4/10/17 1 Teaching Science with Science Fiction Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1958, 1978) * Logan’s Run (1976) * Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) * Transformers (1986, 2007) * Serenity (2005) * The Matrix (1999) * Core (2003) * Cocoon (1985) * Planet of the Apes (1968) * ET (1982) * The Abyss (1989) Why Use Science Fic-on to Teach Science? Allows students to experience advanced and abstract science topics such as mutaRons, radiaRon, ethics, and rocket science. Day of the Triffids (1981) Meteor shower mutates plant species, causing plants to move and become predacious. Good Science: Plants have limited moRon and some are carnivorous. Bad Science: A meteor shower doesn’t trigger harmful radiaRon; the shower would not be visible worldwide at the same Rme; the mutaRon would not affect all people/plants idenRcally; seawater would not dissolve life forms that have saline fluids inside. Lab Ac-vity: Examine carnivorous plants – Venus Fly Trap, Pitcher Plan, Sundew, Waterwheel Plant, Bladderwort, Bu]erwort. War of the Worlds (2005) Story of an invasion of the world by tripod fighRng machines, equipped with advanced weaponry. Provides a new avenue for learning and helps reverse negaRve a‘tudes toward science. Why Use Science Fic-on to Teach Science? Andromeda Strain (1971) Satellite crashes in town and most residents die; crystal life form, Andromeda, is responsible. Good Science: ScienRfic procedures used to isolate the disease, methods of determining size and vector (method of transfer) are accurate, biosafety procedures, human physiology, and portrayal of epilepRc seizures. Bad Science: Birds in town should be dead like everything else, decontaminaRon procedure wouldn’t have worked on Andromeda because radiaRon makes it grow.
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Teaching Science with
Science Fiction
Invasion of the Body
Snatchers (1958, 1978) * Logan’s Run (1976) * Close
Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) * Transformers (1986, 2007) * Serenity
(2005) * The Matrix (1999) * Core (2003) * Cocoon (1985) * Planet of the Apes (1968) * ET (1982) * The Abyss (1989)
Why Use Science Fic-on to Teach Science?
Allows students to experience advanced and abstract science topics such as mutaRons, radiaRon, ethics, and rocket science.
Day of the Triffids (1981)
Meteor shower mutates plant species, causing plants to move and become predacious.
Good Science: Plants have limited moRon and some are carnivorous.
Bad Science: A meteor shower doesn’t trigger harmful radiaRon; the shower would not be visible worldwide at the same Rme; the mutaRon would not affect all people/plants idenRcally; seawater would not dissolve life forms that have saline fluids inside.
Story of an invasion of the world by tripod fighRng machines, equipped with advanced weaponry.
Provides a new avenue for learning and helps reverse negaRve a`tudes toward science.
Why Use Science Fic-on to Teach Science?
Andromeda Strain (1971)
Satellite crashes in town and most residents die; crystal life form, Andromeda, is responsible.
Good Science: ScienRfic procedures used to isolate the disease, methods of determining size and vector (method of transfer) are accurate, biosafety procedures, human physiology, and portrayal of epilepRc seizures.
Bad Science: Birds in town should be dead like everything else, decontaminaRon procedure wouldn’t have worked on Andromeda because radiaRon makes it grow.
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Slither (2006)
The Invasion (2007)
Invasion: An alien life form, much like a fungus or spore, clings to the space shu]le Patriot as it crashes back to Earth, spreading tainted debris from Texas to Washington, D.C. Curious onlookers steal, touch and even sell the parts on eBay, much like what happened with the Columbia disaster.
Slither: A tycoon is infected by a malevolent extraterrestrial creature that threatens to destroy the human race. Soon, unusual things begin to happen within the normally peaceful town. Pets go missing, followed by livestock, and finally people, with all of it leading back to Grant.
Research suggests that interest in science ficRon may be an important factor in leading men and women to become interested in science as a career.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
Group of explorers enters a volcano to follow the path of a previous explorer to the center of the Earth.
Bad Science: Caves shown in move are soluRon caves, not volcanic cave formaRons; magnets do not a]ract goal; really bad dinosaur depicRon; amount of light present; underground ocean; depth of caves; center of Earth.
Good Science: Some caves are indeed formed by volcanoes; luminescent algae; underground mushrooms; increase in temperature as you go underground.
Science ficRon improves learning science by helping to develop student understanding of science processes and interconnectedness of science disciplines. A boy develops
a disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his father decides to learn all about it and tackle the problem himself.
Lorenzo’s Oil (1992)
• ApplicaRon of the scienRfic method and developing hypotheses in an interesRng real world situaRon.
