In October, we discuss the Père Lachaise cemetery in class and talk about various notable people buried there.  I always share the story and pictures of tomb of Héloïse and Abelard.  (The same Abelard from the earlier reading on translation.)  They had a child and his name was Astrolabe.  In the past, I’ve asked students if they knew what an astrolabe was or what function it served.  

To connect with this lesson, I would show the TED talk detailing the many uses of the astrolabe.  I would ask students to think of a connection today that people carry and is multifunctional.  (Smart phone, smart watch, for example).  

To connect with the modern world and science, I might show clips from NOVA’s Starchasers of Sénégal.  In this documentary, “Senegalese astronomer Maram Kaire, takes viewers on a journey to investigate his nation's rich and deep history of astronomy, reaching back thousands of years - and the promising future ahead.”  I would also bring my students virtually to Notre Dame de Strasbourg to show them the astronomical clock which is another example of a type of “astrolabe.” 

To circle back to the discussion of Héloïse, Abelard and their child Astrolabe, I would ask the students why they thought the baby was named after this device?  What could it mean?  What did his name represent?

If students wished, they could create an astrolabe out of paper using the lesson and directions provided.