Section outline

  • For tens of thousands of years, human beings have been fascinated by the patterns of stars in the sky above Earth. Early on, they noticed that the Moon changed shape from night tonight as well as its position among the stars. People in different cultures wanted to figure out what was happening, so they studied the skies and made observations and measurements.  

    Today we are going to learn about some of the most influential astronomers who made major contributions to understanding the world around them.  




    Success Criteria: I can/have...

    • Students will gain an understanding of how early astronomers in different cultures attempted to understand the nature of the universe. 

    Activities:

    1. a. Write down the following definition of ‘Astronomy’
    2. Next watch the video clip on the difference between AD and BC, then answer the questions below. ‘What does BC/AD Mean?’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7veVKqU3IA 

    3. Task 3: As a class, we will watch the video clip on the history of Astronomy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVXFrDYxm80 (14:06 sec.) 



    4. Task 1: Read the article below on some of the most important early astronomers. Once you have read the article, in your colorful A4 write a heading and list 3 dot-points in your own words, about their accomplishments or life. The first one has been done as an example.  



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    EXPLORE / TŪHURA

    EXPLORE / TŪHURA learning intentions:

    • We are EXPLORING... early explanations by the first astronomers about the origin and nature of the universe.