Christopher Columbus and the Round Earth.

Monday (14/02/2012)

a) Let’s guess.
Teacher: How many countries are there in the world?
l Kids paused. They said not 10, 50, 1000 nor 500. The figure is about 196 countries.
Teacher: Is the Earth square, rectangle, triangle, star, heart, pyramid or round shape?
l The kids guessed but most of them knew about it because they have seen a globe.
Alisa: I saw a globe when I was in a shop.

b) Christopher Columbus.
l Many years ago, humans had no transportation ideas. They would exchange items for things they like. However, soon; they invented boats and ships and started sailing to a near distance. This was because the ocean looked too vast and scary to sail beyond. With this little knowledge, many sailors and explorers mentioned that the world is flat or square.
l Christopher Columbus who was a sailor and map maker thought that the world should be round. He wanted to prove his theory as well as search for other items. He seeked for the King and Queen’s help for 3 ships in return which he would give them lands and goods.
l With the 3 ships, they sailed through the vast ocean and many sailors wanted to go home but Christopher was very determined and brave. A few days later, they saw a big land and were so excited.
l The land was now known as America. The native people there were fierce with weapons and spears. They were now known as Red Indians. However, Christopher was intelligent and made friends with them. He gave them presents such as pearls and meat. They communicated despite different languages spoken.
l Christopher continued his voyage to various countries and reached back Spain where he first started his journey. Indeed, the Earth is round. Square shape means that the ship would fall at its angle.

c) Title
l We brainstormed the various titles. Among: Holidays are fun! I love the world! Go around the world! I love all countries! I love holidays!
l Majority chose “I Love Holidays”. Suddenly, Jia Xun remembered a film called, “I love Hong Kong!”

d) Video Clip
* We watched a cartoon on Christopher Columbus. Then, we also watched a clip on the world map with different flags.