description of northern lights creative writing

Search for creative inspiration

19,898 quotes, descriptions and writing prompts, 4,964 themes

northern lights - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

• aurora lights

Then came the northern lights, that happy troupe of dancing flame.

The northern lights where what a rainbow would be if it could dance to soulful rhythm.

The Northern lights were a river of green in the midnight blue.

The Northern lights were what dreams could be if they were ever allowed to dance so free.

There was a green fire in the heavens that night, a natural green to blossom above.

Sign in or sign up for Descriptionar i

Sign up for descriptionar i, recover your descriptionar i password.

Keep track of your favorite writers on Descriptionari

We won't spam your account. Set your permissions during sign up or at any time afterward.

• Photo Gallery
• Stories for Students
• Browse Columns
• Presentations
• Print On Demand
• Contributors

The Aurora: Inspiration for Art and Poetry Integration

The aurora is a phenomenon most frequently observed in the Arctic (the aurora borealis, or northern lights) and in Antarctica (the aurora australis, or southern polar lights). Interactions between the electrically charged solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field produce dazzling bands of color — pinks, reds, whites, greens, and blues–that move across the sky. Subject of countless myths and scientific studies, the aurora is a well-known and engaging polar phenomenon.

The northern lights in Greenland. The light on the horizon is a fishing boat, and the smaller one behind, the entrance to the fjord into Tasiilaq. Photo courtesy of Nick Russill.

While the science behind the aurora is quite complex, the aurora does inspire the use of children’s literature, mythology, poetry, and art in the elementary classroom. In this article, we’ve highlighted lesson plans for using a variety of art techniques (watercolor, impressionist painting, crepe paper blots, mosaics, resists, and collage) and poetry types (cinquain, acrostic, diamante, and haiku). This issue’s feature story, The Aurora: Fire in the Sky ,  discusses the aurora. Additionally, the Virtual Bookshelf highlights several outstanding books to introduce the aurora to elementary students.

The following YouTube video shows the beauty of the aurora australis, or the southern lights. Filmed at and around McMurdo Station in Antarctica, it uses a time-lapse video function. Simply put, the camera takes images every few seconds and then “stitches” the images together into a movie. While neither images nor videos come close to experiencing the real thing, they are still engaging for students and teachers alike.

Depicting the Aurora: Art Techniques

Before beginning any of the art projects listed below, introduce your students to the aurora through children’s literature , expository articles, images, and video. If you are fortunate enough to have an art educator at your school, you can collaborate on an integrated unit. If not, don’t worry – the activities below provide step-by-step directions for each art technique. Most of the lessons and activities featured do not specifically reference the aurora, but are general instructions to be used with a wide variety of subjects.

Artist in Residence: Watercolor Lessons A comprehensive guide including watercolor techniques, defining, finding, and painting the horizon, and silhouette techniques. This guide is especially helpful for classroom teachers without an art background or an art educator to collaborate with. The “wet-on-wet” technique is most suitable for painting the aurora.

Painting Like an Impressionist A lesson plan on painting in the impressionist style, which could be easily adapted to paint a scene depicting the aurora. This lesson refers to a color wheel and the use of complementary colors (colors opposite one another on the color wheel). It would also be helpful to have images of impressionist paintings on display. Many of Monet’s pieces would introduce students to the soft swirls and dabs of paint that defined the impressionist style.

Crepe Paper Blots A lesson plan for creating  crepe paper blots. Students could use crepe paper in the colors of the aurora.

Pumpkin Seed Mosaics In this activity, students use dyed pumpkin seeds to create a mosaic. This could be adapted to depict the aurora.

Crayon Resist In the crayon-resist technique, students use light-color crayons to draw the shimmering bands of the aurora, stars, and the landscape (horizon, mountains, trees). Students then cover their drawing with watered-down black tempera or watercolor paint. The crayon resists, or shows through, the black paint. Perfect for depicting the aurora against the night sky!

