[Carmel Wright]

Hi James,

Thanks for your post.

You make an important point about your learners’ viewing being limited by light pollution in Dublin, but, as you said, the website will provide an alternate real-time experience, and some of the more prominent features of our night skies should still be visible. It’s an ideal activity for learners to engage with at home and extend the learning throughout the broader community.

It’s a great idea to create narratives about space with your young learners. The opportunity to weave facts they researched into fiction will engage learners and foster their creativity, while consolidating their learning.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Geraldine,
Many thanks for your post and welcome to the course.

I am delighted to see that found this module very insightful and informative. I can see that you have reflected on the STEM Education policy statement in terms of how you would apply your learnings with your 3rd class group. The Curious Minds Framework of Inquiry is a great tool when planning and teaching topics from the Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE) curriculum, helping to ensure a robust and complete exploration of a given activity.

STEM activities have many opportunities for cross-curricular links, and with a busy schedule, this can be helpful for covering two or more subjects effectively.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Aoife,
Thanks for your post, you have some great ideas to bring this topic to life for your learners. The streetscape activity is a lot of fun, and, as you said, it has some easy ICT integration activities.

A school walk is a great idea, as most of us pay little attention to the amount of light and light sources around us. I think your own experience of following your circadian rhythm is a great story to share with learners. It’s the natural thing to do, but a challenge for many due to light pollution -these days, there are even alarm clocks that gradually increase light in the room.

If your school has the budget, the Sky Quality Meter would be a great way for learners to work with this instrument and observe and interpret data from its reading, with the added benefit of the personal aspect, based at home. It would be great to see how results would compare to Dark Sky results.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Emma,
Thanks for your comprehensive post! I really like the extensive list of educational activities that you have created to engage learners to explore light pollution, touching on a wealth of disciplines. From engaging with experts, site visits, using apps, creating media campaigns, to designing light shields, there are a lot of opportunities to engage learners.

I really like the idea of a public awareness campaign after your learners have completed the other activities and deepened their understanding of the issues at hand. It is a great way to develop communication skills and literacy while empowering learners to be changemakers.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Nicole,
Thanks for your post.
Your plan is well equipped to engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity, with a nature walk a great way to truly begin any biodiversity experience.
This lesson will give learners an appreciation for how this is impacting biodiversity and the simple ways that we can all help this, in doing so, preserve the beauty of night skies for us all to enjoy and improve conditions for biodiversity. Some other posters on this module mentioned creating a poster or writing a letter, and I think it’s a terrific way to include cross-curricular links and empower learners to use their energy to create positive changes in their world.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Orla,
Thanks for your post. You’ve got some great options listed and a lovely eclectic mix. I particularly like “The Sky Garden” (which I must visit this summer!), what a great outing this must be for schools nearby.

You make an excellent point about the music itself rather than the inclusion of certain words that can evoke the ethereal qualities of the night sky, with a terrific example of Clannad’s unique and hypnotically beautiful sound.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Breda,

Thanks for your post. I can see that you’ve put together an effective plan to engage learners in the topic of biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.

Creating posters and displaying them throughout the school and local community is a great way to empower learners. This educational experience will help them realise the impact of light pollution and the power they have to inform others of this current and relatively easily resolved challenge.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for your post. What a wonderful collection of creative sources you have listed. Great classical choices. I’m currently listening to Clair de Lune, and it’s interesting to learn that this song was inspired by a poem, which was, in turn, inspired by a painting.

Creativity breeds creativity, and your ideas for creating a night sky sound like a great way to portray the magnificent views we are losing to light pollution and may even inspire your learners to be more creative in their celebration of the night sky.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Frances,
Thanks for your post.

I see how your comprehensive plans are designed to engage learners with a series of activities that together give them an understanding of the extent of light pollution locally, build their understanding of key terms, and ultimately give them pause to reflect on how things could be improved for the better.

I really like your idea to write letters to those locally who may benefit from learning about light pollution, and the simple changes that can be made to improve this. As you said, there is an incentive for community-based learning and cooperation, and it would be wonderful if learners could present their work to others to spread this important message while developing communication skills.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Cian,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!

I am delighted to see that you are finding the resources shared in this module valuable-there is a lot covered, and these activities work well as a block of lessons.

The weather journal is a simple and highly effective way for learners to start to explore weather in a very accessible way. I do highly recommend the weather station, even beginning with one instrument and growing the station from there.

Learners will enjoy the opportunity to go out and read the results daily and develop a host of skills through observing, recording and interpreting results, with ample opportunities to incorporate maths at a level appropriate to your class’s abilities.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Rian,

Thanks for your post. I completely agree with you on the fun aspect of the EO Browser. Learners will enjoy the opportunity to grow in confidence using this app to explore our world at their fingertips!

Most of Generation Alpha have considerable experience in technology, and this needs to be nurtured to develop the skills they will need in future careers. It is a wonderful opportunity to develop their ICT skills with this tool, and your support with a tutorial on its use. A research project is a great way to make use of the EO Browser to observe changes over time at a local and international level.

[Carmel Wright]

Hello Christine,

Thanks for your post. The video, Home, is a masterpiece, and I think you have the right idea to select sections to show your learners. I like how you plan to lean into Greta Thunberg’s work – she is a remarkable activist, and we need more like her! Your selection of Greta’s books for children will make this topic accessible and age appropriate for learners.

It’s a great idea to get a local environmentalist in to give a talk. I recommend reaching out to see if you have any climate ambassadors in the area. These volunteers receive An Taisce training on how to communicate on climate change, and have decks to use in schools. Here is the link to the program, you can search by province: Climate Ambassadors – Climate Ambassador

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Michelle,

Welcome to the course, and thanks for your post.

I am delighted to see you plan to make use of the resources outlined so far in this course-they can work very well as a block of classes.

You have put together a robust plan for delivering these activities in your class. I like how you plan to learn about what is happening globally while also making it relevant and local to what is happening here in Ireland.

It’s great to see that you plan for your learners to create reports and present them to the rest of the class, as your learners will improve their communication skills, and there is an opportunity for ICT skills development there, too.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Niamh,
Great ideas for your research! I like how you plan to have the senior class mentor the juniors throughout. There is a lot that can be explored, and I’d recommend considerable class discussion to refine this in terms of how to conduct fair testing comparisons between plants, how often they assess changes, and how to measure the success of a crop. Is it height, roots, crop weight, etc.?

Ideally, you want only one variable for this kind of test or may need to reframe the research question title to a broader context, as shade, in addition to rain cover, will impact plant health. I really like your ideas to bring in rainfall measuring, local forecasts, and a rich tapestry of cross-curricular links with history and geography.

What a wonderful idea to reward your learners with a taste of their produce-it will be fun to compare the taste of the crops grown in different environments, and see the impact on their senses!

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Hannah,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course.
You make some great points about Liston’s paper and the links between STEM and the new math curriculum.

We welcome feedback on the worksheets, and as the teacher, no one knows better than you the ability of your learners and how to pitch materials at an appropriate level to ensure optimal inclusion for all.

By working to make these more inclusive to all learners, including those with literacy difficulties, your learners will benefit from more accessible content supporting their learning journey.

[Author]

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