Nicolas Copernicus, the man who moved the Earth
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Copernicus changed ideas about the Earth and Sun.
Key learning points
- Copernicus studied the night sky carefully and noticed the planets did not move as people expected them to.
- Most people believed Earth was at the centre, but Copernicus bravely imagined the Sun at the centre instead.
- His new idea explained why planets moved in loops in the night sky and helped people understand the sky in a new way.
- Many leaders were shocked by his discovery because it challenged old beliefs they thought were correct.
- Later scientists used new tools to test his ideas and proved he was right about Earth moving around the Sun.
Keywords
Planet - a world that moves around the Sun; from far away, it can look like one of the tiny stars in the night sky
Telescope - a tool that helps people see faraway things in the sky
Scientist - a person who learns about science and carries out investigations
Discovery - finding out something important for the first time
Common misconception
Pupils may think that most early astronomy was conducted using telescopes.
Remind pupils that astronomers didn’t have telescopes, so they used their eyes and mathematical calculations to help them.
Teacher tip
You could use a torch and balls to act out the Sun and planets; pupils could move to show rotation and orbit.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Al-Razi was a who was always curious about how to help sick people.
Q2.What did Al-Razi hang around the streets of Baghdad to help him choose the best place for a hospital?
Q3.Starting with the first, sort these events into the correct order:
Q4.Al-Razi tested different mixtures to make that would help sick people get better.
Q5.Which of these actions showed how Al-Razi learned as a doctor?
Q6.Why did Al-Razi’s ideas spread to Persia, India, and Europe?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a planet?
Q2.Copernicus treated the night sky like a giant and recorded where planets appeared.
Q3.Copernicus believed the was at the centre and the planets circled it.
Q4.Starting with the earliest, sort these events into time order:
Q5.Why were leaders shocked when they read Copernicus’ book?
Q6.Why do we remember Copernicus as someone who “moved the Earth”?
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: Nicolas Copernicus, the man who moved the Earth, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: Nicolas Copernicus, the man who moved the Earth, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 history lessons from the Significant individuals: how did they change the world? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.