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I like the examples that you used June. I hadn’t thought of some of them. I particularly like how you said to look into Newgrange and the Summer /Winter Solstice. These examples would be very topical and you could make it into a lovely cross curricular lesson based on the theme of the Night Sky.
The night sky has long inspired artists across music, literature, and visual art. Examples include Chris Martin and Coldplay in A Sky Full of Stars, Don McLean’s Vincent, Paul Oakenfold’s Starry Eyed Surprise, Toploader’s Dancing in the Moonlight, Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark, and Florence + the Machine in Cosmic Love. It also appears in Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, W.B. Yeats’ poetry, Oliver Jeffers’ How to Catch a Star, Vincent van Gough’s The Starry Night, Georgia O’Keeffe’s starlight paintings, and Henri Rousseau’s Under the Stars. Together, these works show how the night sky continues to inspire reflection, wonder, and creativity.
First, I would carry out a wildlife audit with the students to identify areas that could become safe spaces for nocturnal animals. We could reduce unnecessary outdoor lighting by switching lights off when they are not needed and using motion sensors where possible. Planting native flowers and shrubs, leaving a small wild area, and creating log piles would provide habitats for insects, hedgehogs, and other wildlife. As a longer-term goal, I would work towards creating a dedicated “dark zone” where artificial lighting is kept to a minimum and install bat or bird boxes. I would also introduce activities such as moth surveys, bat walks with local experts, and lessons about light pollution. By involving students from Junior Infants upwards they would develop a sense of responsibility and understand that protecting biodiversity includes caring for wildlife that is active at night as well as during the day. By reviewing these actions each year and with the help of the Green schools committee the school could build on its progress and ensure that protecting nocturnal wildlife and reducing light pollution become an ongoing part of our biodiversity plan and our schools community.
I liked that part of the module too Áine as it is something they believe from an early age that they get caught in your hair.
Living and teaching near Roscommon Town, I have become more aware of how artificial lighting affects our local environment. Compared with Boyle, Roscommon Town has a greater concentration of streetlights, shops and traffic, creating more skyglow and making it harder to see the stars.
Boyle, while also a busy town, is surrounded by larger areas of countryside and is closer to darker rural locations, so the night sky can often be clearer just outside the town.
We could compare the night skies in Roscommon Town and Boyle by observing and counting visible stars from each location. My students could also complete a light audit around the school to identify sources of unnecessary lighting and investigate how light pollution affects local wildlife such as bats and moths. These activities would help them associate science with their own surroundings while developing environmental awareness and a sense of responsibility for protecting our night skies.I like this idea of this lesson Niall. Comparing both places and the seeing the differences between them. It is an interesting lesson for both you and the students.
Q3.
To introduce the lesson, I would read Moon! Earth’s Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty. This picture book will engage interest with an introduction to the Moon, its phases, and its importance. It will help to elicit their prior knowledge and encourage curiosity for the observation activity.
The main focus of the lesson we would observe the Last Quarter Moon, as this is visible in the morning and is the most suitable for observation during the school day.During the 2026–2027 school year, opportunities for observation occur around 4 September, 3 October, 1 November, 1 December 2026 and 29 January, 28 February, 30 March and 28 April 2027.
The children would observe the Moon from the school playground,paying attention to its shape and the light and dark areas on its surface. They would record their observations by drawing what they see and compare their drawings with a Moon phases chart. Through discussion, I would encourage the children to think about why the Moon appears to change shape and guide them to understand that the Moon does not produce its own light but reflects sunlight.I like your idea of the picture book Siobhan. This would get them talking about the moon and the night sky. I had forgotten about this book. It is a lovely story with plenty of imagery and ideas for a lesson on the night sky.
I agree that you shouldn’t be teaching science, maths and technology separately. It is better to see the connections between the subjects and bring them in through hands on experiences. It is more meaningful for the students when they are taught like this .
Q3.
To help my students observe and record the position of the Sun, I would discuss the importance of observing the sun safely and remind them never to look directly at the Sun. Before we begin to observe the sun. The students would make a simple Sun observation wheel using a paper plate, a compass rose, and arrows to label the cardinal directions. They would also create a recording sheet to sketch the Sun’s position at different times of the day. We would use these tools from the same location in the school grounds, recording the time, weather, and the Sun’s position relative to nearby landmarks. If possible, students would observe the sunrise or sunset at home with their families and add these observations to their journals. Afterward, we would compare our results and discuss the patterns we noticed, including how the Sun appears to move from east to west and changes height during the day. This would help them to develop their understanding of the sun when it rises and sets at different times of the day.