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Hi Barbara,
I love this idea involving construction. The pupils would love it, very engaging and perfect for integration also. Thank you!
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky?
When we consider songs, poems and art based on the night sky, the list is endless. The night sky has provided so much inspiration for artists from all genres for centuries and still does today. Even the act of looking upwards can raise the spirits and encourage us to look beyond where we are. Whenever I see a sky full of stars, I think about all of the other people who must be looking at the same sight. I think the night sky creates community, something which is needed more than ever. In particular, I think the constellations provide perspective as you consider how they appear in different parts of the world to other people.
I really enjoy themed lessons in this context as you can use a piece of art, or a song, poem, rhyme, etc. as a prompt and develop individual lessons or longer term projects which can integrate so many different subjects.
This link is to lots of clips with a stars/space/planets theme including a great one of Chris Hadfield playing Space Oddity on the ISS in 2013.
https://www.space.com/11037-space-music-playlist-astronauts-wakeup.html
Another on the above list is by Arana Grande and Kid Cudi from 2021 called Just Look Up from the film Don’t Look Up which parodies the climate change crisis and is well worth a look. It could be used as a start point for so many of the activities covered in this course.
This next link is to lots of poetry for children based on a space theme. Again, so many of these could be used as prompts to encourage creative responses from pupils in composing their own poetry.
https://rainydaypoems.com/poems-for-kids/space-poems/
I like this one by James McDonald, One Day I’ll Be. I think it would work so well with primary school pupils as that age-old question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is still such an important one!
One Day I’ll Be
Today at school my teacher said,
I wonder what you’ll be?
When time has passed and you’ve grown up,
And the world is yours to see.Right then and there I stood straight up,
And looked her in the face,
And said with pride and confidence,
I plan to live in space.Like pirates of so long ago,
My ship will take me far,
Around the moon and back again,
And to a distant star.So when you talk about the world,
And say it’s yours to see,
I believe I’ll have the greatest view,
Upon the cosmic sea.This poem could be the starting point for activities based on dreams for the future and could be integrated very effectively with Art, SPHE, Geography.
This third link is to the Dark Sky International site which has a nice alternative to Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. It has Van Gogh’s Starry Night over the Rhone which features water and allows for exploration of the reflection created by the water.
https://darksky.org/news/7-pieces-of-art-inspired-by-the-night-sky/
The possibilities really are endless, as endless as the stars themselves.
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky?
When we consider the beauty and majesty of the night sky, it’s no surprise that it has provided so much inspiration for so many artists in different genres over the centuries and into the present day. I am lucky to see large, dark skies in Co. Wexford and am constantly struck by their beauty. Even the act of looking up can raise the spirits and encourage us to look beyond ourselves. I always get a sense of perspective from the constellations when I think about how they are viewed from different angles by people all over the world. The night sky can create community – more important than ever.
The link below, the astronauts’ playlist, has got lots of songs with the themes of night/space/planets etc. The first clip is of Chris Hadfield singing Space Oddity on the ISS in 2013. This would provide a super prompt for activities based on space and the night sky.
https://www.space.com/11037-space-music-playlist-astronauts-wakeup.html
The second link is to poetry with the theme of space. I love the James McDonald one, One Day I’ll Be as it is based on the theme of dreams for the future and relates to that age-old question still being pondered today – “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This poem could be a very meaningful and inspiring start point for lessons that could integrate literacy, art, music, SPHE, Geography.
https://rainydaypoems.com/poems-for-kids/space-poems/
One Day I’ll Be
Today at school my teacher said,
I wonder what you’ll be?
When time has passed and you’ve grown up,
And the world is yours to see.Right then and there I stood straight up,
And looked her in the face,
And said with pride and confidence,
I plan to live in space.Like pirates of so long ago,
My ship will take me far,
Around the moon and back again,
And to a distant star.So when you talk about the world,
And say it’s yours to see,
I believe I’ll have the greatest view,
Upon the cosmic sea.The third link is to art based on the themes of night sky. There is a nice alternative to The Starry Night. It is Starry Night over the Rhone which is interesting as it features reflections on the water.
https://darksky.org/news/7-pieces-of-art-inspired-by-the-night-sky/
The possibilities are endless, like the stars themselves.
How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
I would start with a brainstorm to elicit prior knowledge from the pupils. The video clips from Dun Laoioghre-Rathdown and Laois Co. Councils on biodiversity would be an ideal start point to focus the minds and start the pupils thinking about the meaning of biodiversity and where they can see this in their own area.
We would be looking at rural and urban biodiversity as we have pupils from both settings which I feel would add greatly to this activity. We would compile a list of all of the examples of biodiversity in both settings and then consider the setting of our school and identify biodiversity there. We do have small raised beds for each class in our school that have inadvertently become re-wilded so I am sure there is plenty of biodiversity to observe!
I think it would be extremely important to gather information on the effects of the loss of biodiversity. Pupils can look at financial, health, social, impacts of the loss as well as the damage to flora and fauna and the knock on impact of those on our communities.
In terms of light pollution, pupils can research their own home settings and examine what changes could be made either in their own houses, on their streets, parks, etc. that could help to reduce light pollution.
Remaining solution-focused is so important so that they feel they can actually affect change even in some small way at home. As in previous activities, the pupils need to feel a sense of empowerment and thus be motivated to do something about this loss. If they feel there is a solution and some hope, they are more likely to act.
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 has pupils from that rural area and also from our local town.
I would approach this activity by brainstorming what the pupils understand by light pollution. It would be very interesting for the class to note the differences between the two contexts. I think this activity would lend itself to group work.
