Exploring the value of curiosity through a fable called The Monster on the Moon.
The video
GEMMA: Hello, I'm Gemma and this is the amazing story of The Monster on The Moon! It's about an astronomer. Now, an astronomer is someone who is curious about the amazing things in space, like stars and planets, and they work at an observatory like this one.
One night, the astronomer pointed his great big telescope at the moon, because he was curious about what he would see there, and he saw GASPS a monster!? Oh my goodness, there's a monster on the moon! It's huge!
Oh, I can't see it very clearly, but it must look something like this. I reckon that monster has to be at least a hundred miles wide! Everyone, look at this.
KIDS: GASP
GEMMA: Scientists came from far and wide to look through the telescope and when they saw the big creature with gigantic legs, they all thought the astronomer was right.
BOY: SCREAMS
BOY: There's a monster!
GIRL: On the moon!
GEMMA: Then one day, a scientist showed up who was very curious to find out more about the monster on the moon.
SCIENTIST: Ahem, is there really a monster on the moon?
ASTRONOMER: Yes, I saw it, so it must be up there!
SCIENTIST: Well, I can't see anything.
ASTRONOMER: Oh no, you need to look through the telescope.
SCIENTIST: Hmm, I'm very curious about this telescope.
ASTRONOMER: What are you curious about the telescope for?
SCIENTIST: Well, I just want to know more about it. May I have a look?
ASTRONOMER: Okay.
SCIENTIST: Why, thank you.
ASTRONOMER: No, don't look at the telescope, look through the telescope like everyone else. Look at the monster on the moon! That's the amazing bit. Oh, I'll leave you to it.
GEMMA: This scientist was curious about the bottom of the telescope. And curious about all the controls on the telescope, and when the scientist was curious enough to look into the top of the telescope, he found something very interesting.
SCIENTIST: Hey, I found a ladybird, not a monster a hundred miles wide, just a cute little insect.
ASTRONOMER: Oh, how did that get in there? False alarm, there's no monster on the moon, it was just a ladybird. Sorry about that, my mistake. Next time, I'll remember to be even more curious.
GEMMA: Everybody was happy. That curious scientist shows everyone why curiosity is so important. Thank you so much for helping me tell today's treasure story. It's one of Aesop's fables. We'll see you again soon. Bye!
KIDS: Bye!
The story is based on a fable attributed to Aesop called The Astronomer’s Telescope. It helps us to reflect on the value of being curious. In this retelling the astronomer looks through his telescope and sees a monster on the moon. It takes a rather more curious scientist to determine that what the astronomer is seeing is in fact just a ladybird on the lens of the telescope.
Curiosity can help us all to find solutions and to understand how other people think and feel.
Duration: 3' 46".
Final words: 'We'll see you again soon. Bye! Bye!'
Video questions
- What is an astronomer? (Someone who studies things in space - like stars and planets - and they work in an observatory)
- What does the astronomer think he sees? (A monster on the moon)
- Who does the astronomer tell about his discovery? (Other people including scientists)
- What has the astronomer really seen? (A ladybird - on the lens of the telescope)
Teacher Notes
This video could be used to identify common features of religions and beliefs or to retell stories. Curiosity is something seen as valuable in many religions and in non-religious worldviews too. It is something we might demonstrate when learning about history or science, but we can also ask respectful questions about beliefs. You could explore what questions the children have about different religious or non-religious beliefs and collect all the questions as a class. You could make a word cloud with the questions and see which words the children are really curious about.
The children might reflect on their own and others’ ideas, feelings and experiences. You could speak to a person with a religious faith and ask them questions about when they started thinking about God or exploring their religion. You could ask whether they ever ask questions about what they believe.
You could draw pictures of amazing inventors/scientists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, Alexander Fleming, Johannes Gutenberg, Alexander Graham Bell, Josephine Cochrane and the Montgolfier brothers. Show the children some of their inventions and use speech bubbles to show what questions the children have about them. You could record these as a whole class.
Curriculum Notes
This short film will be relevant for teaching KS1 Religious Education in England and Northern Ireland, the Curriculum for Wales (particularly RVE as part of Humanities), and Early and 1st Level Religious and Moral Education in Scotland.
Further resources
