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This is a great idea. Linking Newgrange and the winter solstice to real engineering and history gives children something amazing to explore. I love the idea of using Google Maps and Street View, it lets children see these ancient sites up close, even from the classroom, and notice how close together they are in Meath.
Connecting this to Galway’s own changing sunset is a lovely local touch too, helping children see that these ancient people understood the sky in a very real, practical way. It ties history, geography, and astronomy together beautifully for young learners.I would aim this lesson at first or second class. I would keep this simple and hands-on. First, I’d ask questions such as What is a Dark Sky Place? Why are they special? What can we see in the sky on a clear night?
For the main design activity I would get the children to brainstorm some good materials for creating their own Dark Sky Place. Then, children could design their own dark sky place using a shoebox/. They would cut a hole for a “sky” window and use black paper with tiny pinholes to make stars. Inside, they could add small drawings or cut-outs of trees, animals, or a house to show their own imagined place.
As a class, we would talk about the rules of a dark sky place, like using warm, low lights only where needed, and turning off lights that aren’t in use.
Finally, children could present their shoebox to the class, explaining one rule they chose to protect the stars and the animals living there, like bats or owls.I think the integration ideas that you have mentioned are lovely and very simple to incorporate with this type of lesson. also for younger classes beginning any lesson or topic wiht a story immediately engages them and draws them in. I have used KWL a bit this year and its been great for extending the more able children.
To engage the children in exploring biodiversity in our local area, I would start with a simple nature walk around our local area, asking children to spot and record the plants, insects, and animals they see. I have previously used a great app on our ipads called ‘chatterpix’ where they can take a photo and record their own voices over it with simple facts. This helps them notice the biodiversity already around them, even in a urban area.
Next, I would introduce the idea of light pollution reminding them to focus on too much artificial light at night. I would ask the children to list what animals what animals might be affected. We could talk about bats, moths, and birds, and how bright lights can confuse them, disturb their feeding, or affect their sleep patterns.
As an idea I would encourage homework one day to be to go on an evening walk (with parents) to look and listen for bats or night creatures, comparing brighter and darker areas. Children could then draw or write about what they noticed, linking it back to how light pollution changes the natural world around us and what we can do to help protect it.That’s a lovely, well-rounded plan. I really like how it moves from awareness to real action. Bringing in the Galway Bat Group is a great touch as I feel hearing from real experts always sticks with children more than a textbook ever could. And the bat walks are a brilliant way to get families involved outside school too.
The idea of children presenting to other classes is a great way to inspire confidence in the children. It gives real purpose to their work and spreads the message further than just their own room. I especially like tying it to something concrete and local, like Salthill’s bats, rather than keeping it abstract.I teach in Rathfarnham in South Dublin, and like most urban areas, it suffers from significant light pollution. Streetlights, house lights, and the general glow from Dublin city mean that on a clear night, only the brightest stars are visible. Nothing compared with the thousands you’d see in a truly dark, rural sky. This makes it hard for children to develop a real sense of wonder about the night sky, something I think is a real loss for their learning.
I have decided to aim this lesson at 2nd class. I would start simply by asking them questions along the lines of “Can you count the stars you see from your back garden?” and compare this to photos of a countryside sky full of stars. We could talk about why this happens such as, too many lights left on, shining upwards instead of down.
As a class activity, children could make a simple “star jar” which would be a torch in a dark box with pinholes so that they could see how light changes what we can observe. We could also do a simple survey: walking around the school grounds, noting where lights point upwards and “spill” unnecessarily into the sky, then suggest fixes like shades or timers.
This would build awareness while linking directly to their own environment, something they see every night but rarely think about.This idea is lovely and the children always engage well in a topic when it is integrated with a fun art lesson. I think the children would lvoe to show off their artwork afterwards and explain their contellations which would really let them express what they ahve learned in the lesson. There is scope for using this with the younger and the older classes too.
I think showing them the contellations would really pique their interest and you could even get them to try to guess the names before telling them and see what they come up with from just observing the constellations.
I found the ESERO lesson for observing the moon very useful from this module and it seems to be very adaptable to a variety of classes.
Firstly it draws the children’s attention to how we can see the moon , not just at night but also during the day.