Torn Paper Pictures This document describes the process of creating a torn-paper collage. The irregular shapes of torn paper reflect the irregular shapes of the aurora.

Describing the Aurora in Poetry

Use the featured lessons to help students write poems about the aurora. Poetry can be written before, after, or independently of the art projects listed above. The aurora is also a natural springboard for descriptive writing and pourquoi stories , in which students explain how or why something exists in nature.

Composing Cinquain Poems: A Quick-Writing Activity (Grades K-2) Cinquain (pronounced “cin-kain”) is a five-line poetic form, using a wavelike syllable count of two-four-six-eight-two. In this lesson, students write simple cinquain of their own as a follow-up to a subject they have been exploring in class.

Composing Cinquain Poems with Basic Parts of Speech (Grades 3-5) Students learn about cinquain poetry and write their own cinquain poems.

Acrostic Poems (Grades K-5) This interactive resource guides students through brainstorming about a topic and then writing original acrostic poems. The finished poems can be printed.

Dynamite Diamante Poetry (Grades 3-5, modify for grades K-2) In this lesson, students review nouns, adjectives, and verbs and learn about gerunds. They then practice using them as new vocabulary words by composing structured diamante poems as a class and independently using an online interactive tool. The poems can be printed and displayed or published as a class book or magazine.

Reading, Writing, Haiku Hiking! A Class Book of Picturesque Poems (Grades 3-5) Using One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Davidson Mannis as an introductory text, students learn to identify elements of haiku poetry. Students go on a class hike to observe nature in their own neighborhood, and collect “picturesque” words in their writer’s notebooks. (Instead of a hike, students could view images of the aurora in a video or on a web site.) They explore syllable counts in their word collections and use descriptive words to compose original haiku. Students then use print and online resources to locate facts for informational notes on the topics of their poems. Finally, students work collaboratively to publish their poetry and notes in an illustrated class book.

Seasonal Haiku: Writing Poems to Celebrate Any Season (Grades 3-5) In this three-part lesson, students write and illustrate haiku depicting seasonal images. First they use their observation skills, real-world knowledge, and knowledge of parts of speech to help them create seasonal word charts. They then listen to and read samples of haiku to identify haiku criteria, followed by a writing session where they create haiku that depict seasonal images. Finally, they publish their poetry mounted on colorful backgrounds that illustrate the images in their poems.

This article was written by Jessica Fries-Gaither. For more information, see the Contributors page. Email Kimberly Lightle , Principal Investigator, with any questions about the content of this site.

Copyright May 2008 – The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0733024. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This work is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons license .

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Terms of Use
• Funded by NSF

• Virtual Events
• BBC Astronomy
• How we review
• Telescope mounts
• Finderscopes
• Astronomy accessories
• Top astro kit
• Astronomy for beginners
• Astronomy DIY
• Buyers' guides
• Online Planetarium
• Astronomy news
• Astrophoto guides
• Send us your images

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Finding poetry in the Northern Lights

Aurora in art and literature. A look at the verses that captured the sky-spectacle down the ages.

Caroline Burrows

This winter, I’ll be teaching poetry north of Inverness in Cromarty, best known for its lighthouse and as a sea area in the Shipping Forecast.

Its beacon of light no longer shines, but what I hope to see at night instead are the shimmering greens, pinks and reds of the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis .

I almost saw them once when on the Isle of Lewis.

• Astronomy in literature

My phone app alerted me to visible solar activity, so I got out of bed, went outside with my coat on over my pyjamas, and was met by a thick blanket of clouds.

Mentions of the Northern Lights in poetry have proved elusive too.

Nevertheless, when they appear, they span time and distance in mystical, magical or haunting settings.

I find them in 19th-century North America, where transcendentalist Walt Whitman muses on the meaning of life in his 1880 poem, ‘A Riddle Song’:

Rich as a sunset on the Norway coast, the sky,the islands, and the cliffs,

Or midnight’s silent glowing northern lights unreachable.

