Year 8 are studying Columbus's voyages and what the first encounters meant for the Taíno. The teacher tells the story of the fourth voyage: Columbus stranded on Jamaica in 1503 with his ships rotting, and the Taíno at St Ann's Bay growing tired of feeding his crew. The teacher then sets Stellarium on the board to that bay on the evening of 29 February 1504 and runs time forward as the sun sets, so the class watches the Moon come up in the east with Earth's shadow already across it, then turn a dull red. Students read the extract from Ferdinand Columbus's biography of his father, which says Columbus warned the caciques that God would darken the Moon as a sign of anger; the teacher explains that historians link his knowledge of the date to the astronomical almanac he carried. The lesson ends with students writing a judgement on what the episode shows about the power European knowledge gave the newcomers, and on how far a son's account of his father can be trusted.
Tools: Stellarium Nine ideas for your own version in Generate
This page is one of a growing set of PICRAT examples by cell, subject and grade. Page maintained by Andy Perryer.