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Hi Aimee, thanks for sharing here. I too love Coldplay’s ‘A Sky Full of Stars’. It’s a great idea to use the song at the end of a space topic as it’s a popular and current song that the children may be familiar with already. I wasn’t aware of the Picture This song. It’s a perfect one to do when learning about our solar system and they are an Irish band which are even more contemporary again which the children would be hugely drawn to. ‘Star light star bright’ is a poem I often use with my junior classes and it’s a great poem for invoking the children’s interest and connection in light pollution by seeing if they can or can’t see the wonders of the night sky.
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”
As I have reflected on the songs, poems and art that can connect us with the night sky I was struck by the amount I can think of, but I haven’t really connected the two when it comes to our night sky and biodiversity until now. This has changed now however, and how I will teach this subject matter to my future students will change for the better. I have a great grá for using song and poems in the classroom, but I haven’t utilised this grá to integrate the themes of biodiversity and light pollution.
I found Michael D Higgins ‘Stardust’ poem hugely inspiring and his passion and ability to convey what the sky can invoke within us is a true revelation. The lines ‘making a fresh story of a new time’ resonated with me as we are at a turning point now where it is our duty for our future generations and to biodiversity to address light pollution in a serious and collective manner. Today is the day for a new ‘fresh story’ in how we approach light pollution rather than ignoring it. I’m heartened to see groups like Dark Sky Ireland helping our future generations to connect with the wonder of the universe by organising campaigns and events..
Vincent van Gogh’s classic artwork, ‘Starry Night’ is a wonderful piece of art which depicts the joy that the night sky beholds. This artwork can help my 4th Class interpret, reflect and connect with all the colours from the stars by seeing a night free from light pollution which is amazing and a blessing to witness. A night sky filled without light pollution shows just how much the night can influence culture and inspire art and the creative arts.
Coldplay’s ‘A Sky Full of Stars’ is one of my favourite songs. I sang this at my friend’s wedding a few years back. I always loved how the song uses the beauty of the night sky as a metaphor for appreciating and accepting our loved ones and finding joy even in the challenging moments by embracing each other’s quirks and charms.Hi Damien, thanks for sharing here. I really like the idea of doing a KWL chart to start the lesson as it’s a great way to see where the children are at. I fully agree with getting the children to do projects in groups as it’s great for promoting teamwork, leadership skills and invoking their interest and passion in the topic. Using the school website to share their research and findings is a terrific idea too.
How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
The children would explore how to have joined up thinking and a more integrated approach to decisions made in development, planning, water management, transport and many other areas when it comes to biodiversity in our local area of Dublin 15. The children will examine how if we don’t reevaluate how we look at the impact of light pollution on our local biodiversity, we will be facing much larger bills due to the lack of biodiversity and their valuable ecosystem services.
I will divide my 4th Class into 5 groups when examining the threats to biodiversity in Dublin 15 under the following 5 themes: changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien-species. The groups will research each theme using the iPads where they will share their findings with the rest of the class upon completion. The children will have access to certain relevant websites such as The National Biodiversity Data Centre and the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
The children will investigate the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity under the following 3 domains connected on their iPads also and report their findings back after: bird levels using light levels to decide when to sing, bright lights confusing migrating birds, and birds feeding on insects that are confused by light pollution.
My passion for this topic has been ignited in this module and learning how insects are particularly impacted by light pollution concerns me as it’s so preventable which I will convey to my students. If we simply remember to turn off unused lights for example, we will save the one third of insects trapped in the orbit of light bulbs that die before morning either through exhaustion or being eaten.Hi Eimear, thanks for sharing. I too worry about how our local wild life are impacted by light pollution where there their natural rhythms are totally put out of harmony and balance. The Dark Sky Friendly Lighting will be a key resource I will use with my class during the upcoming year also when exploring the topic of light pollution.
Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
We would engage my 4th Class to discuss in our class if the lights in our school and local Dublin 15 area are dark sky friendly. We will identify areas where we can do better by planning to reduce light pollution. I found the Wondering – Losing the Dark Video hugely inspiring as it is together that we can bring back the dark of night back to our planet Earth. This is resource and video I will use with my class when discussing how light pollution affects our local environment. By being more responsible for the light we use, we can avoid wasting light and energy into the night sky. By replacing light fixtures that send light up to the sky, to one’s that send light downwards exactly where we want it by using shielded fixtures, it can help minimise our use of light massively and prevent artificial light at night becoming light pollution in our local area.
