Fake Science
Sometimes, the best way to learn something is to start from what it isn't. We have a laugh at the outrageousness of text or other media, then move on to analyse where they went wrong, and hopefully we come up with the truth.
One website that's an example of this is The Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, part of the Kelvinic University branch of the Wild Haggis Conservation Society. It's a brilliant resource to use when you want to discuss reputable sources with your kids. Kids could follow up by creating their own website or blog to provide information about a fictitious creature of their choice. (I'm seriously tempted to make one about Chookus biblio!) There are so many details that make the website look believable - listing them would be an excellent basis for some real learning.
Fake Science is another excellent example. Here you'll find posters done in a retro style, offering such silly science as an explanation for double rainbows - everyone stops to photograph the first rainbow, and the light from all those flash bulbs refracts into another rainbow. Or that your part is the seam that holds your hair on your head, and when the stitches fall out, your hair does too. Discussing what is incorrect in each poster is an excellent focus for real science education. I love how information is presented in different ways in the posters, and really appreciate the effort that's gone into their creation. I think kids would enjoy the opportunities at Fake Science for reading and interpreting visual information in the form of infographics. This makes the website a great place to start when you want to have kids look at ways of presenting information visually.
An idea for follow up on exploring the posters is to encourage kids to create one of their own, either independently or in class groups. Making a fake science poster actually requires a deal of research into the real science, and then into almost believable fake science. Children could use a word-processing or graphics program, or draw/paint a poster on paper.
If it's video you need, show your kids this wonderful movie, Monstrous Wildlife, about Graboids, on Vimeo. I had to resist the urge to actually look them up to check if they were real or not!
One website that's an example of this is The Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, part of the Kelvinic University branch of the Wild Haggis Conservation Society. It's a brilliant resource to use when you want to discuss reputable sources with your kids. Kids could follow up by creating their own website or blog to provide information about a fictitious creature of their choice. (I'm seriously tempted to make one about Chookus biblio!) There are so many details that make the website look believable - listing them would be an excellent basis for some real learning.
Fake Science is another excellent example. Here you'll find posters done in a retro style, offering such silly science as an explanation for double rainbows - everyone stops to photograph the first rainbow, and the light from all those flash bulbs refracts into another rainbow. Or that your part is the seam that holds your hair on your head, and when the stitches fall out, your hair does too. Discussing what is incorrect in each poster is an excellent focus for real science education. I love how information is presented in different ways in the posters, and really appreciate the effort that's gone into their creation. I think kids would enjoy the opportunities at Fake Science for reading and interpreting visual information in the form of infographics. This makes the website a great place to start when you want to have kids look at ways of presenting information visually.
An idea for follow up on exploring the posters is to encourage kids to create one of their own, either independently or in class groups. Making a fake science poster actually requires a deal of research into the real science, and then into almost believable fake science. Children could use a word-processing or graphics program, or draw/paint a poster on paper.
If it's video you need, show your kids this wonderful movie, Monstrous Wildlife, about Graboids, on Vimeo. I had to resist the urge to actually look them up to check if they were real or not!
(Image credit, Dru on Flickr.) (This article was first published on The Book Chook blog.)
Views: 19
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Marcy Prager on
-
I LOVE the fake science site! Thank you for a great morning's entertainment. I downloaded the ones applicable to second grade, and will see this year if young kids can can make their own fake science posters about Motion on Land, Water, and Air. How the Hopi grow their corn might be interesting. This can certainly fit into a "Myth" series! Thanks for the idea!
-
-
Permalink Reply by Susan Stephenson, the Book Chook on
-
I love it too, Marcy. Glad it helped and thank you for letting me know!
-
© 2024 Created by Ryan Goble.
Powered by
