Lesson Summary:
The children should all be aware that the earth is, to all extents and purposes, round, but would probably not be able to explain how we know. The lesson is designed to be read by the children and used in the debate in Activity A. However, it should be accompanied by a discussion led by the teacher using whatever visual aids are available, eg: a globe, photo`s taken from space, a toy sailing ship, etc. Activity B is a creative activity intended to have the children think about the consequences of living on a globe and what it would be like if the earth was, in fact, flat.
Objectives:
- The children will understand that man has known for thousands of years that the earth is round.
- The children will be able to explain the evidence on which this knowledge is based.
Subject Area:
Science
Lesson Excerpt:
We all know the earth is round, don’t we? Today we can look at pictures taken from space which show us that the earth looks like a big ball. But did you know that learned people have known that the earth is a sphere for over two thousand years? Long before there were any space photo’s! Aristotle, a Greek philosopher who lived from 384 to 322 BC based his knowledge on two pieces of evidence:
1. When there is a lunar eclipse the earth’s shadow on the moon is curved; and
2. If the earth was flat you would be able to see the same stars wherever you stood on the earth’s surface, but if you live in the North and travel to the South you will see a lot of stars you haven’t seen before.
0 Comments.