Collection - Learning at home – Galileo: exploring simple physics, engineering and astronomy, and the nature of science

Teaching online? Wanting to keep students engaged while learning at home? This collection has useful background information and simple activities to support learning about one of the world's greatest heritage scientists: Galileo.

Galileo Galilei was an astronomer, physicist and engineer. Albert Einstein called him the father of modern science.

The collection is curated into 4 parts:

simple physics and engineering
gravity
the night sky
the history of science/nature of science.

The resources in this collection best support mid-primary to mid-secondary students.

Let's explore!

Observational sketches

Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci and other early scientists made sketches of both their working ideas and their subsequent observations.

Encourage students to develop this mindset by sketching their ideas and making observations before, during and after the activities.

Challenge students to do the activity What do we see? by either modelling it online or with a family member at home.

Simple physics - pendulums

Galileo experimented with pendulums, inclined planes, balances and falling objects. The following activities are a hands-on way to explore some of Galileo's big ideas.

When Galileo was a medical students, he investigated the relationship between a swinging pendulum and heartbeats. These early investigations were the forerunner of clocks and time pieces.

For a bit of fun and art, check out the painting with pendulums activity on study.com.

ACTIVITY

Investigating pendulums – what matters?

As written, this activity is useful for upper primary/lower secondary students. Modify it for younger students by removing the timing aspect and simply observing the differences from the starting positions.

ACTIVITY

Pendulums – collecting and using data

This activity includes both hands-on and measurement aspects. It's useful for secondary school students.

Simple physics - inclined plane

An inclined plane is a simple machine - so simple that it's just a sloping surface. The science behind an inclined plane is explained in this eSchoolToday article.

Students can experiment with inclined planes at home using rulers, books or other stiff materials to create ramps and to test pushes and pulls with gentle and steep slopes.

VIDEO

MSL LEGO Kibble balance

This balance is way more sophisticated than the balances envisioned by Galileo - but its fun to watch. Encourage students to sketch a design of a balance using materials around the house. Challenge them to build the model and then video the outcome. Not every one of Galileo's ideas worked - but he gave it a shot!... Expand note

Simple physics - catapults

Catapults convert potential energy into kinetic energy as explained in this Scientific American article - complete with instructions for a popstick catapult. Additional catapult designs from everyday materials can be found here.

This video from galileo.org is a great place to start if you want students to come up with their own designs - even if it's simply to think about constructing a prototype.

ARTICLE

What is energy?

Good background reading for catapults.

Gravity - falling objects

Galileo is famous for his investigations regarding gravity. He is thought to have dropped objects off the Leaning Tower of Pisa to determine that the rate in which a body falls is independent of its weight.

Is it legend or fact? Hard to know, but physicists have recreated the event, albeit with water bottles. Make a prediction - which hits the ground first - a regular water bottle or a bottle three times its weight? Watch this video and see if your prediction is correct.

Encourage students to plan and/or conduct a similar activity. How would they go about testing how objects fall in space?

TEACHER PLD

The gravity well – a physics analogy

This is useful background knowledge for educators.

Gravity - analogies

The gravity well interactive that follows has a series of videos that explain visualise gravitational forces. Encourage students to watch a video and then sketch what they see, using labels to explain what is happening.

INTERACTIVE

Exploring physics concepts with a gravity well

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Observing the night sky

Galileo was the first person to discover that other planets can have moons. The following resources focus on observations of natural satellites - the Moon, planets in our solar system and the stars beyond.

Polynesian navigators also used mātauranga (knowledge) of the night sky. Practise some traditional navigation skills.

ARTICLE

Our Solar System – revolutionary ideas

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ARTICLE

Natural satellites

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ACTIVITY

Observing natural satellites

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ACTIVITY

Navigating by the stars

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ACTIVITY

Constellations in the night sky

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Galileo and the nature of science

Science denial, fake facts and conflicts between science and society have been growing lately, but they are not new. Galileo was one of many scientists to encounter clashes with the wider society in which they lived. (As explained in the article featured on the right.)

Teachers Pay teachers has a complete lesson plan that covers the main issues of the scientific revolution by having the students role-play as various scientists or church officials during Galileo's trial. Educators can choose 2 freebies from the site.

ARTICLE

Climate change, science and controversy

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NOTIFICATIONS