Lesson video

Hi everyone.

My name is Ms. Pancha and I'm so excited and glad you decided to join me on today's science lesson.

Now, my lesson today is going to be learning all about light pollution and it's part of our bigger unit of learning on light and shadows.

Are you ready to start our learning today? Let's get started.

So the outcome for our lesson today is I can explain what light pollution is and how it can affect living things.

So let's talk through some key words for our lesson today.

So I'm going to say the word and I would like you to repeat it back to me.

My turn, light pollution.

Your turn.

Superstar.

My turn, urban.

Your turn.

Fantastic job.

My turn, rural.

Your turn.

Fantastic job.

My turn, population.

Your turn.

Wow, well done.

My turn, campaign.

Your turn.

Super job everybody, well done.

Now these key words are going to come up in our lesson today.

So I'm going to read the definitions to you, but don't worry too much as we're going to talk through all of these words in our lesson and we are going to use them in our learning.

So light pollution is unwanted human-made light that has a negative effect on the environment.

An urban area is an area where many people live and work close together, such as a city or town.

Rural areas are found in the countryside.

They are areas with fewer people and homes.

A population is all the people living in a particular country, area, or place.

A campaign is a planned set of activities that people carry out in order to achieve something.

So those are the key words we're going to be looking at in our lesson.

So today's lesson on light pollution is made up of three different parts.

We are going to first start off by learning about light pollution, then we'll be looking at urban and rural areas and then we'll be thinking about how we can tackle light pollution.

So let's get started with the first part of our lesson, which is learning about light pollution.

So Sam and her sister are on a night-time walk.

Sam says, "I can see so many different light sources here.

There are street lights, lights in buildings, and car lights." Do you know what kind of light sources these are? Pause the video here, have a think at the question.

Do you know what kind of light sources these are? So Sam has seen street lights, lights from buildings and car lights.

Do you know what kind of light sources these are? Have a little think in your head and then share your idea with your partner.

Excellent ideas everybody, well done.

Sam's sister says, "All of these are human-made sources of light.

This means they have been made or caused by humans.

And we often use these at night when it is dark." Can you see any human-made light sources where you are? Pause the video here, look around you.

Can you see any human-made light sources? Maybe you can write them down once you've spotted any.

Off you go.

Excellent work everyone, well done.

So let's do a quick check of our learning, shall we? Which of these are human-made light sources? We've got A, B, or C.

Have a look at the pictures if you need to come a little bit closer.

Which of these are human-made light sources? What do you think A, B or C? Great job everyone.

The answer is actually A and B.

We know that these are human-made light sources and we've got lightning as C.

Lightning happens naturally is not caused by something a human has made.

Therefore it is not human-made, but A and B are.

Let's move on.

Sam sister says, "Light sources that have not been created by humans are called natural light sources." Do you know any natural light sources? Now I'm going to give you a clue here.

Have a look at the picture on the screen there.

Do you know any natural light sources? Have a little think in your head.

Great thinking everybody, well done.

So some animals like glow worms and jellyfish can produce their own light.

Lightning and naturally occurring forest fires are also natural light sources.

So lightning we know happens naturally.

It's a type of weather.

Glow worms also glow, they glow naturally, got jellyfish and forest fire.

So these are examples of naturally occurring light sources.

Sam says, "Can you see any natural light sources where you are?" Can you see any? Great, so Sofia is saying, "The sun is our main natural source of light.

We must never look directly at the sun because it can damage our eyes." So it's really important when the sun is out and shining, we do not look at the sun as that can be very dangerous and damaging to our eyes.

But the sun is our main natural source of light.

Stars are also a natural light source.

Sam and her sister look up to the night sky.

Sam says, "It is not a cloudy night, so why can't I see the stars tonight?" What do you think? Why can Sam not see the stars tonight? Have a little think and then share your idea with your partner.

Great ideas everybody, well done.

So places where there are a lot of human-made lights can have a negative effect on the environment.

Sam's sister says, "Too much human-made lights can stop us from seeing stars clearly in the night sky." Do you know what this is called? So Sam's sister's saying that sometimes there's too much man-made light and it can actually stop us from seeing the stars clearly.

But do you know what this is called? Have a little think in your head on your own.

Great job everyone.

So that's called light pollution.

So in some places we are unable to see stars in the night sky clearly because the light from human-made lights is so bright.

This is called light pollution.

What do you know about light pollution? Pause the video here, and I would like you to jot down some of your ideas on your whiteboard.

What can you tell me about light pollution based on what we've learned so far in the lesson or based on your own knowledge? Once you've written down your own answers, I'd like you to compare them with your partner's.

Are they the same or are they different? When you are finished, click play and we'll continue with the lesson.

Great ideas everybody, well done.

Let's do a check of our learning.

Too much or unnecessary human-made light at night is called, A, sight pollution, B, light pollution, or C, night pollution.

What do you think A, B or C? Great job everyone, well done.

The answer is B.

So too much or unnecessary human-made light at night is called light pollution.

Super job.

Let's move on.

Glare from streetlights, security lights, neon signs, or even bright garden lighting can cause discomfort and affect the quality of life for many people and wildlife.

So sometimes if you go to a concert or you go to a sports stadium, there's often very, very big, bright lights.

Light pollution can disrupt human sleep.

So street lights, we've got interrupted sleep here.

Why do you think this is, so why do you think light pollution can disrupt human sleeping? Have a think with your talk partner.

Excellent ideas, everybody, well done.

So light pollution can disrupt human sleep.

And Sam says, "Sometimes I find it really hard to fall asleep because there is a street light right outside my window." Light pollution can also disrupt wildlife.

Do you know why? So we've spoken about here that how light pollution can disrupt human sleep and I'm in the same position as Sam, outside my bedroom window there's a streetlight.

So that's why I have blackout curtains in my room to block out the light.

But it's not just humans that the light pollution affects, it can also disrupt wildlife.

Do you know why? Have a little think in your head.

Great ideas everybody, well done.

So light pollution stops some nocturnal animals being able to sense when it is getting dark.

So we've got a noctule bat and a pipistrelle bat.

They may not wake up in time to find the food that they need.

Some birds fly during the night when they are migrating.

Light from the stars helps them to navigate.

Light pollution from bright man-made lights, confuses the birds and can cause them to lose their way.

So they're normally using natural sources of light to help them navigate where they are going.

But if there's lots of man-made lights, it might actually confuse them and they might end up somewhere different to where they wanted to be.

If it does not get dark at night due to light pollution, animals that are active during the day do not know when it is time to rest.

Robins feed for longer and have been known to sing in the middle of the night due to light pollution.

And this is not natural for a robin.

Let's do a check of our learning.

True or false? Light pollution is good for the health of humans and other animals.

Do we think that's true or false? Hands up for true.

Hands up for false.

Excellent, well done.

It's false.

We now need to think about why.

So do we think it's because A, too much light can interrupt the sleep of humans and other animals that sleep when it is dark, or B, too much light helps humans and animals to sleep.

Which do we think is A or B? Great job, the answer is A.

So too much light can actually interrupt the sleep of humans and other animals that sleep when it's dark.

So light pollution impacts a lot of different things in our world.

So let's move on to the first task.

I would like you to explain to a partner what light pollution is and how it can affect humans and other animals.

So pause the video here and I would like you to explain to your partner what light pollution is, but also how it can affect humans and other animals.

So pause the video here and have a go at this task.

If you need to, go back over the last few slides of learning to recap over the learning before you complete the task.

Now you can present your work in any way you would like to.

You can maybe record yourself talking about it, you can write a paragraph, you could maybe draw a picture, completely up to you.

So pause the video here, have a go and I look forward to hear hearing and seeing your work very soon.

Great job everyone, well done.

I can see you've worked really, really hard on your explanations there, super job.

So Lucas has said, "Light pollution from human-made light stops us from having a clear view of the night sky.

This means it makes it harder for us to see the stars." And Izzy says, "Light pollution is bad for humans and animals because it can make it harder for them to know when to sleep or rest because it does not get dark enough." Did you get similar answers to Lucas and Izzy or did you get some different ones? Well done for having a good go everybody.

So we finished the first part of our lesson where we're focusing on what light pollution actually is and we're going to use that knowledge to learn a little bit more about urban and rural areas.

So Sam and her sister continue their walk and Sam says, "We live in a town where there is a lot of human-made light causing light pollution." Do you know a word that describes a place where a lot of people live and work? Have a little think in your head.

Excellent ideas everybody, well done.

So we live in an urban area.

Can you say that for me? Urban, excellent, well done.

This is an area where many people live and work close together, such as a city or town.

Do you live in an urban area? Have a little think about where you live.

Is it an urban area? Great work everyone.

So Sam's sister says, "There are usually large populations of people living and working in urban areas like towns or cities." But Sam says, "I see! Does this mean we have more or less light pollution than areas with a smaller population?" What do you think? Pause the video here.

Have a think about what Sam's sister and Sam have said.

What do you think? Click play when you're ready to continue.

Great ideas everyone and well done for explaining your answers, well done.

So Sam's sister says, "Urban areas have greater populations.

This means there are often more human-made light sources in these areas.

More human-made light sources means more light pollution." So let's do a check of our learning.

Which of these images shows an urban area? So pause the video here and have a think.

Do you think it's A, B or C? If you need to, go back over the last few slides to recap on what an urban area is.

Which do you think is the correct answer, A, B or C? Great job, the answer is B.

We can see that there's lots of shops there for people to visit.

So let's move on.

So Sam says, "Our granddad lives in a small village in the countryside.

Is that an urban area too?" What do you think? So if we see a picture here of a village, do we think that's an urban area as well? What do you think? Hands up for yes.

Hands up for no.

Great job everyone.

So granddad lives in a rural area.

Rural areas are often found in the countryside and are areas with fewer people and homes.

So you often see there's a lot more space in the countryside.

There's lots more fields, lots more things that are growing.

Do you live in a rural area? So pause the video here.

Have a think about what's surrounding you.

Do you live in a rural area or do you live in an urban area? Have a think.

Great job everyone.

So Sam says, "Does granddad's rural village have the same amount of light pollution as our urban town?" What do you think? So have a think with your talk partner.

Does the granddad's rural village have the same amount of light pollution as the urban town? Great ideas everyone.

So obviously we've got a rural village and we've got an urban town.

So the amount of light pollution is going to be different in both of those areas.

Sam Sam's sister says, "No, there are usually fewer human-made light sources in rural areas.

This means that there is often less light pollution." Let's do a check of our learning.

True or false.

Urban areas with greater populations create less light pollution.

Do we think that's true or false? Have a little think.

Great, the answer is false.

Let's have a think a little bit about why.

A, the countryside and villages are urban areas, or B, urban areas include towns and cities that often have many human-made light sources.

So which one do you think is the answer A or B? Super job everyone, the answer is B.

So Sam and her sister visit their granddad at the weekend and they look outside once it has got dark.

Sam says, "Wow! I can see lots more stars here.

There must be less light pollution." Sam's sister said, "Granddad lives near an area with very low light pollution.

Do you know the name for these areas?" So there's certain areas that out there, they've got a special name for where there's not much light pollution.

Do you know the name? So some rural areas in the UK where light pollution is low are named Dark Sky sites.

Do you know any Dark Sky sites? Or maybe have a little think as why they're called that.

Pause the video here and have a little think.

Great idea, so maybe you know some Dark Sky sites or places maybe you've even visited before.

Super job everyone, well done.

So there are several Dark Sky sites across the United Kingdom.

They are some of the best places in the world to go stargazing.

Sam says, "We can see so many stars at a Dark Sky site because there is no light pollution." Let's do a check of our learning.

True or false? Dark Sky sites are often in rural areas.

Do we think that's true or false? Hands up for true.

Hands up for false.

Superstars, well done.

The answer is true.

Now let's think about justifying our answer.

Do we think it's because A, towns and cities are rural areas? Or do we think because B, rural areas have a smaller population and often have less light pollution? Which do you think A or B? Great job everyone, the answer is B.

So rural areas have a smaller population and often have less light pollution.

Well done everyone.

So let's go on to the first task for this part of the lesson.

So I would like you to finish these sentences about urban and rural areas.

So you've got the ends of the sentences and I would like you to tell me whether they're for urban areas or for rural areas.

So pause the video here and have a go.

If you'd like to, print the slide out and you can match them or you can write them out yourself, completely up to you how you would like to present your work.

Pause the video, have a go and we'll talk through the answers really soon.

Super work everyone, well done.

I can see you've worked really, really hard to group these sentences to do with urban areas or to do with rural areas, well done.

So for urban areas, they have a greater population.

Urban areas often have higher levels of light pollution and urban areas are towns and cities.

So well done if you've got those sentences.

And rural areas have a smaller population.

Rural areas often have lower levels of light pollution and rural areas are in the countryside.

Super job everybody, well done.

So let's move on to the next part.

Which of these images shows a night sky in an urban area and which shows a night sky in a rural area? So we've got image one and image two.

I would then like you to explain the difference in the amount of stars that can be seen due to light pollution.

So look really carefully at both of the images on the screen here.

And I would like you to explain the difference in the amount of stars that can be seen due to the light pollution.

So you can write your answer in a paragraph, you can do it as a poster, you can maybe record yourself talking about it, however you'd like to display your work is completely up to you.

Pause the video here, have a go, and I look forward to seeing your work really soon.

Great job everybody, well done.

So Sofia says image one.

"This is the night sky in a rural area, there are few buildings and very little light pollution.

I can see lots of stars very clearly." Did you get something similar? Laura says, image two here is the night sky in an urban area.

There are lots of buildings and lots of light coming from inside the buildings and from streetlights.

I cannot see stars clearly because there is a lot of light pollution.

So we can see here that image two is going to be an urban area 'cause there's lots of light pollution, which makes it trickier for us to see the stars.

Well done everyone for completing that task.

So we are going onto our third part of our lesson now.

So we've learned about light pollution and we've used that knowledge to help us learn more about urban and rural areas.

And we're now going to think about how we can tackle light pollution.

Sam says, "I would love to be able to see the stars when I'm at home, and I would like to help animals that are being affected by light pollution." So some nocturnal animals are sensitive to light pollution, but what do you think Sam can do? So there are organisations that are trying to tackle light pollution.

They campaign to reduce levels of light pollution in the night sky.

Sam says, "Wow! What kind of things do they do?" Do you know? Pause the video here.

Can you tell your partner anything you know about light pollution? Any campaigns that have been in place to reduce the levels? Tell your partner.

Super job everybody, well done.

So some organisations give us advice on how to reduce light pollution.

For example, closing curtains and blinds when you turn on your indoor lights.

This helps to keep light inside your home.

Other organisations can help you to get involved in citizen science and record levels of light pollution where you live.

Sam's sister said, "I counted how many stars I could see and submitted my data to an organisation that campaigns against light pollution." Some campaigns have been successful and changed the hours that streetlights are used.

Some parts of the UK have agreed to turn the streetlights off between midnight and 5:00 AM to help reduce light pollution.

So sometimes if you're driving on the motorway late at night, sometimes the lights are not on and sometimes if you are driving maybe late down some street lights, if you're coming back from somewhere those lights might not be on.

Let's do a check of our learning.

True or false? There is nothing that humans can do about light pollution.

Hands up for true.

Hands up for false.

Excellent, we know that that's false.

And why do we think that is? Is that because A, there are organisations that campaign to try to tackle light pollution, or is that B, urban areas have a larger population and more light pollution? Which do we think A or B? Great job, the answer is A.

So there are organisations that campaign to try to tackle light pollution.

So let's move on to the next task for this lesson.

So I would like you to create an information poster about light pollution.

Make sure your poster answers these questions.

What is light pollution? What causes it? How does it affect living things? And what can we do to reduce light pollution? So your poster, you can hand draw it, you can use pictures from the internet or you could even do your poster on the computer, completely up to you how you would like to do it.

Pause the video here, have a go at your poster, and I'm really excited to see all of your work very soon.

Off you go.

Excellent work everybody, well done.

I can see some fantastic posters there and I know you've worked really hard to include as much information about light pollution as possible.

So maybe your poster looks a little bit like this or it might be a little bit different, but well done for having a good go at the task everybody.

I'm so impressed with your work.

So we've come towards the end of our lesson today.

So let's do a summary of our learning.

Light pollution is the presence of too much or unnecessary light made by humans.

Light pollution can be harmful to living things.

Urban areas create more light pollution.

And some rural areas in the UK are named Dark Sky sites where light pollution is low.

Some organisations are campaigning to improve our view of the night sky.

So we've done lots of learning today on light pollution, what it is, what it means, but also how it impacts different things on our planet.

I'm so impressed with all of your work today and all of the work and learning that you have produced.

I hope you have a great rest of the day and I'm sure I'll see you very soon in the next science lesson, bye-bye.