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Describe how you would complement a version of ‘Design your own Dark Sky Place’ in your school/classroom?
As my school is located in quite a built up urban area I think investigating and designing a dark sky place would be very beneficial. There are a lot of objectives that can be achieved by implementing this project. My aim would be for children to have a better understanding of light pollution particularly in such a built up urban area such as ours, nocturnal animals and the natural environment as a whole and ways in which we can reduce light pollution in our school and local area.
The school has quite a large open space and we are often visited by nocturnal animals. In a school I worked in, we put up a webcam to film the comings and goings of animals in the school grounds. As part of this project I would love to install a few webcams to track any activity at night and I feel that by doing a project such as this would strengthen my case!
As suggested I would start with the idea of Dark Sky Places and get children to come up with what they think and do they actually think that they exist? I would imagine with older children that this could be a source of some debate e.g. why are they needed? Is the sky not dark enough? Would this have any effect on the environment? Is light necessary? For younger kids, I would probably first introduce nocturnal animals and pose the question: what habitat would be most suitable for them? Why might nocturnal animals live in towns rather than the countryside? In towns (urban areas) what factors might prevent nocturnal animals living as they should?
Investigation: For older children I would direct them to websites that explain and highlight drak sky places. I would challenge them to come up with 5 reasons why Dark Sky Places are important and who for.
For younger kids I might use a stimulus e.g. a fox teddy bear and get children to come up with ways in which we can help our mascot live in our environment.
We would then research the school grounds and decide where the best place for a Dark Sky Place. If we were to stand here at night time, what would we expect to see/hear/smell/touch?
With older children I might also segway into looking at the stars and the constellations and add this eventually to our design phase. For younger children I might pose the question: would we be able to see the North Star? What is the North Star?
Design Phase: I would divide my children into different groups: Nocturnal animals/Stars/Moon. I would ideally create a dark sky in my classroom with a view to blacking out the windows to use as a roleplay area. I would use torches and illuminous stars to replicate a star sky place.
To end the project I would arrange an evening for parents to observe a dark sky place… I would do this mid winter to achieve as dark a sky as possible. I would love to tie it into observing the Observe the Moon event on September 14th but I feel that the moon will be too bright! The event could also incorporate poems and songs inspired by our night sky.
Some great ideas to really involve the children. I especially love the lighting redesign idea to give children ownership of their learning and their future.
Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
I live in Drogheda and have grown up with the affects of light pollution all my life. I only ever realise these affects when I go to places that have a lot less light pollution. A few years ago, I was in a rural area in France and I could not get over how clear the night sky was, I would see shooting stars on a regular basis. It was fascinating!
For children in Urban areas: I would highlight the difference in light pollution from 1997 to 2015 by showing the background growth of light images. I would also start the lesson by questioning children’s understanding of pollution. If light pollution does not get mentioned I would explain that light is also a cause of pollution.
I would show images of different types of light pollution: Glare, sky glow, light clutter and trespass. It will be difficult for children to understand how light is a polluter therefore using images and you tube videos will help.
I live near the beach and I find that the location is a lot darker than more rural areas. I would encourage children to take a trip with their family in the evening to see the difference in the night sky.
To further reflect: I would discuss with children possible solutions to limit sky pollution. I would conduct a classroom investigation by setting up a model streetscape with a variety of light sources. This will help the children decide where light is needed and where it is not. This should help them come up with their own solutions for reducing light pollution in the wider community.
Plan to observe the Moon:
The best time to observe the moon in the evening is a few days after the first quarter and the best time to observe the moon in the morning is during the last quarter phase.
I would approach this series of lessons by starting at the last quarter phase of the moon. This would allow the children to observe the moon in school as well as at home. I would finish the series of lessons in after the first quarter to give children to observe the different moon phases from home.
I would introduce the topic of Space using the moon using Paxi and Our Moon phases and eclipses.
I would then discuss and investigate with my class the difference between Stars, moons and planets. I would make good use of the Stellarium web app to introduce the idea that every child can be an astronomer.
I would also demonstrate how the moon orbits Earth and how we orbit the sun. This will no doubt lead into a discussion regarding season’s, gravity etc.
To end the topic like I said earlier I will allow them to chart the different phases of the moon and as a class we will use torches to explore shadows and how that causes the different phases of the moon.
I agree with Doireann allowing children to unravel their own scientific thinking is empowering and harnesses children’s natural curiosity. We tend to teach season’s as a change in nature but rarely delve into the science of such a change. Also for children to realise that season’s are different depending on where they are makes them aware of the world around us. We could further thus learning by looking at the environmental impact we are having on seasons.
Constructing a sun-dial would be a nice hands-on activity for children in primary school. The activity could be done at different stages of primary school but would deliver the best educational value in children from 4th-6th. The introduction of sundials as a tool used in ancient times to tell the time would no doubt spark the interest of most children. Allowing children to investigate the history behind sundials, working out the angles, creating an actual sundial, comparing and investigating the difference between then and now would all make for a great STEM learning experience.
There are a lot of resources available but I would be inclined to start with a stimulus such as the you tube video shown in an earlier slide of the Earth rising. I would then follow this with a KWL on what we know about and how it is measured. Following this, I would allow children to investigate the history of how sundials were invented. Over a period of a week, I would facilitate the children in choosing the best materials to construct the sundial and where to place the sundials. My school is quite large and would lend itself to children being able to construct several sundials and to determine the most suitable place for them to work.
Children can then measure angles, compare each others measurements and can be measured at different times of the year. I feel that children would get a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction from this STEM activity.
