Into Our Skies: Space in Schools

Championing a cross-curricular approach and extending the provision of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) in schools. Into Our Skies: Space in Schools is a free 6-week scheme of work closely aligned with the National Curriculum.

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Email Joanne to register for resources

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Lucy exploring space through movement

Our aims and approach

Explore the subject

Dance is an active practice that enables us to interpret subjects physically, creatively and intelligently. Using movement as a method of investigation pupils can connect to topics through physical experience.

Science requires us to question what we know and experiment with that truth. By providing hands-on investigations pupils can explore their own ideas freely whilst developing key scientific skills.

Encourage individual learning styles

Educational support for teachers and parents

Engage

Currently, hosting visits are not possible, but we want to offer a way for schools to connect their pupils with professionals and to continue to nurture interest in these subjects.

We realise that these resources cannot replace the experience of seeing a live performance, participating in a workshop or visiting a working observatory. However, with this project we endeavour to continue our engagement with schools during this time and beyond.

The postponed Into Our Skies: The Show will be rescheduled and the doors of our Alston Observatory will re-open to the public and schools when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, we very much hope you enjoy your journey with our resources. We look forward to seeing you soon.

About our resources

Our interactive educational videos, classroom investigations and teacher support notes adopt a step-by-step approach. We listened to teachers, asking what they would want from the resources. We hope we have developed a scheme that is both useful and accessible for educators with little preparation required.

Interactive Educational Videos

Professional dancer Lucy Starkey hosts the three interactive educational videos with Dr Joanne Pledger delivering “the science bit” to reinforce the scientific focus of the session. Each video features a dynamic soundtrack, composed by Lee Affen, that enhances and supports the science content. The videos all include a warm-up, creative task(s) and cool-down.

The videos can be viewed in any order, however the order we recommend is:

Orbits: Warm up with a game of ‘Asteroid Dodge!’ then investigate the motion of an orbit. Learn the order of the Planets with our original dance mnemonic.

Spheres: Articulate circles in the body, before exploring the 3-dimensional shape of our Earth, Moon and Sun. Moving on to create your own ‘Sphere Sequence’.

Earth’s Rotation: Pupils take on the role of Earth. Investigating the cause and size of shadows, developing a ‘Sun Shadow loop’ that can be performed in duets.

We encourage users to play, pause and rewind our videos, working at their own pace and giving time for creativity. The sessions are designed so that social distancing can be maintained if needed.

Teacher notes

The interactive educational videos are accompanied by supporting teacher notes. These are designed to help parents and teachers deliver the content no matter what their experience. The notes break down the sections of each video.

Each segment includes information on the science content being delivered. Including “top tips” on how to facilitate the dance content and things to “notice” and “encourage” in the pupil’s movements. The videos are full of content, some could even be split across two sessions, using the warm-up and cool down each time.

Classroom Investigations

Scientific content of the videos is re-visited and developed in these classroom investigations where pupils become the scientist. Developing their observational skills, pupils carry out practical tasks, take measurements, analyse their results and answer questions posed.

Lesson plans provide teaching questions, a guide to the activity, extension work and links to additional resources. The lesson plans are supported by a complete Power Point presentation to step pupils through the investigation. All sessions are designed using only common household items and can be carried out either in school or as home-learning.

The classroom investigations are:

How old are you on Jupiter?
Making an Orrery
Why does the Moon look different?
How do we know the Earth is a sphere?
Why do we get day and night?
How does the length of a shadow change over one day?

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Dr Joanne Pledger with dancer Lucy Starkey

Meet the team

Lucy Starkey

Lucy Starkey Dances

Lucy Starkey is a performer, choreographer, and the creator of Into Our Skies. She has over 10 years’ experience communicating stories and subjects through high-quality, inspiring dance. She is the director of Lucy Starkey Dances and an artist in residence at UCLanDance.

As a performer Lucy connects with audiences across the UK and internationally, dancing with companies such as Casson &Friends, Made by Katie Green, and About Time Dance Company. She champions the unique, versatile and engaging power of dance and performs in diverse settings, including theatres, museums, caves, outdoors, at street arts festivals, for operas, and for film.

