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I really enjoyed reading your lesson ideas. I like how you have made the topic of light pollution relevant to the children by focusing on familiar places in the local community. Using photographs to compare a city sky with a rural night sky is a very effective way to introduce the concept and encourage discussion.
The **Light Pollution Detectives** activity is particularly engaging. Asking pupils to identify sources of artificial light on a local map encourages them to observe their surroundings more carefully while also developing geography and mapping skills. The homework observation sheet is another excellent idea because it involves families and helps children make real-life connections between what they learn in school and what they notice at home. Recording the number of visible stars, the Moon, nearby lights and signs of wildlife provides meaningful evidence that can be discussed in class.
I also like the cross-curricular links with History, Geography and Art. You could further extend the lesson by comparing observations with a light pollution map of Ireland or by using a stargazing app to identify constellations that are difficult to see in brightly lit areas. This would reinforce the impact of excessive artificial lighting on our ability to observe the night sky while encouraging children to think about practical ways to reduce unnecessary lighting in their own community.
You are so lucky to have a rural night sky and an urban night sky in your area to make direct comparisons. Children love to experience direct comparisons so that they can understand why and how themselves (again this is what the new STEM curriculum is promoting).
We will introduce the Moon’s phases using a printable visual aid from Twinkl and discuss why the Moon is sometimes visible during the day. The best time for morning observations is during the **waning gibbous** and **waning crescent** phases, in the week before each new moon. Planned observation dates are: 6–10 September, 5–9 October, 2–8 November, 2–8 December 2026, and 1–2 February, 2–4 March, 1–3 April, and 1–3 May 2027. Between 9.00 and 11.00 a.m., children will observe the Moon from a fixed point in the school yard, record the date and time, sketch its shape and position, and use a compass to note its location. Back in class, they will compare observations, create clay models representing the Moon’s eight phases, and paint them to show light and shadow. Pupils will also use NASA’s Daily Moon Guide and the Scoilnet Moon Learning Path to compare their observations with scientific resources and keep a Moon diary.
Its always great to get the children working in small groups. Peer learning is very powerful when the pupils are actively experiencing hands on learning. This kind of set up is really supporting the new STEM curriculum, where the main emphasis is on student centred learning.
Hi Nicola, I like the way you got pupils to think of the past – how did they tell time (this is bringing History into the STEAM). I notice in my class the pupils are really struggling with analogue time (as we all have phones now).
Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day”
To help students observe and record the position of the Sun throughout the day, I would begin by using a tall, fixed object such as a bollard, stake or basketball pole in a sunny area of the school yard. In the morning, pupils would trace the object’s shadow with chalk and repeat this activity before home time. This would encourage discussion about why the shadow changes position and length during the day. The following day, pupils would work in pairs to trace each other’s outlines on the yard. They would then predict where their shadows would be at the end of the day by drawing them in a different colour of chalk before returning later to compare their predictions with the actual shadows. To extend this investigation, we could repeat the activity at different times of the year using a permanent sundial structure, allowing pupils to explore how the Earth’s tilt and changing seasons affect the Sun’s apparent path and shadow lengths.Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day”
To help students observe and record the position of the Sun throughout the day, I would begin by using a tall, fixed object such as a bollard, stake or basketball pole in a sunny area of the school yard. In the morning, pupils would trace the object’s shadow with chalk and repeat this activity before home time. This would encourage discussion about why the shadow changes position and length during the day. The following day, pupils would work in pairs to trace each other’s outlines on the yard. They would then predict where their shadows would be at the end of the day by drawing them in a different colour of chalk before returning later to compare their predictions with the actual shadows. To extend this investigation, we could repeat the activity at different times of the year using a permanent sundial structure, allowing pupils to explore how the Earth’s tilt and changing seasons affect the Sun’s apparent path and shadow lengths.