Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Listen to biodiversity

20 minutes

Find Out: What’s disrupting our biodiversity?

25 minutes

Take Action: Help others know

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

explore how organisations are talking about light pollution
investigate how light pollution affects nocturnal animals.

Success criteria

Students can:

name at least 1 animal affected by light pollution and explain how it is impacted
create a communication piece.

Tune In: Listen to biodiversity

Step 1

Create the darkest environment possible in your classroom. Have students find a comfortable place in the room and close their eyes. Play the soundscape (listeningearth.com/play/album/15EveningBush.php) of the Australian Bush for your students for a length of time suitable for their attention span.

Step 2

Ask students to open their eyes. If your students are comfortable, keep the room dark. Ask students to pretend it is still night and the animals they have just heard are all around them, going about their regular routine. Think about what animals need at night.

Step 3

Facilitate a class discussion about what might happen if it is not dark at night. Responses might include ideas like:

It is harder to hide from predators (or for predators to sneak up on prey).
Animals that need to move at night will get confused if they can’t see the moon and stars.
Diurnal animals might not get to sleep.

Don’t worry if these ideas haven’t come up yet, as students will investigate them further in this lesson.

Step 4

Explain to students that biodiversity means the variety of living things in an environment – all the animals, plants, and microorganisms that depend on each other to survive. When it’s not dark at night because of things like streetlights or buildings, it can upset this balance. Some animals might stop visiting an area, others might not find food or shelter, and plants that rely on animals for pollination or seed spreading might be affected, too. Help students understand that when even a few species are disrupted, it can impact many others, reducing biodiversity and changing the whole ecosystem.

Learning extension: To build student understanding of biodiversity and why it matters, invite them to complete a shared reading of this article.

Find Out: What’s disrupting our biodiversity?

Step 1

Watch this video (dcceew.gov.au/campaign/light-pollution) to introduce students to the impact of light pollution on Australian wildlife.

Step 2

After viewing, use the See, Think, Wonder thinking routine to encourage students to unpack what they have learnt from the video. Suggested responses might be:

I see many different Australian animals being affected by the light pollution.
It makes me think about how necessary all the lighting is.
I wonder if I can change something at home to help the animals?

Step 3

Ask students to recall all of the animals shown in the video and how they were impacted. Keep track of these on the whiteboard, then review the video to check the class’s recollection.

Step 4

Ask students if they think that light pollution impacts their environment in any other way. Display the factsheet and share by reading it aloud. Then, ask for ideas on what might happen if the light pollution leads to this knowledge disappearing.

Take Action: Help others know

Step 1

Introduce students to DarkSky International, a group that helps people all over the world care for the night sky. They teach us that too much artificial light at night, like streetlights and bright signs, can make it hard to see the stars and can confuse animals.

DarkSky International work with communities to use light more carefully, such as turning lights off when they’re not needed or using softer lights that don’t shine into the sky. By doing this, they help people save energy, protect wildlife, and enjoy the wonder of looking up at a clear, starry night.

Learning opportunity: Check out what is happening nationally in Australia by reading this article about Carrickalinga on the Fleurieu Peninsula, which is Australia’s first official Dark Sky Community. The title rewards a dedicated community effort to combat light pollution and preserve the natural environment at night.

Step 2

Explain to students that DarkSky's work demonstrates the importance of sharing knowledge about light pollution. Outline to students that their task is to create a communication piece that shares an important message for an animal of their choice that is impacted by light pollution.

You may like to encourage students to select 1 of the following animals and materials to support their communication piece:

They may create a poster, a short video, a podcast/voice recording, or a comic. Assist students in including the following elements in their piece:

why artificial light is a problem for that category
what light is most harmful
ways to help

For inspiration, invite the class to watch this video made by St Jude’s Primary in Langwarrin (VIC) about the student investigation of light pollution and their development of solutions and presenting their solution to a conference of scientists.

Bright Sparks: Young students develop solutions to tackle light pollution and help turtles - (youtube.com/watch?v=P0tlmGrDgZs)

Step 3

As a class, think about the most effective ways to share these pieces of information. Think about who would benefit from them, and where people are likely to notice them.

Learning extension: Share the information pieces in some of the suggested places. After they have been available for viewing for some time, ask the intended audience if they have noticed the pieces and whether they have made any changes because of them.

Reflection

Step 1

Ask students to quietly think about a time they were outside at night or in the dark. Then, turn to a partner and share: What did you see? How did the light (or lack of light) affect what you saw or did?

Lights Out on Light Pollution

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Summary

Learning intentions

Students will:

Success criteria

Students can:

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

Related Professional Learning

In this lesson