Standards Correlations

R.1, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, R.9, W.1, SL.1, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will synthesize information from two texts about light pollution.

Key Skills

synthesizing, text features, vocabulary, author’s craft, compare and contrast, making connections, critical thinking, argument writing  

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The first text is about the value of darkness. The second text expands  on the problem of light pollution.

 

Structure: The texts are mainly informational. Both include cause-and-effect structures.

 

Language: The language is conversational.
 


Knowledge Demands: No prior knowledge needed.

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: S 

DRA Level: 40

SEL Connection

These texts promote responsible decision making.

Lesson Plan: The Darkest Places on Earth/The Brightest Place on Earth

Essential Questions

  • How do humans affect the natural world? How can we reduce the harm we do to the planet and the creatures we share it with?
  • How do urban environments differ from rural environments?

Literature Connection

  • Nonfiction: Dark Matters: Nature’s Reaction to Light Pollution by Joan Marie Galat

1. Preparing to Read 

Activate Prior Knowledge (5 minutes)

Ask students to recall any special memories of looking up at the night sky from a dark place. Invite them to share reflections. Did they see more stars than usual? Did they see the Milky Way? Why might the sky look different depending on where you are in the world? If students have never seen the night sky in all its glory, ask them to share reflections on depictions of the night sky from TV shows, movies, and art.

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the articles. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the title and subtitle (the text below the title) of the first article. What do you think it means that our “beautiful night sky might be disappearing”? Where might the night sky be going? Sample answer: The phrase doesn’t literally mean that the sky will no longer exist. It means that the sky is disappearing from our view. We may not be able to see it as clearly in the future as we can now.
  • Read the title and subtitle of the second article. Why do you think too much light might be a problem? Make a prediction. Answers will vary. Students may say it’s a waste of energy resources or that it can confuse animals that depend on light to know what time of day it is.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (galaxy, artificial, navigate, resource, attract) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan: 

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the articles discuss the problem of light pollution, its effects on the planet, and what we can do about it.
  • Tell students that after they read, they’ll synthesize information from the articles to better understand the problem of light pollution.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Guide students to read the articles. Once they understand them well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

  • What is light pollution and what are some of the problems it causes? Use details from both texts in your answer. (synthesizing) Light pollution is the overuse of artificial light, such as light from homes, office buildings, or sports stadiums. Light pollution prevents people from seeing the night sky. It can also make it difficult to sleep, as our bodies use light to know when it’s time to go to bed. Too much light at night is bad for animals too. Baby sea turtles may get lost on the way to the ocean. Light causes birds to get confused and crash. Some animals can’t hunt when there’s light. Even plants suffer from light pollution. They may bloom too early or keep their leaves too long when there is too much light.
  • The first article describes a time when people in Los Angeles called 911 when they saw the Milky Way. Why do you think the author included this story in the article? (author’s craft) The author probably included this story to show how unusual it was for people living in a light-filled city like Los Angeles to see the Milky Way. It was so foreign to them that they couldn’t identify what it was and thought it was a threat.
  • How are LED bulbs different from other light bulbs? (compare and contrast) LED bulbs use less energy than other bulbs and are much brighter. They are also cheaper to keep on, which means people can afford to keep the lights on longer at night.

Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

  • How much light pollution is there where you live? What do you think are the top sources of artificial light where you live? What can you do to reduce the amount of light produced at night? (making connections) Answers will vary. Students may point to office buildings, sports stadiums, and homes as sources of light. They may suggest writing to city/town officials to take collective action against light pollution or may offer ways of taking action individually, e.g., turning off lights at home at night.
  • Why do you think it matters whether humans see the night sky or not? (critical thinking) Sample answer: The night sky is beautiful. Looking up at the sky and seeing thousands of glittering stars, planets, and—if you’re lucky—even a shooting star or two can be thought-provoking (“Are we alone in the universe?”) or simply wonderful. The night sky has inspired artists like Vincent van Gogh, philosophers, and poets throughout history. It would be a shame to lose such an important part of the human experience.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs or small groups to complete our Synthesizing Skill Builder.  (Click here to view all of your Skill Builders.)
  • Writing Prompt: Which do you think would be a more interesting place to visit, one of Utah’s “Dark Sky Places” or Hong Kong? Write your answer in a well-organized paragraph, giving details from the articles to support your reasoning.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Have an Outdoor Lighting Scavenger Hunt

Take a nighttime walk around your neighborhood (bringing a parent or guardian if you need one). Take note of the types of outdoor lighting you see. Do most of the light sources have shields to direct the light downward and keep it in one area? Or do you see many lights that are aimed upward or outward?

If you can get photos in an appropriate way (without bothering people), try to photograph examples of:

  • shielded light sources that are aimed downward. These have covers that work like lampshades to keep the light in one area.
  • unshielded light sources that are aimed downward. These can cause a problem known as light trespass, meaning the light spreads to places where it isn’t wanted (like into a neighbor’s home).
  • unshielded light sources that are aimed toward your face. These can cause a problem called glare, which makes it harder to see objects near the light source.
  • unshielded  light sources that are aimed upward. This can add to a problem called sky glow, which is common in cities. It’s caused by too many lights reflecting off clouds. Sky glow makes it hard to see the night sky.

Share your notes and photos with your class. Discuss any problems you see. Which problems do you think need fixing most? Which do you think would be easiest to fix? Why?

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Review the sound of -ight to boost students’ fluency..

Before reading the articles, write the words light, bright, and night on the board. Tell students that these words appear often in the articles. Ask what the words have in common. Students will likely note that the words rhyme and that they all end with the same four letters, -ight. 

Explain that in English, many words have silent letters. Sometimes these letters show how other letters in the word should be pronounced. For instance, the silent gh in -ight shows that the i  is a long i. So -ight is pronounced the same as -ite, meaning that sight rhymes with site.

Write these words on the board and have students practice saying them aloud:

  • fight
  • flight
  • fright
  • might
  • right
  • slight
  • tight

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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