Using a Telescope (lesson)
In this lesson, a class can explore how a telescope is put together indoors, learning the features common to many telescopes. A brief history and layout is discussed, before practising in a school hall or playground with ‘pretend’ targets of the moon, Jupiter and Saturn pre-printed to size from 20m away. Once everyone is confident with setting up and operating the telescope in the day time, the class can take steps to plan for a future event of stargazing using the telescope.
We recommend this lesson is only completed once lesson 1: Navigating the Night Sky and lesson 2: Binoculars, have been completed.
You will need:
Our free loan box, which includes a telescope.
A clear space in a classroom to assemble the telescope
A space in the playground where you can aim at targets 20 metres away, without risk of viewing the sun.
Or
Access to a telescope (Your telescope may have a different lens to the loan box, which may affect magnification)
A clear space in a classroom to assemble your donated telescope
A space in the playground where you can aim at targets approximately 20 metres away, without risk of viewing the sun.
Objectives (UK National Curriculum 2014)
KS2 Science Earth and Space – Use the earth’s rotation to explain… the movement of the sun across the sky (movement of stars)
KS3 Space Physics – the transmission of light through materials: absorption, diffuse scattering and specular reflection at a surface
