Round or flat?
| National Curriculum links
(Key Stage 3) |
Sc1
1a |
... the interplay between
empirical questions, evidence and scientific explanations using
historical and contemporary examples |
Sc1
1c |
... the ways in which scientists
work today and how they worked in the past, including the roles
of experimentation, evidence and creative thought in the development
of scientific ideas |
Sc4
4i |
... about the use of artificial
satellites and probes to observe the Earth |
Resources
The resource Round or flat?
looks briefly at the development of theories of the shape of the Earth
from Ptolemy onwards, and what thought or evidence influenced the theories
that were developed. It also gives pupils two excellent web sites to
visit. Fourmilab's
Earth Viewer gives amazing views of the Earth from space. Students
can choose from a range of satellites and see the views of the Earth
from different perspectives, using real satellite images. How
Stuff Works explains about satellites, with lots of pictures of
the satellites themselves and what they see in space - a really useful
resource.
Activities
The activities provide students with a variety of opportunities to
think about the thought processes and evidence used in developing and
supporting the different notions of the shape of the Earth and its place
in Space. Two longer activities are also included.
| Activity
1 |
|
- Thinking about the way in which the ancient Greeks developed
their ideas about the world around them compared to the conduct
of modern science.
|
| Activity
2 |
|
- Thinking about the scientific ideas emerging in mediaeval
times and the effect of the church's view of the world.
|
| Activity
3 |
|
- The shape of the world - even though you can sail right round
the world this does't mean that the Earth has to be a sphere!
Students may need to make three dimensional models to convince
them of this.
|
| Activity
4 |
|
- Considering the evidence that aeroplanes, rockets and satellites
have contributed to our picture of the world.
|
| Activity
5 |
|
- Thinking about the view of the world of people in the mediaeval
world using a creative activity.
|
| Activity
6 |
|
- Producing a graphical presentation to explain how satellites
are used to observe the Earth.
|
|
