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Amazingly, we did see the ISS pass over us in coastal Wexford a few nights ago! Five satellites that have passed Ireland recently are:
International Space Station (ISS)
Starlink-2637 – this satellite assists in providing broadband internet coverage, helping deliver high-speed, low-latency internet access to users in remote and rural areas.
Starlink-2234 – this satellite also assists with broadband coverage for over 4 million users in remote and rural areas across more than 70 countries.
Starlink-3509 – this satellite was launched in February 20, 2022 and also assists in providing broadband to remote and underserved regions.
Starlink-3533 – this satellite is also concerned with broadband in remote areas, including maritime settings.
These are called Low Earth Orbit (LEO) objects and they are bright enough to be seen with the naked eye! I learned that satellites do not emit their own light, rather they reflect the sun. This link https://astronomy.ie/starlink-satellites/ is a handy one for the Starlink satellites. It does make the point that the vast numbers of satellites now do have an impact on dark skies, albeit the data provided is very interesting and the service provided can be very important.
I would look at the theme of climate change through the subject of coastal erosion which is very topical as we live in a coastal area of Co. Wexford which has seen significant erosion in the last 50 to 60 years especially.
We would start by reviewing the children’s understanding of climate change. We would then explore what they understand by erosion and discuss how this has impacted local beaches, cliff walks, properties, roads, etc. We would include input from parents and grandparents whose first-hand knowledge and memories would be invaluable.
We would explore maps from 50 years ago and compare these with imagery from today to examine the changes. We would investigate these changes at three beaches and detail the amount of land lost to erosion. We would also include specific weather events that had dramatic impact, e.g. particular storms (Hurricane Ophelia, Storm Barra, Storm Eowyn) and the before and after results of these.
We would also examine the County Development Plan with regard to erosion so that the children are aware of steps being taken to either reduce the impact of erosion or address the impacts already taking place. Ideally, a speaker from the Co. Council would come to the school to discuss erosion with the children.
Hi Michael,
A great suggestion to include parents/grandparents in that lesson. It makes it more meaningful and impactful for the children and is a lovely home-school link.
Hi Anne,
I agree! Hours could be spent exploring all the satellites! Children would love that. It’s so interesting to consider everything in orbit above us.
The HOME video is an incredible resource – amazing visuals showing the breath-taking beauty of our planet along with the devastation and destruction being caused through human failure and inaction. I think it would successfully illustrate to children, especially the older classes, that humans are such a recent arrival, yet the damage being done is so catastrophic. I think it also delivers the message that we exist, only along with other species, and that we are custodians, not owners.
Our school is in a rural area. Many of our pupils are from farming backgrounds. The video rightly covers the damage done, and being done, by agriculture. I think it will be important to present this video in a way that gives the information as well as steps that can be taken to address the damage, and positive solutions we could implement, even in a small way. We could look at this in the context of Irish government policy.
USA has pulled out of the Paris Agreement since January 2026 in a shameful, but not surprising, display of ignorance under the current administration. Most primary school children, to varying extents, are aware of issues in the US. Most are also aware of the power of the US and the impact of its decisions on the climate crisis. I think we need to remain hopeful when covering climate issues in class. We need to remain optimistic and remind children, and ourselves, to try to look beyond current political situations in the hope that future leaders will be responsible and intelligent in their interpretation of scientific facts regarding climate change.
I see that this film was made in 2009 and it notes that humanity has no more than 10 years to reverse the trend. Obviously, that deadline was passed 7 years ago but we need to still highlight to children the small steps that we can take. Otherwise, we leave children feeling hopeless.
Hi Elspeth,
I agree. The HOME video is am amazing resource but could definitely result in anxiety so this does need to be taken into account.
I think this Climate Reporters lesson would work very well with senior classes especially. They could think about what ages they will be by 2050, what stages of life they could be at (most 6th class pupils will be 36!), what the world around them will look like, likely similarities and differences with present day.
The TEAL tool is very effective and impactful. Each group could use their chromebooks. The running of temperatures on a loop is excellent for highlighting the changing nature of temperatures over the decades. I think this illustration of the passage of years would also help the children to appreciate in some small way at this stage in their lives, the idea that we are custodians rather than owners and we are aiming, at the very least, to pass on the planet to future generations.
The Paxi video explains the nature and effect of greenhouse gases very clearly. I think in an activity like this lesson, it is important to not only explore the damage being done to the planet, but also remain some way hopeful. I have had children in my classes who become visibly upset around the future of the earth, destruction of habitats, pollution, etc. It is important that we try to focus on what we, as individuals, can do every day, even small steps we can take. There has to be hope and some optimism in our lessons also.
Hi Seán
I think the emphasis on language and vocabulary is really important as well as their understanding that prediction is based on pattern.
