[Emma Mc Carthy]

Hi Frances,

 

You have a great collection there. I really like the idea of giving children a chance to note any ideas on whiteboard and making predictions prior to listening. A nice idea! It enhances that idea of guided discovery in learning.

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Consider how Songs/Poems/Art can connect us with the Night Sky. Here is a sample of some.

Poems:
1. “Stardust” by President Michael D. Higgins – A reflective piece on the cosmos and our place within it.
2. “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” by Walt Whitman – Whitman contrasts scientific understanding with the awe of simply gazing at the stars.
3. “The Starry Night” by Anne Sexton – Inspired by Van Gogh’s painting, it explores the painter’s vision and the beauty of the night sky.
4. “Bright Star” by John Keats – A sonnet where Keats expresses a wish to be as steadfast as a star.
5. “Choose Something Like a Star” by Robert Frost- A poem encouraging contemplation and calm, like the distant stars.

Songs:
1. “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)” by Don McLean – A tribute to Vincent van Gogh and his famous painting, “The Starry Night”.
2. “Space Oddity” by David Bowie – A haunting song about an astronaut, Major Tom, floating in space.
3. “Across the Universe” by The Beatles – Reflects on the infinite and cosmic with a sense of wonder.
4. “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay – Celebrates the beauty of the night sky and love.
5. “Starman” by David Bowie – Tells the story of a star being who brings a message of hope to Earth.

Art:
1. “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh – Perhaps the most famous painting inspired by the night sky, depicting a swirling, dreamlike night.
2. “Starry Night Over the Rhône” by Vincent van Gough – Another stunning portrayal of the night sky by van Gogh.
3. “A Black Hole Colliding with Another Black Hole” by Samuel Araya – A modern take on the cosmic theme.
4. “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Hokusai – While primarily about the sea, the night sky in the background plays a crucial role in the composition.
5. “Starry Night and the Astronauts” by Alma Thomas – A vibrant piece inspired by space exploration and the night sky.

This is a collection of Songs/ Ar/ Poetry that connect us with the Night Sky and I do believe that children would enjoy studying some of above.

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Hi Conor,

I really like the idea of the insect Hunt. I’m moving back to the Junior end of the school next year and I think the children would really enjoy this as it is a hands on approach and really engages them in the whole area of Biodiversity in their local area.

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Engaging learners and the possible impact of Light Pollution on Biodiversity

The following are activities that I believe would engage learners in the area of Light Pollution and the impact on Biodiversity:

1)Doing Field Trips and Outdoor activities:
Biodiversity Walks, Nocturnal Wildlife Surveys, Community Science Projects)
2)Classroom Activities and Projects:
Assigning Students with research projects on local species and their habitats, Biodiversity Diaries- encouraging students to keep a diary of the species they observe in their local area. Light Pollution Experiments-set up light experiments to measure light in different area and times. Children could than compare their findings.
3) Collaborative Projects and Community Involvement:
School Gardens and Habitats- Create or enhance school gardens with native plants to attract local wildlife
Community awareness campaigns- Develop campaigns to educate locals about dark skies and impact of Light Pollution on biodiversity
4) Creative ideas in Classroom:
-Art and Literature: Integrating Biodiversity and Light Pollution into art, poetry and storytelling projects
-STEM activities
-Drama and Role-play: Creating different scenarios on Biodiversity/ Light Pollution

By doing these hand on activities, I strongly believe that they would enhance a child’s understanding on Biodiversity and Light Pollution.

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Hi Laura, I totally agree with your comment above. I was shocked to see how heavily polluted my area is too. You would think that the countryside would be that bit less than the city!

Yes, totally agree that it would be interesting to show a group of young learners and get them to discuss what they could do in their local area.

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Impact of Light Pollution in the Local Area

I live in a rural town and I believe that Light Pollution has a massive impact on these:
1. Disruption of Ecosystems:
– The wildlife of a local area can be significantly impacted e.g. nochturnal animals rely on darkness for foraging and mating.

