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OF SUNSETS,
SOULS AND
SENSES

THE NATURE OF SCIENCE

 SYNOPSIS

 PRINCIPAL CONCEPT

 ASSOCIATED CONCEPTS

1. Science is limited to natural explanations.

2. The natural world refers to that which is perceived directly or indirectly by our senses.

 ASSESSABLE OBJECTIVES

Students will....

1. Given a list of topics, students will be able to determine which are suitable subjects for scientific exploration, and which are not.

2. Given a list of descriptive traits, students will be able to say which are characteristic of modern science, and which are not.

 MATERIALS

 Two or three overhead transparencies (see source info at end of lesson):
--- Willy 'n Ethel cartoon with garage mechanics around a steaming car...
--- World News Headline: "Human Soul Weighs...."
--- World cartoon with 2 island natives talking about an erupting volcano...

Handout sheet with two check-lists:
--- Group A: What Science Can/Cannot Study
--- Group B: What Senses We Would Use to Study...

 TIME

 STUDENT HANDOUTS

(see end of lesson for the formatted handouts).

TEACHING STRATEGY

If possible, give your students a short Science Knowledge Survey on the nature of science, to assess their understanding of this topic.

Then (same or following day), introduce "Sunsets, Souls, and Senses"

Probably best to use this early in your "Nature of Science" unit, in the first week of school, to set the tone and background for all that is to follow: the science of biology.

Students can work alone, in pairs, or small groups (3-4), as you prefer. Small groups would probably be best.

PROCEDURES

 1. Place the Willy 'n Ethel cartoon (or its equivalent) on the overhead projector, and allow time for students to read and think about it.

2. Ask "What do you think the cartoonist was trying to communicate?"
STUDENTS: (possible responses:

3. Ask "What do you personally think is the cause of the car's problem?"
STUDENTS: (possible responses:

4. Teacher: "Let's take a vote as to what is causing the problem."
STUDENTS: respond by raising hands to be counted and tallied for each of the alternative causes.

5. Teacher: "Why did you choose your answer?"
STUDENTS: volunteer their reasons for responding as they did.

6. Teacher: "Why wouldn't a mechanic think it is a demon?"
STUDENTS: volunteer their reasons

7. Teacher realizes that there are other questions possible, but keys in on the last question. "A mechanic can only correct a mechanical flaw. She has no way of seeing a demon, let alone fixing or getting rid of one. To the owner, the demon may be causing the intake flow problem, but that is of no concern to the mechanic. She does not know if demons exist because they are not measurable. She can only deal with material, measurable things --- the engine. This is a natural cause which explains the naturally occurring event."
STUDENTS: listen to this focal statement.

8. Teacher: "Science has limits, it can only deal with that which is natural... that is, can be either directly of indirectly (using instruments) perceived through the senses. Items which cannot be currently perceived by the senses cannot currently be dealt with by science. This does NOT exclude obsevations of EVIDENCE of unseen events. Much of science involves INFERENCES based on observed circumstantial evidence, especially if these come from multiple independent fields of study (such as the reconstruction of extinct ecosystems and creatures from fossils collected and the associated geology)."
STUDENTS: listen to this focal statement.

9. Teacher: "The history of science has been concerned with pushing back the boundaries of the imperceptible, INVENTING NEW INSTRUMENTS allowing the scientist's brains to be able to perceive something that was here-to-fore not measurable. Viruses, onetime thought to be evil spirits now are thought to be protein-wrapped genetic material."
STUDENTS: listen to this focal statement.

10. Teacher: pass out the Check Lists sheet, and have students follow directions for Group A only: "Topics Science Can/Cannot Study"
STUDENTS: accept sheet and complete assignment (Group A only)

11. Teacher: leads class in sharing what items were checked in the Can column and what were checked in the Cannot column, asking for reasons...
STUDENTS: respond and justify their answers, contribute to discussion.

12. Teacher: show overhead of "Human Soul Weighs..." headline. Ask students: "Is this real science?" Discuss.
STUDENTS: respond, and discuss.

13. Teacher: Have students do Group B: "Senses Which Can be Used... " for each item.
STUDENTS: Students complete the assignment.

ASSESSMENT

 Prepare quiz in which students are asked to match selection of terms (e.g. those found in the check lists) with "Science Can Study" or "Science Cannot Study"

Prepare a second part to the quiz in which students are to match selected terms with whether or not senses can be used to study them.

