Eratosthenes of Cyrene

ERATOSTHENES OF CYRENE
Lesson 5

GRADE LEVEL: 10th Grade

SUBJECT: English/Language Arts, Social Studies, Guidance

LEARNER OUTCOMES:

Students will demonstrate their ability to research the Internet to learn important facts about the life of Eratosthenes of Cyrene, a noted Greek mathematician, scientist, astronomer, geographer, writer, librarian, and cartographer.
Students will compose an informational paragraph with a minimum of mechanical errors.
Students will research other mathematicians of the same era as Eratosthenes and present that information orally to classmates.

DURATION OF LESSON:

Assignment #1: one 50 minute class period
Assignment #2: two 50 minute class periods

MATERIALS:

Worksheet of specific questions about Eratosthenes
Student journals
Writer's Inc (Sebranek/Meyer/Kemper)

TECHNOLOGY TOOLS/COURSEWARE:

Computer lab access with Internet access
Encyclopedia on CD Rom
List of web sites

TEACHER NOTES:

Reserve school computer lab for 2 days. Be sure Internet is available.
Assure students have signed and understand the Acceptable Use Policy.
Before entering Internet sites, the teacher may want to review with students methods of skimming/scanning articles for pertinent information.

PROCEDURES:

Assignment #1:

Given a sheet of specific questions on Eratosthenes of Cyrene, students will use the Internet and CD Rom encyclopedia and biography sites to research and answer the questions on his life.

Grolier Electronics Publishing CD Rom
Expert Reference Library CD Rom
Biography.com
Encyclopedia.com
Encarta Encyclopedia
Alexandria Library
Eratosthenes of Cyrene

Using the above sources, students will give a brief statement of Eratosthenes' accomplishments in each of his occupations: mathematician, scientist, astronomer, geographer, writer, librarian, and cartographer.

Assignment #2:

Students will locate a timeline of mathematicians born before 500A.D. and/or mathematicians born before 1000A.D. They will then choose a mathematician who lived during the same time period as Eratosthenes (about 262 B.C. to 190 B.C.). After reading the biographical sketch, students will write a journal entry of about 250 words about the mathematician they have chosen. (Some suggested names are Euclid, Aristarchus, Archimedes, Incommodes, Chrysippus, Colon, Phil, Apologias, Dionysodorus, Diocles.) The students will give pertinent facts and major accomplishments of the mathematician they choose and will strive to make their writing free of mechanical errors.
Students will do a 2-3 minute oral presentation on the mathematician they have researched.

MODIFICATIONS:

Since access to certain Internet sites may not be available at one time or another, it is advisable to have more than one site listed.
Depending upon students' abilities/IEP's, the teacher may need to modify assignments.

EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:

For assignment #1, the teacher will evaluate and assign point values to the students' answers to questions about the life of Eratosthenes and his occupational accomplishments.
For assignment #2, the teacher will use the following rubric to evaluate the students' informational paragraph and oral presentation:

ANCIENT MATHEMATICIAN REPORT:	Possible points:	Your points:
Paragraph content	30
Paragraph mechanics	20
Oral presentation	30
Totals:	80
Comments:

ENRICHMENT:

Students may be encouraged to create a notebook including biographical sketches of all mathematics who lived during the same period of time as Eratosthenes.

STATE STANDARDS:

West Virginia Instructional Goals and Objectives:

English/Language Arts, Grade 10 IGO's: 10.10, 10.15, 10.25, 10.39, 10.49, 10.63, 10.64, 10.77, 10.87, 10.81, 10.86
Social Studies (World Studies to 1900), Grade 10 IGO's: 10.37, 10.38, 10.63
Guidance (Process/Workplace Objectives): PW.28, PW.46

National Standards:

Language Arts: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
World History: 7, 8, 9
Life Work: 4

REFERENCES:

CD Rom - Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc.
CD Rom - Expert Reference Library
Writer's Inc (Sebranek/Meyer/Kemper)
Web sites used

JOB/CAREER CLUSTERS:

Fine Arts/Humanities

AUTHORS:

North Marion High School
Rt. 1, Box 100
Farmington, WV 26571

I. Eratosthenes'
Sieve

II. Fundamental
Theorem of
Arithmetic

III. Square
Roots

IV. Hellenistic
Age

V. Erastosthenes
of Cyrene

VI. To Be or
Not to Be

ATTACHMENTS:

Questions on Eratosthenes:

ERATOSTHENES OF CYRENE

Part I: Give short answers to these questions:
1. What nationality was Eratosthenes? During what historical period did he live?
2. Where was he born?
3. What are the dates given for Eratosthenes' birth and death? Why do you think there is a discrepancy in the dates different sources list for his birth and death?
4. What were the names of some of Eratosthenes' teachers?
5. For what was he most recognized by his contemporaries?
6. To what theory, first attributed to Aristotle, did Erastosthenes add credence?
7. How was his life reportedly ended?

Part II: Discuss each of these fully, using complete sentences:
1. Eratosthenes as a mathematician (include description of "Eratosthenes' Sieve")
2. Eratosthenes as a geographer (include his method of measuring the circumference of the earth)
3. Eratosthenes as a scientist (include his work on an accurate calendar and world chronology)
4. Eratosthenes as an astronomer (include his star catalogue)
5. Eratosthenes as a librarian (in Alexandria)
6. Eratosthenes as a cartographer (include his mapping of the Nile River)
7. Eratosthenes as a writer (include even his lost works)

Web sites used: