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I like the idea of designing a dark sky place and this is something I will try with a senior class next year. To engage the children i would begin with a starter question such as What is a dark sky place? Pictures will be used here. Who would live in a dark sky place? In groups children make lists of animals that live there. I would usee resources from mod 3 to explore light pollution and mod 4 resources to explore why darkness is important. We would begin our challenge wit a group discussion eg how can we prepare our dark space? Plan : During the planning step we would g=have to consider visitors needs eg facilities and information. Make: In groups children compile a list of needs eg parking, viewing spots. Next we would create a map . The map would clearly identify and display viewing points. We would add an information sheet listing nocturnal animals present in the park. Our next steps could include making connections eg how has artificial light evolved over the years. Teacher reflection could involve the following reflective question Are there opportunities for cross curricular links here?
I would begin by teaching about the term ‘biodiversity”. There were some nice resources given in the module for this eg : Gardening for biodiversity. I would then do a biodiversity survey around the school with the children. We would then draw a biodiversity map of our school grounds. A nice resource for this is the Bioblitz video. Next we would plan what we want to improve eg reduce area that is moved, allow hedges to flower, maybe add more bird boxes and an insect hotel. Perhaps ensure we have plants that suit moths (pollinators). We could also plant native trees on our grounds. We would also refer back to our light pollution survey and see can we tie elements of this into our plan. After a period of time we would review by perhaps seeing if we have and increase in numbers of an existing species or any new species.We could also further explore and research nocturnal animals eg moths & bats using the resources provided throughout the module
Hi Sarah, I like the idea of getting the children to observe the night sky from their homes and record their observations. This could lead to an interesting discussion eg Sally lives in the country and Ben lives in the town center …would we expect their observations to be the same? Why?
Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
I teach in a rural school which is relatively close to Waterford city. Firstly we would explore the concept of light pollution. We could begin using photos of the local area at night as a prompt. This could lend itself to exploring questions such as What are the sources of light at night ? Do you think all of these lights need to be on ? I would also like this with a study of the biodiversity around our school eg we have bird boxes around the building. Investigation: We would then do a daytime walk around the school building marking in the various lights ask child to note whether any lights are close to the bird boxes ..this would make a nice discussion point later. If possible we would have an after dark walk also to explore which lights are on at night etc. As an aside the lights of the city really light up the sky to one side of the school grounds…this could also be explored. Share results: Create a map pinpointing sources and types of light. There are a lot of street lights outside the school grounds which is an unusual thing for a rural setting…discussion around this ..eg are all these lights needed? Now ask children to work in groups to build a toolkit for reducing light pollution eg could outdoor lights be on a timer? could any lights near bird boxes be removed. Perhaps write to the council re the excessive street lighting. Finally to take the next step we could watch the you tube clip ‘ Time to protect the night’
I agree Sarah that the stellarium is a great tool to help find the planets in the night sky. I found it quite difficult to use but the instructional video was very helpful.
I liked many of the activities on constellations explored in this module. I will use ESERO activity 34 and I also liked the suggestion to link this topic to mythology etc. The activity that caught my interest the most was the Curious Minds activity : Seeing Stars: looking at the plough from different places. I think the pupils would enjoy making the model of the plough. Firstly I would give them a list of materials to organize : black card, wool, tape, tin foil, pencil, ruler, star map template and the distance chart. They then use the star chart to put holes in the black paper, one for each star. Next they make the stars by balling up the tinfoil and this is then taped to the wool. I kike the link to maths here where each piece of wool is 30 cm and they must use a ruler and the distance chart to work out how far to pull each piece through the holes. When complete they can stick their model to the ceiling. They can look up at it from bellow to see the plough as we do from earth and look at it from an angle to see what it would look like from space. I think this activity would suit 3rd to 6th but could be adapted for a younger class.
Hi Julie, I like the idea of getting children to observe and mark their shadows. I think this or a version of it would be enjoyed from infants to 6th.
I would begin by exploring shadows using a torch and various objects. The aim would be for the children to realise that as the light source changes the shadow cast does too.I would also bring the class outside at various times of the day to observe and mark their shadows, they could then compare their findings.I really like the idea of making a sundial with my class. There were 2 types explained in module 1 , a home made version using a stick or a ready made template to be made using cardboard on space week .ie I would opt for the stick version. First we would have to choose a good location in the school grounds which has direct sunlight all day. Then we would use a plant pot and a bamboo stick to create the basic model. As a class we would observe the shadow cast at 9 am and mark the spot and record the time with a stone and chalk. I would then send the children out in groups each hour for the rest of the day to mark each hour. We could also make the cardboard version and place it in a similar location to compare. I think this activity would link in very well with history and maths (theme: time)
I would love to participate in the SFI Science and Maths Awards. As a beginner I would start with the cert and see where we go from there.
We have a raised bed planting area on our school grounds. It is a semi enclosed area. One part of the area gets a lot of sunlight throughout the school where as the other side gets no light till much later in the evening. The question posed :
Will the plants in the shaded area or the ‘sunny’ area grow better?
I would use the DPSM framework to shape my lessons.
We would first have a class discussion about the topic to find out the children’s prior knowledge and pre conceptions.
I would then pre teach the vocab and allow the children to do some research eg web search , speak to a keen gardener.
We would then plant various herbs (easy to grow) at the same time in both areas of the raised bed garden. We would then observe, photograph and analyse plants in both areas weekly.
Children could create various graphs etc to analyse their findings. A review and analysis of the outcomes would then be made into a video for other classes to watch,
I chose the 3rd module assignment.
I liked the ESA resource ‘From the ground to the sky’
I would think this would use this with 4th /5th class.
· As a nice starter activity I would use my drone with the class to take photos of the school grounds from the air then take photos from ground level. It might be a nice introduction.
· I really liked the photo matching activity. The children would enjoy matching the photos taken from the ground with those taken from satellites or the International Space Station. The photos are really varied and should capture their interest.
· I would get the children to complete the activity worksheet provided in groups then we would have a whole class discussion on their answers.
· I also like the sentence starters eg Photos of Earth taken by Earth Observation Satellites…. This and the others given would spark off a great brainstorming session.
· I think this whole area would be a fabulous topic for English writing eg Write the diary entry of an astronaut on the ISS who took one of the photos.
· The links provided also would be super for project work.
I found the video ‘Home’ very moving. The drone footage and music really added to the emotion of the whole thing. I think what struck me the most is that in terms of time our existence on earth is so insignificant yet we have had such a detrimental effect on this planet. It also amazed me to learn that over 1 billion people still like as humans did 6,000 years ago. These people live in a way that barely if even has any negative impact on the planet. Yet these are often the most vulnerable to climate change. We have been taping into the ground for our energy for hundreds of years now, fossil fuels and many other resources are running out rapidly. Yet the wealth, power and greed of a few are controlling or at least influencing our response to this. The solution is staring us in the face : get our energy from the sun!!We have the science, technology and knowledge for this but not the will due to greed. I found the drone images of quarries very upsetting. I also was struck by the chemicals being pumped into the atmosphere by industry. I am also very proud of Irish farmers after watching this , we farm in such a sustainable way compared to the USA, the 2 systems are literally worlds apart. It is hard to know how I would use this in the classroom, perhaps I would show parts of it to show what a beautiful planet we have and that we must protect it.
