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That’s a brilliant idea, Patricia. My 6th class would really enjoy designing their own Dark Sky Place because it mixes art with science. Making maps, models, or posters would engage them hugely, while the fair would be a great way to share learning and inspire others. It would definitely be time consuming, but worth it all the same.
2. Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky?
Poem – “Nightsky & Butterfly” by Stephen James Smith
Not a poem I had heard of before bu came across while working on this assignment. A poem that will confuse my class as they always expect rhyming, but will definitely bring discussion. The poem describes Orion appearing in the sky. It could be fun for children to read while spotting Orion on Stellarium.Amhráin – “Báidín Fheilimí”
Though mostly about a little boat, it includes gentle references to journeys under the night sky and works well for linking to navigation by stars. I both remember learning this as a child and teaching it in my early years.Irish Folklore – The Children of Lir
This famous legend tells of children turned into swans, flying over lakes and under the stars for hundreds of years. I’ve recently bought this book in English and Irish to work on with my new class. You can use it to discuss how night and nature feature in Irish storytelling.Pop Song – “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic
This is upbeat and mentions stars in the sky. You could focus on the imagery of the night sky and use it to discuss patterns, light, and reflection with older children in a relatable way. Using pop songs is a great way to encourage engagement, especially in senior classes.Sounds good Kathy. I would definitely try some of these out with my senior class too, adapting for progression where necessary. We could go outside and note what animals or insects we spot in brighter places compared to darker ones. Back in class, the children could make posters or slideshows to share what they learned and think about easy ways to help wildlife at night.
1. How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
To engage my 6th class in exploring biodiversity in our local area of Naas, I would begin with nature walks around the school grounds and nearby green spaces. Pupils could keep simple field journals to record plants, insects, and birds they notice, helping them build observation skills. We could create a class biodiversity map to show the variety of life around us. To deepen their learning, I would invite Paddy Madden, a Heritage in Schools expert, to visit. His hands-on activities and knowledge would inspire pupils to value their local environment and encourage them to protect biodiversity in Naas.
In Kildare, as in many areas that are becoming more built up, too many bright lights at night can upset local wildlife. Bats and owls find it harder to hunt, and insects often get stuck flying around lamps instead of spreading out. This means fewer animals get food, and nature around us doesn’t stay as balanced as it should.
Hi Patricia, I really like your “Rising Star” project idea. What class do you teach? I feel my 6th class will enjoy learning about dark skies and spotting stars at home. Using Stellarium and recording what we see will definitely engage them more and we could also create posters to share what we’ve learned to help protect the night sky.
1. Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
Around Naas in Co. Kildare, artificial lights from street lamps, homes, and businesses are making the night sky significantly brighter than it would naturally be. This makes it much harder for people to observe stars and planets clearly and reduces the chance to enjoy the natural beauty of the night sky. The increased light can also disrupt local wildlife, such as bats, owls, and other nocturnal animals, altering their normal behaviours and patterns. Humans can be affected too, with sleep patterns being disturbed and them having a weaker connection to nature because of the constant glow above the town.
To help my 6th class students explore light pollution further, I could get them involved in practical, hands-on activities. They could compare the brightness of the night sky where they live in comparison to their classmates using simple measurements or a mobile app, record the stars and planets they can see, and observe how local wildlife behaves at night. As their is a variety of students living in both urban and rural areas around, the results should be interesting. Discussions, sketches, and mini research projects could help them understand the effects of artificial light and consider practical ways to reduce it in their own community.
Nice idea Siobhan. I really enjoyed the video explaining the phases of the moon, as sometimes it can be quite hard to explain in words. I also think that creating a Moon Observation Log could get a lot of buy in and interest from children, especially if they are taking photographs at home with their families and uploading them to their google classroom account for the rest of the class to see.
2, Create a Short Teaching Resource using Stellarium.
In this activity the class would use Stellarium Web on tablets to explore what the night sky would look like in Kildare, as this is where I teach. Pupils would open Stellarium Web, set the location to Kildare, Ireland, and make sure the time would be set to “Now.” They would then swipe around the sky on the screen and notice how the sky would look now before switching to nighttime. We will also discuss and compare the difference between this view and what they might see if they went outside at night themselves.
The next step would be to find a bright planet such as Jupiter or Venus. By tapping on it, pupils would see the planet’s name and some extra information. They would then choose a constellation, such as Orion, and turn on the constellation lines to reveal its pattern. Pupils would sketch the constellation in their copies and write down the name of the planet they would have spotted.
At the end, the class would share their findings and discuss which planets and constellations they might see in the Kildare night sky during the autumn evenings.
Hi Susie, sounds like a lovely idea for your Junior Infants. I really do like the idea of creating a sundial and have even seen a 3rd class teacher in my school doing it before. While watching the video in this module, however, I did wonder how it could be adapted for my 6th class in order to show real progression. Perhaps different groups making different sundials to show the time from different time zones? This would also link with maths.
Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner.
I have been teaching mainstream mixed 6th class for the past three years and will continue to do so in September. While going through this module, the Earth Tube idea stood out to me the most.
The way I would see this working would be through an integrated art and science lesson and is something I feel the class would thoroughly enjoy. I will have 28 students in my class this year. I would divide my class into 8 groups and give each group a different planet to create artistically; following this I would give each group the exact weight to mimic the feeling of weight on that particular planet.
Before going through the exact feeling of gravity on each of the planets, I would work on predictions to make it like a game for them, possibly even have a prize for anyone that can guess on which planet gravity feels heavier. Giving everyone the opportunity to left each container and leaving it as an interactive classroom display would also add to their engagement.