I return over the Atlantic to a Scottish mother writing about the loss of life.

In ‘To AHJ’, published in 1918, Violet Jacob describes the landscape of home, far from where her son Harry died at the Somme:

On Angus, in the autumn nights,

The ice-green light shall lie,

Beyond the trees the Northern Lights

Slant on the belts of sky.

I sail across ancient Greece’s wine-dark sea after the Trojan War in Homer’s epic, The Odyssey .

Each day is lit by the dawn goddess Eos riding across the sky. But because English translations often adopted Roman gods, such as in Alexander Pope’s 1726 version, I encounter Eos’s counterpart Aurora:

But when, from dewy shade emerging bright,

Aurora streaks the sky with orient light

The Greeks called the north wind Boreas, but it wasn’t until the Renaissance that the Northern Lights’ synonym was created by Galileo , who combined Aurora with the Latinised Borealis .

But those are not its only names. In Old Norse mythology it’s Bifrost, a bridge to the realm of gods where Odin, Thor and Loki reside.

Translated by Rasmus B Anderson in 1901, Snorri Sturluson’s medieval text The Prose Edda reveals:

The gods made a bridge from earth to heaven, which is called Bifrost? You must have seen it. It may be that you call it the rainbow . It has three colors

And it’s not only Nordic skies lit by mythical characters.

In northern Scotland, the lights are called the Mirrie Dancers.

In Scottish Gaelic they’re Na Fir-Chlis, the ‘nimble men’, which is also the name of a 1909 poem by Donald Mackenzie.

It incorporates folklore associated with the lights, in which a fairy ceilidh in the heavens turns into a conflict.

I discover Mackenzie was born and buried in, of all places, Cromarty.

And this fills me with hope that when I’m there, I’ll get to watch “as merrily flit the Nimble Folk across the Northern Sky”.

This article originally appeared in the March 2023 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine .

Share this article

• Terms and conditions
• Manage preferences

Popular searches in the last week:

English year 6 autumn significant authors, northern lights.

Immerse the class in Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. Revise clauses and explore subjunctive form. Write an untold tale inspired by this significant author.

Start with the core unit to introduce key texts. Then select from comprehension, SPAG and composition units.

Unit 1 Core: Introduction to the world of Northern Lights (suggested as 4 days)

Lesson planning.

TAs & Tutors / Home Learning

With TA/Tutor

These materials are for a TA or Tutor to use with a small group of children or one child.

They support the learning in class in this unit.

Notes are provided for teacher and TA/Tutor.

• TA/Tutor Activities

Back to Lockdown?

Home Learning packs are not being created for this Block of learning.

Resource PowerPoint

You Will Need

Texts Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

Optional texts Northern Lights Audiobook – Unabridged, narrated by Philip Pullman

Resource Presentation: Images of Oxford (see resources) Explore and discuss images of Oxford which relate to Lyra’s Oxford to consider how authors use real settings to inspire invented ones.

Unit 2 SPAG: Revise single and multi-clause sentences (suggested as 3 days)

SPaG: Grammar and Punctuation

Presentations Grammar PowerPoint: Clauses and Conjunctions

Unit 3 Comprehension: Text analysis and comparing versions (suggested as 4 days)

The Golden Compass (2007 Film) (This has a PG rating so preview before sharing.)

Optional texts Northern Lights Audiobook – Unabridged, narrated by Philip Pullman Northern Lights - (Graphic Novel) by Philip Pullman

Unit 4 SPAG: Explore the subjunctive form (suggested as 3 days)

Presentations Grammar PowerPoint: Subjunctive Form

Unit 5 Composition: Write an untold tale for Northern Lights (suggested as 4 days)

Code-Breakers is a synthetic phonics programme that teaches phoneme-to-grapheme correspondences (PGCs) in a systematic, child-friendly fashion.

Many Hamilton units come with interactive Grammar Presentations integrated into the overall teaching and textual context. Alternatively, these presentations can be used as stand-alone whiteboard sessions. Try your year group below.

