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How light pollution is impacting your local area.
In order to engage the children in the topic I would make use of questions such as what is light pollution? What are the main sources of lighting at night? How does light pollution affect us and out environment? I would make use of photos from the various resources offered in this course. I would question children as to whether light pollution is affecting their location. Children would wonder about and explore the concepts of different types of light and the affect they can have on the environment.
The investigation would consider how we can reduce light pollution? What factors contribute to light pollution? What are dark sky friendly lights? What colours work best at night? Where should light be directed? Children could build model streetscape and decide where light is needed and where it is not, change direction of lights etc.
They would then discuss the results and compare designs and ask questions as to whether the designs reduce the types of light pollution. They could then prepare basic guidelines for dark sky friendly lights.
This lesson incorporates good use of ICT and also brings the children out to the outdoor classroom which I believe is great for pupils. They are active explorers and learners and there is great follow-up of predictions and outcomes.
Observing the phases of the Moon
To engage the children I would ask questions such as:
Is it possible to see the Full Moon in the daytime?
How is the appearance of the Moon related to the time of day?
I would ask pupils to make predictions and to justify what they think with an explanation.
Next we shall Investigate as follows:
Organise the children into groups of three. Give each group a ball (Moon) and a chair with a torch (Sun) Explain to the children that the Moon is a sphere. That is why we are using a ball for this task. We see the Moon as a flat disc.
How is this related to the time of day? (which phases of the Moon can the “Earth observer” see when they are also facing the Sun?)
Where is the light source (the Sun) relative to the “Earth” observer?
To take the next steps I would use Stellarium to observe the appearance of the Moon
I like the idea of introducing this topic as an art idea initially. Children are always engaged with art ideas. I also like the idea of the children coming up with their own ideas for creating sundials. I often find the children have better ideas than I do and their input is very valuable. Lastly the idea of older and younger children buddying up is great! This lesson ticks alot of boxes – there would be lots of Oral language learning as well as maths and science of course.
- One Year on Earth – Understanding the Seasons Resource (ESA)
I would begin the lesson with talk and discussion. I would ask the pupils what time they go to bed. Do they go to bed at the same time in the summer as in the winter? Do they find it harder to go to bed in the summer when it is still light outside? I would conclude that during the summer the days are longer than during the winter. I would then use the detailed instructions on how to run the exercises found in the student guide to complete Part a, b and c outlined below.
Part A – Build a Sun-Earth model
Pupils work in groups to complete part A on the worksheet. Give each group a polystyrene sphere, cocktail sticks and a pen. Explain that meridians are imaginary lines and that the equator is an imaginary horizontal line that runs the Earth midway between the North Pole and the South Pole. The Earth’s axis is an imaginary line through the centre of the Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole. I would use a globe to show this.
Part B – One year on Earth
I would explain to pupils that the Earth completes a single orbit around the Sun in one year and a single rotation on its axis in 24 hours. Make sure that the flag is facing the Sun; that the pupils do not change the tilt of their Earth’s axis; and that they hold the torch at the same height as the equator. Pupils should conclude that their country is not always in the same position in the lit area. In summer, European countries are closest to centre of the lit area and in winter, the country is furthest away.
Part C – Long days, short days
This step adds the aspect of understanding day time and night time to the model. I would make sure pupils turn the Earth anticlockwise when investigating the length of the days and that they do not change the tilt of their Earth’s axis. Pupils should conclude that the season with the longest path is summer and the shortest occurs in winter.
I might also use the PAXI video to further explain the concepts.