We would refer to the International Dark Sky Association clip on Losing the Dark and consider the impact in three different sections:
- Impact on animals
- Impact on plants
- Impact on humans
We would also refer to Dark Sky Ireland and Duncan Stewart’s clip. I was shocked that 50% of people in Ireland and 80% of people in the UK don’t see the Milky Way. It was also sobering to see the change in the natural sky map of Ireland from 1997 to 2015. I’m sure it is even worse now, 9 years later. I live in a very rural part of Co. Wexford at the coast. Outside at night for us is amazing, I feel so lucky to see huge, dark skies, stars, constellations, Milky Way at any time. It’s not something I take for granted at all but I feel sad for any of our pupils who haven’t ever seen that or don’t realise what they are missing out on.
Pupils would present their findings to the class in their groups. I think a key aspect to this activity would be for pupils to research potential solutions. As mentioned in the module, light pollution is relatively easy to address and solutions are readily available, e.g. downward facing street lights that avoid light spill. I feel it is important for pupils to feel empowered that they can actively participate in being part of the solution, even with something as simple as turning off an unused light in their own homes.
Hi Michelle,
I agree re the night sky. I grew up in a rural area also and saw the stars on demand really. They were a given. So many people now don’t have that opportunity and, depending on where they live, may not even realise what they are missing out on.
I would choose an activity based on Seeing Stars, Looking at The Plough in two different ways.
I think this would be a fantastic lesson/s for pupils. The opportunities for integration with Maths and Art are super. I learned so much myself from just watching the clip. I never considered before that, a) the stars in a given constellation are different distances from the Earth or, b) that each star in a constellation has its own name! Every day is 100% a school day.
I would aim this activity at senior classes and I would aim for the constellations to hang from the ceilings rather than be presented from the ground/table up as I think the idea of perspective and viewing the constellations from different angles would be more impactful from the ceiling.
I like that this activity lends itself to group as well as individual work. Some pupils would definitely prefer to create their own constellation and would prefer to have ownership of the measuring etc.
Each constellation whether from a group or individual can be displayed in the classroom and/or along a corridor ceiling. They could be accompanied by extra information on The Plough specifically and constellations in general. I would also use ESERO 34 for extra exploration of constellations and the Space week lesson for creation of their own constellations.
Hi Louise,
I agree about the display. It provides a wonderful opportunity to present work and can be very effective in common areas of the school like the corridors or hall.
Gravity/Weight – Assemble an Earth Tube and one other planet tube – decorate in a suitable manner
I would use this activity with 5th or 6th Class. It’s a super lesson for integration also as there is scope for Art as well as the STEM subjects.
I would begin with a brainstorm re the planets and mass/weight/gravity. Compile a bank of the pupils’ prior knowledge. Then I would assign a planet to each group and allow the groups to research further information about their planet.
Following this, each group would use the sand or rice and weigh the specified amount to go into their tube. They would then experience lifting each tube to feel the differences and record their findings.
The tubes would be decorated to the specifications decided by each group, ideally incorporating 2 key pieces of information about their given planet into the decoration.
As an extension, each group would then have the opportunity to present the information they researched on their planets to the other groups.
I think this experiment would be ideal for a school assembly during science week or hopefully during space week which I would love to introduce in our school. Each group could present to the school and open the floor for questions.
Hi Micheál,
Yes, a great idea to use a big, open space for the sundial which we luckily have at our school also. The next challenge is finding a full day of sun!
The activity I have chosen for this assignment is the Rocket Mice. I think this would work well with 1st or 2nd. For infants, we would need to provide some help with the cutting section.
We would start by eliciting prior knowledge about rockets. Maybe some of the pupils would have rocket toys, pictures, drawings on their bags, shoes, etc. We would compile a list of all they know and discuss their opinions on what makes a rocket fly.
I like this experiment in particular as the pupils can be creative with their mice. They can choose to leave them plain or decorate them or even have additions like feathers, beads, etc. which would, a) allow for creativity and b) facilitate a discussion around the weight of the mouse in relation to how far it travels.
Pupils would bring in their own milk cartons. Again this would allow for interesting comparing and contrasting of the height reached by different mice attached to different containers.
Ideally this experiment would take place outside on a calm day against a backdrop of a block wall in our school which could be numbered upwards at each block to allow for a degree of measurement.
In groups, the pupils could experiment with different sizes of cartons, different weights of mice, even noticing different heights when different levels of squeezes are used. They will be encouraged to identify what makes the mice rise and what makes them fall. This lesson will also be integrated with Maths as they count the number of blocks passed by each mouse.
For this assignment, I would use the hands on themed activities in the Animals in the Cold section. I think this lesson would be so enjoyable for junior classes.
As we in Ireland are all experts on talking about the weather, the class discussion at the start of Animals in the Cold would be at full speed! Lists of films etc set in the North or South poles would be ideal. Then the pupils could brainstorm about what animals they would expect to find there. A list with pictures can be compiled at this point.
When thinking about these animals keeping warm, the personal experience of the pupils can be drawn on in terms of how they keep warm themselves, whether it is on yard, at home, going to the supermarket, etc. I would lay coats, jackets, scarves, hats, gloves, etc. on their tables and have a discussion about what makes these items effective against the cold.
Moving to the animals, we can then explore the natural coats and fat they have instead of our manmade ones and that they keep them on all the time. (Some pupils who have cats at home might have noticed that they moult in summer but their coats become thicker and plusher in the Winter to keep as much heat as possible.)
The vaseline is a super idea here. It demonstrates so well the waterproof properties of grease/fat. I would do a before and after at this stage of the lesson so they experience the immediate effect of the vaseline on their hands.
The idea of camouflage will be very well illustrated with the penguin and polar bear. We could also chat briefly about any other animals they are aware of where camouflage is used.