Outreach is integral to Lucy’s practice. She teaches workshops for schools, public engagement, and for professional and company classes, providing active and creative experiences for participants to enjoy a variety of subjects and themes. Lucy is a guest tutor for the UCLan Dance Performance and Teaching degree course, she delivers studio practice, technique, improvisation, and text workshops.

In 2018 Lucy began work on Into Our Skies, a performance and outreach project for Lucy Starkey Dances. In 2019 she was awarded Arts Council England funding to develop the solo performance piece, which is central to the project and inspired the development of the Into Our Skies: Space in Schools programme of creative resources.

Lucy studied Contemporary Dance at world renowned conservatoires London Contemporary Dance School (2006-2009) and Northern School of Contemporary Dance (Postgraduate company VERVE, 2009-2010)

She has an endless curiosity for all things dynamic, moving, and theatrical.

Lucystarkeydances.com

Dr Joanne Pledger

Dr Joanne Pledger is a senior lecturer in Astrophysics, STFC researcher and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy who believes that a positive learning experience can make STEM subjects accessible to all. Her public engagement work is centred around creating fun and unique ways that people can explore STEM topics and she has a vast experience of working with teachers, charities and organisations to do this.

In 2012 Joanne re-opened UCLan’s Alston Observatory to the public, schools and community groups who now visit regularly. As an Ogden Science Officer (2013 – 2018) Joanne worked closely with local teachers in Preston to create a program of activities for pupils across years 7-13 (age 11-18) and recognises the crucial role teachers play in encouraging their pupils in STEM subjects.

Joanne was awarded a First-Class Honours in Astrophysics (MPhys) from the University of Liverpool and went on to complete her PhD at the University of Sheffield. Her research investigates how some of the most massive stars in the Universe evolve and die as supernova explosions and she uses data from some of the world’s leading telescopes including the Hubble Space Telescope.

Following her PhD, Joanne was offered a Hilary Lipsitz Research Fellowship at the American Museum of Natural History in New York where alongside her research she fell in love with Public Engagement, contributing to a NASA-funded after-school program for under-served high school students in the five boroughs of New York.

Ruth Spencer

Ruth is an Independent Dance Artist, Senior Lecturer in Higher Education and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy whose work is deeply rooted in Education and Community Practice. Through a person-centred approach, Ruth’s practice encourages individuals to discover and explore movement in relationship to self and other.

Ruth has vast experience of working as a dance artist and educator, in mainstream and SEND schools and colleges, delivering creative arts programmes, research projects, INSET training and in/out of school mentoring programmes both independently and in partnership with national and international arts organisations. Ruth supports and advises on the development and implementation of high-quality dance education programmes and authors writes accompanying teaching resources. In 2016, Ruth worked with Joanne Pledger in the ‘Exploring Light and Dark Project delivering science-themed dance workshops to KS2 groups encouraging engagement, curiosity and enthusiasm in STEM subjects and the arts. The Space in Schools Project enables Ruth, as part of UCLanDance (Centre of Excellence in Learning, Participation and Advocacy), to continue to develop and promote cross-disciplinary working.

Lee Affen

Lee Affen is a composer, sound designer and has an extensive record in producing high quality creative content in dance, film and theatre. He is a key collaborator in creative teams, with 20 years of experience in making productions that delight audiences up and down the country.

Lee is a long-time collaborator with Lucy Starkey, composing the music for her show 'Into Our Skies' and producing the films for Into Our Skies: Space in Schools. His work also includes composition and sound design for the Cardboard Citizens show Who Are Yer?, Imagine If’s ‘Jadek’, Fallen Angels’ collaboration with Birmingham Royal Ballet for the show ‘The War Within’, John-Rwoth Omack’s ‘Fargone’ in association with Utopia Theatre, The Knotted Project and Hawkdance Theatre’s Outside the Igloo and Love is a Battlefield, with poet Louise Fazackerley for BBC Radio 3 and New Voices. He is also a regular collaborator with Sheffield Theatres.

Lee has a long history of delivering high quality workshops that provide creative and practical experiences for participants of all ages.

2021 sees Lee working with Imagine If Theatre, British Library and Fallen Angels. Lee is an associate artist with The Bare Project and Imagine If Theatre.

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