Sheep have a 270-degree radius of view, almost 3/4 of a circle. Humans only see 170 degrees at best. This makes sheep very difficult to sneak up on or surprise. Sheep have poor eyesight but excellent hearing.
Activity: Radius of Vision (For printing this activity, see the lesson Counting Sheep)
1. Students practice angles and degrees of a circle.
- Students will stand and follow teacher directions, as follows.
- Students will turn left or right in quarter, half, three-quarter and full turns. (For greater physical activity, have students jump from position to position.)
- Discuss the turns in relation to degrees of a circle.
- Students will turn left or right by 45, 90, 180, 270 and 360 degrees.
- With older students, discuss the specific names of angles (right angle, straight angle, obtuse angle, acute angle.
- Students will change positions to demonstrate each of the angles listed above.
- One student will stand on a paper circle.
- Member Number 2 will place a mark on the circle showing the direction Member Number 1 is facing.
- Member Number 3 will hold an object directly behind Member Number 1 and slowly move it around the edge of the circle until Member Number 1 can see it.
- Member Number 2 will then mark the point on the circle where Member Number 1 was able to see the object.
- Students will exchange places so that the range of vision is measured for each person in the group.
- Students will determine range of vision by calculating the degrees on the circle.
- Students will show the range of vision of a sheep by marking 270 degrees from the starting point on the circle.
- Students will compare their own ranges of vision with that of a sheep.
- Each student will stand on the circle while another student holds an object at 270 degrees ( the point marked ahead of time).
- The second student will then move the object to the point where the first student can see it.
- Students will discuss the difference between their own range of vision and that of a sheep.
5. Students will use online search engines or library resources to find the sight radius of some other animals.
More on Degree/Radian Circle (from Rice University)
Additional Sheep Activities