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Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
Firstly I would discuss the word pollution with the class, lots of the children I presume will discuss ocean pollution, litter etc. We will then discuss and draw prior knowledge of what the children think light pollution is. Open up the discussion with children as to what problems we may have due to light pollution? Will our sleep suffer? Can our mood be altered because of light pollution? Can the natural world be disturbed? Can there be an impact on certain tasks/jobs?
Children can then make a map of the local area. I think it would also be of interest to compare rural and urban areas and as to what difference we can see in regards to light pollution. Why would one area have more light pollution than another? What is there in urban areas that can impact light pollution? What steps can we take to lessen light pollution? Can it be irradicated once it has happened? Children can design a town plan with the concern of light pollution and what we can use to minimise the impact of light pollution on our locality.I love this integration and this would allow for more time to be spent really diving into the constellations. I like the video in the course, that allows the children to create their own constellations and the scope for integration with English creative writing, history of constellations and art and design really allows the teacher to have scope to really delve into this topic.
Select from one of the activities in the Framework for Inquiry.
I have chosen the activity DESIGN AND MAKE A FOAM ROCKET. I will begin with a prompt, a starter question by asking the children to explain how they think the astronauts arrived on the moon? Discuss what materials might be used to make a rocket. Discuss as to if other modes of transport use the same materials if not, why not and justify their reasons.
A box of materials will be given to each table group. Each group has the same materials and same quantity of everything in order to ensure equal opportunities for each group. Children can explore the materials and discuss the properties of each materials. Groups will then have to design and build their rocket and then test their rockets. If the rocket didn’t work, why not? What adaptations can be made to their rocket to make it more successful? This would hopefully lead to a discussion about trial and error and how we can adapt designs to make them more successful.I really like the idea of making the home/school link to explore making a sundial at home. This will also facilitate discussions between children and their parents and prompt them to hopefully use specific vocabulary that is being used in class. Home/school links allow parents to also get a better understanding of what is being done in school!
Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner.
I have chosen this activity to focus on as I think it is one which really allows for great discussion, hypothesising and integration with the maths topic of weight and also oral language development. I would firstly divide the class into groups of three to allow all children to experience hands on time as well as facilitate discussion within a small group setting. I would have sample tubes that were not labelled and ask the class as a whole to sequence the tubes in the order of the planets this will be prior to their researching information and finding out the exact weights etc. The children will focus on the language of prediction and trying to justify choices. Also it will develop justification skills in relation to oral language and clarifying their opinions and ideas.
Children will then build their own tubes and we will research the weight and then sequence them in the correct order. We will then loop back to check if our predictions were right/wrong and if so how can we correct the order.