Weather or Climate
Discussions around the weather tend to happen every day, especially in the junior classes as part of the daily news. This activity for the older children could link nicely with memories of their younger years in the school. I like the idea of linking the introduction with their birthdays and also of checking in with parents at home regarding weather on previous birthdays, possibly having great stories of bouncy castles either in the sun, or flogging rain! The categorising of sentences into weather or climate facilitates a great discussion around this. Children could be in two camps in the room, one weather, one climate and could generate some extra sentences to consolidate their learning, some of these may come from holidays they have been on, either at home or abroad.
Climate Detective
The Climate Detective lesson is one the older classes especially would enjoy and engage with, ideally integrating with Maths in the senior classes. The student worksheet allows for a methodical, empirical approach and would work well as a group activity. The scientific approach of observing, recording, analysing, reporting will link well with existing science experiments and methods of recording those experiments. Temperatures could be tracked across a day, week, month with the children becoming more familiar all the time with reading thermometers, etc. Any issues that arise as the process goes on can be discussed as a class and ideas/suggestions can be put forward. This will be a learning also, to demonstrate that experiments can involve trial and error.
Hi Aidan,
I completely agree. Integrating STEM across the curriculum is far more impactful and meaningful for the children in terms of real world application.
<span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>Songs:</span>
Vincent – Don McClean
Starman – David Bowie
Twinkle Twinkle
When you Wish Upon a Star
Moondance – Van Morrison
Moon River – Audrey Hepburn
Lovely – Billie Eilish & Khalid
Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil
Oíche Chiúin
<span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>Poems:</span>
Sonnet 14 – Shakespeare
The Stars are Mansions Built by Nature’s Hand – Wordsworth
Bright Star – John Keats
The Night before Christmas – Clement Clarke Moore
The Star – J.R.R. Tolkein
The Nighttime Sky – Walt Whitman
<span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>Art:</span>
https://darksky.org/news/7-pieces-of-art-inspired-by-the-night-sky/ This link has some lovely pieces of art associated with the night sky including Starry Night over the Rhone by Van Gogh and The Great Comet of 1680 by Verschuier.
For this assignment I would look at how we would engage our children to explore biodiversity in our local area – around our school – and the possible impact of light pollution on this.
I would aim to run this activity either early in the year (pre October mid term) or later (post Easter) for a better chance of more favourable weather.
We would start with an exploration of what the children understand by biodiversity. The Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown or Laois clips could be used here as well as some of the Irish books on these links which would be especially relevant:
https://www.omahonys.ie/the-great-irish-book-of-biodiversity-p-10590762.html
This link to the Puffin Rock Habitats run by The Heritage Council and Cartoon Saloon would be very useful for our younger classes as we are not too far away from The Saltees: https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/our-work-with-others/puffin-rock
Our survey of biodiversity in school would start with questions like these:
· What materials do we need to bring – paper, pencil, ruler, etc
· What plants might we find?
· What animals might we find? A mini beast hunt would be an ideal place to start.
· Might there be animals using the school grounds when we are gone home?
· What animals might be in the hedgerows and ditches?
This would be an ideal activity for group work. I would use the recording ideas in the Wildlife Safari Heritage in Schools clip, including the guides on butterflies and bees from the National Biodiversity Centre in Waterford, as well as recording the shapes of the leaves the children find to build up a store of their drawings.
Each group could report back to the class on their findings and we can create a whole-class inventory. We can brainstorm ideas for ways to promote existing biodiversity and encourage more, e.g. planting wildflowers, ensuring hedgerows are not disturbed, sharing findings with the Green School Committee and other classes to develop a whole-school approach, observing the potential impact of light pollution in the school environment and how this might be addressed.
For this assignment, I would examine the ways in which light pollution is affecting the local area and how children could explore ways to address/improve this using Dark Sky guidelines.
Our school is in a rural area but many of our children travel from a local urban centre also. We have children, then, from both rural and urban settings. I think this would be very interesting from an audit/survey point of view. The children could identify light pollution issues in the environments surrounding them and report back to the class. For example, children living in town may find evidence of light pollution in street lighting, shop lighting, security lighting, etc. Children living in the countryside may find evidence in security lighting on farms, at sheds, floodlighting on houses, even light spill from local pitches. The crossover between rural and urban would demonstrate that light pollution can occur no matter the setting or environment.
The audit/survey can then move from external environments to our school environment. We would examine all of the internal and external lighting at the school and think about the following questions:
· Are there lights which could be repositioned or shielded to reduce pollution? Are they ‘dark sky’ friendly?
· Are there bulbs that could be replaced with lower wattage to reduce glare?
· Are there different colours of bulbs that could be chosen to reduce impact?
· Are there lights that could be turned off without compromising safety (or security at night)?
Findings of the survey/audit could be presented to the school during an assembly and the Green School Committee could also be involved in implementing some of the suggestions and recommendations made.
