Once at a tender age, hearing the expression “at the end of the world” in fairy tales, I thought - where is this edge and what does it look like? If this is just the end of the Earth, and the void begins, then did they put a fence there so that no one would fall? Childhood is over, I learned about planets and solar system, galaxies and Universe. Even now it is difficult to imagine the immensity and assume where is the end of the universe. Probably, in this matter, we are all, like ancient people, imagining the Earth and universe.
How did our ancestors imagine the world?
Scientific attempts to describe the universe
Some peoples have advanced knowledge of the world deeper than the convenient legend of grandma's tales. The most advanced in this area were:
- Greeks. Officially, they were the first to suggest that The earth is round. But their theory was geocentric It was believed that the Sun and the planets revolve around the Earth. The atomists assumed that our system is not the only one, and represented the Universe as a cluster of systems, in which they were not far from the truth.
- Hindus. In the Vedas and Puranas, it was described in an allegorical form solar system model like planets going around the sun, and the Sun itself around the Earth. With the degradation of the priestly level, the projection drawings themselves began to be perceived by the servants as flat objects, from which the version of flat earth.
- Romans. Like the Greeks, they said geocentric Universe, while quite accurately calculating temporary length of orbits planets and their distance from the Earth.
Today
The fact that today much is known about our solar system, our and nearby galaxies, does not give confidence in the correctness of our ideas about the universe. Most of them are just conjectures. It is quite possible that our ideas will also fall into someone's discussions in 300 years.
Technological map of the lesson.
Thing: Geography
Class: 5
Basic textbook: Geography grade 5 I. I. Barinova, A.A. Pleshakov, N.I. Sonin. (M.: Bustard, 2012);
Lesson topic : How ancient people imagined the universe.
The purpose of the lesson:
Lesson objectives:
a) educational : - to give the concept of what the Universe is;
to acquaint with the ideas about the Universe - the ancient peoples;
ancient Greek scientists.
b) developing
Continue developing the ability to highlight the main thing when working with geography textbooks and additional literature;
Improve self-control skills;
Stimulate curiosity.
c) educational
develop skills: - work in pairs, groups;
Ability to listen to the interlocutor;
Lesson type : learning new material
Equipment: textbook, atlas of geography Grade 5, electronic application, handout.
| Stage | Teacher activity | Student activities | Universal learning activities |
| 1. Motivation for learning activities. Organizing time | Inclusion in the business rhythm. Oral communication from the teacher. Hello guys! I am glad to see you at our lesson. Listen carefully to the poem, answer the question: what is the poem about? Painted space black | Welcome teachers The poem is read by the student. | Personal: self-determination; "me and other people" regulatory: goal setting; communicative: planning learning collaboration with teacher and peers |
| 2. Statement of the educational task, the objectives of the lesson | That's right guys. Everything that is in space: stars, comets, planets, the Sun, the Earth, all this is called in one word - the Universe. Guys, what do you think the topic of our lesson will sound like? What is the purpose of the lesson? What questions do we need to answer in order to achieve the goal of the lesson? Guys, find the definition of "universe" in the textbook p.41. | Children's answers. Space. Children's answers "Earth in the Universe" Children's answers: The purpose of our lesson is, study of the first ideas about the structure of the universe. Student responses: What is the Universe. The student reads the definition in the textbook | Regulatory: goal setting; communicative: asking questions; cognitive: general educational - independent selection - the formulation of the cognitive goal of the lesson, the topic of the lesson. |
| 3. Discovery of new knowledge | The increase in geographical information is associated primarily with travel and navigation, as well as with the development of the simplest astronomical observations. We will work in pairs and groups. Each pair will represent some ancient people, and study the question of how the people represented the Universe. Ancient Greeks ancient egyptians Ancient Indians. Inhabitants of Babylon. Perform the work from the information of the additional material (Appendix 1) and the text in the textbook p. 41-42, also take information from the atlas. Prepare the answer for the task as a group and choose who will go to answer. | Work on handouts in groups | Cognitive: Analyze information, highlight the main thing, classify information Communicative: be able to look at the situation from the position of the respondent. Communicative: interact in pairs, take the positions of the other. Personal: Argument, evaluate their own and others' actions |
| 4. Primary fastening. Fizkultminutka. | And now let's rest a little. We have a gym again. Bent over, come on, come on. Straightened up, stretched. And now they've leaned back. The head is tired too. So let's help her. Right - left, one and two. Think think head Although the charge is short. We rested a bit. | Conduct a physical education session | Communicative: express their opinion Cognitive: analyze information |
| Which of the scientists was closer to the modern view of the universe? What celestial bodies were known to the ancient Greeks? What instruments are used to study the universe? | Aristarchus of Samos, in the center of the Universe the Sun. Pythagoras is the shape of a ball. Planets, moon, sun, stars. Telescope | ||
| 5. Fixing. | Guys, please remember what tasks we set at the beginning of the lesson? Can you please tell us how we solved these problems? Was the purpose of the lesson achieved? | Student responses: What is the Universe. Which scientists studied the structure of the universe. What are the current ideas about the structure of the universe. Arbitrary responses of children | Communicative: express their opinions, listen to each other's opinions. Cognitive: analyze and summarize. Regulatory: evaluate the degree and methods of achieving the goal. |
| 6. Homework. | Choice: 1. Draw a picture of how ancient people imagined the Universe. 2. Draw a picture of how you imagine the structure of the universe. | Record homework in a diary. | Personal: |
| 7. Reflection of educational activity in the lesson. | I remembered… I found out… I like it… My mood… Over the Earth late at night, Just reach out your hand You'll grab onto the stars They seem to be close | Continue offerings | Personal: conscious choice, analysis of the level of development of the studied. Communicative: express their opinion |
Appendix No. 1
Ancient Greeks
World in view ancient egyptians 
Ancient Greeks imagined the earth was flat. They considered the earth to be a flat disk, surrounded by a sea inaccessible to man, from which the stars emerge every evening and into which the stars set every morning. From the eastern sea in a golden chariot, the sun god Helios rose every morning and makes his way across the sky.
