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Songs, poems, art that connect us with the night sky- One that springs to mind is the poem ‘A Christmas Childhood’ by Patrick Kavanagh where he recalls being at home with his family on Christmas Night as a child. There is an image in the poem of his father playing music under the stars in the early hours of the morning- ‘There were stars in the morning east, And they danced to his music.’ He also mentions a constellation visible in the night sky- ‘Cassiopeia was over Cassidy’s hanging hill.’ The poem also mentions nature- the sound of moor hens, whin bushes on the horizon. This poem is really atmospheric and evokes images of a time when people were much more in tune with nature and the night sky than most people are now. Here is a link to the poem: https://allpoetry.com/poem/14330523-A-Christmas-Childhood-by-Patrick-Kavanagh
An example of artwork that features the night sky is Van Gogh’s ‘Cafe Terrace at Night’. I think this painting is really interesting in the context of what we focused on in this course because it would have been painted in the late 19th century (if I am correct in thinking this is when Van Gogh was active as an artist), a time when artificial light existed but was not as commonplace as it is nowadays. The painting shows a street scene at night with the front of a cafe lit by artificial light. Apart from this though, the rest of the street is largely dark and there are stars clearly visible in the night sky. I find it interesting because it seems that when Van Gogh painted this picture the night sky must still have been very clear in urban areas. If this street scene were painted nowadays it would probably feature a lot more artificial light and little or no stars visible in the sky. You can see the painting I am talking about at this link: https://sites.create-cdn.net/siteimages/35/9/0/359067/18/8/4/18848022/863×1200.jpg?1604413269
Finally, a song that links to this topic would be Chris Hadfield’s versions of Space Oddity which was recorded aboard the International Space Station. The video is available to watch on Youtube and feature footage of what it is like aboard the space station, as well as images of the earth in the day and night from space. It could be a way to introduce topics like space, light pollution, etc and start a conversation among pupils about these topics. This is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo
Songs, poems, art that connect us with the night sky- One that springs to mind is the poem ‘A Christmas Childhood’ by Patrick Kavanagh where he recalls being at home with his family on Christmas Night as a child. There is an image in the poem of his father playing music under the stars in the early hours of the morning- ‘There were stars in the morning east, And they danced to his music.’ He also mentions a constellation visible in the night sky- ‘Cassiopeia was over Cassidy’s hanging hill.’ The poem also mentions nature- the sound of moor hens, whin bushes on the horizon. This poem is really atmospheric and evokes images of a time when people were much more in tune with nature and the night sky than most people are now. Here is a link to the poem: https://allpoetry.com/poem/14330523-A-Christmas-Childhood-by-Patrick-Kavanagh
An example of artwork that features the night sky is Van Gogh’s ‘Cafe Terrace at Night’. I think this painting is really interesting in the context of what we focused on in this course because it would have been painted in the late 19th century (if I am correct in thinking this is when Van Gogh was active as an artist), a time when artificial light existed but was not as commonplace as it is nowadays. The painting shows a street scene at night with the front of a cafe lit by artificial light. Apart from this though, the rest of the street is largely dark and there are stars clearly visible in the night sky. I find it interesting because it seems that when Van Gogh painted this picture the night sky must still have been very clear in urban areas. If this street scene were painted nowadays it would probably feature a lot more artificial light and little or no stars visible in the sky. You can see the painting I am talking about at this link: https://sites.create-cdn.net/siteimages/35/9/0/359067/18/8/4/18848022/863×1200.jpg?1604413269
Finally, a song that links to this topic would be Chris Hadfield’s versions of Space Oddity which was recorded aboard the International Space Station. The video is available to watch on Youtube and feature footage of what it is like aboard the space station, as well as images of the earth in the day and night from space. It could be a way to introduce topics like space, light pollution, etc and start a conversation among pupils about these topics. This is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo
Songs, poems, art that connect us with the night sky- One that springs to mind is the poem ‘A Christmas Childhood’ by Patrick Kavanagh where he recalls being at home with his family on Christmas Night as a child. There is an image in the poem of his father playing music under the stars in the early hours of the morning- ‘There were stars in the morning east, And they danced to his music.’ He also mentions a constellation visible in the night sky- ‘Cassiopeia was over Cassidy’s hanging hill.’ The poem also mentions nature- the sound of moor hens, whin bushes on the horizon. This poem is really atmospheric and evokes images of a time when people were much more in tune with nature and the night sky than most people are now. Here is a link to the poem:
https://allpoetry.com/poem/14330523-A-Christmas-Childhood-by-Patrick-KavanaghAn example of artwork that features the night sky is Van Gogh’s ‘Cafe Terrace at Night’. I think this painting is really interesting in the context of what we focused on in this course because it would have been painted in the late 19th century (if I am correct in thinking this is when Van Gogh was active as an artist), a time when artificial light existed but was not as commonplace as it is nowadays. The painting shows a street scene at night with the front of a cafe lit by artificial light. Apart from this though, the rest of the street is largely dark and there are stars clearly visible in the night sky. I find it interesting because it seems that when Van Gogh painted this picture the night sky must still have been very clear in urban areas. If this street scene were painted nowadays it would probably feature a lot more artificial light and little or no stars visible in the sky. You can see the painting I am talking about at this link:
https://sites.create-cdn.net/siteimages/35/9/0/359067/18/8/4/18848022/863×1200.jpg?1604413269Finally, a song that links to this topic would be Chris Hadfield’s versions of Space Oddity which was recorded aboard the International Space Station. The video is available to watch on Youtube and feature footage of what it is like aboard the space station, as well as images of the earth in the day and night from space. It could be a way to introduce topics like space, light pollution, etc and start a conversation among pupils about these topics. This is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo
I think you have suggested really useful ideas here Sarah that would get the children thinking about the topic. I like the ideas of the groups creating presentations with music, etc to show their ideas, this would really give them an opportunity to bring their ideas to life. Having seen on this module some examples of dark sky events that are held throughout the country, I think the children would really enjoy getting to plan their own event in their dark sky space. There were some really well-designed posters for events in the Mayo Dark Sky Park that caught my eye while I was doing the module. You could look and respond to these with the class and use them as inspiration to get the children thinking about what could be in their dark sky space. This activity as a whole would be a great way to draw together all of the different topics that were covered in this course and would provide great opportunities for creativity.
How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species into biodiversity plans- I think I would start by getting the school community involved in doing an assessment of biodiversity on the school grounds, such as the bio blitz that feature in this module. Different class levels could get involved in different aspects of this according to their age and level. Next it would be important to ensure that children know what is meant by the term ‘nocturnal’ and what nocturnal species can be found in Ireland. By the fact that they are active at night it may be difficult to identify what nocturnal species there are in the immediate area of the school, but by using resources available, such as the biodiversity map and even by collecting local knowledge, it should be possible to identify what nocturnal species are likely to inhabit the area. We could then assess the situation as regards light pollution as we did in the previous module and see what actions could be taken to minimise the effects of light pollution so as to make the school grounds a suitable environment for these creatures.
I have great admiration for schools like yours Tara that are located in urban settings with not much access to outdoor space, in particular green areas, in terms of how creative the school community can be with developing the space they have and using what is in the local area. You talk about the pond and it is great that at least you have this natural amenity in the area as a starting point. In many ways it would probably be less of a challenge for a school that it is in a more rural setting with access to more green space to develop spaces for a wildflower meadow, etc as you mentioned, but I have seen urban schools in my area set up small gardens with things like big hotels, bird boxes, and wildflower patches in small spaces. It may also be easier for a school like yours to assess if your actions have increased biodiversity as it might be more obvious in an urban setting compared to a rural one if there are more birds, pollinators, etc in the area.
Like you said here Róisín, when you look at the changes that have occurred in terms of lighting in our landscape over the years it is not surprising that many of us can no longer see the night sky very clearly. I live on the outskirts of a village where you might assume that the level of light pollution would be relatively low, however I was surprised to see on the light pollution map website that it is higher than I expected. Having done this module though I can now understand what this is the case. There is usually a glow in parts of the night sky from the bigger towns nearby. As well as this, many houses in the area tend to leave on outdoor lights at night which creates the effect of clutter. Also, new street lights were recently installed on the footpath that leads from the village to my house. While this path is used a lot by pedestrians during the day, it is rarely used at night as there would be no businesses open in the village after about 6pm, so it seems wasteful to have a string of street lights on all night long in a location like this. Perhaps having some form of motion sensors that would turn the lights on when needed might be a better solution, as I have seen in other places. Doing a survey on light pollution with a class would certainly be a good way to raise awareness of this problem.