Group Readers are charmingly illustrated short books written to facilitate reading and comprehension progression from Reception right through to Year 6.

This site uses cookies to give you the most relevant information. Learn more

Log in or sign up to get access to this resource

School subscription, reduce teacher workload.

From £155 (+ VAT) per year. Access to all key stages for multiple users.

Individual Subscription

For inspirational teaching.

Just £45 (£37.50 + VAT) per year to get access to all resources.

Early Career Teacher

Develop your teaching.

Just £33 (£27.50 + VAT) to get access to all resources for 2 years.

Taster Account

100s of resources.

Register to access all free resources.

Already subscribed?

Log in to get access.

ELA Makerspace: Northern Lights, Poetry, and Argumentative Research Project

• Google Drive™ folder

What educators are saying

Also included in.

Description

Welcome to the project where anything is possible: creative writing, poetry, argument, rhetoric, and research all have a home in this unique makerspace project for secondary ELA students.

The Northern Lights are an incredible phenomenon of the natural world. As ELA teachers, we can sometimes get stuck in the day-to-day of reading books and teaching writing, but this makerspace project taps into the overlapping beauty between science, creative writing, and human nature.

ONE PROJECT -- TWO WAYS

Option 1: Creative Writing

If you're looking for a new way to teach extended metaphor and give students a chance to write using this poetic technique, this project is for you. After studying the Northern Lights, students use their research as a metaphor for something in their own lives that extends throughout their poems. I even share with you my own sample seen below the description box. After writing their poems (guided by the exercises in the lesson) students then create their very own oil/chalk pastel drawing of the Northern Lights. When the poem is printed and the art piece completed, hang them in your classroom or in the hallway for an inspirational and unique visual for any one walking by.

At any given moment, 

energized particles from the sun

blast against Earth’s upper atmosphere.

They slam against our magnetic shield as fast as

forty five million miles per hour.

We stand, ankle deep in fresh snow,

looking up at a rainbow sky.  Breathless.  

Speechless .

The fluorescent hospital lights 

illuminate the blood

and the rooms are not soundproofed.

White knuckles and beaded sweat, 

one more push

And in an instant the pain is over.

They lay there in the bed, together,

looking down at the little one 

who can’t see yet.  

His first breath.

      Speechless.

Option 2: Rhetorical Analysis and Argument

If you're not feeling the creative writing angle, this project can also be done by examining the luxury and unique travel sector of the tourism industry. Many unique and historical sites have surged in exposure due to new forms of marketing for tourists to visit these locations. Ask your students:

Are unique travel experiences more likely to protect the environment or exploit it?

Using the Northern Lights and the various communities in Canada, Norway, Iceland and other Nordic regions, students will step-by-step examine the ways in which tourism can both help and harm cultures and communities around the world. Culminate this study with the same makerspace project or make it your own with an essay or socratic seminar!

WHO IS IT BEST SUITED FOR?

This project can be used with varying levels of scaffolding in grades 6-12.

Mud and Ink Teaching

Hi! I'm Amanda and this is my passion - sharing, collaborating, and designing amazing curriculum for creative, innovative teachers. I hope you love what you buy here and tell me all about it! Don't forget to leave FEEDBACK. It is always appreciated!

Want to get to know each other? Let's! You can find me in any of the following places online:

My website: www.mudandinkteaching.org

Instagram: @mudandinkteaching

Twitter: @mudandink_

Facebook: Mud and Ink Teaching

YouTube: The Mud and Ink YouTube Channel

Questions & Answers

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think

Daily Writing Tips

36 adjectives describing light.

A bright constellation of adjectives referring to various qualities of light, or other phenomena related to light, is brought to light in the list below. Quite a few of them, from lucent to lustrous (and even illuminating ), stem from the Latin word lucere , meaning “to shine,” while many others begin with the consonant gl-, betraying their descent from a proto-Germanic word with the same meaning.