World in view ancient egyptians: below - the Earth, above it - the goddess of the sky; left and right - the ship of the sun god, showing the path of the sun across the sky from sunrise to sunset.
ancient indians
ancient indians represented the Earth in the form of a hemisphere held by four elephants. Elephants stand on a huge turtle, and the turtle is on a snake, which, curled up in a ring, closes the near-Earth space.
Babylonians 
Babylonians The land, in their opinion, is a mountain through which they did not dare to cross, which is surrounded on all sides by the sea. Above them in the form of an overturned bowl is the starry sky - the heavenly world, where, like on Earth, there is land, water and air. Under the Earth is an abyss - hell, where the souls of the dead descend. At night, the Sun passes through this dungeon from the western edge of the Earth to the eastern, in order to begin its daytime journey through the sky again in the morning. Watching the sunset over the sea horizon, people thought that it goes into the sea and also rises from the sea.
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Slides captions:
The topic of our lesson: “How ancient people imagined the Universe” Geography Grade 5 Teacher: Drozd V.G.
The purpose of the lesson: to study earlier ideas about the universe.
You have probably heard the word "universe" more than once. What it is? The Universe is outer space and everything that fills it: celestial bodies, gas, dust In other words, it is the whole world. Our planet is part of the vast universe, one of the countless celestial bodies
Modern ideas about the structure of the universe evolved gradually. In ancient times, they were not at all what they are now. For a long time, the Earth was considered the center of the universe.
Representations of ancient peoples about the Universe
Representations of the ancient Indians
Representation of the inhabitants of Mesopotamia According to them, the Earth is a mountain, which is surrounded by the sea on all sides and which rests on 12 columns.
The peoples of Babylon saw the Universe differently. The earth, in their opinion, is a mountain, which is surrounded by the sea on all sides. Above them in the form of an overturned bowl is the starry sky.
Fizminutka I looked at you from the darkness Together with a thousand friends, (The star stands up to its full height, raises its hands and looks up.) I sparkled and shone, (The star rhythmically either presses its arms bent at the elbows with fingers clenched into fists to the sides, then spreads them to the sides, spreading her fingers, depicting her glow) And then she suddenly fell. (Star squats down again.)
Pythagoras (c. 580-500 BC) Great ancient Greek mathematician. He was the first to suggest that the Earth is not flat, but has the shape of a ball.
Aristotle (384-322 BC) Aristotle's system of the world
Aristarchus of Samos (320-250 BC) Ancient Greek scientist. He believed that the center of the universe is not the Earth, but the Sun
Claudius Ptolemy (c. 90-160 AD)
Exercise. Using the material of the textbook, fill in the table The name of the scientist The idea of the Universe Aristotle (384-322 BC) Created a model of the Universe. He believed that in the center of the Universe there is a stationary Earth around which 8 celestial spheres revolve BC) He believed that the center of the Universe is the Sun, and the Earth and other planets move around it Claudius Ptolemy (c. 90-160 AD) Developed a system of the world, in the center of which the Earth and around which five planets revolve, Moon and Sun). Wrote the work "The Great Mathematical Construction of Astronomy" in 13 books.
