[Frances Shilling]

MODULE 5 ASSIGNMENT:
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky? For example: Look up President Michael D Higgins’ “Stardust”

Based on this module, I would prepare a scheme encompassing the arts & humanities subjects to explore the treatment of the Northern Lights. The topic can really cross over into any subject you would like though, with just a little flexible thinking!

• Music: Beginning with an article from The Guardian, where scientists recorded the true music of the Northern Lights!
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/jan/05/noises-of-the-northern-lights-weatherwatch?CMP=share_btn_url
• In groups, the children could take a few minutes to discuss/predict/perform what the sounds might be like, noting any ideas on their mini whiteboards.
• We would then watch the following brief YouTube video which plays the actual music of the Aurora. Afterwards the children would be given time to share responses etc

• Children prepare & perform a ‘soundscape’ or ‘sound poem’ or ‘piece of music’ that they compose with their groups, reflective of what they have learnt. They could use any found materials or instruments available in the classroom. Guidance towards music curriculum needed ie.: sense of rhythm, pitch & form etc
• Finish by hearing 2 contrasting examples of music inspired by the Northern Lights
1. A gorgeous Scandinavian choral piece – lyrics and music are stunning! https://youtu.be/rXKJCdGMUas?si=4pqW5pakoGyUP6QZ
2. A lovely sing-a-long-able pop/soft rock/folky song, which is a tribute to the native people of Northern Canada. The chorus repeats the native phrase: ‘Nalligilaurakku’, which means “I remember.”

The perfect lead into looking at Indigenous stories and tales centered around the Northern Lights internationally, and their importance in folklore/mythology.

So from this you get the general idea. I have compiled lots of resources to support the following very vaguely described areas:
• Art – responding to areas listed for Drama below; particularly Finland’s ‘Foxfire’ tales. Use of paint, print, construction – ideas from the children’s inspiration please 😉
• Drama –acting in role of story tellers, passing on the mythology of northern lights throughout history using resources, poems & stories we have explored in English & SESE, from Scandinavia, Scotland and China.
• Poetry – Alaska: Night Lights by Laura Salas Acrostic & very child friendly https://laurasalas.com/poems-for-teachers/alaska/
• Dance – responding to all of the above (including our music examples) via dance, using colourful sheets and scarves to represent the colours and flow of the northern lights.

Hope people can use these ideas and links etc. Have a great year with your classes everyone 😊

[Frances Shilling]

The Halloween timing is an excellent idea for sharing the dark skies materials.

Thanks.

[Frances Shilling]

Oh the webcam idea is fabulous. It would be a brilliant incentive for pupils with school refusal/ attendance issues too as they’d be more motivated to find out what’s going on at the same time as their friends.

[Frances Shilling]

“How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.”

Our school has an urban setting, in the satellite town of Carrigaline, Cork. Despite housing estates and shopping facilities hopping up left right and centre, – we have still been blessed with fox sightings in the school playground!

A discussion on this is a good springboard for evaluating and discussing the impact of the areas development upon the foxes habitat. For example, – should we really be seeing these nocturnal/ crepuscular animals as often as we do? At times when we aren’t seeing the fox regularly, there is still evidence of fox faeces on the grounds from time to time.

We must question what might be attracting the fox to our school environs – safety, shelter, food supply, appropriate lighting etc.
The students could then come up with a school plan in order to support our urban fox to survive and thrive. Is our school approach to lighting affecting the foxes natural sleep cycle and can this effect reproduction as learnt about other creatures in previous lessons?

Suggestions from the children might include planning for improved/ more natural lighting conditions and for food & water access during a hard frost or icy weather. What can we do to encourage the food chain surrounding the fox to thrive, so that it can too? (planting for shelter and food sources for example various berry bushes that bear fruit across as many seasons as possible).

We will take a similar approach to supporting the local bat populations, and perhaps work in tandem with the local ‘Men’s Shed’ group, or neighbouring Community School in order to build nesting boxes for bats, who may have reduced habitats available due to building and construction in the area.

With permission, we could combine the community to assess, design & make light shields for the local area, to encourage our urban foxes and bats – the Co-Op shop for supplies, the Mens Shed & Secondary Schools for woodwork support etc.

Again – it’s a positive action to help offset the overwhelm children can feel when faced with climate & development issues. We can make a tangible & visible change for the better! Power to the junior citizens 😊

[Frances Shilling]

I would be incorporating point 1 & 2 – to create a series of lessons, leading to the children directing some ‘Thoughtful Action’. Feeling a sense of advocacy, power & ‘being heard’ when dealing with their concerns re.: light pollution & local wildlife. It would be wonderful to see the children’s investigations bring some actual change to any school or local planning policies, particularly as the school is located in a area that is continuously adding housing estates, shopping centres and other resources. I would also link our light pollutions/ silent sky/ stars investigation to looking at the impact of unnatural lighting on local bat populations.

1. Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
2. Creating a teaching resource using the “Globe at Night” citizen science programme

• Begin the sessions with the ‘Counting Stars In a Box’ class made planetarium experiment, and also view the stars with the construction of a ‘Street In A Box’
• Familiarise the children with terms such as: energy, sky glow, glare, light trespass, shielding, sensor activated smart lights
• Investigate our school premises and site to see how our outdoor lighting may be impacting human (star visibility) & animal environments (bat/moth populations) & discuss how this impact might be minimised based on what we have discovered during the learning process
• Arrange for targeted observation of lighting outside their home buildings and homes nearby (parental supervision required). Discuss environmental & human impacts, planning for shielding needs after. Compare different estates/areas, link to maths etc
• Make thoughtful actions – are there any parties we can write to with our concerns, suggestions – BOM, local Supervalu managers, county council, planning office, builders undertaking projects in the vicinity etc

I would achieve the above using resources from Globe At Night – Dark Skies rangers Materials & Darksky.ie Investigating Light Pollution (toolkit lesson)The lessons provide great ideas suitable for a variety of learning needs. There is also an incentive for community based learning and parental cooperation.

[Frances Shilling]

Thanks for the reminder about the IDAs 5 Principles For Outdoor Lighting.

They can be used to create check boxes with space to comment, for a student’s survey of lighting on our school grounds & the area surrounding their homes? towns.

[Frances Shilling]

That sounds like loads of fun. If you have any anime or history fans in your class – it might also be interesting to look at some (less effective) methods of time-telling throughout history such as Japanese water clocks from the mid 7th century. Key point: using the sun leads to higher accuracy!

Although later, by 17th Century, the Japanese were using sunlight/sundials to tell time, the changing seasons meant it was pretty inaccurate because the length of the hour varied so much as daylight exposure changed. They counted 12 hours in a day – 6 for ‘day’, 6 for ‘night’. They moved to typical Western timekeeping officially at the end of the 19th Century.  Any of your 4th-6th class may be interested in this…maybe? Protagonist: Tanjiro – born during the change to western clocks. Antagonist: Lord Muzan – born during the uncertain water clocks era lol.

(I fear I’ve gone too far)

[Frances Shilling]

For my incoming 4th class, I have a lot of needs to consider. Like all teachers I have children who are new to English and a range of pupils with needs including Dyslexia, ASD, ADHD and Moderate Down’s Syndrome. Therefore I will be using the format of the ‘ESRO 30, Day & Night In The world’ lesson. It seems perfect for starting off the year with children’s various levels of abilities and interest.
I also have a lot of my own interest to share – my husband & I have gotten active in the monitoring and conservation of bat populations (for biodiversity Ireland) and have made some really interesting recordings of local bats! (we invested in a bit of gear). I had been sharing the fun with last years pupils, – but this ESRO guidance will put a good frame on the experience.
The ESRO Day/Night lesson is very engaging as children love animals, is strong on visual experiences and the use of art is fun and will really help to include all students in the learning experience. The worksheet, cutting & colouring activity will be exciting for all, with support for some. I would probably invite pupils to do the toothpick & orange activity using the visualiser and interactive whiteboard just to keep everyone safe! (I know these particular kids well!)
There are great opportunities for integration with language and maths/science, so I can target each child’s learning needs with a differentiated approach, targets and outcomes! So many follow up activities are possible – for example the children can work in partners to take a different location ( national or international), and each research & present on a locations day & night creatures. All could have their information finally displayed in an art form, via the Earth Tubes – and use these to display a day and night version of what they have learnt from their classmates about animals.
This is fabulous, I really have so much material that will be an inspiring and fun return to school for them!

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