2. Human Health:
-Sleep Disorder: Increased exposure to artificial light, especially at night can reduce peoples sleep.
– Visibility and Safety: Excessive lighting can cause glare, reducing night-time visibility, which can lead to safety hazards on roads and in other public spaces.

How to engage learners to explore Light Pollution:

1. Educational Activities:
– Field Trips: Observatories and Dark Sky Parks: Organise trips to local observatories or designated Dark Sky Parks where students can experience a truly dark night sky and understand the importance of preserving these areas.
– Light Pollution Mapping: Have students use light meters or smartphone apps to measure and map light pollution levels around the school and their homes. They can create visual maps and present their findings.
– Guest Speakers: Invite local astronomers, environmental scientists, or city planners to speak about the impacts of light pollution and ongoing efforts to mitigate it.
-Hands-On Projects:
Shielding Experiment: Students can design and create their own light shields to demonstrate how proper lighting can reduce light pollution. This can involve using materials to shield outdoor lights and measuring the difference in light spread.
– Public Awareness Campaigns: Have students create informational brochures, social media posts, or short videos to educate the public about the importance of reducing light pollution and practical steps that can be taken.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Emma Mc Carthy.

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Hi Mairead,

I really like the idea of designing and making a foam rocket. I think my class would love that next year.  I love the way that the children can discuss the properties and choose the materials that they want to use- a great exploration of learning!

[Emma Mc Carthy]

I think the Stellarium is an excellent resource to use with the children and it would be very enjoyable. It is definitely something that I would consider using with my 5th class next year.
Firstly, on topic of the Planet, I would begin to introduce it by imposing a question on the children about planet/ stars.. As a class, we would than fill in a KWL chart together.
I would than introduce the website of Stellarium to do the children. I would model this website using the interactive board and show the children the tools you can use. We are fortunate to have ipads in our school, once website is modeled to the children they are then free to use the resource on their ipads. I will give the children a certain time frame to identify different constellations and the stars/planets in each constellation. Children can than share their ideas on their ipads with their partners or the rest of the class. WE will conclude the lesson through a quick thumbs up/ thumbs down game.

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Hi Niamh,

I really like how you are integrating the use of ICT into the sundial project. We have chromebooks in our school to and it is something that I would definitely consider next year.

[Emma Mc Carthy]

I think constructing a sundial would be a great idea for to do with the children in a class. I had a senior class last year and I think they would really enjoy this.
Firstly, I would introduce the lesson of sundials by imposing a question on the children about the new concept.
When the theory and content of sundials is finished, as a class we will select a ground in the school which would be ideal for sundials. Give children their choice to pick their location of the sundials. When suitable place is selected, we will then look at what material we will use to construct our sundial so it is durable. We will then consider the best way to start and mark our sundial. We could start at 9am and consider using a line of stones maybe to mark the shadow the sun is creating. As a class, we could set a timer to every hour and come out and check the sundial and again we will follow the lines that the shadow is making. We will consider to do this a number of times during the day and then check our results.
When finished this activity, we could do a summary of what we have learnt and reflect on what we could to better the next time
I am back teaching the Junior end next year and I would really look into doing this activity again and differentiating it to a way that suits.

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Oral

Really enjoyed reading your post you have some fantastic art ideas and found reading them very inspiring. It was amazing the projects you thought of and how you incorporated the local flora and fauna so well. Really enjoyed reading them all and have gathered many ideas !!

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Module 5

Describe how you would involve your pupils in an art, music drama or creative writing project based around your local natural or scientific heritage

We are very lucky to have on our door step the vibrant wind turbine farm of Moinahinca Roscrea. This farm provides ample opportunities for creative exploration.

Below are the ideas I would use to involve my pupils in a creative capacity to empathise with the local natural scientific heritage of this site.

