The Great Debate! Models of the Solar System
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Have students look under their desk for roles or assign roles. There
should be roles for 8 students. Students should come to the front of the
room to read their roles when instructed.
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After each section, students will summarize what has happened using
their Note taking sheet that goes with the entire lesson.
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Have a classroom discussion after the role play about how and why the
theory of the model of the solar system changed.
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Students should use the information from this activity and their notes to do
a Distributed Summarizing task.
https://sites.google.com/site/caseyhilgefortseportfolio/learning-environment-materials/unit-plan-and-lesson-plans/lesson-plan-4-the-great-debate-model-of-the-solar-system
The Great Debate! Models of the Solar System
Scene: Courtroom. Year 1515
Characters: Narrator 1, Bailiff Judge, Prosecutor, Defense Council
Narrator 1: The judge comes out of his chambers!
Class: Praise and Cheers!
Bailiff: This is docket number 2345, on this day Tuesday, August 18, 1515 the people of
Thorn, Poland versus Nicolaus Copernicus. All rise. Judge Solarview of Lovejoy Middle is
presiding.
Judge: Silence in the courtroom. Mr. Prosecutor please bring us up to date on why we’re
here.
Prosecutor: Today, your honor, the state is here to imprison Astronomer Copernicus, the
son of a wealthy merchant who was born in Thorn, Poland on February 19, 1473, on charges
of spreading viscous lies against the state. Copernicus has been saying that Greek
Astronomer Ptolemy’s theory about our solar system is hog wash. He has created heresy
against the church. Your honor, he has no proof of his alleged theories, and he doesn’t have
any tools to support his claims. He’s causing the entire community to be in an uproar.
Judge: What does the defense have to say?
Defense Council: Thank you your honor. Astronomer Copernicus is a very scholarly and
well respected member of the community. Yes, he opposed the view of the solar system that
Ptolemy proposed over 1,000 years ago. His investigations have been carried on quietly and
alone, without help or consultation, for the last thirty years. He made his celestial
observations from a tower situated on the protective wall around the cathedral and yes, his
observations were made by “bare eyeball.” However, he has sketches and notes that have
been checked and re-checked by fellow experts, who agree with his theory. Today we have
models for the court to view of Ptolemy’s and Copernicus theories.
*Look at images provided by the teacher*
Draw the images and record the information on your note-taking sheet.
https://sites.google.com/site/caseyhilgefortseportfolio/learning-environment-materials/unit-plan-and-lesson-plans/lesson-plan-4-the-great-debate-model-of-the-solar-system
The Great Debate! Models of the Solar System
Scene: Italy, Year 1610.
Characters: Narrator 2, Galileo, Galileo’s Mother
Narrator 2: One day Galileo, an Italian mathematician, scientist, and inventor was looking
through his telescope and made an interesting discovery.
Galileo: Well, Jupiter looks great tonight! It seems so far away. I wonder what life would be
like on Jupiter. Hmmmm….Maybe I should invent a way to get to Jupiter! Wait, what are
those things moving around it? Ma, come over here!
Galileo’s Mother: What do you want Galileo?
Galileo: Look through the telescope! I think there might be Moons moving around Jupiter! If
that’s true, I bet the moon moves around us, and that must mean that we move around the
Sun! Copernicus was right all along!
Galileo’s Mother: Well that’s impossible. You know that everyone thinks that the Earth is the
center of the universe.
Scene: Courtroom, 1610.
Characters: Galileo, Narrator 3
Galileo: (taking the stand): I support the heliocentric model of Copernicus. With the new
invention of the telescope I have made two discoveries. The first one that I made is that there
are four moons revolving around Jupiter. The second one is that Venus goes through phases
similar to Earth’s moon. The phases of Venus could not be explained if Earth were at the
center of the systems of planets. So I state that Ptolemy’s geocentric system could not be
correct.
Narrator 3: The court was in an uproar! This was totally against the popular understanding of
the day. Galileo was taken from the courtroom and excommunicated from many
communities.
https://sites.google.com/site/caseyhilgefortseportfolio/learning-environment-materials/unit-plan-and-lesson-plans/lesson-plan-4-the-great-debate-model-of-the-solar-system