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I also think using songs and poems would make the topic more interesting and give the children different ways to connect with the night sky. I would explore many examples and then ask the children to create their own night- sky artwork. This would be a lovely way to combine Science with English and Art while allowing the children to use their imagination and express their own ideas.
I think that the ‘Design Your Own Dark Sky Place’ activity would be a great activity for my 4th class this year to engage them with the idea of protecting our night sky. I would begin by asking the children what they think a dark sky place is and whether they think we have enough darkness in our local area in Drogheda. We could discuss the different sources of artificial light that we see around us and how they can affect our view of the stars. I would then put the children into small groups and ask them to design their own dark sky area. They could create a plan of their ideal location and decide where they would place streetlights, buildings, trees and other features. They would also need to think about how the lighting could be designed to reduce unnecessary light pollution. I would then ask the children to create a model of their dark sky place using a variety of materials. Each group could present their design to the class and explain their choices. I think that this activity would encourage creativity and teamwork and help the children understand the importance of protecting dark skies.
Hi Dearbhail,
I love how you have included many very hands-on activities in your post. I think many of your ideas such as creating a biodiversity map, allowing the children to think for themselves of possible solutions and having the children collect their own evidence really make the topic meaningful. I think all these hand on activities really will help the children to develop a greater sense of responsibility for their local environment.
As I will be teaching 4th class this year, I think exploring biodiversity in our local area would be a great way to get the children interested in the environment around them. I live in Drogheda and I would use our local surroundings as a starting point asking the class what types of wildlife they have noticed around their homes, gardens or in school. We would then discuss whether they think all animals are active during the day. I would then introduce the idea of nocturnal animals and ask the children if they think artificial light could affect them. We would discuss if it would disturb their sleeping, feeding or movement patterns. I would then put the class into groups and give them one nocturnal species to research and investigate how light pollution might affect them. They would present their findings to the class. I think this activity would encourage curiosity and develop the children’s research and teamwork skills.
Hi Sean,
I really like your “star jar” idea for helping children understand light pollution. I think the children would really enjoy making it themselves and seeing how the amount of light affects what they can see through the holes in the box. Thanks for sharing.
I think exploring light pollution would be a great way to encourage my class to look at their local environment. I live in Drogheda which is a big town so I feel that it would be interesting to explore how much artificial light there is in our local area. I would encourage the children to observe the night sky from their homes and to record what they see. We would compare our observations as a class. We would discuss as a class if it can be difficult to see stars. We could then discuss some of the sources of artificial light around Drogheda, such as streetlights, houses, shops, traffic and sports facilities. They could then consider whether any lights could be reduced or changed without affecting safety. I feel that the children could then create posters suggesting ways we could reduce unnecessary light pollution. I feel that my class would use a wide variety of skills and also help them understand their local environment.
Keith I really like your idea of getting children to create their own constellations. I would also be interested in trying the 3-D constellation activity with my 4th class. I could use materials like you mentioned such as straws and Play-Doh and it would make the learning very hands-on. I think the activity would also provide opportunities to link Science with Art and English, particularly when the children create names and stories for their constellations.
As I will be teaching 4th class this year, I think planning an activity around observing the moon would be a great way to engage my class. I would begin by showing the class different images of the different moon phases and allow them to discuss what they notice. I would ask them to predict which phases they think would be easiest to observe in the morning in our school.
I would then put the children into small groups and give them a calendar and their task would be to find out which phase of the Moon would be best for observing from our school. We then would keep a simple Moon diary recording the date, time and what they observe.
I really feel that my class would enjoy this activity as they would be provided with the opportunity to investigate something that they can see in the sky for themselves. It is a practical activity that the children can relate to their everyday lives. They would use a wide variety of skills such as observing, recording, researching, predicting and communicating.Olivia I really like your idea of taking a photograph of the sundial you found in your local garden as a way of introducing the topic to the class. Your idea of integrating the activity into other subjects such as Maths, Visual Arts or History is something that I would like to incorporate into my 4th class too. It shows how STEM activities can naturally connect to other areas of the curriculum.
I will be teaching 4th class this year and I feel that creating a sundial would be a great STEM activity. I would begin with posing the question to the class of how do they think people knew what time it was before clocks were invented. I think this would be a good way to get children talking and sharing their ideas. I would then introduce the idea of a sundial and ask my students to predict how the shadow of a stick might change throughout the day. I would encourage them to share their previous knowledge and make predictions.
My students would then work in small groups with the task of designing and constructing a simple sundial. I would give them materials such as cardboard, a paper plate, a pencil or stick, and a compass. They would need to choose a suitable location around the school where their sundial would receive direct sunlight throughout the day. They would then place their sundial in their chosen location and record position of the shadow at regular intervals. Students could compare their observations and discuss why the shadow changes direction and length.
I feel that this activity combines Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in a practical way encouraging teamwork and problem- solving. I think it would be a really enjoyable hands on way for 4th class to learn about shadows, the sun and how people knew the time in the past.