about it. It will also encourage students to as more and more about the topic. The project might be best completed in small groups so that some students can learn from the others and even see if the stories from one person is identical to another. This could then be lined to a writing genre in Literacy where students can delve into their imagination and continue these old tales with some of their own new ideas. After all the stars, moon and the dark can be very helpful parts to setting a scene in story telling.
I like that your using a few different learning strategies during this lesson. It looks like it would encourage learners to connect with real environmental issues and how to try to fix them.
Number 1:
I would start with a KWL about biodiversity, find out any prior knowledge of it and find out what the students want to learn. This also allows for a reflection at the end for what they did learn. We would then do some research on that living things we might expect to find in the Dublin urban area so that we can have a lens for what we are looking for as we go on a nature walk to a local park to discover the different living things in our local area.
With regard to the light pollution, I would begin by introducing the topic of light pollution and ask learners how it might affect biodiversity. We would then investigate 2 location: 1 with high levels of light pollution and one with low levels of light pollution. We would take our recording and data back to class where we can investigate if there was any differences and discuss our findings. We could then link this with art to create a poster informing others of our finding about the affects of light pollution
That is interesting about your local areas in rural Ireland still suffering. The apps sound like a great way for the students to collect and record the data. Sound like a fun time.
Number 1
Having completed a lesson on the constellation I am sure the students would be very interested as to why they cannot see them in Dublin. Here they might come up with their own enquiry question, What can we do to improve the light pollution in Dublin? From here we would carry out an investigation as to what lights in the locality could be improved to lessen the pollution caused. We would do a small walk around the locality, figuring out which lights in the locality could be improved. The students could then do this very same investigation at home and the locality around their home. Finally we could draw up a poster to inform the locals about the harm that can be cause to out night sky and the animals of the night if we are polluting the sky with excessive light. Here they are identify and providing a solution to a problem.
I think it sounds like a great use of resources and it is very engaging. You could even get the student to share why they chose that constellation, linking oral language with STEM.
Number 3
Before going out to view the moon, we would look at the topic through inquiry. I would do a KWL about the moon. I would play the Paxi and our moon video about phases and eclipses. Hopefully we would have come up with some questions about the moon, it could even be which phase of the moon is best to see in the morning and is this always the case? We would then go out and observe the moon at different stages of the morning, noon and afternoon(choosing a suitable morning for this). The students would then record the time and the moon phase by drawing and labeling the name of the moon
Siofra that sounds like a very engaging lesson. Getting them to predict is also a nice way for them to use previous knowledge on the topic
<p class=”isSelectedEnd”>Number 3; I would begin the lesson by showing the student the students the day and night video with Paxi following this, ask the children where they see the Sun at different times of the day and discussing how it appears to move across the sky. We would revise the compass directions (North, South, East and West) and identify where the Sun rises and sets. The class would then make predictions about how their shadows might change during the day.</p>
<p class=”isSelectedEnd”>For the investigation, the children would work in pairs outside at three different times: morning, midday and afternoon. Using a marked spot, one child would stand still while their partner traced and measured their shadow before swapping roles. They would repeat this at each observation time, ensuring they stood in the same place each time.</p>
Back in the classroom, the children would compare their results and discuss how the length and direction of their shadows changed as the Sun’s position changed. To conclude, they would draw and label their three shadows and write a short sentence explaining what they observed.