Creating a teaching resource using the Globe at Night- I would see the Globe at Night as being a useful tool to raise children’s awareness of the problem of light pollution. Firstly, I would do the activity described in this module where the children create a streetscape using different types of lighting to mimic the effects of street lights and other artificial light sources, then use a box planetarium to test the effect of light pollution on our ability to see the night sky clearly. This activity would be a good way to introduce the topic and help the children to understand the concept of pollution is and what impact it can have. I noticed on the lightpollutionmap.info website that when you click on a place on a the map if gives a score on the Bortle scale which goes from 1 to 9. A quick Google image search brings up some examples of different views of the sky and where they fall on the scale. The children in my school would range from those who live in housing estates and townhouses to those who live several kilometres out in the countryside, so it would be interesting to see what they think the night sky looks like from their individual houses. Finally, I would adapt the Globe at Night to use with primary school children. We could pick a night where there is no moon and the forecast is for clear skies. I would ask the children to compare what they can see from their house with the star charts from the Globe at Night. We could compare the results from different locations and follow up by doing a survey of light pollution in the area to see why some people can see the night sky more clearly than others.
An observation plan for planets visible in the autumn- Firstly I would do some background lessons on the planets that would be visible by using a resource like the Solar System Observer website. I would work with the children to create their own star wheel and then use it to make a plan or calendar showing what planets will be visible during the autumn months and when. Then, as the planets become visible in the night sky, I think that Stellarium would be an excellent resource for the children to become familair with the night sky and to locate where and when each of the planets will be visible. The features on Stellarium would also allow them to find out more information about the planets and to zoom in on them and see how they might appear if observed through a telescope. Overall I think that being able to link the online and hands-on resources featured in this module with real-life observations of the night sky would make this activity engaging and meaningful for the children.
I like your ideas here Patrick, they would really get the children thinking and engaged. In particular, comparing the appearance of the moon at different times of the year would be a good way to develop and reinforce the children’s learning and understanding. I usually tend to cover a topic such as this and then move on to the next topic, but it would actually make a lot of sense with something like learning about the moon phases to come back to it again as you have suggested here Patrick. There would be potential here to link the topic with other subject areas too I think. For example, it could be linked with literacy- there are many examples of poems about or featuring the moon. It could also be linked with visual arts, looking and responding to examples of art featuring the moon and creating art inspired by the phases of the moon.
For the sundial activity I used a traffic cone that is about 1 metre high. I placed it in the middle of an area of tarmac that gets sunlight for most of the day. I then used a piece of chalk to mark where the shadow from the tip of the cone fell at each hour (or as close to the hour as possible when it was cloudy). I think that this activity would engage the pupils on a number of levels. Firstly I would get the children to think about and explore where would be best to position their sundial. This would hopefully get them thinking about such things as the position of the sun in the sky at different times of the day, where shadows from trees, buildings, etc. might fall. This in itself would present some real opportunities for teamwork and discovery learning. Secondly, the design of the sundial itself and how they choose to record the time, e.g. using rocks, chalk, etc would provide opportunities for pupils to engage creatively with the task. Finally there would be opportunities to link this activity to other subjects. One that springs to mind is history. I recall reading somewhere that contrary to what is often believed, people in ancient times were aware that the earth is round. The ancient Greeks noticed that the further north you travel, shadows get longer as the sun appears to be lower in the sky. They were able to work out by comparing the lengths of shadows in different place that the world must be round. Stories like this can be engaging for children as they challenge what they may have believed or heard before.
Yes I would agree Tom that making planet tubes would present some really good learning opportunities and could easily be differentiated according to ability and class level. Like you said, there would be opportunities for some children to go beyond the basic concept that is being explored and to investigate density, looking for example at how two objects could be of a similar size but have a different mass. The planet tube activity would lend itself really well to this type of investigation as each tube is the same size, but each has a different mass. For those children who are ready to explore the topic more deeply this could pose questions like what would happen if two objects of similar size but different masses were close to each other in space? How would they be likely to interact? I also like this activity because it provides linkage to other areas of the curriculum, visual arts and maths being two obvious ones.