Asking the children if and when they have spotted the moon and if we could see it right now would open their eyes and minds to new questions that they could try to answer. Also bringing in the idea of a lunar eclipse and seeing what the children’s understanding of that would broaden the lesson and interest for more able children.
The group activity where one child has a torch, one has a ball for the moon and the other child represents the earth is lovely. I have in previous years used torches and a globe whole class to show day and night and seasons but I feel this hands on approach would be so engaging for children to analyse the phases of the moon.
The follow on worksheet, the Moon Observation Log, which allows the children to draw the phases of the moon that they have observed is great. There are so many useful resources from this module especially some of the lovely videos which would enhance the lesson. I will be looking forward to using them in the coming year.Option 3:
I would get my class to observe and record where the sun is at different times of day.
To begin the lesson I would ask the children where they see the sun in the morning on the way to school. I would explain that the sun seems to move across the sky during the day. We could check by looking out of the window where the sun is now. I might take this opportunity to introduce or revise North, South , East and West.
For the main activity to measure the movement of the sun I would take the class outside three times that day. Once in the morning, between the breaks and in the afternoon. Each time I would encourage the children to point to where the sun is and describe it using simple words: “low,” “high,” “behind the tree,” “near the school gate.”
I would get the children in pairs or small groups to choose a spot with a cone. One child would lie down with their feet at the cone facing the school and the other child will outline their shadow. The children can take turns doing this at the other times when they come out and they must ensure that they lie down in the same spot. The children could use their feet to walk along the shadow in order to measure the length of the shadow at the various times of the day.
I would then at the end of the day ask them what they observed with the shadows and why they think this happened. Children draw a simple picture of their findings to record what they have observed and learned. They could stick the three drawings in sequence on a “Sun’s Day” chart.
To conclude I would show them the read a loud story ‘The Day I Met My Shadow’ by Melissa Brun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L52xSUtJNgI like the idea of allowing the children to simlpy explore with shadows. It would link nicely with my own lesson idea for measuring the movement of the sun. Children love to make shadow puppets using torches. I have seen some ideas on twinkl that allow the children to copy them. It also allows for great pair work and turn taking if the children are working in pairs with only one torch. I’ve seen this in younger classes and it is interesting to see how they compromise!!
Irene
I think getting the children involved in such a lcoal project that is close to their hearts is a great way to ensure they fully engage in the project. It really allows for ownership over their work. I love the simple idea of planting some flowers or shrubs. The children would love to monitor and care for these as they watch them grow.
The research question I have chosen to work with is:
How has the average temperature in Dublin changed over the last 50 years and what does this mean for our future weather?
This research question connects with children’s everyday lives, making climate change feel real rather than distant and abstract. Beginning with something familiar like Dublin weather I feel would engage the children meaningfully.
I would start by asking children what they already know about weather and climate, to determine prior knowledge through discussion. Children would then examine simple temperature graphs showing Dublin weather patterns over decades, identifying changes and trends themselves. I would hope this would lend itself to the children having ownership over the task.
I think I would group the children into small groups to investigate different decades. They could record their work on a chart to later report to the class and display in the room. This will lead to extended communication and build on prior language while also building confidence.
Children might connect their findings to visible changes like shorter winters, more flooding or heavy rainfall. This is important so that children realise the effects of climate change on us all.
I would conclude the lesson with a focused discussion about what our class, school and families can do to help combat the results of climate change. The children can feel like they can make a difference
The Climate Detectives framework is excellent because it positions children as genuine scientists investigating real problems, which ismotivating and educational.
Irene
I had no idea the number of Satellites passing over IReland at any one time. The website was so interesting and the absolute magnitude of the number of satelittes was mind blowing! I have to say it became a bit addictive to click on the satelittes and see where they orginated from and how long they have been in orbit as well as what they do up there.
Here are the satellites that I discovered. I could not believe how many are in orbit!
1. STARLINK-35185 provides braodband internet to over 70 countries
2. GLOBALSTAR M053 is a communications satellite which provides the Emergency SOS on iphones currently
3.KUIPER-00493 is part of Amazon’s Project Kuiper and also is part of a consellation of broadband satellites
4. DRISHTI is an Indian satellite used for weather monitoring and environmental science
5. COSMOS 1257 is a Russian Defence Ministry satellite. It is an identifier for milatary and government space crafts.
