Year 5 - How and why do we need to see around corners?

In Year 5, we began by discussing why we might need to see around corners or see onto levels that we are not on. Children suggested that we may need to see for reasons of safety.

If there was an obstruction around a corner of a road, we would need to see it.
In the war, soldiers may need to see where the enemy are whilst hiding in their trenches.
When sailors are below deck on a boat, they may need to see what is happening above the surface.

We discussed how or what we might use to do this and it was suggested that a periscope would do the job.

People first started using periscopes in submarines in about 1860 to allow the sailors to see above the water. Later, soldiers in the First World War used them to look out of the trenches without having to put their heads out of the trench. Periscopes are still used today in tanks and some submarines.

We looked at how periscopes work by using mirrors to reflect the light into your eye from another level.

We used cardboard and mirrors to make our own!