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As we are a city school, the options for a school project to explore traditions/piseaóg’s stories etc. is vast. We have many stories and tales from the Vikings, monasteries and different folklore for many areas of the city. To plan a school project we would need one class to lead the way and this would be my class. We can prepare different areas for different class groups suitable for all ages and abilities. We could have some classes speaking to local residents with families of older generations. This would give us a direct link to the area and all the tales that come with it. We can also research all the local landmarks such as the local market, the Gaol, Cathedral where each and many more tell their own stories. Some classes can draw theirs as a story, some can write reports, some could gather audio recordings and some could draw pictures. There are many different ways to record such interesting accounts and information.
Your chosen songs are great. I love the variety and different eras used. Likewise with the poems and art, there is such a variety to chose from.
As our school has a local lake near us, I would bring the class on a walk to the area and spark some interest and curiosity in some local knowledge around biodiversity in our area. We take regular trips so the older classes would be very familiar with the area. While we are there, we would observe any animals around. When we return to school, I would ask them what would be the difference if we went at night time. We could then make some checklists with day and night. The children could draw some pictures and play some different games around animals that come out at night time. We could then extend to speak about light pollution in relation to these animals at night. Helping children understand shadows and how and where light shines will be helpful in this lesson. Hands-on activities would be suitable here working with their own shadows outside with chalk or a shadow map based on lights inside the school also.
I really like the idea of your whole school approach as it is for everyone. Making posters collaboratively would also be a great idea.
I teach in a city school so light pollution is a huge problem in our area and it is only worsening with time. Light pollution is diminishing both the natural night sky and the locals quality of life. There are many examples of light pollution in our area. These include; streetlights and lighting linked with local businesses for advertising. There is a continuous glow that causes many difficulties for people living within the area. Some of the difficulties could be that street lighting is outside the window affecting their sleep. It also makes it difficult to observe the night sky. There are some immediate solutions to these problems. The street lighting could be lower intensity bulbs with a warmer lighting. Some initiates which have happened previously was where lights be turned off at certain times during the night. If this happened more frequently, it could help with the problem. The same could be said for the advertising boards we see all around. These can only be used during certain times and similarly, special bulbs could be used.
It is a good idea to have the differences in where children live rural or urban. This would make their findings very interesting.
The Autumn evenings will be perfect for children to explore and investigate the night sky. It is important for children to investigate the planet patterns using direction. These directions will need to be taught prior. Certain planets can be seen at certain times of the night. Identify the planets with the children and through observation over a period of time see can the children identify the planets. As time moves on give certain indicators i.e. the planet where roughly it will be and how to locate it. One idea which might help encourage the children would be to play a game of planet bingo and what planets can you tick off your list. Depending on the age of the children completing the activity, as mentioned in the module, using apps such as Stellarium or World Wide Telescope would be useful and the children would enjoy this element of learning and researching.
I like your idea of the ‘Sky detectives’ Jane. Children would definitely be interested and engaged through the investigate phase.
Linking your activity with art is going to be effective in sparking an interest in the lesson. This is a super idea.
I would begin by using KWL chart to see what the class might already know. Make note of all the equipment needed for the plan. The children will need: clipboards, worksheet, pencils. This lesson could take place over the course of a week and different children could work in small groups to make observations. It will be organised that the sun will be observed at different times during the week and day to get an idea of its pattern. Children should be encouraged to record their findings in their own unique way depending on class level. Some ideas could be a sketch, co-ordinates, stickers or any other creative way. At the end, all findings will be accumulated. Each group will have an opportunity to reflect on their work and present it to the class. The children can be assessed as a group or individually based on the worksheet. It could be a nice display idea for inside or outside of the classroom if the children documented their findings.
One interesting way that your school has to be more sustainable is the push on taps. We have turn on/off taps and I find myself regularly having to remind children to turn off the tap. This is definitely something that could be introduced a few classrooms at a time.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, people are more aware nowadays in different areas and how it affects them and the wider community. Sustainability is a word that has become used very regularly by all ages. We teach children from a young age about recycling, how to get rid of our rubbish properly, how we avoid waste and many more. People have become better at researching products we buy and how we can become more sustainable ourselves. Some people might say, one person is not going to make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things but they certainly are. If everyone thought like that, nothing would change. If each person makes one small change, this could be a huge factor in becoming more sustainable. Our local school community has tried to become more sustainable, but this has it’s own challenges. One way which we could do better this coming year is in relation to our school lunches. Encourage the children to take home lunches they haven’t finished and could be eaten later, or cancel the school lunches if the lunch is not suitable as each child has their own preferences. It is nice to see a wide variety of lunches as we learned about in our last module, all the different proteins and fats which are necessary in our diets.
Caoimhe, I really enjoyed the idea of a cooking demonstration. I am moving to the senior classes this year and that is an excellent suggestion.
I think this module was my favourite so far. It had information which was necessary for everyone, literally everyone. I think in more recent times, people have become more aware of their health and how our nutrition pays such an important part in our lives and quality of living. Recently, I have started to become more aware of my fish intake and I have enjoyed trying different types of fish and understanding the value of each type within my diet. This is so important to instil in children from a young age and how all these nutrients are invaluable when it comes to our health. More than likely, each school has a healthy eating policy and this cold be something that can be introduced to children in the hope of educating them further in what they need to live a long and healthy life. We as teachers have the ability to change people’s outlook on different types of foods, we should definitively be making children aware from a young age and even for ourselves, I read a quote recently that said you will be never be as young as you are in this moment, how right it is. Giving children the tool at an early age could help tremendously as they grow.