Step 23 Lesson 2

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Earth & Sun

Objectives

To prove that the Earth is round.

To establish the difference between planets and stars.

Resources

Books or websites about space, the Solar System and the Earth

Today's Lesson

Main Activity

Discuss the Earth with your child. We know now that the planet is round but, centuries ago, people believed it was flat. Early explorers were frightened to sail too far from home, because they thought they would fall off the edge of the Earth, where creatures were ready to attack!

Talk about how we now know that the Earth is roughly spherical in shape.

Some ideas for discussion could be:

• satellite images from space;
• the fact that people can sail all the way round the Earth and come back to the starting point;
• we can see a ship on the horizon, beginning with the tallest part of the ship and gradually, more and more of the ship becomes visible as it draws nearer.

Use a book or find images of the Earth from space on the internet.

Using the internet, ask your child to research some explorers, for example:

• early explorers, such as Ferdinand Magellan and Christopher Columbus;
• the scientific voyages of Charles Darwin’s ship Beagle;
• more recent, record-breaking circumnavigations by Robin Knox-Johnston, Sir Ranulph Fiennes or Rosie Swale-Pope.

What is the most interesting thing they have found out?

Resources