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<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>I really like this idea, especially because it is so hands-on and gives the children an opportunity to be creative while learning about light pollution. Designing and building their own dark sky place would encourage teamwork, problem-solving and environmental awareness. I also think linking the activity to the local area in Drogheda would make the learning more meaningful for the children. </span>
2. Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky? For example: Look up President Michael D Higgins’ “Stardust”
Songs
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Star Light, Star Bright
You Are My Sunshine
Moon River
A Sky Full of Stars – ColdplayPoems
The Star – Jane Taylor
The Moon – Robert Louis Stevenson
The Moon – Emily Dickinson
Silver – Walter de la Mare
The Night Sky – various children’s poetry collectionsArt
The Starry Night – Vincent van Gogh
The Starry Night Over the Rhône – Vincent van Gogh
The Moon-Woman Cuts the Circle – Joan Miró
Starry Night – Wassily Kandinsky
Nocturne in Black and Gold – James McNeill WhistlerThese songs, poems and artworks provide accessible ways for 3rd class pupils to explore stars, the Moon, darkness, imagination and the beauty of the night sky.
The use of Chatterpix is a great idea, I had heard of it before but completely forgotten to look it up and make use of it in my classroom!
I would engage my 3rd class pupils by taking them on a local biodiversity walk around the school grounds or nearby area. Working in small groups, pupils could observe and record different plants, insects, birds and other living things using a simple biodiversity checklist or tablet to take photographs. Back in the classroom, we could create a class biodiversity map or display showing what we discovered. I would then introduce the idea of light pollution through pictures, videos and discussion, asking pupils what happens to the night sky when there is too much artificial light. Pupils could investigate how light pollution might affect nocturnal animals, insects and birds, for example by disrupting feeding, movement and sleep. They could work together to suggest ways our school or community could reduce unnecessary lighting and protect local wildlife. This would encourage curiosity, observation, teamwork and environmental awareness.
I really like this project as it combines science, teamwork and ICT in a meaningful way. I particularly like the idea of the children investigating lighting around their school and coming up with practical ways to reduce light pollution. It would make the learning very hands-on and relevant to them.
Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
I would explain to my 3rd class pupils that light pollution can come from streetlights, houses, businesses, farms and nearby roads. It can make it harder to see stars and the Moon clearly and may also affect nocturnal animals.
I would set the children the task of doing an observation of the night sky from their own garden on a clear night. I would ask them to check how many stars they see and if they notice any artificial light from other sources-buildings, houses, flood lights from pitches etc. affecting their view of the night sky. The children could make notes on what they see and if possible take photographs. We could then have a class discussion the next day and compare findings, it would be interesting for the children to see the difference between the observations of those who live in built up areas with those who are more isolated and rural. Using a simple light-pollution map on the classroom Chromebooks, pupils could investigate why some areas are darker than others and discuss ways we can reduce unnecessary light pollution.Create a short teaching resource using Stellarium/ WorldWide Telescope
As it could be fairly problematic to use this resource fully, given that school access during the hours of darkness might not be available, I decided to concentrate on how to work around this dilemma:
1. Stellarium could be used as part of a wider project on the planets. Pupils could pick a planet to work on, as per any school project, but could use Stellarium to track that planet’s distance from Earth throughout the school year. This data could then be added to the core project, and would give pupils a better understanding of the relative motion of the planets.
2. Pupils could download Stellarium for home use and upload their findings/screenshots etc to our Google Classroom pages.
3. A class project on Venus would allow Stellarium to be used in class during the winter months, as it may be visible (or at least above the horizon) for a part of the school morning.I really like this activity as it gives children the opportunity to observe the moon directly and record their own findings. Comparing observations over time is a great way to develop their understanding of the moon’s phases while also encouraging curiosity and discussion.
Create a short teaching resource using Stellarium/ WorldWide Telescope
As it could be fairly problematic to use this resource fully, given that school access during the hours of darkness might not be available, I decided to concentrate on how to work around this dilemma:
1. Stellarium could be used as part of a wider project on the planets. Pupils could pick a planet to work on, as per any school project, but could use Stellarium to track that planet’s distance from Earth throughout the school year. This data could then be added to the core project, and would give pupils a better understanding of the relative motion of the planets.
2. Pupils could download Stellarium for home use and upload their findings/screenshots etc to our Google Classroom pages.
3. A class project on Venus would allow Stellarium to be used in class during the winter months, as it may be visible (or at least above the horizon) for a part of the school morning.You have planned a very engaging and hands-on lesson. I particularly like the use of the KWL chart, as it allows the children to share their existing knowledge and reflect on what they have learned. Working in groups and using Chromebooks will also encourage collaboration and research skills.
Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
Our school has a large fenced off percolation area near our playing areas which would be an ideal location for this activity as it is on a height and receives direct sunlight from dawn until dusk.
As a trigger for the activity I would show the pupils a video of life in medieval times (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVMvl05hCrI which focuses on the life of children in the Middle Ages.) I would use this as a starting point for discussing such questions as “How did he know it was time to get up? How did he know it was time for his Heraldry lesson?” and so on, thus leading into the necessity for a means of telling time and how that would have been accomplished before the advent of mechanical clocks.Once the idea of sundials had been introduced, the activity could take place outdoors. As a follow up to the activity, we could log our results and then repeat the activity 6 months later, when the day is shorter/longer and compare the new results. This could lead to an exploration of why our days get longer/shorter throughout the year