1. Aureate : brilliantly golden; also, grandiloquent 2. Blinding : so bright as to obscure vision 3. Coruscating : flashing, or sparkling; also, brilliant or showy 4. Crepuscular : dim, or resembling twilight; also, said of animals active during twilight 5. Dappled : marked by spotted or patchy light; also, marks of this kind on a surface 6. Fluorescent : giving off light produced by another source of illumination 7. Glancing : intermittently flashing or gleaming 8. Gleaming : shining, radiant 9. Glimmering : faintly or unsteadily shining 10. Glinting : see gleaming ; also, appearing briefly, or glancing briefly 11. Glistening : see lustrous 12. Glistering : see glittering 13. Glittering : flashing or sparkling; also brilliantly and/or superficially attractive or appealing 14. Glossy : bright on the surface; also, artificially opulent or sophisticated 15. Illuminating : bright or shining; also, highlighted or made clear 16. Incandescent : warm, glowing 17. Iridescent : rainbow colored 18. Lucent : bright, clear, or shining 19. Lucid : see lucent ; also, easy to understand 20. Lucifugal : shunning light, as in the case of nocturnal animals 21. Lucifugous : see lucifugal 22. Luminescent : shining by chemical or physiological means 23. Luminous : full of light 24. Lustrous : smooth, evenly lit; also, brilliant or eminent 25. Opaque : blocking light; also, obtuse, or difficult to understand 26. Opalescent : see iridescent 27. Penumbral : partially shaded 28. Phosphorescent : continuing to glow after removal of a light source 29. Prismatic : brilliant, or resembling colors formed by passing light through a prism 30. Radiant : glowing, or radiating light 31. Resplendent : brilliant or glowing 32. Scintillating : sparking, or sparkling; also, brilliant, as said of personality 33. Shimmering : soft or wavering light or reflection 34. Spangling : see glittering 35. Spectral : made by a range of colors of the spectrum; also, ghostly 36. Translucent : diffused, or transparent

Stop making those embarrassing mistakes! Subscribe to Daily Writing Tips today!

You will improve your English in only 5 minutes per day, guaranteed!

Each newsletter contains a writing tip, word of the day, and exercise!

You'll also get three bonus ebooks completely free!

4 thoughts on “36 Adjectives Describing Light”

This was en-‘light’-ening!

There is a difference between transparent and translucent ,at least as we use it in laboratory situations. Something that is transparent allows the image on the other side of the observer to be seen plainly, even if only darkly or with enhanced light. Something that is translucent allows light to pass through but blurs or obscures the image on the other side.

When the particles that a material is made of are smaller than the wavelength of visible light, the material is transparent. When particles are suspended in an otherwise transparent medium are larger, they impede transmission and the material becomes translucent.

It seems there are many more that could be added to this list such a efulgent, vivid, brilliant . There are words that reflect light such as reflective, shiny, burnished, etc.

Leave a Comment

Resources you can trust

Your own fantasy gateway ...

All reviews

Resources you might like.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Space Travel + Astronomy

Northern Lights, Explained: What They Are and How to See Them

We've got the answers to all your questions about the aurora borealis.

There's a reason travelers chase the elusive northern lights — ask anyone who's seen them, and they'll tell you it's a breathtaking experience. As you've probably seen photos and videos, you might be wondering, "Do they really look like that?" The answer is, well, sometimes. Because the northern lights are a natural phenomenon, there's no controlling them! But if you're planning a trip around catching the spectacle, there are ways to increase your chances of seeing a truly spectacular show. Here's what you need to know about the northern lights.

What are the northern lights?

Formally called the aurora borealis, the northern lights are an atmospheric phenomenon in which undulating swaths of green, purple, and red lights dance across the sky. They occur when waves of energized particles from the sun called solar wind bombard our atmosphere. Thanks to Earth's magnetic field, we're protected from the impact down here on the surface. The particles travel along the magnetic field toward the poles of the planet, where an energy exchange produces the colorful lights in the sky. The northern lights occur in the northern hemisphere, while the same phenomenon in the southern hemisphere is called the aurora australis, or the southern lights.