Art:
Inspired the portrayed of Mary Ward (Her Story) I would get the pupils to draw themselves in the corner of the page. Following our trip to the wind farm I would get them to draw what they experienced through their eyes. Pictures captured on our visit to the wind farm will be displayed on the white board and this would be uses as a stimulus for children to inspire their drawings. On conclusion pupils will look and respond to each others art pieces answering questions such as

1- What did you think this pupil saw?
2- Did you see the same?
3- What aspects do you like?
4- Anything else you find interesting in your peers work?

Music
Having visited the wind turbines myself I was always struck by the whirls and hums they make. Using different percussion instruments and other items available to pupils I would encourage pupils to compose a 4 part percussion set to imitate the sounds experienced on our trip to the wind farm. Inspiration for birds sounds and other sounds from the experience would be encouraged for inclusion. A class recording could be made and played to other classes.

Drama
Hot seating is a fabulous way to encourage pupils to empathise with an object or a person. Using this strategy I would encourage pupils to hot set a wind turbine. Taking turns pupils would become a wind turbine and pupils will ask them pupils. Personifying the wind turbine asking questions such as

1- Are you ever lonely ?
2- What excites you ?
3- Have you friends?
4- How do you feel when classes come and visit?

Creative Writing
Having personified the wind turbine in drama this could be used as a great stimulus to write a 150 word diary entry on “A Day in the life if a Wind Turbine” . Pupils would be well equipped for this task having explored the STEM elements of a wind turbine and also having personalised wind turbines in drama they would have ample information to write a genuine diary entry. These could be read to younger classes adding illustrations and a name to their wind turbine for added storytelling excitement.

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Orla

 

I enjoyed reading your post and the different aspects of integration you had with the various strands in the Maths curriculum. I loved your steps to implement lesson as well as your conclusion.

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Module 4
Research engineering in your local area and describe how you would use a local building, structure or other engineering feature as inspiration for a classroom or outdoor design and make project

Prompt
We are very lucky to have on our door step in our locality bog lands full of many wind turbines. These turbines provide renewable energy sources with energy sold to the national grid. The owners are always very keen to have school group’s visit and pupils can learn about the workings of such turbines. The surrounding areas are rich in bio diversity also as they are located on bog lands. This outing makes a great place to explore local flora and fauna too. ( Display photos to pupils)

Below is a lesson plan to design and make a Wind Turbine (inspired by our local wind turbines)
Equipment you will need:
Coloured card
Glue
Push pin
Cardboard tube
Sticky tack

Step 1
Get a piece of coloured card and a piece of patterned paper. The coloured card can be any measurement, try 10cmX10cm first and then you can go bigger or smaller once you get used to making them.

Step 2
Fold the square along the diagonal to make an X across the middle. Make a cut from each corner two-thirds of the way towards the middle. If you are using a 10cmX10cm square cut 4cm in from the edge

Step 3
Use a push pin to make a hole in the middle of the square. Use a cork mat or sticky tack to avoid making a mark on furniture. Make a hole close to the edge in the right hand corner of each quarter of the piece of card. To make each blade, place the pin through the corner hole and then bring it towards the middle. Repeat to make each blade of the windmill. Repeat until all 4 blades are done.

Step 4
Finally, attach the windmill to the cardboard tube using the push pin. Use a bit of glue if it needs strengthening, but be careful not to stick the card to the stick as this will prevent your windmill from spinning around. Note: Depending on the type of cardboard tube that you have, you may need to add some cardboard to the base to help the windmill to stand.

Conclusion
Student Reflection
– What went well?
– What would you do differently?
– Did you enjoy?
– What was the most challenging part?

[Emma Mc Carthy]

Orla

Completely agree with your comments. I was amazed with the tips on the pollinator site and like yourself I am going to make an effort to change to more pollinator friendly plants. Including planting more lavender as you mentioned. I love lavender

[Author]

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