Unit 5: Space and Time
Lesson 1 of 4: Lesson Plan: Earth in space, God in heaven?
Objectives of the lesson
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To be introduced to changing ideas in cosmology and how they have
influenced perceptions of God and heaven.
To begin to understand that some metaphorical language in use today is
rooted in archaic cosmological concepts.
To develop synthesising skills.
Lesson Outcomes
By the end of this lesson most pupils will:
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Explain the metaphorical use of ‘high and low’, ‘above and below’
Interpret a map of the Earth-centred universe
Compare changing cosmological ideas
Reflect on personal ideas of God and heaven
Some will only:
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Consider what is meant by metaphorical expressions containing the words
high, low, above and below
Locate Earth, Sun and Moon on a map of the earth-centred universe
Find obvious differences between ancient and modern ideas of the universe
Begin to reflect on personal views of God and heaven
Others will:
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Make connections between some of the metaphors in everyday speech and
archaic cosmological ideas
Consider how directions such as high, low, above and below are relative to
where you are
Develop personal concepts of God and heaven
Key words for this unit
above
imperfect
below
cosmos
high
cosmonaut
low
literal
perfect
metaphorical
Lesson Outcomes (Pupil friendly)
By the end of this lesson I will be able to ….explain a metaphor by saying where the
idea of heaven up above us comes from and find differences between old and new
ideas about the universe.
Resources
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For information on the Ancient and Medieval world views including diagrams:
http://ise.uvic.ca/Library/SLTnoframes/ideas/spheres.html
(entitled ‘A universe with Earth in the centre’; Ancient Greek)
http://ise.uvic.ca/Library/SLTnoframes/ideas/outerspheres.html
(entitled ‘The outer spheres’; Ancient Greek)
http://faculty.knox.edu/fmcandre/cosmology.html
(entitled ‘Medieval Cosmology’; the medieval universe)
Teacher Resource Sheet and Pupil Worksheet 1a and 1b
Science and Religion in Schools: Unit 5: Space and Time
In the following lesson plans, information for the teacher is given in italic
text. Suggestions for the teacher to address pupils directly are given in
normal text.
Introduction / Starter activity / first thoughts
Before the lesson, display a poster or image of our solar system.
Ask a child who is not used to being praised for excellence to come to the front.
Say to the class:
This child is head and shoulders above the rest of you in…. (e.g. PE).
What am I saying? What do I mean?
That the child is better than everyone else at ….
Well done – you have just explained a metaphor.
Now I’m going to change the metaphor.
Ask a confident child used to praise to come to the front. Say to the class:
If I said, ‘This child is knees and feet below the rest of you in… (e.g. P.E)’, then
what do you think I might mean?
That the child is worse than everyone else at…..
Well done – you’ve explained the second metaphor in the way I thought you would.
(Point out that it would of course be very bad for a teacher really to say things like
this because a teacher treats everyone equally and thinks of people’s feelings, as we
should all do.)
Now we’re going to think about why you explained it like this.
Display a model, poster or image of the human body. Point to various body parts.
Say to the class:
Every part of the body is important. A shoulder is important, but so is a knee. All the
parts work together, and if one part stops working well, we soon go to the doctor for
help.
But in our metaphors we are saying that the higher up parts of the body are better
than the lower down parts of the body. This is just a little bit odd!
Emphasise that the important words used in the metaphors are above and below.
Show pupils three different labels:
average
above average
below average
Say to the class:
When your parents come to see the teacher on parents’ evening, they want to know
all sorts of things. One thing they like to know is if your work is about average, which
means you’re around the middle of the class, or above average, or below average.
This gives them an idea of how you’re doing, and whether you may need a bit of help
in some ways or whether you can work harder.
Science and Religion in Schools: Unit 5: Space and Time
Who likes running or athletics, or swimming? If, when you grow up, you train really
hard and show a lot of talent you may even get to the Olympics to represent your
country.
We might say that to get a gold medal is the highest honour any athlete could
gain. Why don’t we say the lowest honour?
We say above, high, up, when we mean good in some way;
We say below, lower, down, when we mean not so good or could try harder.
Strange isn’t it – that the way we use language shows that we think up is better than
down! How did this come about?
Here’s where we could do with a time machine as we’re going a long way back!
Main Activity
This activity consists of interpreting a map of an Earth-centred universe then reading
or listening to and discussing three texts. Take time after each text to draw out
understanding. Set the scene as if going back through time in a time machine.
Display Teacher Resource 2: The Earth-centred universe, or adapt this to
produce a simplified model. Ask pupils to interpret what they see. Refer to this map
as work with Texts 1 and 2 (Teacher Resource 1).
Who can say anything about this map? What is it of? How can you tell it is an old
map? Do we still use this map today? How have our ideas changed since this map
was used? What language is the writing in? (Latin).
