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Design your own ‘Dark Sky place’
If I was to do a lesson with my class on designing a ‘Dark Sky place’ I would firstly do a lot of discussion around what they think this type of place is and why it’s important. I would explain to them that a Dark Sky site is a unique place where visitors come from all over the world because they can no longer see the night sky from where they live due to light pollution. I would show them videos of the three protected areas in Ireland that are Dark Sky sites.
We would talk about why these places are special and about what can be seen in the sky on a clear night. We would talk about the animals that live in these places and do some drawing and free writing also.The next step of the design would be to put the students into groups and to plan their design and to think about a suitable site for it. I would discuss certain factors with them such as Light Pollution, viewing sites & access, biodiversity at night, information on astronomy and safety.
I would also have done lots of role play including discussions with the students.
I would assign each student a group with a stakeholder to represent their views, these will include designers, visitng stargazers, conservation rangers and local residents. In their groups I would get them to discuss what kind of information would be useful to visitors, what you can do and see in a dark sky park.
At the end of the lesson we would evaluate our design and ask questions such as will our plan help to protect the night sky in the future, what supports do we need and is our plan realistic?Engage learners to explore biodiversity in the local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity
I think it is very important to discuss biodiversity with students as there is a decline in plant and animal species in Ireland and all over the world. It can be as simple as getting them to start to observe living things on their own doorstep. When introducing my students to this topic I will bring them outside to study our local biodiversity, getting them to notice what plants and animals they can see. This is also a good way to cover several curriculum areas.
Light pollution can have a negative effect on our local biodiversity. It can effect many animals including bats, owls, birds and insects. Like humans it can effect their circadian rhythms, foraging times, mating and migration. Light pollution can also effect plants, it can effect photosynthesis, early bud bursts, cause more growth and fewer flowers. There are lots of great websites which I will share with my class on the effects of light pollution on biodiversity such as Dark Sky, BBC News, Science Daily and Youtube.
How light pollution is affecting my local area
Light pollution is lighting at the wrong place or wrong time. Light pollution is easy to fix but can have a big impact on where people live. There are four different types of light pollution: Glare, sky glow, light trepass and clutter.
In my area I feel there is alot of light pollution from the street lights that surround the area. This lighting also affects biodiversity, bluer lighting attracts insects away from natural food sources whereas warmer lighting does not. Our circadian rhythm is affected by lighting too, it is better to use warmer tones in the evening and at night as this makes us more sleepy instead of using bluer tones.
There are plenty of different ways to reduce light pollution in our towns and cities, these include angling street lights down, directing light only where it is needed, using lights only when needed and by avoiding blue tones and choosing warm tones.
I think this would be an interesting topic to discuss with my class, I would introduce the subject area by asking them if we can make a plan to reduce light pollution in our area. I would get the students to make a model streetscape, deciding where light is needed and then encourage them to change the direction of the light using shields. We could then discuss their results and compare designs.WorldWide Telescope
The WorldWide Telescope is a tool for showcasing astronomical data and knowledge. It’s not a physical telescope but its a free software that creates scientific visualisations and stories.
It demonstrates the causes of seasons on Earth and how the sun moves through our sky.
If I was creating a teaching resource for my students using this software I would give them all a tablet or get them to work in pairs.As it is a hands on resource with physical models I think they would really enjoy a lesson using this software and gain a lot of knowledge from it. They would learn how heat energy is transfered to Earth from a short video.
I would also point out to them the importance of the tilt of the Earth and how this causes seasons and how they feel this tilt in their everyday lives.
A key component of the seasons curriculum is addressing any misconceptions that students might have.
While using this program students are left with a simple explanation of why it gets warmer in the summer and colder in the winter.
I would allow the students to play around with the software on their tablets and to see what other important information they can gather about the seasons.Construct a sundial
When constructing a sundial with my class I would first of all explain to them how old this system of telling the time is and that it goes back to Ancient Egypt.
I would tell them there are various ways to make a sundial, you can use your own shadow by marking it on the ground with chalk and then observing it to see if it changes during different times of the day.I would talk to them about how shadows are made and bring them outside to see this for themselves.
Another way to make a sundial is to use a stick and mark where your shadow is every hour and see if it shows the correct time of the day. It is important to remember that there must be sun all day while you are checking the time.
I would also show them the video on the spaceweek.ie website on how to make a sundial using cardboard. I think my class would really enjoy a lesson on sundials.