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Thank you Elizabeth for such a rich collection of resources – There’s so much here that could easily be adapted for a wide range of ages across primary. Teaching in a cross curricular thematic fashion I find is the most fulfilling, and I will be adding this list to my resource bank. GRMA
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Reading about the literary connections to the night sky in this module brought to mind a musical piece I came across last year based on the Boheh Stone in County Mayo, a neolithic monument from where on two evenings each year (early Spring/Autumn) , the setting sun seems to roll down the side of Croagh Patrick to the west. Lyrics that reference how people long ago ‘read the constellations high’ and witnessed the ‘rolling sun’ down the holy mountain help students to realize that people have been reading the stars for thousands of years.
Harnessing art such as music, painting and poetry that reference historical local sites such as this are a useful tool to engage and inspire children to investigate and research the stars much like those ‘men of stone and iron’ mentioned in the song, as well as promoting cross curricular integration with aspects of History, Geography and Arts featuring along with STEM.
Thank you Elizabeth for this great resource – I was aware of citizen surveys such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin group to help build a knowledge database of Irish marine life, but did not know about Urban Fox. One to bookmark for the future!
Exploring biodiversity in Strandhill
To start off I’d ask a question to get the students hooked/wondering – we often visit the local Shelly Valley dune system, and there are small wooded areas nearby as well – what do they think goes on in these dunes/forests at night? This would hopefully lead into discussions on local nocturnal species e.g bats/foxes and why they are suited/adapted for life in the dark. To make it a more formal scientific inquiry, children could run a science survey (eg surveying neighbours/family members) logging wildlife sightings around the area to get a clearer picture of the nocturnal species of Strandhill.Possible impacts of light on biodiversity
Once this is complete, we could then investigate how artificial light affects these animals. I would get them to consider their own homes and any light pollution nearby, to reflect on their own immediate surroundings. This would lead to learning about how certain streetlights can affect bats’ navigation, or disorient moths, which in turn negatively impacts insect numbers. By then directly referring to the Sligo Biodiversity Action Plan, highlights the importance of protecting our dark skies matters for their local area; from this children will hopefully be prompted to suggest actions we can take to support the plan (eg bat/pollinator boxes)This fun and engaging activity taps directly into children’s natural curiosity about the night sky, and shows how we can harness this wonder into an empowering journey where simple scientific observations can inspire positive environmental change.
Even living on the relatively rural Atlantic coast of Ireland, the effects of light pollution are still apparent. Skyglow and unshielded streetlights from the village and nearby town of Sligo are evident in the night sky, making it difficult at times to view constellations and the Milky Way. To explore this with my class, the students would use the free Globe at Night app or simple star-count sheets to log how many stars they can spot from their gardens, and compare the results with artificial areas such as footpaths/paved areas. In class, we’d play with prisms to see how light breaks into colours, and explore light as a form of energy. Following this, pupils could design “luminaire shields” for torches using cardboard and tape, to see how angling light downwards cuts out glare.. To finish the mini project, we could audit our own school grounds and draft up a “Dark Sky Code” for their parents, showing the children that through small local actions can help to protect our dark skies.
This is a very well-thought-out contribution, fair play! The use of AI to pinpoint school-hour viewing dates for Galway is a great example of harnessing tech to support lesson planning. Pairing those real-world morning sightings with the tactile foam-sphere experiment will give pupils a fun and memorable way towards the understanding of moon phases
2 – Create a short teaching resource using Stellarium
To hook the class, I’d link it to the local megalithic tomb of Carrowmore, and speak of how the ancient builders who built these tombs relied on the night sky to navigate and track seasons. I’d then throw out a few wondering questions:“If Earth is spinning through space, why does the night sky feel so still? Is there one star that never moves?”
Following our inquiry framework, the class would first predict star movements before jumping into Stellarium on their tablets or laptops. Set to our local Sligo coordinates, they’ll hunt down the Plough, trace “The Pointers” to Polaris, and hit the time-travel button within the app to watch the sky spin around the fixed North Star.
To round it off, we’ll connect our digital sky to Sligo’s local heritage with a virtual or physical visit to the Carrowmore centre just down the road. Pupils will examine how Tomb 51 (Listoghil) aligns with the rising sun and celestial movements, seeing firsthand how ancient local builders used Polaris and solar alignments as their ancient calendar.
Great ideas Sean – using a child’s own body to trace and measure shadows makes the abstract concept of the sun’s movement completely tangible and memorable for 10-year-olds. Integrating cardinal directions and finishing with a story links the science, math, and literacy elements together beautifully.
To engage my students in constructing a sundial, I will start with an inquiry-based investigation into light and Earth’s rotation. We are lucky to have uninterrupted views of Ben Bulben and the beach, which provide reference points for sunrise/sunset, which can be used as prompts for discussion on the suns position in the sky during the day. Students will trace their own shadows at different times of the day using chalk in the yard ( or perhaps on the beach on a sunny day out!), observing firsthand how shadow length and direction shift with the sun.
Students will collaborate in small groups to map and evaluate the optimal location for a permanent sundial. Using compasses and digital tools, considering factors such as whether the location is free from building/tree/sand dune obstructions.
As well as dealing primarily with the topic of Our Earth in Space, this activity seamlessly weaves together many different aspect of the STEM subjects, such as using a compass, and measuring angles, time intervals, and proportions. It anchors abstract astronomical concepts while making them relevant to the local context.