Test your knowledge 1. Which of the ancient scientists first proposed that the Earth has the shape of a ball? A - Aristotle B - Pythagoras C - Ptolemy 2. According to the ancient Indians, the Earth is: A - flat and rests on a turtle B - round and rests on the backs of giant elephants C - flat and rests on the backs of giant elephants, which, in turn , rest on the turtle G - round and rests on the backs of giant elephants, which, in turn, rest on the turtle. 3. The first of the scientists who believed that the center of the Universe is the Earth was: A - Pythagoras B - Aristotle C - Aristarchus of Samos D - Claudius Ptolemy 4. Ptolemy's system dominated science for: A - 13 centuries B - 15 centuries C – 10 centuries D – 8 centuries
Homework: 1. Paragraph 8 and draw a picture "The idea of the ancient peoples about the universe" 2. Paragraph 8, prepare a message about the ideas of the ancient peoples about the Universe 3. Paragraph 8, prepare a presentation on the topic.
Thank you for your attention!
The ideas of the ancients about the Earth were based primarily on mythological ideas.
Some peoples believed that the Earth is flat and rests on three whales that swim in the vast world ocean. Consequently, these whales were in their eyes the main foundations, the foot of the whole world.
The increase in geographical information is associated primarily with travel and navigation, as well as with the development of the simplest astronomical observations.
Ancient Greeks imagined the earth was flat. This opinion was held, for example, by the ancient Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus, who lived in the 6th century BC. He considered the Earth to be a flat disk surrounded by a sea inaccessible to man, from which stars come out every evening and into which stars set every morning. Every morning the sun god Helios (later identified with Apollo) rose from the eastern sea in a golden chariot and made his way across the sky.
The world in the view of the ancient Egyptians: below - the Earth, above it - the goddess of the sky; left and right - the ship of the sun god, showing the path of the sun across the sky from sunrise to sunset.
The ancient Indians imagined the Earth as a hemisphere held by four elephant . Elephants stand on a huge turtle, and the turtle is on a snake, which, curled up in a ring, closes the near-Earth space.
Babylonians represented the Earth in the form of a mountain, on the western slope of which Babylonia is located. They knew that there was a sea to the south of Babylon, and mountains to the east, which they did not dare to cross. Therefore, it seemed to them that Babylonia is located on the western slope of the "world" mountain. This mountain is surrounded by the sea, and on the sea, like an overturned bowl, the firm sky rests - the heavenly world, where, like on Earth, there is land, water and air. The heavenly land is the belt of the 12 constellations of the Zodiac: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. In each of the constellations, the Sun visits each year for about a month. The Sun, Moon and five planets move along this belt of land. Under the Earth is an abyss - hell, where the souls of the dead descend. At night, the Sun passes through this dungeon from the western edge of the Earth to the eastern, in order to begin its daytime journey through the sky again in the morning. Watching the sunset over the sea horizon, people thought that it goes into the sea and also rises from the sea. Thus, the basis of the ideas of the ancient Babylonians about the Earth were observations of natural phenomena, but the limited knowledge did not allow them to be explained correctly.
Earth according to the ancient Babylonians.
When people began to make long journeys, evidence gradually began to accumulate that the Earth was not flat, but convex.
Great ancient Greek scientist Pythagoras Samos(in the VI century BC) for the first time suggested the sphericity of the Earth. Pythagoras was right. But to prove the Pythagorean hypothesis, and even more so to determine the radius of the globe, it was possible much later. It is believed that this idea Pythagoras borrowed from the Egyptian priests. When the Egyptian priests knew about this, one can only guess, since, unlike the Greeks, they hid their knowledge from the general public.Pythagoras himself, perhaps, also relied on the evidence of a simple sailor, Skilak of Karyanda, who in 515 BC. made a description of his voyages in the Mediterranean.
famous ancient greek scientist Aristotle(IV century BCe.)
He was the first to use observations of lunar eclipses to prove the sphericity of the Earth. Here are three facts:
- the shadow from the earth falling on the full moon is always round. During eclipses, the Earth is turned to the Moon in different directions. But only the ball always casts a round shadow.
- Ships, moving away from the observer into the sea, are not gradually lost from sight due to the long distance, but almost instantly, as it were, "sink", disappearing behind the horizon line.
- some stars can only be seen from certain parts of the Earth, while for other observers they are never visible.
Claudius Ptolemy(2nd century AD) - ancient Greek astronomer, mathematician, optician, music theorist and geographer. In the period from 127 to 151 he lived in Alexandria, where he carried out astronomical observations. He continued the teachings of Aristotle regarding the sphericity of the Earth.
He created his own geocentric system of the universe and taught that all celestial bodies move around the Earth in an empty world space.
Subsequently, the Ptolemaic system was recognized by the Christian church.
The universe according to Ptolemy: the planets revolve in empty space.
Finally, the outstanding astronomer of the ancient world Aristarchus of Samos(late 4th - first half of the 3rd century BC) suggested that it is not the Sun, together with the planets, that moves around the Earth, but the Earth and all the planets revolve around the Sun. However, he had very little evidence at his disposal.
And it took about 1700 years before the Polish scientist managed to prove it. Copernicus.