Famous scientists and inventors library project
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Famous scientists and inventors project - Y8
Aims:
This is a cross curricular project based on science but intended to highlight aspects of history, geography, art, IT and English by utilising library skills.
In terms of the science National Curriculum;
Pupils should be given opportunities to:
* use .... secondary sources of information
* choose ways of using IT to collect, store, retrieve and present
scientific information
* consider how applications of science, including those related to
health, influence the quality of their lives
* relate social and historical contexts to scientific ideas by
studying how at least one scientific idea has changed over time
Also (not specifically in the National Curriculum)
* take greater responsibility for their own learning
* support each other's learning
* work co-operatively on a project
Outcomes:
A variety, e.g. poster, fact sheets, booklet, audio tape, video tape, question and answer sheet, radio /TV script, playlet, Mastermind quiz sheet, magazine or newspaper style article.
Preparation:
Book library and IT room well in advance. Discuss teaching roles and availability of resources for each suggested scientist or inventor with librarian.
Timing:
6 to 9 1hour lessons
Teaching:
Explain the aims and outcomes. Hand out pupil sheets and go through the key points. Set up groups (of 2-4).
Follow up:
This comes in Y9 when students research how a particular scientific idea has changed over the years in order to gain an insight into the 'Scientific Method'.
Differentiation:
This will occur through the open nature of the project, through teacher support and through peer support. Pupils will be able to choose materials and an outcome suitable to their needs and abilities. In order to assist students who are less confident in the necessary skills, there is a starter document in Word format. This gives some key words for them to begin with.
I use the following information presented on worksheets in order to direct the project:
Scientists and inventors project
Introduction
This project is designed to use your skills and knowledge from history, geography, art, IT and English as well as increase you knowledge of science. Scientific knowledge and ideas are the result of many years' work. The idea of this project is that you study some key people involved in the development of scientific ideas rather than the ideas themselves.
Science is influenced by the non scientific world as well, for example, Fritz Haber invented an important chemical process because his country, Germany, needed explosives. As you study the scientists, you should find out something about the world around them - what was life like, what
major world events were happening at the time they were living and working.
What to do
You should each choose one person to research. Do more if you can, you will benefit from the effort. See your teacher or the librarian to say who you are going to study.The research is to be done mainly in the library.
You have 9 lessons and 3 homeworks to complete and present your findings.
Your findings can be presented how you like. Here are some ideas:-
poster, fact sheets, booklet, audio tape, video tape, question and answer sheet, radio /TV script, playlet, Mastermind quiz sheet, magazine or newspaper style article.
Include illustrations where appropriate - photocopies are not acceptable.
The presentation can be produced on computer if you wish, or it can be hand written.
Each group member must contribute to the presentation, you must identify your contribution for marking.
Poor quality work will be redone.
The presentation should contain a bibliography of references that you used to obtain your information.
How to do it
When you have chosen your person, find out all about them...
Use your library skills, knowledge and common sense.
Use the biographical dictionary but remember that there are others who will also need to use it so return it as soon as you can.
Use more than one source of information, remember, there are other stores of information as well as books e.g. CD ROM's and the internet..
In your group, work with each other rather than against each other.
Plan who will be doing what, this will help you work as a team.
You will need to find out about some of the following as you do the research:
When and where was your subject alive.
What are they famous for (what did they discover or invent).
When and where did they live and do their work including a timeline of key moments in their life.
Who were their parents and what did they do.
Draw a picture of your subject.
Something about their town, region or country
What was going on in the world around them.
What was life like in their time (clothing, conditions of living etc)
How their invention or discovery affects our lives today
Your presentation should include the above points.
The scientists that are available for study.
This is not a complete list, you can choose someone else if you like. The people on this list are in no particular order.
Nicolas Copernicus
Michael Faraday
Alexander Graham Bell
John Logie Baird
Marie Curie
Henri Becquerel
John Flamsteed
Tycho Brahe
Joseph Lister
Alexander Fleming
Albert Einstein
Enrico Fermi
Niels Bohr
Ernest Rutherford
Dimitri Mendeleev
Gregor Mendel
Alfred Nobel
John Dalton
Robert Boyle
Isaac Newton
Fritz Haber
Joseph Priestly
Antoine Lavoisier
Humphrey Davy
Dorothy Hodgkin
Galileo
Harvey
Marconi
Alternatively, you could research the scientists involved in the following areas:
Famous astronomers
Women scientists and inventors
Black scientists and inventors
The Alchemists of the Middle Ages - who they were and what they were trying to achieve.
Search the internet for resources related to these scientists:
Starter document for library project