Say ”Stop The Light Pollution”

I applied this learning scenario originating from Nature Based Solutions Mooc between April 21st and April 26th. My students had the chance to find solutions to light pollution using recycled materials.

Light pollution affects many living things in nature. Therefore light pollution and recycling are very important issues for the creatures in nature. Some species are becoming extinct due to light pollution. For example, beacuse of the light pollution the water turtles are heading for the land instead of the sea and it is a threat to their future. Similarly, many living and hunting animals at night cannot find prey due to light pollution. These problems also negatively affect the natural balance. Understanding recycling and gaining sensitivity to nature is an important skill for students to learn for a sustainable society.

In this learnning senario

Students ages: 7-10

Teaching time: 6 hours

Online teaching materials: Canva, Jigsawplanet, Learning apps, Kahoot, Google docs

Materials: Pieces of wood, iron pipe, straw, plastic bottle, cardboard cup, cable, light, wire, bulb

Project based learning(PBL) and STEM techniques are used.

At the end of the learning scenario students will be able to:

  • Explain  negative effects of the light pollution on wildlife and the observe the celestial bodies.
  • Realize the importance of resources and recycling necessary for life.
  • Solve the problems related to calculating the circumference of the shapes, which take millimeters from the standard length measurement units.
  • Recognize the circuit elements that make up the simple electrical circuit with their functions.
  • Build a working electrical circuit which includes engineering and technology skills.
  • This learning scenario has been applied in online lessons due to my pandemic process.

Introduction

At the beginning of the lesson I read the news about light pollution from the BBC news website to the children.

My students and I discussed about the picture above and about the news. I asked the following questions. What do you think about this news? What do you see in the image? Do you think this situation affects nature and the creatures in nature? The students shared their prior knowledge about light pollution and their opinions on what kind of solution proposals they could produce. At the end of the lesson, I assingned a research task on light pollution.

Discover

My students researched on light pollution and presented it online. Then they talked about their presentations. Using the canva tool the students prepared the poster and turned it into an online puzzle. Finally, they did the puzzle.

We performed a fishbone diogram activity. First I asked the following questions. What could be the light pollution? What could be the causes of light pollution? How do people cause light pollution? What are the environmental causes of light pollution? What are the results  of the light pollution? Which creatures are most affected by light pollution? What can we do to prevent light pollution?

Secondly, my students filled the fishbone under the headings of environmental effects, causes, consequences and solutions of light pollution in online lesson. The students discussed fishbone diagram expressed their opinions on the subject on the digram.

Bu görselin boş bir alt özelliği var; dosya ismi: whatsapp-image-2021-04-24-at-18.09.49.jpeg

Explanation

I organized an online meeting with an electrical engineer. Previously, the students prepared the questions. The activity was conducted in the form of an interview. After this meeting, I informed the students about light pollution. And the students did learnning apps crossword.

Deepening

In this part, I planned that students will design posters and hang them on the school wall. However, this part of the plan could not take place due to the pandemic process. Students drew street lamp designs that would be a solution to light pollution in the online class. After that they identified the recycling materials required to turn their designs into products. They made their designs and presented their products in our online lesson. Later, they talked about their production process. They only used recycled materials in the designs. To conclude that the electrical circuit was also installed and the products were tested. My students very happy to find a solution to a problem and come up with a product at the end of it.

Evaluation

For evaluation, we first played the kahoot game with the students. Our kahoot contest, which consisted of 17 short questions, was very fun.

16 students filled the self-assessment form online via google docs. Their responses to the form are below.

At the end of the evaluaton part it was seen that the plan worked out effectively. The results of students’ self-assessment also prove that. Students were active in every step of the implementation of the plan. The presentations they prepared on the subject were very interesting. They encouraged each other , and peer learning was efficient. They shared the problems they encountered while transforming their designs into products and the solutions they found. Creative thinking skills improved. They were all proud of the product their products.

This interdisciplinary plan can be applied to students in the 7-10 age group. The product development process was handled individually due to the pandemic. It may be more useful if it is done in group work in the classroom. Students’ taking responsibility within the group will also contribute to their cooperation and communication skills.

Selin Sarıça

Nedim Turan Primary School/ Afyon/ Turkey

3 thoughts on “Say ”Stop The Light Pollution”

  1. Dear Sarıça,
    I read your plan. That’s very quite good. You should ensure that students are sensitive about this subject.

    • Correction!↙️
      Students have become sensitized on this subject. Congrats!

  2. congratulations. It has been a very practical and enjoyable work.

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