Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Sources of light

20 minutes

Find Out: Who uses light?

25 minutes

Take Action: Light in our community

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

discover natural and man-made sources of light
explore how people influence the amount of light present in the environment, and how darkness can be valuable to people and animals
explore the impacts that artificial light has on people and animals at night.

Success criteria

Students can:

identify natural and artificial sources of light
explain how people affect the amount of light in the environment
describe why darkness is important for people and animals, and how artificial light can be harmful at night.

Tune In: Sources of light

Step 1

Ask students to mime an activity that they know to do because of how light or dark it is. For example, when the sun is rising, it is time to get up and get ready for school.

Step 2

Explain that for a very long time, the sun was the source of light that guided humans and other animals on how to spend their time. When the sun went down, it was dark and too hard to do many things! This guided our internal body clock, helping us know when it was time to work and when it was time to rest. However, this changed when humans began inventing other ways to light up the night.

Step 3

Create the following table on a whiteboard and work with students to brainstorm different examples for both categories. Notice that there are many more forms of man-made light than natural light!

Natural light	Man-made light

Some responses might be (but aren’t limited to!):

Natural light	Man-made light
the sun stars fire	lightbulbs torches phone/screen backlight streetlights neon signs car headlights lamps

Invite students to consider how and why we need to manage light in our environment. For example:

wildlife impact
human health/sleep
energy use
cultural perspectives
climate impact.

From what students have shared, we can understand how the light we use affects not only animals but also energy use, and even our connection to the night sky. Managing light carefully helps us protect biodiversity, save energy, and respect cultural knowledge about the stars and Country.

Find Out: Who uses light?

Step 1

Ask students: Why is it easier for you to work or play during the day?

Explain that it’s because you can see things better! Humans and some animals have adapted this way. However, other animals actually need the darkness to stay safe and find their food. Some even create their own light! There are names to describe these qualities.

Step 2

Have students sit in a circle. In the middle of the circle, spread out the cut-out flashcards, and work as a class to sort them into their 3 columns. Support students in understanding these new vocabulary terms. For your use, the correct answers are shown on page 2 of the printable resource – keep 1 of these handy!

Learning extension: Ask students to think of or research other animals that would fit into these categories, and add them to the Examples column.

Learning support: Leave the tiles of columns 1 and 2 in place, and cut out the tiles under the Reason column. Support students to read both the description and the example, and select what they think is the reason.

Take Action: Light in our community

Step 1

Display each of the factsheets and read aloud the title. Ask students to choose an animal that is native to your local area or state. If students are unsure of this, select 1 to use yourself.

Read together the factsheet for this animal. As you read, ask students to put their hands on their heads every time they hear something that they think might be impacted by man-made light. Then, confirm this by reading the last section of the factsheet.

Step 2

Use Google Earth to display a bird's-eye view of your town or community. Notice the built-up areas and ask students to visualise how many places within their town have man-made light at night. On the whiteboard, create a list of the places they suggest, such as a strip of shops, an office building, or a sporting field during a match or training.

Step 3

Compare the facts in the factsheet to the list of man-made light sources. Instruct students to highlight those that could impact the animal selected, and record why on the whiteboard.

Step 4

Open the website and navigate to the tab that shows the category of the animal you selected. Scroll to read about ways to prevent light pollution from harming this animal.

Add this information to the whiteboard, and initiate a class discussion about what you can do to prevent light pollution in your local communities. Use the following prompts:

What can we do at home to prevent light pollution?
What could we do at school to prevent light pollution?
How can you share this information with people in your life?

Reflection

Step 1

On a small piece of paper or a mini-whiteboard, ask students to draw 1 of the animals that they remember from this lesson and use 1-2 labels or keywords to describe the animal and how it is affected by light.

If time permits, allow students to show and share their illustrations.

Understanding Light Pollution

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Summary

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