Add questions designed to measure understanding of REASONS why various selected topics can or cannot be studied.

Some other possible test items:
1. How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Explain.

2. Why can't mechanics fix cars possessed by demons? Explain.

EXTENSIONS

& VARIATIONS

1. A useful companion activity to use with the "Sunsets..." lesson (either before or after the lesson) is to have students working in small teams of 3-4, set up two columns, each headed by: "SCIENCE IS..." and "SCIENCE IS NOT..." respectively. Then, each person in turn removes a term or phrase (each on strip of paper) from its team envelope, and places it under the appropriate heading, according to team consensus. When completed, the teacher will solicit a sampling of results to share with entire class, using overhead or chalk board, discussing any differences until class recognizes reasons why each term goes where it does.
PREPARATION: Find the "Cutouts" sheets (2 pages) at the end of this lesson. Make a few more copies (of both pages) than there are teams. Use one copy to make overhead transparencies. Cut apart the terms and phrases on the remaining copies to put into envelopes (both pages of terms into each envelope, one envelope per team). Be sure to shuffle the terms, so they will not be taken out in any particular sequence. There is also a KEY (2.5 pages, in PDF at end of this lesson) to help you with class discussion of WHY certain terms are more appropriate to one group than to the other, especially since some are not common or intuitive associations. This is a great resource to help students to recognize their misconceptions.

2. Another approach you might like to try, after your nature of science "survey" quiz, and then pointing out how many in the class are apparently misinformed (with actual statistics from the "survey" results, if you can), is to simply display a list of "What Science is NOT" on the overhead (exposing one at a time, as you briefly explain it). Then go to a description of What Science IS.

OTHER RESOURCES

 CARTOONS AND HEADLINES:
Click here to get the Willy 'n Ethel cartoon (permission to use kindly granted to us by cartoonist Joe Martin, 2/27/01).

In the second cartoon, two island natives are looking at an erupting volcano on a nearby island, and one says to the other: "It's one of two things, ... either the great god of the inner earth, Timbuktu, is angry with our last virgin sacrifice, or the enormous pressure of a formation of molten rock is breaking through a weak spot in the earth's crust." (World, 8-1-72)

Headline in Weekly World News, Nov. 1, 1988: "HUMAN SOUL WEIGHS 1/3,000TH OF AN OUNCE", "Terminal patients were weighed before and after they died! 'This proves there IS life after death,' say top scientists"

Until and unless we get copyright permission to make these items available to you directly on this site, you have three options:
1. We could send hardcopies to you, if you'll contact us (click on "Talk to us" on our home page, and send us your mailing address, requesting material for this lesson);
2. Find your own cartoons and headlines which will stimulate dialogue concerning the distinction of what science is and is not, what it does and does not do... A useful online resource for catchy headlines would be The Weekly World News <http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/>. Click on its "Stories Archives" and do a search.

3. Draw (or have a creative student draw) your own cartoons. For example, in place of the "volcano" cartoon, you could have two citizens of ancient Greece (in togas) looking at a lightning storm, paraphrasing what the two islanders were saying, or have two native Americans looking out over a city devastated by a major earthquake (or tornado), then paraphrase the islanders' statement.

Other Resources:
Portions of "The Gods Must Be Crazy."
Portions of "Christine" (the demonic car).

 ATTRIBUTIONS

Some of the ideas in this lesson may have been adapted from earlier, unacknowledged sources without our knowledge. If the reader believes this to be the case, please let us know, and appropriate corrections will be made. Thanks.

1. Original Source: "Willie 'n Ethel" lesson prepared by 1989 ENSI group:
Jane and Nick Digiovanni, John Monsma, and Doug Rosendahl.

2. Modified by: Jeff Gale (and Ginny Lambert?), 1990 ENSI

3. Reviewed / Edited by: Martin Nickels, Craig Nelson, Jean Beard 12/15/97

4. Edited / Revised for website by L. Flammer 2/25/01, 8/6/01

 The following pages are in Adobe Acrobat pdf format in order to maintain their intended layout for handouts. Only the first page is showing. To access all pages (for enlarging and copying, etc.), you will need to download the free Acrobat Reader from Adobe (unless it's already installed in your system). Then just click on the blue file name at the bottom of the first page. You may see the "Acrobat Exchange" application loading, then the pages will display.