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A very extensive list; a lot of which I will be drawing upon throughout the next school year. Thanks
Consider how many songs/poems/art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky.
Ireland’s deep connection to the night sky is reflected in its rich cultural heritage of songs, poetry and art. Traditional songs like ‘The Star of the County Down’ evoke the beauty of the stars. In poetry, W.B. Yeats frequently drew on the night sky to explore themes of mysticism and the human experience. Many Irish artists depict the night sky over iconic landscapes. Paul henry’s paintings often include serene, starry skies over the Irish countryside.
Other examples:
‘Twinkle, twinkle, Little Star’ that invites children to wonder and marvel at the stars.‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ inspires children to look to the stars and believe in their dreams.
Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ sparks imagination and a sense of wonder in children.
There are many pieces of music, poetry and art that connect us all to the Night Sky and are very accessible and engaging.
I love the idea of creating a virtual tour of the school, as often we can all miss what is directly around us.
How would you engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
Discuss biodiversity and its importance, and introduce nocturnal animals and their adaptations for night activity.
Create a ‘Night Creatures’ scavenger hunt in the classroom or school environment using pictures or models. Students will then identify and learn about each animal’s role in the ecosystem.
Simulate light pollution with flashlights in a darkened room and discuss how artificial light affects nocturnal animals’ behaviours, such as feeding and migration.
Divide the class into groups and ask them to discuss and reflect on how reducing light pollution can protect local wildlife-share ideas with the rest of the class. Encourage students to think of ways to minimise light pollution at home and the local community.
Assign the groups the task of designing a poster to raise awareness about light pollution’s impact on local biodiversity. These posters can then be displayed around the school and local community.
I too live in the country and can sometimes forget the effects of light pollution to our environment and people’s wellbeing.
Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
Our school is located in a relatively large town and light pollution impacts the visibility of the night sky. Street lights, residential lighting and businesses contribute to the skyglow, diminishing the view of the stars and celestial events.
Engagement activities:
Encourage students to observe their own areas after dark to see how many different types and colours of lights they can identify. Can they see moonlight or stars. Is their area rural or urban. Can they identify different types of light pollution.
Encourage parents to bring their children on a night sky walk to compare stargazing in different parts of the town and complete the same observations.
Have students create and test light shields for outdoor lights to reduce glare.
Facilitate opportunities for the students to present their findings to the rest of the school and local councillors, emphasising the need to combat light pollution in their community.
I think using it at home is a very beneficial task for the children and something they would love doing.
Plan to observe the moon-which phase of the moon is best for observing in the morning from school.
To observe the moon in September in the morning from school, I would plan around the first quarter, when the moon would be visible according to https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases/@2963597 I would use this site to plan for future observations throughout the year to compare and contrast.
I would inform the students about our upcoming observation schedules. I would ensure to teach the students the basic moon phase concepts in advance.
On the morning of the observation I would have a station set up within the school grounds to ensure optimum visibility. Provide school binoculars and telescopes.
I would encourage the students to observe and discuss their observations and then sketch the moon’s appearance, including any features they have observed.
On returning to the class I would encourage students to share their sketches and observations with each other and relate their observations to moon phase lessons previously covered.
I think it is a very worthwhile activity to take children out at various times during the day to observe the sun.
Gravity and Weight-assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet
Initially to engage the children I would ask them to drop various objects and observe what happens. Ask trigger questions, e.g. What makes the objects fall in this direction, Do heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones?
We would then brainstorm as a group and use our prior learning to conclude that gravity is the reason objects fall towards earth.
I would then continue by showing the class videos of astronauts on the moon….in groups the children will discuss what they think about gravity on the moon and what would happen if they dropped their objects there and why.
I would then continue to explain that there are different gravitational forces in the planets and we are going to explore what that would feel like.
Equipment Needed
One full Pringles tube/one empty Pringles tube for each pair
Rice
Scales
Tape
Labels
Markers and paper to decorateMethod
Children work in pairs and each pair is assigned earth and another planet
Each pair will fill their empty tube with the mass of rice indicated on the table provided by the teacher and seal the lid.
The pair decorate their tubes to represent their planet and add interesting facts about their planet to it.
Children predict which tube they think will be the lightest.
Children then lift the various tubes to feel how heavy it would feel on different planets, comparing and contrasting.
In groups of 4 the children would then discuss their findings, discuss how their original objects might fall on different planets and represent their data on a chart.