• Great introducRon to chemistry and physiology principals
Handout: Lesson Plan for Lorenzo’s Oil
Moon (2009) Solitary lunar employee experiences a personal crisis as the end of his three-‐year sRnt nears.
Meet Dave (2008) Aliens come to earth in a search to save their planet.
WALL-‐E (2007). It follows the story of a robot named WALL-‐E who is designed to clean up a waste-‐covered Earth far in the future.
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Preview and be prepared to address possible misconcepRons and incorrect informaRon.
FantasEc Voyage (1966)
ScienRst dying of blood clot holds secret to miniaturizaRon, so a crew is miniaturized to destroy the clot. They travel through several body systems.
Good Science: Accurate descripRon of blood vessels, heart, lungs, and ear; factual descripRon of body funcRons.
Bad Science: Impossibility of shrinking (breaks law of conservaRon of mass/energy); brain shown to be largely empty; anRbodies shown acRng too quickly and with specific target.
Possible use as introducRon to nanotechnology.
Fat Man & LiJle Boy (1989)
Reenacts the Manha]an Project development of first nuclear weapons during World War II. The film is named ager the nuclear weapons known by the code names "Fat Man" and "Li]le Boy", focusing on Gen. Leslie R. Groves and Robert Oppenheimer, the military and scienRfic heads of the project.
• Dialogue includes debate concerning the use of atomic weapons and whether the U.S. should have dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
• Development of both the implosion and explosion models for triggering a nuclear chain reacRon
• Supplements lessons about fission, fusion, supercriRcal mass, chain reacRon, and other aspects of subatomic physics
• History/sociology/poliRcs of science through stories about Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, Leo Szilard, and Robert Wilson
• See Teach with Movies Learning Guide (must have account)
In reference to the Trinity test in New Mexico, where his Los Alamos team first tested the bomb, Oppenheimer famously recalled the Bhagavad Gita "If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one." and "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
Science ficRon improves science learning by making it easier to learn related content.
The Time Machine (1960, 2002) George, an inventor living in England at the turn of the 20th century, has craged a machine that can move through Rme. He passes through World War I, World War II, a nuclear holocaust and thousands of years beyond to find a strange future and two new races -‐ Eloi, a beauRful, indolent, pleasure seeking race, and the Morlocks, mutated, hideous, industrious, and savage.
Science Concepts • four dimensions of length, width, depth, and Rme • Newton’s noRon of absolute Rme • Einstein’s theory of relaRvity -‐ Rme is intertwined
with space and inseparable; therefore relaRve and not absolute
• ConsideraRon of figh dimension • Nuclear holocaust
Science ficRon improves learning science by providing direct visualizaRon of abstract topics.
Science ficRon film has been found to be slightly more effecRve in increasing achievement test scores than tradiRonal educaRonal films or documentaries.
Na-onal Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) serves the naRon by working to improve the lead-‐Rme and accuracy of severe weather warnings and forecasts in order to save lives and reduce property damage. NSSL scienRsts are commi]ed to their mission to understand the causes of severe weather and explore new ways to use weather informaRon to assist NaRonal Weather Service forecasters and federal, university, and private sector partners.
NSSL went on tour with Universal Studies to promote tornado safety while they promoted the release of the movie Twister. You can see one of their vans in the photo below.
Twister (1996)
Math: speed calculaRons, comparisons of various storms, plo`ng map posiRons of storms; graphing tornado staRsRcs
PE: Twister game
SS: Discuss storm damage and economic impact, analyze benefits/risks of early warning systems
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When used to introduce a topic, science ficRon provides reference point and shared experience for the class.
Story is about a successful first flight to the moon. Four men in spacecrag built by a private USA company which takes off early because a "court order" has been issued to stop the trip .
DesEnaEon Moon (1950)
Good Science: depicRon of condiRons in space and on the moon; descripRon of behavior of objects in freefall orbit, process of how nuclear rockets work, relaRonship between mass and fuel needed.
Bad Science: The moon has dust over most of its surface, and this is not shown in the film. Final credit for DESTINATION
MOON (1950) reads "This is THE END..Of The Beginning."
But be careful not to perpetuate misconcepRons! Showing short clips is best approach when using film to introduce a topic.
As a concluding acRvity, science ficRon can provide points for discussion, reinforcement of facts learned, a context for the subject ma]er, and as areas for further research.
Star Trek The Immunity Syndrome (1968)
Having learned cell structure, students can recognize parts of the giant cell; and idenRfy cell errors.
Bad Science: Impossibility of single cell reaching such huge proporRons.
Good Science: realisRc descripRons of cell parts and processes.
Star Trek crew encounters a giant cell which is absorbing all known forms of energy and realize it is about to divide. The Enterprise acts as an anRbody for the galaxy and uses anRma]er to destroy the cell.
Science ficRon improves learning science by helping students understand the complexity of scienRfic research and how it is a cultural process.
Aliens contact Earth and send plans for a mysterious machine. It appears designed to transport a person through space-‐Rme, but no one is sure. Should mankind build the machine or not? And if we send someone traveling through space on the machine, who should represent our species? The film is based on Carl Sagan's science ficRon novel of the same name.
Contact (1997)
Film references SETI (Search for Extra-‐Terrestrial Intelligence) InsEtute (www.seE.org)
SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) is a NASA partnership with the German Space Agency (DLR) to develop a Boeing 747SP airliner fi]ed with a 2.5-‐meter reflecRng telescope. SOFIA will be the largest airborne observatory in the world, and will begin flight tesRng in the second half of 2009. It is housed in at the Dryden Air OperaRons Facility in Palmdale, CA. Learn more at the SETI or NASA Websites.
Science FicRon Lesson Ideas • Have a set of quesRons student can answer while watching the film.
– Helps students engage in the film, follow the story, recognize facts, develop listening skills.
• Provide a list of scienRfic vocabulary. – Have students write sentences with terms before they view the film, and then ager
within the context of the film. • Follow the film with discussion quesRons or laboratory acRvity. • Use mulRple science ficRon films in the same theme and have students compare and
contract science informaRon. • Consider showing only a few clips from the movie, then providing extra credit for a film or
book report. • Use the film to address the quesRon: How does science impact my personal life and society? • ALWAYS ADDRESS INCORRECT INFORMATION AND STUDENT MISCONCEPTIONS!
Finding Nemo (2003)
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1995)
Jaws (1975)
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SuggesRons for Use of Science FicRon Films • To gain a]enRon • To sRmulate recall of prerequisite
learning • To present sRmulus material • To provide learning guidance • To elicit performance • To enhance retenRon and transfer
Dante’s Peak (1997)
ScienRst’s warning of volcano erupRon goes unheeded.
Good Science: Visual representaRon of volcano; discussion of pre-‐erupRon effects; depicRon of an explosive erupRon.
Bad Science: Truck driving through lava; classic range volcanoes do not typically erupt with basalRc free flowing lava, people could not outrun the flow
Remember that the film is only one part of the presentaRon!
What I Know What I Wonder What I Learned • How do ants live
together?
• How big can an ant get?
• What could make an ant grow giant-‐size?
• What is radioacRvity?
• Individually and without assistance, draw and label an image of an ant on a 3 x 5 card.
• With a partner, define
these terms: to the best of your ability:
Acid Antenna Atomic bomb Density Entomologist Mutate Queen RadioacRvity
Them (1954) Answer these Ques-ons: 1. In what state does the movie begin? 2. How does the li]le girl act? 3. How do you know that an ordinary
robbery has not happened at the trailer?
4. What do the police find on the ground outside the trailer?
5. What makes the li]le girl react? 6. When and where did the first atomic
bomb explode? 7. What does the li]le girl say? 8. What kind of doctor is Dr. Medford? 9. What makes the whistling sound and
prints? 10. The ant is helpless without what part? 11. What two chemicals are used to trap
and kill the ants? 12. What disRnguishing feature do queen
ants have? 13. Where do the Los Angeles ants live?
Handout: Them! QuesRons
Good Science: Factual discussion of structure and processes of ants and ant nests; anatomy of ants and uses of formic acid; ant’s organized fighRng behavior.
Bad Science: insect exoskeleton would not support its weight if it were 30 feet long; its respiratory system could not supply enough oxygen; ants are not incapacitated by loss of antennae. Some ants are resistant to cyanide. RadioacRvity does not cause giganRsm.
Topics for Study: insects, physiology, exoskeletons, giganRsm, geneRcs, mutaRon, insect culture, radioacRvity, lead, hydrogen cyanide, atomic bomb, history of science, U.S. history, atomic age, nuclear chemistry, women in science
Student AcRvity: Create a KWL Chart on one of these topics.
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• Wikipedia Science FicRon Films by Decade • Cavanaugh and Cavanaugh (2004). Teach
Science with Science FicRon Films: A Guide for Teachers and Library Media Specialists. Worthington, OH: Linworth.
“I have several movies that I show throughout the year. The first one is called “October Sky.” I show this when we study Newton’s Laws. The movie is about a group of students living in a coal mining town in West Virginia. They decide to build a rocket in response to the launch of Sputnik. The students go through quite a lot to launch their rockets and they go on to win the naRonal science fair. This is a true story; the author, Homer Hickam, went on to work for NASA. It’s a very inspiring story, and it leads into our building and launching of model rockets. If you don’t own this movie and you teach physics, get on eBay right this second.” (Blog: Physics Movies I Like to Show)