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Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this
I am from a very rural area in the west of Ireland. Growing up tit would have been very dark at night- the only light source being the sky! However, the population has increased and so has the light pollution. It is reducing the visibility of stars and planets, disrupting ecosystems, and affecting human health by interfering with sleep patterns. To involve students in learning about light pollution, It is important to begin by discussing its causes, such as excessive street lighting, brightly lit buildings, and outdoor advertisements.
In the classroom, light pollution can be explored in many ways. The children could perform experiments that demonstrate how light scatters and its effects on visibility. Students should be engaged in discussions about the ecological consequences for nocturnal animals and plants. They should be encouraged to brainstorm and present solutions to reduce light pollution, like advocating for shielded lighting or organizing community awareness campaigns. This comprehensive approach sparks curiosity and empowers students to advocate for darker, starry skies.
The use of the videos are an excellent idea to help children to understand and make connections with their findings
Plan to observe the moon:
By referring to a moon phase visibility guide, it appears that the first quarter moon will be visible in the morning during September 2004. I plan to design a lesson where children explore the factors that influence the visibility of moon phases, focusing on the relative positions of the sun, Earth, and moon. To give them a hands-on experience, children can recreate the moon phases using models—balls representing Earth and the moon, with a light source for the sun. This activity will prepare them to observe the first quarter moon in September, enabling them to identify the specific phase they see based on what they learned in class. They can also note any visible features during this phase. Later in the year, in early December, the New Moon will be visible early in the school day, offering another opportunity to revisit the topic. This time, children can contrast their observations from September with those from December when a different phase is visible.
I really like the sound of this activity. I particularly like how you explained how it could be differentiated among the class.
Sun dial construction:
Building a sun-dial would be a highly engaging STEAM activity for almost any class in our school. This project offers extensive curricular integration, including History, Geography, Maths and the core elements of STEAM.
We have a flat, open area next to the yard which would be ideal for the sun-dial. The first activity for the senior class would be to research the pros and cons of using this area. The children would also need to consider the material requirements, ensuring the sun-dial is sturdy enough to withstand wind and durable enough to endure the various weather conditions.
Once installed, students could take hourly measurements during school hours and mark the positions indicated by the sun-dial. This project would be valuable to revisit at different times of the year, allowing students to observe how the sun-dial is affected by the sun’s angle and position during various seasons.I agree Lyndsey, I will definitely be adding his books to my library as well as using them to further my teaching of the space topic.
After looking through the various activities, I have got a lot of inspiration for various lessons. One that I am looking forward to trying out with my Junior Infants this year is the set surrounding the sun and shadows. The activity shown by ‘My Sky tonight’ seems to be a very accessible activity for this age group. By using the lamp in the classroom the children can visualise night and day. The will move towards the light to represent daytime and move away to represent night time. As this is very visual the children will grasp this concept very easily. This in turn will move onto the discussion of shadows which can be created by the same lamp in the classroom. I personally think that these activities are important for the junior classes as it makes it easy for them to understand some concepts as they are visual and makes the learning real for them
My name is Niamh and I will be teaching Junior Infants this year. I don’t know much about space, and I hope to use it during my Aistear lessons. I have chosen this course to find out more about the topic. I really enjoy learning about astronauts and how they live in space.
My lesson focus would be materials, materials that are good at keeping us warm and materials that are good at keeping us cool when it is warm.
I would use pictures as a stimulus where the children would discuss what people are wearing and why they are wearing various clothing. This will lead onto the discussion of the different materials of clothes and the benefits of them. A person wearing a wolly jumper must be in a cold place because that keeps you warm etc.
In groups the children will classify various pieces of clothing into winter or clothe to keep you warm or summer, clothes that keep you cool. This will lead to a discussion of why the children put clothes into the different piles.