Where can you see the northern lights?

The best place to see the northern lights is in what's called the auroral zone — the region of the northern hemisphere within an approximately 1,500-mile radius of the magnetic north pole. That encompasses most destinations within the Arctic Circle (anything north of the latitude 66°33'N), including parts of Norway (and its remote archipelago Svalbard), Sweden, Finland, Russia, Iceland, Greenland, Canada and the U.S. state of Alaska . During particularly strong periods of solar wind called geomagnetic storms, the northern lights can move farther south and be visible in other parts of the U.S. But since it's incredibly difficult to predict when these storms might occur, your best bet is to visit destinations within the auroral zone, where the phenomenon occurs most frequently.

When is the best time of year to see the northern lights?

The northern lights occur year-round, nearly every single day of the year, but they're not always visible. You need to have the right viewing conditions to see them. The most important factor is darkness. Given that you need to travel pretty far north to see the northern lights, you'll likely run into issues with daylight. In the summer, high-latitude destinations experience the midnight sun, which means they have extremely long days, some with up to 24 hours of sunlight. So to have a chance to see the northern lights, you'll have to wait until the fall, winter, or spring. Solar activity usually peaks around the fall and spring equinoxes, which occur in September and March, respectively, but you can still see the northern lights throughout the winter any time between those months.

When is the best time of day to see the northern lights?

The simple answer: any time it's dark out! The northern lights typically occur in short bursts of 15 to 30 minutes, and those bursts can happen any time — even in the middle of the day, though if it's light out, you wouldn't be able to see them. Statistically speaking, though, your best odds are between roughly 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. If you're traveling to a destination known for northern lights viewing, your hotel may provide wake-up calls if the lights show up in the middle of the night while you're sleeping. Otherwise, be prepared to stay up all night watching the skies. There is an exception to this general rule — if you're visiting a far northern destination in the middle of winter, you may experience a polar night, during which there are 24 hours of darkness. (This occurs in places like Svalbard.) In that case, you can also see the northern lights during the day.

How else can I increase my chances of seeing the northern lights?

Other conditions beyond darkness are required for viewing the northern lights — you also need clear skies , ideally without a bright moon (which can drown out the spectacle). While you can time your trip to a northern lights destination during a period with a new or crescent moon, you can't control the weather. Plus, the phenomenon is pretty unpredictable beyond a window of a few days. You can check forecasts through the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center website , but they aren't always accurate. Sometimes the northern lights are weak, only producing a dim glow, while other times they completely illuminate the night sky. So while seeing the northern lights is never guaranteed, the best way to give yourself a solid chance of catching them is to plan a longer trip. The more days you have up north, the more chances you have for clear skies and strong geomagnetic storms that produce the most brilliant aurora.

Related Articles

Northern Lights: Facts About the Aurora Borealis

Here are some facts about the Northern Lights.

• The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, are dramatic and colourful light formations which can be seen in the skies in the northern hemisphere.
• Pink and green are the most common colours of the lights, although they can also be seen in red, yellow, violet and blue. They can appear as sheets or arcs of light, or rays.
• The Northen Lights are caused by electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with gaseous particles in the earth’s atmosphere.
• The lights can be seen anywhere, although they are more visible further north, especially in Canada, Alaska and Scandinavia. They can occur at any time of the year.
• Most displays of Northern Lights are between a height of 80 and 120 km.
• The lights have been seen since ancient times and one of the earliest documentations is on a stone tablet from 568 BC. It was made by the royal astronomer to King Nebuchadnezzar II.
• Many primitive people were fearful of the lights, seeing them as a premonition of disaster. Some Eskimo tribes believed that children would be snatched away by the lights, or that the lights could cut a person’s head off.
• Astronauts on the International Space Station have the unique experience of seeing the lights from the side. Astronauts also experience more radiation while the lights are occurring.
• One of the most spectacular displays was in September 1859 when thousands of km of telegraph lines were disrupted.
• The Northern Lights in March, 1989 caused a 12 hour power failure in Quebec, Canada.
• The lights could be seen during the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862, during the American Civil War. The Confederate Army saw that as a good sign as the lights were seldom seen that far south.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Amazon Affiliate Disclaimer

