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Your reference to using bridges in the local area is a good starting point. The Bat Bridge on the M18 motorway in Galway would be a good way of linking engineering with biodiversity and the preservation of the bats as they make their way to the nearby Coole Park. Children may not always see the link as to how good engineering is necessary for the preservation of wildlife.
I will first register the school garden on the link ‘pledge your garden for pollinators’. https://pollinators.biodiversityireland.ie/Account/Register
To encourage pollinators we will follow some the of the actions on the all Ireland Pollinator plan website. As they request we will not plant wildflower seeds and the children will research the dangers of these commercial wildlfower species in terms of invasive species. Instead we will ‘let grow, don’t sow’. We will let native wildflowers such as dandelions, clover, vetch and birds foot trefoil grow in designated areas for rewilding. We will also engage in ‘no mow May’ in all school grassy areas. We will plant apple trees for the pollinators also and try to ensure that we have food sources for pollinators throughout Spring, Summer and Autumn. Window boxes in the school will have pollinator friendly flowers. We will create nesting areas for bees by leaving out old raspberry canes and drilling holes in wooden fencing. We will also ensure that no pesticides are used and weeds are manually removed. I would also love to look into the idea of having a ‘green roof’ on our school.Great idea about the photo journal. Perhaps it could be done digitally as part of the digital learning plan for the school. Pictures and notes could be uploaded to Seesaw and shared with parents.
In conducting a map making lesson with the junior classes I will take inspiration from the excellent map making ideas given in this module. To introduce the topic we will use the story ‘The Troll’ by Julia Donaldson and draw the treasure map from the story. Using a treasure map as a stimulus we will go on our own treasure hunt walk- a simple walk down the path outside the school, following a map and noting the features from the map as we pass them. This will aid the children in reading the symbols in the key or legend. The main body of the lesson will involve the children creating a 3D map of their walk using natural materials outside eg using sticks to mark out the road, grass for the ditch and rocks to symbolise houses. The children will be divided into groups with each group member being given a role. We will use the iPads to take photos of the finished 3D maps. The conclusion will consist of using Google maps to see how accurate the 3D maps were. The children will reflect on their maps by using WWW- What Worked Well and EBI, Even Better If. To extend the activity the next lesson will focus on the use of lego to map the same walk.
Great to get the names of these two books thanks Barbara. I find story is always a great way of introducing a topic, especially with the younger classes.
Having reviewed the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (Liston 2018) the main point that resonated with me was the importance of Engineering in STEM. In a world that Liston identifies as awash with STEMmania- STEM toys, STEM books, STEM workshops and Summer camps, STEM kits, STEM courses it seems easy to stick the #STEM or STEM label on anything resembling Science to make it sell or to make it more current. However with keeping Engineering at the core of STEM activity we keep the real world applications alive through posing a relevant open ended problem, brainstorming, planning and designing, active making and construction, testing and reviewing. In my classroom STEM involves solving a problem and making a physical solution usually for example designing a marble run, constructing a ramp from which a car can jump a certain distance, constructing the tallest tower possible with given materials or investigating which bridge design can support the most mass
I completely agree with Mark and the phrase ‘STEMmania’ was one which also stood out to me from Maeve Liston’s paper. STEM is definitely one of the buzz words that is often printed on toy boxes or book covers to help them sell or seem more educational. Also many teachers also like to use #STEM at the end of any Twitter/’X’ post which remotely resembles a Science lesson of some sort. However Maeve Liston clearly notes the importance of Engineering in STEM, posing real World open ended problems with real World applications, brainstorming, planning, designing, actively making, testing and reflecting.
Consider how many songs/poems/artwork connect us to the night sky- For the younger classes one of the first songs any child learns is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Another lovely song linked to the Disney Film Pinocchio is ‘When you wish Upon a Star’. A suitable poem for this age group would be ‘Star Light, Star Bright first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight’. Another fun song for this age group is by Raffi ‘Aikendrum’ and is all about a man who lived on the moon. Stories suitable would be ‘Bringing Down the Moon’ and ‘I Took the Moon for a Walk’.
For the Senior Classes Starry Night by Van Gogh and Moonlight by Winslow Homer would be sources of inspiration. The poem which most inspires in terms of imagery of dark skies and alludes to Cassiopeia is ‘A Christmas Childhood’ by Patrick Kavanagh.Some great example for the younger classes Anne. Two more books also suitable for the younger classes would be ‘I Took the Moon for a Walk’ and ‘Bringing down the Moon’.
Incorporating the needs of nocturnal animals especially those affected by light pollution into school biodiversity plans: We would first conduct a light pollution survey to ensure that the lighting on the school grounds is properly shielded and targeted to where needed, no brighter than necessary, used only when useful and warm in colour. We would map out the area and include areas with trees and wildflowers for moths such as honeysuckle. We would also make sure that there is adequate tree cover for bats. The children could look into the possibility of having a bat box installed depending on the suitability of the school environment. Raising a moth as described in this module would be a fantastic way for children to appreciate the level of intricacy in the life cycle of a moth. As described in this module releasing the moth into an appropriate place is key. As other participants have said, the children could use a night vision camera to see if there is any area of the school grounds attracting moths unnecessarily.
Delighted to see that many schools have an area dedicated now to rewilding. Many schools also have bug hotels, native wildflower gardens and mini orchards with three or four fruit trees. Composting is another great activity which children can get involved in for the benefit of the whole school.
How light pollution is affecting my local area:
Light pollution is undoubtedly affecting my area and it is evident even without the contrasting maps shown in this module. Modern homes have sensor lights, decorative lights in the apex of rooves, driveway lights, lights at entrance walls…and most of it is unnecessary. Furthermore many homes now are built with a floor to ceiling glass feature wall which also may contribute to light pollution. Urban sprawl has meant that commercial light pollution has spread further and further into suburbs and satellite towns. Street lights in new housing estates also contribute to light pollution.
How I would engage learners to explore this: The children would conduct research by investigation potential sources of light pollution in the school environs and local area. The children would walk around these areas and record sources of light, shielding, timing and light colour. The children would examine each light source using the 5 principles for responsible outdoor lighting (useful, targeted, low levels, controlled, colour). Children could approach the local town council with suggestions to improve light pollution in their area e.g use of extra shielding. The children could also create an informative flyer for parents and local residents informing them of the 5 principles. The children could encourage a ‘day of action’ where every homeowner would make one improvement to the light quality on their property. Finally the children could conduct a survey of local residents to investigate if they changed one aspect in their home to lessen light pollution.
Your point Michelle really reminded me of when I moved from a rural area to a city when attending college. I will never forget hearing the birds singing at 2am and how abnormal it seemed. Just one small way that the light pollution in cities is affecting the circadian rhythm of birds.
I completely agree about the value of a stargazing night at the school as I feel that this year’s incredible visibility of the northern lights really captivated the interest of the entire school population…even those who may not have previously been too interested! It also brings the opportunity for ICT integration with use of apps which identify planets and stars in the night sky.
With my class I hope to make a 3D model of the plough as demonstrated in this module. I will base the work around the ESERO framework for inquiry. The children will engage with the topic by first creating 2D models of the plough with pegboards, plasticine etc and discuss the limitations of these models in terms of showing each star’s distance from each other. The children will then investigate various ways of overcoming this keeping the chart of distance from the earth in light years in mind. One method which could be used is the method in this module…. The children will stick the starmap to cardboard, poke a hole through each of the stars on the map, make the stars by sticking the end of a piece of wool to the centre of a piece of foil. Crumple the piece of foil and repeat this process for all seven stars in the constellation. I like that there is some maths involved when the children thread the string through each hole and have to consult the chart of distance from the earth in light years and measure the equivalent string lengths. This different perspective of the stars distances from each other is one that the children will probably have not encountered before. Taking the next step then may involve making different constellations using the same method or continuing to work on the topic of the plough by making a planetarium box.
