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1. Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
Light pollution is a growing concern, especially in urban and suburban areas. It has lots of negative affects around our local area.
We have reduced visibility of stars and planets – Streetlights, security lights, garden lighting, etc. All create a glow and add to light pollution.
Wildlife – Some animals become disorientated due to the artificial lighting, this can then affect their feeding, sleeping habits, reproduction and migration.
I would engage the children by showing them the video clip – ‘What is Light Pollution?’ from NSW. We could then do ‘The Dark Sky Experiment’. For this experiment you set up the room to be completely dark. We will have a flashlight and a teddy bear. I will have the children to shine their flashlight on the teddy and we will discuss – what happens when we shine the flashlight on the toy, does it help us to see it clearly, etc. I will then introduce another light, to be the ‘city light’. This will be a second source of light on the object. We will discuss what happens when we shine the second flashlight on the object, does it make you see it clearly? We will discuss how bright lights make it harder to see clearly and how this is likely to play a part of light pollution in our area. We will brainstorm ideas to help us reduce the light pollution in our area and give a little talk to the other classes to raise awareness of light pollution.
Task 3. Plan to observe the moon – which phase of the moon is best for observing in the morning from school? What dates will that be?
We would begin this topic by showing the children different pictures of the moon and asking them what we see, differences/similarities, etc. Between the pictures. We would watch the Paxi and Our Moons on YouTube. This would explain to the children about the Lunar Cycle. I would use the Lunar eclipse and phases of the Moon – Journey to the Moon from esero resources. We would use the torch, ball and chair to represent the sun, the moon and the earth. I would hand out our observation logs to keep a record of the position of the moon throughout the month of October. We will discuss our findings in class. We would also use ‘timeanddate’ website – ‘Where is the Moon?’. Full moon will be the 7th of October and New moon is the 21st of October.
Hi Killian,
The use of resources like Stellarium are wonderful. The children would love using these and enjoy bringing this home and teaching them about it all.
I love the idea of the chalk. The children would love this. Great ways to incorporate lots of areas of the curriculum. Thank you for that.
2. Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
Senior end of the school. This idea would be a fantastic cross curricular activity to do with the children. We would begin by having circle time and discussing Time – what helps us to tell the time? We would then start off with how ancient civilisations used sundials and the importance they played in their lives. We would look at different examples of sundials on the interactive board. We would have a recap of shadows and have a few minutes showing how we can make shadows using a torch. For the main activity we would create our own simple sundials by using paper plates and sticking a pencil on it using tape. We’d bring these outside and mark where the shadows fall at particular times of the day. I would question the children throughout activities to further their knowledge. We would do this a number of times throughout the day and discuss our findings. The next activity would be to find the correct location for a sundial on our school grounds. We would get out and survey the school grounds and use a compass to find North to mark on the ground. We will do a sketch in our copies of the location and reasons behind this location. We could construct a temporary (weather dependent) sundial using cardboard bases and a stick as the gnomon before making the final decision. This topic can incorporate lots of different areas of the curriculum and gives the children lots of opportunities to show their learning.
I really like the idea of involving children in the school garden Miriam as a way to actively teach about the impacts of climate change and sustainability. Last year we were lucky enough to move into a brand new school and this year the emphasis is going to be on the outside and gardens so its perfect timing to giving children responsibility of the aspects of the school garden.
There’s no doubt that climate change is significantly impacting my local area in Co Kerry, with noticeable changes such as increased rainfall leading to frequent flooding, rising sea levels threatening coastal areas, and more extreme weather events affecting both the environment and local livelihoods. These changes pose challenges to agriculture, tourism, and the daily lives of the community.
To engage pupils I would introduce a mix of classroom learning and experiential activities. We could start with a series of lessons on the science of climate change, tailored to local examples. Bringing in guest speakers, such as local farmers or environmental scientists, can provide first hand insights into how climate change is affecting Tralee.
Three actions we can take to make the world a better place and slow down climate change include:
Tree Planting Initiatives: Organize tree planting activities within the school grounds or local community. This would be in good keeping with our school as last year a new state of the art building was opened and there is a big emphasis on
incorporating children and responsibility into the school grounds.Reducing Plastic Use: Implement a school-wide campaign to reduce plastic use. Encourage students to use reusable water bottles, lunch containers, and bags. Organize clean-up drives to remove plastic waste from local beaches and parks.
Energy Conservation Projects: Educate students on energy-saving techniques and implement energy conservation measures within the school. Students can be involved in conducting energy audits and possibly this introduction of energy monitors would hand responsibility of this back to the children.
Claire, I love the idea of collecting the plastic bottles from the children for the deposit return scheme. This is a scheme which I could see working very well in my school and an idea I’ll be bringing back with me in September.
Children are and will be one of the most affected groups of our population by climate action at both local and global levels. Locally, initiatives such as reducing plastic use, promoting recycling, and increasing green spaces directly impact their health and environment. Globally, climate action helps mitigate the severe effects of climate change, ensuring a more stable and sustainable future for all children. Issues like extreme weather event and food shortages can have a massive impact on children on a global level.
To encourage students to take action supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ireland, especially under ESD to 2030 Priority Action Area 5, we can try a range of several strategies. Firstly, integrating the SDGs into the curriculum can raise awareness and understanding of global challenges and the importance of local actions. Projects and assignments could focus on themes such as clean energy, sustainable cities, and responsible consumption.
Organizing school-wide sustainability initiatives, like clean-up campaigns, and waste reduction competitions, can actively involve students in making tangible changes. As we know children learn by doing and this active learning will encourage these initiatives to hopefully be implemented as they grow and develop.
Hi Catherine,
I love the idea of the Africa and culture day . I think this is something I would love to introduce to my school this year and I know the students and staff would really embrace this initiative.
I live in Kerry and there’s a fantastic organisation called the Tralee International Resource Centre (TIRC) . The TIRC provides a range of services to integrate and support newcomers and refugees. TIRC offers language classes, social activities, legal advice, and other vital resources to help refugees adapt to their new environment.
There are definitely a number of steps our school could implement to support and welcome refugees. Firstly, organizing cultural exchange events can promote understanding and inclusivity. These events could involve sharing meals, storytelling sessions, or music and dance performances from different cultures
Also raising awareness through school projects and presentations can educate the student body about the challenges refugees face and the importance of a welcoming community. Fundraising events, such as charity runs or bake sales, can also be organized to support local refugee services. By taking these steps, our school can play a crucial role in creating an inclusive and supportive environment for refugees in my area.
I’ve observed the same over the years with the colour pink only being allowed to be a girls favourite and blue as a boy’s . I do think it’s changing but it’s very slow so by facilitating children to have open discussions on this , their own perspectives and ideas have a platform to be heard and provoke thoughts around changing these stereotypes.
When I reflect on when I have seen gender stereotyping in school it’s a common trend regardless of whether I’ve taught infants or the senior classes. When it comes to allocating class jobs , for example brushing the floor or taking out the bin there is a very obvious sense that brushing the floor is more a “female” job and taking out or emptying the bins is a “male” job. Development education
methodologies I think would help immensely in breaking down gender stereotyping from a very young age. There are a number of ways this could be done in a school environment including exposing children to a wide range of books and reading material that celebrate different cultures and promote positive portrayal of gender roles. Play is another important factor where development education methodologies can be taught. Encouraging all children , regardless of gender to play with dolls, unicorns, football , physical activities for example will eliminate stereotypical behaviour from a young age.Development Education is critical when trying to make sense of the multitude of issues that exist in
our everchanging world. Development education increases understanding and brings awareness to
the world we currently live in and its ever-changing nature. It’s vital that children are made aware
that we are all global citizens and by doing so from a young age, we as educators are creating and
developing that understanding. From further research on this topic I wanted to understand how I
could further enhance the understanding of development education in my classroom. I found a
great example of a game called a walking debate which would be suitable for 5th class. During this
game children are given statements asking them if something is good development education? They
then have to walk around the classroom , debating and deciding if they agree, disagree or don’t
know. I think this is something that I would look forward to doing with my class as it would be very
interesting to hear their own perspectives also .