• Announcements
• Kindergarten
• School-Wide
• Chalk Pastel
• Mixed Media

Northern Lights

Here is another fun second grade lesson adapted from this  5th grade lesson (Farren Johnson…in the Art Room). This was my first time to use chalk pastels with second graders and they did such a great job!

A second grade student suggested that we create art based on the night sky and I got super excited. When it comes to the night sky I’m not sure anything can top the Northern Lights. Plus there is the added bonus of including the science behind the lights. Our school is focusing on raising our science scores this year so any science done in the enrichment classes will help with that.

I started the lesson by explaining what the lights are and how they work to the students. Then we looked at this time lapse video of the lights.

I paused the video a few times so they could ask questions and to explain some different things like why the stars look like they are moving (YAY more science! Its not the stars moving guys WE’RE the ones moving!) and the shapes of the trees making sure to include the term silhouette.

Then we got to work! We passed out black construction paper, white crayons (name writing only), chalk pastels and paper towels or tissues. I showed them how to turn the chalk sideways and rub it on the paper and then we used the paper towels to smudge it around. I showed the how different it looks smudging with hands vs towel/tissues and we agreed the towel/tissue method worked best for us.

Then we used black tempera paint to create the ground.

I gave a few different demonstrations on making the trees. We talked about how the dry brush makes great scratchy tree-like lines. I described the motion the brush needs to make as “sweeping a broom” across your painting. In the classes where we were a little ahead of schedule we also took some time to practice on scrap paper.

Then we got to painting our trees. We started by painting a skinny line up from the ground. Then without getting any more paint we started at the bottom of the tree and swept our brush up slowly from side to side making smaller strokes as we got to the top. When the students finished their trees they turned the brush around and added white dots with the end of the brush to make the stars. These have been a big hit so far, every grade has loved seeing them as the 2nd graders finish up.

[slideshow_deploy id=’158′]

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Back to School Gators

Paul Klee’s Cat and Bird

Centers in the Art room

These are beautiful! I love the variety of techniques 🙂

[…] Northern Lights Mixed Media: Chalk pastel and tempera paint Northern Lights Mixed Media: Chalk Pastel and Tempera Paint Northern […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Blogs i follow.

The Colorful Art Palette

Mini Matisse

Art with Mr. E

Art Projects for Kids

Deep Space Sparkle

Cassie Stephens

Thomas Elementary Art

Art Intertwine

Art is Basic

There's a Dragon in my Art Room

smART Class

Art. Paper. Scissors. Glue!

Mrs. Knight's Smartest Artists

Art with Ms K

• International
• Education Jobs
• Schools directory
• Resources Education Jobs Schools directory News Search

The Northern Lights in the Arctic: KS1 Lesson Plan

Subject: Understanding the world

Age range: 5-7

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

11 September 2020

• Share through email
• Share through twitter
• Share through linkedin
• Share through facebook
• Share through pinterest

Welcome to Earth Cubs! A free platform to Learn the World.

In this lesson discuss Arctic weather conditions and seasons. Be inspired by art and photographs and create your own Arctic image.

Visit earthcubs.com for lots of creative & extensive materials all focused on the environment & sustainability.

Fully aligned to EYFS outcomes & National Curriculum (ages 3-7). Our complete lesson plans include: guided teaching steps, activities & outdoor learning ideas.

Creative Commons "Sharealike"

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Thank you for the excellent resources.

Empty reply does not make any sense for the end user

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource: