Pre-test
Preliminaries
Read to your students the short text here after about Eratosthenes : it should sharpen their curiosity and then motivate them to join the project fully.
"In Egypt, about 2200 years ago, a papyrus drew attention of a certain Eratosthenes, then Director of the Great Library of Alexandria (a town located on the side of the Mediterranean Sea): it was about a vertical stick which, on the first day of summer (that is to say on June the 21st) and at noon local solar time, did not cast any shadow on the ground (the Sun's rays reach the bottom of a well!). This happened very far from Alexandria, straight to the South, in a town called Syene (now Aswan). However, Eratosthenes noticed from his side that in Alexandria, on June the 21rst also and at the same time, a stick vertically driven in the ground did cast a shadow, even if such a shadow was relatively short. What the hell was this mystery? We invite you to discover it by yourselves. This will lead you pretty far since, as Eratosthenes showed, the key of this mystery will allow you to measure the circumference of the Earth, nothing less!"
You should subsequently see, in sessions 4 and 5, how to fill in this tale and which simulations to suggest your pupils. The same way, bibliographic researches will be carried out later on. But your students will of course be able to comment this true story, and start locating the two cities involved.
Then, tell them to make them feel better about the multiple choice question paper :
"During the numerous activities we will carry out about this project "Following the footsteps of Eratosthenes", we will tackle with a series of fascinating subjects about which you might already have ideas about. But keep in mind that if you can't answer some of the questions, or if you make mistakes in your answers, it is not important at all : the questionnaire will not be graded for it is rather a test game. However, don't hesitate to ask precisions about a question if you don't understand the meaning of it and to simply answer "I don't know" if it is the case."
Practical methods
Foreseen duration : according to the training of your pupils, one session of 20 minutes, (but the slowest students will have to be able to finish later)
Equipment : For each student :
the sheets of the multiple choice question paper and a black pencil, an eraser. Eratosthenes Pre-test.pdf
7 questions to take stock of your knowledge on several topics Before answering a question, first read it to the end.
When you have to pick a proposed answer, circle the one you pick with your black pencil.
- Geometry
Which of these lines are parallel?
Which of these lines form a right angle?
2. The instruments
Associate each instrument with its use by indicating the right number .
☐ Check the verticality of an object
☐ Check the horizontality of an object
☐ Measure an angle
☐ Verify that an angle is right
☐ Indicate the direction of north
3. The angles
Look at the three steps of the construction of this funny "Z" :
The two angles colored in black have a particularity: which one?
☐ They are right angles
☐ They are equal angles
☐ They are the sign of Zorro
☐ They are opposite angles
4. The Earth
Which image is most similar to the shape of the Earth?
5. Geography
Identify the 4 countries and the 4 directions
Number 1 country is: ☐ Norway - ☐ Iceland - ☐ Tunisia - ☐ Azerbaijan
Number 2 country is: ☐ Norway - ☐ Iceland - ☐ Tunisia - ☐ Azerbaijan
Number 3 country is: ☐ Norway - ☐ Iceland - ☐ Tunisia - ☐ Azerbaijan
Number 4 country is: ☐ Norway - ☐ Iceland - ☐ Tunisia - ☐ Azerbaijan
Number 1 direction is: ☐ North - ☐ South - ☐ East - ☐ West
Number 2 direction is: ☐ North - ☐ South - ☐ East - ☐ West
Number 3 direction is: ☐ North - ☐ South - ☐ East - ☐ West
Number 4 direction is: ☐ North - ☐ South - ☐ East - ☐ West
6. Sun rise, Sun set, Solar noon
In which direction do we see the Sun rise? ☐ North - ☐ South - ☐ East - ☐ West
In which direction do we see the Sun set? ☐ North - ☐ South - ☐ East - ☐ West
In a European country, in which direction do we see the Sun at the highest point in the sky? ☐ North - ☐ South - ☐ East - ☐ West
7. The day and the night
How to explain the alternation of day and night?
☐ Earth revolves around the Sun
☐ The Sun revolves around the Earth
☐ Earth revolves around itself
Comments for the teacher
It would be better, on our account, to make a rather "transversal" evaluation, counting the number of students that answered right at a question, and then making out the nature and the frequency of the mistakes found in the answers to that same question. That work seems much more interesting to us for the following sessions.
Nevertheless, for each pupil, why not establish some sort of qualitative "profile" finding his strong and weak points in each of the fields involved? The profile will of course be confronted to the one of the post-test at the end of the project, which could well be... the same questionnaire!