Is the Earth Flat? And other “Controversial” Science Ideas Project-Based Learning Unit

StaceyAnne Hartberger,  Science, Druid Hills Academy

Final Unit (PDF)     Implementing Common Core Standards (PDF)

200 Word Synopsis

This unit is a Project-Based Learning (PBL) Module that teaches students about the interactions of human social groups via team building exercises and the research of historical science discoverers and the difficulties they faces in bringing their ideas to light, especially when they went against the held beliefs of the scientific community, religious leaders, or the community at large. Students will learn to work as a team as they do team building exercises and begin learning about the difference in science and pseudoscience, how to navigate online resources to find valid sources and data, how to distinguish fact versus opinion in their source material, as well as, learning about the historical context around some of our greatest scientists. Student teams will create multimedia presentations to teach their classmates about their assigned scientist, their discovery, and the reasons why the discoverer had hard time getting the scientific community to back their research. Some of the scientists they can chose from include: Galileo, Darwin, Tesla, Hubble, and Doppler. Students will create social media pages for their scientist to show the social group around their lives. They will also create an animation, Prezi, or other presentation medium to show what they have learned about their scientist.