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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”
There is a huge selection of art and music that can be used to connect us with the night sky. Songs and poems include
“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
“A Sky Full of Stars” – Coldplay
“Zoom Zoom Zoom, We’re Going to the Moon”
“Counting Stars” – OneRepublic
“Fly Me to the Moon” – Frank Sinatra
“Starman” – David Bowie
“Mr. Blue Sky” – Electric Light Orchestra
“Yellow” – Coldplay
“Rocket Man” – Elton John
“Reach” – S Club 7Art ideas include:
Starry Night – Vincent van Gogh
The Sun – Edvard Munch
Sky Above Clouds IV – Georgia O’Keeffe
Moonlit Landscape – Caspar David Friedrich
A Wheatfield with Cypresses – Vincent van Gogh
Paul Henry – Irish Skies
Claude Monet – Impression Sunrise
Peter Thorpe – Space Rocket SeriesHi Edel, that is a great list of songs and poems that relate to the night sky. Thanks I will be taking a few ideas from this.
How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
Incorporating the needs of nocturnal species, particularly those that rely on dark skies (like bats, owls, hedgehogs, moths, and other insects), into school biodiversity plans is a meaningful way to support local ecosystems and teach children about the full scope of biodiversity.
To help nocturnal animals like bats, owls, hedgehogs and moths, we’re making our school grounds more night-friendly. Lots of animals are active at night, so we want to make sure we’re thinking about them too.
We would discuss how to reduce light pollution by turning off any lights we don’t need during and after school. This helps animals that need darkness to hunt, move around, or rest properly.
We could aim to add things like bat boxes, owl nest boxes so these animals have places to shelter. Wild corners, log piles, and hedgerows will also help them hide and feed safely.
In the school garden, we could plant some night-friendly flowers to attract moths and other insects, which are food for bats and birds.
I love the idea of linking these lessons to the Green Schools Committee and creating a whole school ideology on supporting the schools biodiversity.
Hi Monica, this is a very detailed and comprehensive list of activities I love your suggestions of integration across the subjects.
1. Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
I would begin the lesson by eliciting prior knowledge regarding light pollution. I would pose the question “how does light pollution affect us and our environment?”
I would continue the lesson by showing the video from the Australian astronomer that explains what light pollution is and its effects on the night sky and people and animals in our environment. I would teach the children about our bodies circadian rhythm and how we our body needs darkness to sleep and recharge.
I would engage the childrens interest by completing experiments to demonstrate light pollution and how it can be reduced as shown on the slides. Such as shading a light and using eco friendly bulbs.
I would further enhance the learning experience by providing a light pollution survey for them to complete regarding their area. We would come together and compare the similarities and differences.
Finally, I would ask the children what changes we could make to reduce light pollution.Hi, I also like to introduce the topic of space with the live stream from the space station and the very entertaining videos by Chris Hadfield on YouTube.
1. Create an observing plan for autumn that shows which planets are visible in the evening sky.
I would introduce the lesson through talk and discussion and exploring prior knowledge from the children. We would look at and learn about the planets that could be visible from Ireland.
I would break the children into groups to complete a project on each planet and share the information with the rest of the class. Through these projects children should establish whether their planet is visible in the night sky at this time.
We would discuss resources and conditions that are important in observing the night sky and the planets. I would introduce the children to Stellarium to use at home to identify the planets in the night sky. I would encourage them to use a stargazing log. I would encourage the children to get their families and parents involved as this will be an activity completed in the dark evenings and safety is paramount, it will also require a device for the app.Hi Gráinne, the older classes would love this activity. It includes many subjects including geography and history. It would be so fun and engaging.
Hi Catherine, I love the idea of doing it across different seasons, that never occurred to me. I will definitely use that, thank you.
This year I will be teaching 3rd and 4th class and I know they will love this activity. I will focus on assignment 3 to observe the Sun’s position at sunrise, midday, and sunset over a few days to learn how it moves across the sky. Firstly, we will choose an area where we can see the sky every day at the same times: sunrise, noon, and sunset. We will observe at each time and write down key facts such as what time it is. Which direction the Sun is (East? West?). Where in the sky the Sun is (draw or mark it). Any cool details (like clouds or weather).We will aim to do every day at the same times for about 3-5 days. Hopefully the weather is clear and we will assess if the sun’s position changes. After a few days, talk about what’s different and what is the same.