Point out that the Earth is at the centre and is encircled by spheres carrying the
Moon (Lune), Mercury, Venus, the Sun (Soles), Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, an outer
sphere containing the stars (Firmament), and an outermost sphere set in motion by
a First Mover. Explain that they are going to find out more about the First Mover.
Less able pupils may like the term ‘wheel’ as well as ‘sphere’.
The following texts are on Teacher Resource 1.
Text 1 is set in Ancient Greece. It takes the form of a dialogue between two famous
philosophers, Plato and Aristotle. Pupils should become aware that Aristotle is
interested in studying the ‘world of changes’ – in other words the natural world. Plato
is more interested in thinking about ideas – such as ‘What is truth?’ and ‘Are there
some things which never change?’
Read Text 1 as a whole-class playscript and/or listen to it as a recorded
conversation.
In groups of three: one pupil acts as Aristotle, the other as Plato. A third pupil is
scribe. Work out what Aristotle believed, and what Plato believed, where they agree
and where they disagree. This may be filled in as a Venn Diagram. Read aloud and
compare with the findings of other groups.
Science and Religion in Schools: Unit 5: Space and Time
(Teacher notes) Aristotle was much more interested in what we call ‘forces’ than
was Plato. Aristotle thought that everything that moves (every material object)
needs a push to start it off, and so all the spheres surrounding the Earth needed a
push to start them off and keep them in motion. Aristotle called this the First Mover
or Uncaused Cause – that which causes change without itself being changed.
The First Mover is described as immaterial, perfect and eternal, and the cause of
circular movement. This is the most perfect sort of movement because it has no
beginning and no end. Aristotle also argued that eternal things must be good and
therefore the First Mover is good. The First Mover has not created the world (because
the world has always existed) and does not act to change things in the world. Nor
would the First Mover be worshipped or prayed to.
Text 2 shows how these Ancient Greek ideas (which interacted with other cultural
and religious ideas) were developed and changed, until by the Middle Ages in Europe
the First Mover has become a Creator-God, with a place outside the spheres known
as the heavens, or heaven. This is a personal God who is very involved with his
creation, and is worshipped and prayed to. Earth is a place of change and decay, the
heavens perfect and eternal. We call this the ‘walled-in universe’.
Text 3 illustrates further changes in ideas, which began with Copernicus’ heliocentric
(sun-centred) discoveries in the 16th century and culminated in the beginning of
space travel in the 1960s. In this text Yuri Gagarin looks for God in the vast darkness
of space.
Pupils follow up discussion with either Worksheet A for the more able or
Worksheet B (both entitled,’ Earth in Space, God in heaven?’). Worksheet B has
a greater emphasis on drawing than writing.
These worksheets may be used for assessment of understanding.
Science and Religion in Schools: Unit 5: Space and Time
Plenary / last thoughts
Discuss responses to the worksheets and ask the class:
How do we think of the universe today?
Point to chart/image of the solar system and beyond. Pupils should also be able to
see the diagram of the ancient / medieval universe.
Can you name some differences between our ideas and the walled-in (bounded)
universe idea? Earth orbits Sun, no spheres, orbits are ellipses not circles, matter is
made of same materials (elements) everywhere, universe is vast and Earth is a tiny
part of it etc.
Why are our ideas more reliable? They are based on images, photographs and
instruments like telescopes as well as the measurements and calculations of
mathematicians and scientists.
Space exploration helps us to see things in new ways. Is there any up and down in
space? No. So can there be any higher or lower? No.
We could say that ideas of up and down, high and low are relative to where we are
at the time. Yuri Gagarin felt that he was above the Earth because he was orbiting
round it but really he was just a certain number of kilometres away from it.
Experiential activity
The room should be quiet for this short activity and pupils should be relaxed. Say to
the class:
Close your eyes and put your hands over them so no light gets in. What you see is
like space. Dark and without any end that you can see. Can you think of any other
words to describe it? Is there an up or down? Is anyone there with you? How does
this make you feel? Safe/alone/free?
Do you prefer the walled-in universe idea or the one we have today? Why? Would
the walled-in universe make you feel safe and cosy – or trapped?
Optional further discussion:
Is heaven a real place? Is God a real person?
Bring out the idea that a) when some people learnt that the old picture of the
universe was not correct, and that the Earth is just one tiny planet in the vastness of
space, they lost their faith in God because they did not feel Earth could be thought of
as the centre of God’s special creation any more b) many people kept their faith in
God but stopped thinking of God as being in a special actual place in the universe
called heaven.
How might some believers think of God today?
What are your beliefs?
Some pupils may prefer to express their ideas as a
painting/drawing/sculpture/model.
