Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
A reflective piece on how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
I was fortunate to grow up in a rural part of Kerry where the light quality throughout the night was very good. Our school is located on the outskirts of a big enough town, so it shows a good example of light pollution. About half of the class are from rural settings so can compare the light pollution in their own area with the location of the school. From our school, if we look in the direction of the town, it is very easy and clear of the light pollution. I would introduce light pollution to the students by showing images of various towns at night from an aerial view. We would then compare these images to images of the sky from the countryside and discuss. The students can make their own observations from their own homes and we can discuss as a whole class. The ‘Background growth of Light in Ireland’ is a great visual to show the students.Hi Lorraine, I really liked all your ideas for the ‘Rising Star’ awards programme. The students would enjoy taking part in this engaging activity.
Great idea about having ‘Stellarium homework’. I am sure parents would enjoy doing this with their child and would get others in the household to participate too.
Create a short teaching resource using Stellarium/ WorldWide Telescope.
I have never come across Stellarium before so I am excited to try this out with my class. Firstly, I would introduce the topic by asking the students some questions about what we can see up in the sky during the day, at night time, etc. and begin this discussion with the class. I can then introduce Stellarium on the interactive whiteboard and their ipads. I will get the children to become familiar with it – setting the location, date, time, searching for other planets, etc. We will then use Stellarium’s time control to show moving forward hours or months to demonstrate the planets moving, did the stars move, the Earth’s rotation, etc. The students can complete a worksheet about their observations and as a whole class discuss our findings and can create a whole class list of visible plants that were discovered today.Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
To spark the lesson I would explore shadows. I can link this with Art, with shadow drawings. I would bring the children outside and explore the yard and the shadows being created, creating our own shadows and comparing our shadows. Building on this lesson our next thing is to become ‘Shadow Detectives’ by placing a cone in the yard and discuss how the shadow will fall on this object – predicting where the shadow will move, observing and recording the shadow throughout the day and we could even mark it with chalk on the ground. Our next thing to do is designing our sundial. As a class we can create mind maps, discussing the pros and cons of each idea, looking at other sundials online, etc. At this stage we can link up with our buddy from the older classes and get their help with constructing our sundial. Once we have constructed our sundial we can visit the sundial at different times during the day and discuss our findings.Emer, I really like the idea of encouraging children to come up with their own research question as a class. You could split the children into groups with each group coming up with their own question. There could then be a class vote on which question would be used and this would also give the teacher time to consider what and how best to guide on that question.
The research question I would ask is how has the temperature and vegetation cover in our local area changed over the past 10 years, and what might this tell us about the impact of climate change at a local level?
To engage pupils in this research question, I would take an inquiry-based, student-led approach that makes the topic feel relevant and empowering. We would begin by discussing what climate change means globally, then narrow the focus to our own community. Using tools like the EO Browser, pupils would examine satellite imagery to observe local environmental changes over time — such as shifts in vegetation cover, water bodies, or land use.
I would encourage teamwork, allowing pupils to work in small research groups with specific roles (e.g., data collector, analyst, presenter). This promotes collaboration and responsibility. To further engagement, pupils would be invited to share personal observations (e.g., changes in weather patterns or local greenery) and conduct surveys with family or community members about their climate perceptions.
Throughout the project, we’d emphasize that their work contributes to real-world understanding. Celebrating their findings through a school display, assembly presentation, or submission to a larger citizen science project would reinforce the value of their participation .
I really like your suggestion Jessica that students could study extracts about life onboard the ISS. Children typically have a fascination with space and it’s a really interesting resource to tap into children’s natural curiosity.
The pitch I would use for a colleague would be the following
EO Browser is a free, web-based tool that lets you access real satellite imagery of the Earth from space — in near real-time. You can view and analyse data from multiple satellites, like Sentinel or Landsat, to observe environmental changes such as deforestation, urban growth, air pollution, and even climate impacts like melting glaciers or drought. It’s like Google Earth but with scientific layers you can filter and compare over time. It’s perfect for visualizing how our planet is changing, and it doesn’t require any downloads or coding knowledge.
In the classroom, EO Browser can be an engaging way to bring geography, science, and climate change to life. Ways i would use this in the classroom would be to highlight local and global changes. Students could select a local area and compare satellite images over time (e.g., 2015 vs. 2025) to observe urban growth, forest loss, or coastline erosion. For global issues, we can look at places like the Amazon rainforest, Arctic ice sheets, or areas affected by wildfires or drought.
Hi Mary, I agree with Hannah. I think thats a a fantastic idea to link it with Greta Thunberg’s activism. Students are already aware of her and theres no doubt shes an influential role . I also think the opportunities’ for cross curricular links are endless , but especially in English for debating, researching and projects.
The film HOME is a visually stunning and emotionally impactful documentary that highlights the interconnectedness of Earth’s ecosystems and the dramatic effects human activity has had on the planet. Its use of aerial footage and narrative storytelling powerfully conveys the urgency of climate change, deforestation, pollution, and the depletion of natural resources.
I would introduce these materials gradually, ensuring that pupils have a solid foundation of key vocabulary and concepts. I’d start with using HOME selectively. While HOME is powerful, its tone may be intense for younger pupils. I would show short, carefully chosen clips—especially those that show the beauty of nature, human impact, and hope through sustainable practices. These could be used to prompt group discussions or reflective writing. Following on from this I would try and encourage and foster critical thinking.
After watching, students could compare natural landscapes shown in the videos with areas affected by human impact. This could be done through drawing, discussion, or a simple sorting activity (e.g., “natural vs. human-influenced”). Finally I’d encourage children to make connections to everyday life. Pupils could explore ways their own actions (and those of their families or school) affect the environment. Activities could include carbon footprint tracking, a class eco-project, or designing posters on how to reduce waste and energy use.The Paxi video shown in Activity 3 was engaging and age-appropriate, using animation and simple explanations to introduce the concept of greenhouse gases and their effect on Earth’s climate. This made the science accessible and enjoyable for younger learners.
The interactive tool allowed students to adjust levels of carbon dioxide and other gases to see how these changes could influence global temperatures over time. This hands-on component will help children to understand the connection between human actions and climate outcomes.
I would use this activity in a science or geography lesson focused on climate change. The video serves as an excellent introduction, sparking curiosity and discussion. Afterward, students could use the prediction tool in pairs or small groups, fostering collaboration and critical thinking. I might extend the activity by having students record their results, make graphs, or present short reflections on what actions could reduce emissions and why that matters.
I really like your suggestion of using Activity 3 as a world project. I think this would work especially well with the senior classes and could be run as a longer term project as there is so much scope with it.
I found some many of these ideas to be very practical and adaptable to the classroom , all of which would enhance my teaching of STEM. This activity really highlighted to me the need for children to learn and understand the difference between weather and climate . Knowing the difference between weather and climate gives children the tools to become more curious, thoughtful, and environmentally aware learners. I also really like the idea of introducing and embedding weather detectives in my classroom. I currently teach senior infants so from September I’m going to introduce a daily weather routine by creating a weather chart and each morning, choosing a “lead detective” who will looks out the window, feels the air ,and chooses a weather symbol (sun, cloud, rain, etc.) to place on the chart. It’s about starting at a young age and building on children’s experiences.
