In Year 5, the children have been learning about how people’s understanding of the Solar System has changed over time. They have explored the geocentric model, where people believed that the Earth was at the centre of the Universe, and the heliocentric model, where the Sun is at the centre of our Solar System.
To show their understanding, the children used I Can Animate to create stop-start animations demonstrating the movement of the planets in both models. This allowed them to explain the differences between the two ideas and show how scientific thinking has developed.
The children have also learned about important scientists who helped change our understanding of space. They discovered how Nicolaus Copernicus proposed the heliocentric model, challenging the widely accepted belief that the Earth was at the centre. They then learned about Galileo Galilei, who used observations through a telescope to provide evidence that supported the heliocentric model.
Finally, the children explored the work of Isaac Newton and how his ideas about gravity helped explain why planets move around the Sun. By learning about these scientists, the children have seen how evidence, observation and new ideas can change what we know about the world.
Their animations demonstrate not only their understanding of the two models, but also how scientific knowledge has developed through the work of different scientists over time.