Science and Religion in Schools: Unit 5: Space and Time
Differentiation / Extension
Those who wrote the books of the Bible used metaphors to help them to describe
God. Some of the metaphors which they used are: father, shepherd, judge, husband,
king, potter – or (more abstractly), love, light, living water etc. And they often talked
about God being in Heaven. Think of the first line of the most famous of all Christian
prayers, The Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus himself taught his disciples. It begins: “Our
Father, who art in heaven” (or, in more modern usage: “Our Father in heaven”).
But where is heaven?
Earlier Biblical writers like the writers of the Psalms, for example, often picture God
being ‘up in heaven’ (see Psalm 53 v 2). They were living at a time when everyone
imagined that heaven was above the earth, beyond the skies. All the Biblical writers
would have imagined that heaven was an actual place ‘up there’. But now, most
Christians don’t think of heaven as being an actual place but instead, explain it as
being where God is.
Through his teaching, Jesus helped people to ask not “Where is heaven?” but “What
is heaven like?” In Matthew’s gospel, many of Jesus’ stories (parables) begin, “The
Kingdom of Heaven is like…….”
Look at one of these parables (Matthew 13 vs 31-32) and try to work out what point
it is making about the Kingdom of Heaven (that although starting from insignificant,
almost invisible, beginnings, like a tiny mustard-seed, the Kingdom of Heaven will
grow into something huge and universal with room enough for everyone).
Look at another parable (Matthew 13 v 33). What point do you think this parable is
making about the Kingdom of Heaven? (that just as yeast powerfully affects all the
flour with which it comes into contact, transforming it completely, so the Kingdom of
Heaven has dramatic and far-reaching consequences on everything and everyone.
Lower ability – Draw a picture to illustrate one of these parables (you could use
real mustard seeds/ a lump of rising dough to inspire!)
Middle and higher ability – Write your own parable beginning with the words, “The
Kingdom of Heaven is like…….” Do you think it would be full of love? of peace? of
justice?
All abilities: Create your own imaginary universe map. Can we locate ‘heaven’? If
not, why not? Discuss pupils’ ideas.
Music: In music lessons, create some ‘music of the spheres’. Perhaps larger planets
would create different music from smaller ones, and the music of the stars would be
very faint. How would the First Mover be portrayed? Use musical instruments or a
music-making CD. (Pythagoras’s explanation of why we do not actually hear the
music made by each planet was that, like living near a waterfall, we get too used to
the sound!)
Then listen to The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst. Is this the sort of music that Plato
and Aristotle had in mind for the music of the spheres?
Science and Religion in Schools: Unit 5: Space and Time
Art: Look at three famous paintings portraying God as creator, father or architect in
human form.
‘The Ancient of Days’ by William Blake 1794
‘The Creation of Man’ by Michelangelo 1511
‘God the Father as Architect’ artist unknown, Bible Moralisée 13th century
All the above works of art are in ‘The Story of Painting’ by Sr. Wendy Beckett.
How is God portrayed? What is he doing, wearing? Is this how you think of God or
how you thought of God when you were younger?
Flatland If pupils have completed Unit 1: Lesson 4 ‘Adventures in Flatland’, they
could discuss the impossibility of there being a heaven ‘up there’ for Flatlanders.
Why impossible? (because Flatlanders live in two dimensions). Where might ancient
Flatlanders have imagined their God to be? (Perhaps on the outer edges of Flatland,
in a special zone where all shapes are perfect circles?)
More able: homework
Check how many times you and others use the words high, low, or above, below in
your conversations to mean good or bad. Space science tells us these metaphors are
outdated – but they are obviously hard to shake off!
ICT link: Log on to this NASA website:
Level 1 (years 3 + 4)
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/shadow/whos_who_level1/gagarin.html
Explore the page. Answer the two questions:
1. What is a crater? Follow the link.
2. Why is Yuri Gagarin considered a Russian hero? Follow the link.
Level 2 (years 5 + 6)
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/shadow/whos_who_level2/gagarin.html
Explore the page. Answer the two questions:
1. Why is Gagarin called the ‘Columbus of the Cosmos’? (Who was Christopher
Columbus and what did he do?)
2. How did Gagarin’s landing of Vostok 1 differ from those we are familiar with
today? Follow the link.
Note: the same NASA Starchild website has information about ‘The Solar System’ at
levels 1 and 2. The level 2 material includes a movie!
Science and Religion in Schools: Unit 5: Space and Time
Alternatively: pupils could use books and other paper-based materials to answer
the questions. They could also ask grandparents what they remember about Yuri
Gagarin and the space race of the 1960s.
Assessment
Written responses on Worksheets A or B will assess pupils’ understanding of
changing ideas in cosmology, and how they influenced people’s perceptions of God
and heaven.
Alternatively, to assess pupils’ understanding of how metaphors are rooted in beliefs
you could ask the following questions:We often use the words ‘high’ and ‘above’ to mean good or better. From what you
have learnt in this lesson can you say why?