We can illuminate only the places that need it in our school and local area by using direct light only where needed and angling lights down. We can of course turn off unnecessary lights as we emit so much energy at huge cost with lights that are left on or used in the incorrect manner shining too high into the night sky or lighting areas at the wrong times (e.g. if streetlights are coming on at the wrong time when it’s still bright etc.). I found the fact that bluer lights attract insects away from natural food sources, but warmer light do not compelling as it’s an easy fix which many of us are unaware of. The short clip exploring this has really impacted me.
I like the 5 principles of Dark Sky Friendly Lights too as we may overlook some of these principles. The low light levels principle struck a particular chord with me as lights should be no brighter than necessary, but I notice people often ignoring this in my local area. These Lighting Principles would be a basis of a lesson I will do with my 4th Class when I get back to school at the end of the month where the children will investigate ways of promoting responsible outdoor lighting in our local area of Dublin 15 and at school. The children will show there results using an inventory with the number of light fixtures and the types of light which they will present to all the stakeholders in the school and some local politicians.
Thanks for this wonderful post Sharon. I like the idea of teaching the directions NSEW in detail with this activity by using the sun in the sky, a compass and by involving a collaboration with parents. Since starting this course, I’ve been flat out looking at the nighttime stars too which I’ve really enjoyed. Like Michelle, I love the idea of a Star Gazing Journal and which I will definitely be utilising with my 4th Class this upcoming year!
Create an observing plan for autumn that shows which planets are visible in the evening sky.
First, I would start by teaching my 4th class next year to observe the sky on clear evenings, preferably after sunset (about 8:00 PM in August, later in October). We will research as a class the planets that are visible in the evening sky. We will discuss the possibility of certain planets being visible early in the morning for any potential early risers in the class! We will identify how Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will be the planets visible in the autumn of 2025. The sky in the morning will show Venus. Jupiter will first be visible in the evening sky in the early autumn, but as the season goes on, it will move into the morning sky. Additionally, Mercury will make brief appearances in the twilight sky, especially during August.
Next, I would stress how crucial it is to choose an area with less light pollution, such as a park or open field, ideally away from estate or traffic lights. We will discuss the weather forecast at the beginning of each day and the visibility envisioned for later in the evening also. We would go over which planets are visible to the unaided eye and how using binoculars or a small telescope at home would improve the experience.
Finally, I would ensure parent supervision and a safe environment, especially when observing in darkness. I would encourage the use of the Stellarium/ WorldWide Telescope apps to help identify constellations and locate planets on the iPads. As an additional STEM activity, the children will make their own planetarium box with tin foil, a box, a poking device and a torch where they can put in the Earth, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and their favourite constellation in their own sky like in the BCO video with Francis. The children will be given scope to leave out and add in any planet or constellation that they want in their planetarium box.
Thanks for this post Damien. I got a lot from it. Like you Orlaigh, I will really like the idea of building a shelter for a toy. This activity embodies what STEM is all about where we can learn in a playful manner and there are a multitude of possible solutions as there is no one correct answer which is crucial to emphasise. This is what learning is all about for me as it does foster the children’s abilities to think critically and to solve problems which in turn helps to strengthen and grow the children’s confidence as a result which is an absolute win-win!
Construct a sundial in my school ground
First, I would find a sunny spot in the field area beside my school which has access to the sun all day with no shade from the school building etc. as this would impact how many hours I can show on my sundial. Then I would prop up a stick in a flowering pot which is supported by a rock on top so it does not wobble like Francis does in the BCO Education video which I found fantastic. I really like the cardboard sundials that Francis made too which can be accessed from Spaceweek.ie. I can’t wait to do this with my STEM class when I get back to school at the end of the month. I will bring torches in and allow the children to tell the time using their sundials but making sure to point in a south direction. I would get the school set of compasses to help with this of course!
Every hour of the day, I would set a rock to represent the location of the shadow at that moment with my sundial out on the field also. This would enable me to tell the time by looking for the shadow while I’m outside on the green for PE and I forget my phone/ watch to tell the time so I don’t miss the home time bell!
