Mid-term break assignment 9th grades - A Sample Task

 

As High School English teachers, we thought that students will both learn and enjoy doing this task, which will encourage students to do some research about science and learn more about pseudoscience. The task consists of multiple steps of doing some research on the Internet using the links, reading and vocabulary based activities.

WHAT IS SCIENCE? WHAT IS NOT SCIENCE?

 

INTRODUCTION

 1.       Visit the following links to read and watch the videos about the biographies of three prominent figures in history of science:

Nicolaus Copernicus: https://www.biography.com/people/nicolaus-copernicus-9256984 Galileo: https://www.biography.com/people/galileo-9305220

Francis Bacon: https://www.biography.com/people/francis-bacon-9194632

2.       Having read the biographies, fill in the table below to compare and contrast the three scientists:

Name	Scientific area/s of interest	Published scientific work and theories	Were his theories accepted during his time? What happened as a result?
Copernicus	Astronomy
Galileo
Bacon

 

 

 

3.       What do you think is the most striking similarity among the three scientists?

READING 1: THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

1.       Guess what the following may mean:

a)       A hypothesis

b)      A law or principle

c)       A scientific theory

 

Now quickly read the text to see if any of your definitions are correct.

2.  Choose one of the following natural phenomenon and explain it by following the 5 steps of Scientific Method. ·         How a seed grows into a plant ·         How flowers reproduce ·         How rain is formed 3.      What do you understand from the following quotation? Explain in 2 or 3  sentences. “At every crossway on the road that leads to the future, each progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand men appointed to guard the past.” From Count Maurice Maeterlinck’s “Our Social Duty.”   4.       Given the theories of Copernicus, Galileo and Bacon, what’s your definition of science? READING 2: PSEUDOSCIENCE LEAD-IN 1. Do you know your zodiac sign? What are your zodiac sign characteristics? 2.  In pairs, have a look at the characteristics below and say whether they are 100% true for you: Zodiac Sign Characteristics Aries: High expectations of self and situations Ambitious risk-taker Passionate and often impatient Devoted and loyal to friends and family Taurus Strong with great stamina for physical and mental tasks Can be stubborn and unwilling to give ground Loves finer things in life; materialistic Appreciates beauty Gemini Versatile, adaptable and easily bored Quick-silver mind and wit Loves to chat and share knowledge Sociable and enjoys variety as well as change Cancer Family and friends are at the top of the list of most valuable possessions followed by home Emotions are difficult to hide since Cancer lives by his gut feelings and instinct; not realistic Leo Likes to be in the spotlight Great judgment and makes a good actor Very generous and loving Good, strong leaders Usually athletic Virgo Skilled and successful in career Keeps emotions reined Analytical and focused on task at hand Libra Justice and equality are mainstays Surrounds himself with beauty and art Music feeds his soul Good social skills Scorpio Enjoys big and bold lifestyle Entrepreneur with the ability to overcome massive obstacles Assesses situations before jumping in Enjoys a lively heated debate Sagittarius Philosopher and gatherer of information Bright sharp intellect and enjoys mental challenges High energy that keeps him constantly moving Like a cat with nine lives, Sagittarius is constantly reinventing himself Capricorn Practical problem-solver and excellent organizer Plans life and each stage to create a blueprint he can follow Closed-mouth when it comes to sharing, so you'll need to prod him to open up Makes a great companion and life-long friend Aquarius Unorthodox, unconventional, often embraces a Bohemian lifestyle Eclectic collection of friends Humanitarian and will take up just causes Very sociable, intelligent and quick to make friends Pisces Unassuming and deeply emotional Selfless to a fault Unlike Leo, Pisces is content to remain in the shadows 3. Do you think astrology is a science? Why? Why not? What about astronomy? Why? Why not?    ____________________________________________________________________________ 4. Now read the text overleaf quickly and     a) define ‘pseudoscience’.     ____________________________________________________________________________        b) find at least 5 pseudoscience examples that the writer mentions.     ____________________________________________________________________________     ____________________________________________________________________________ PSEUDOSCIENCE In pre-science times any attempt to harness nature meant forcing nature against her will. Nature had to be subjugated, usually with some form of magic or by means that were above nature; thus, make supernatural. The methods of science have displaced the methods of magic-but not entirely. The old ways persist full force in primitive cultures and they survive in technologically advanced cultures, too, often disguised as science. This is fake science- pseudoscience. There are various ways to view our place in the universe, and mysticism is one of them. Astrology is an ancient form of magic that supposes a mystical connection between people and the universe-that human affairs are influenced by the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. Some astrologers today present their craft in a scientific guise. When they use up-to-date astronomical information and computers that chart the movements of heavenly bodies, they are in the realm of science, but when they use this data to concoct astrological revelations, they have crossed over into full-fledged pseudoscience. Pseudoscience, like science, makes predictions. The predictions of a dowser, who locates underground water with a dousing stick, have a very high rate of success-nearly 100%. Whenever the dowser goes through his trial or ritual and points to a spot on the ground, the well digger is sure to find water. Dowsing works. Of course, the dowser can hardly miss because there is some ground water beneath the surface at nearly every spot-on Earth. (The real test of a dowser would be finding a place where water wouldn’t be found!) A shaman who studies the oscillations of a pendulum suspended over the abdomen of a pregnant woman can predict the sex of the fetus with an accuracy of 50%. This means if the shaman tries this magic many times on many fetuses, half the predictions will be right and half wrong-the predictability of ordinary guessing. The best that can be said for the shaman is the 50% success rate is a lot better than that of astrologers, palm readers or other pseudoscientists who predict the future. For more examples of pseudoscience, watch television or search the Internet. You can find advertisements for a plethora of pseudoscientific products. Watch out for remedies to ailments such as baldness, obesity, and cancer; for air-purifying mechanisms; and for “germ- fighting” cleaning products in particular. Although many such products operate on solid science, others are pure pseudoscience. We humans have learned much in the nearly 500 years since the onset of science. Gaining this knowledge and overthrowing superstition was by enormous human effort and painstaking experimentation. We should rejoice in what we have learned. We have come a long way in comprehending nature and in liberating ourselves from ignorance. We no longer have to die whenever an infectious disease strikes. We no longer live in fear of demons. We no longer pour molten lead in the boots of women accused of witchery, as was done for nearly three centuries during medieval times. Today we have no need to pretend that superstition is anything but superstition whether dispensed by shamans, street-corner quacks or hacks who write health and personal development books. Adapted from Hewitt, Suchocki,Hewitt; “ Conceptual Physical Science” 6 (1999)(2012) Now read the text again more carefully to answer these questions/ do these tasks: 5.       Why do you think methods of old times persist even in technologically advanced cultures?   6.       Why does the work of an astrologer seem to be ‘scientific’ in today’s world?   7.       Explain the phrase ‘the predictability of ordinary guessing’ (Paragraph 3)   8.       What do you think? How can you create an awareness in society against the dangers of pseudoscience?   9.       What do you think is the writer’s attitude towards pseudoscience? Find and underline sentences that support your opinion. LANGUAGE ANALYSIS 1.       The following 4 words appearing in the text have been formed with a prefix. Learn the meaning of each prefix and find 5 more words beginning with that prefix with their meanings.                              Pseudo-science, Super-natural, Dis-placed, Over-throw Prefix Example1 Example2 Example3 Example4 Example5 Pseudo-           Super-           Dis-           Over-