Or: Where do ideas of heaven come from? Write your answer. Include as much of
what you have learnt from the lesson as you can.
Science and Religion in Schools: Unit 5: Space and Time
Notes to teacher
Background information:
In Ancient Hebrew times, when the stories told in Genesis were being formed, people
looked up at the sky and interpreted the blue as water, held up by a hard
transparent dome covering the flat earth. (God divided the waters ‘above’ from the
waters ‘below’.)
At about the same time, some Greek philosophers were forming a different world
picture – that the Earth was round, encircled by crystal spheres holding the celestial
bodies. Being fascinated by how things move, they envisaged a First Mover setting
the whole system in motion.
By the Middle Ages the Greek world picture had been adopted by Jews, Christians
and Muslims. It was now an overtly religious world picture, with God in control of all
celestial movement, and Heaven placed beyond the most distant sphere which
carried the stars.
Everything was firmly fixed in its place – and this was reflected in medieval society
where everyone knew his or her ‘proper’ place and did not question it.
The ever-changing, decaying earth, although at the centre, was in spiritual terms the
basest part of the system. Humans too were base due to original sin – but there was
the possibility of redemption through God’s love and grace.
It is this world view which gave rise to the metaphorical use of high and low in
everyday language to mean good and base, superior and inferior. In science too we
have ‘higher animals’; ‘breaking down’ substances into their parts; ‘building up’
molecules etc.
The new sun-centred world picture revealed by Copernicus and Galileo in the 16 th and
early 17th centuries was at first too shocking to be believed: endless cold empty
space with stars scattered in it and no special place for humans.
This is how the writer Blaise Pascal described his feelings in the mid 17 th century:
‘Engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces whereof I know nothing,
and which know nothing of me, I am terrified… The eternal silence of
these infinite spaces alarms me.’
These feelings of loss and of being lost have endured, reappearing in the
philosophies of nihilism, existentialism and humanism. Yet for others the great age
and size of the universe, as science reveals it to us, is a cause for awe and wonder.
Unlike medieval cosmology, modern scientific cosmology does not tell people their
place, nor how they should behave. It is a constantly changing picture. It is left to us
as individuals to try to understand the scientific picture and to find our own
meanings (or to reject meaning) within it.
In this situation, science, ethics and religion may, before too long, begin to work
together in new ways to form a meaningful, enlightened cosmology.
‘
Science and Religion in Schools: Unit 5: Space and Time
Lesson information
In this lesson pupils travel back through different time periods with differing
cosmological ideas to track the development of ‘high’ and ‘low’ as metaphors for
good and base, superior and inferior.
In the Introduction they meet some common uses of these metaphors.
In the Main Activity they first visit Ancient Greece, then medieval times and finally
the USSR in 1961. Each section should be followed by a short discussion bringing out
main learning points.
Pupils then complete a worksheet differentiated at two levels to reinforce their
learning.
In the Plenary they compare the modern cosmological model with the medieval
model. They reflect on why the modern one is more reliable, and whether there is
any room for ‘high’ and ‘low’ metaphors in our current cosmology.
They may reflect on changing views of heaven and God, and on their own beliefs.
There are a number of extension activities, including music and ICT. These may need
extra time outside the lesson to complete.
Further information
Aristotle’s ideas on motion and his concept of the Prime or First Mover are to be
found in his Metaphysics Book XII.
Aristotelian mechanics began with the common-sense assumption that all bodies are
naturally at rest and every moving body requires a cause to set it off and to keep it
moving. The ‘First Cause’ or Prime Mover which sets everything else off is, says
Aristotle, immaterial and thus unable to perform any physical actions in the material
world. Therefore its activity is spiritual and intellectual. The universe is set in motion
by pure Thought or Will.
Newtonian mechanics in the 17th century contradicted Aristotle’s theories of motion
by stating that ‘every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a
straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon
it’.
This may have led some to think that on the new (Newtonian) theory God might
have started off the universe as a kind of clock and left it to run by itself. This
contributed to the development of the unfortunate philosophy of mechanism where
the world became perceived as a giant inanimate machine. Many of our
environmental problems today are a direct result of the mechanistic philosophy of
nature.
For more on Aristotelian mechanics and the First Mover go to:
www.filetron.com/grkmanual/aristotle.html
Duration
2 hours or 1 afternoon
Science and Religion in Schools: Unit 5: Space and Time
Group
Prev. Know [Students]
Y6
Basic knowledge of the solar system.
Awareness of the ideas of metaphor.
Cross Curricular Areas
Literacy – metaphor
Speaking and listening
Foundation subjects: Music and Art in extension
activities.
History [Britain since the 1930s, The Ancient Greeks.]
Critical thinking
Science and Religion in Schools: Unit 5: Space and Time