JESEI
The age of the Earth: can you believe everything you read?

Learning objectives:

that scientists use evidence to determine the probable age of the Earth that over time a range of different ideas has been put forward based upon different observations Timing: 40 minutes

Introduction:

Students often think that there is one correct answer to be found to any particular problem and that there is no room for different interpretations of data. In addition they often do not consider the degree of reliability afforded to different observations and the extent to which science can be certain about the ideas put forward. Finally they rarely consider the social context and its influence upon how scientists choose to interpret (or ignore) data. This exercise illustrates how people with specific beliefs may select or misinterpret scientific evidence to suit the hypothesis they are supporting. The final message from this exercise is the extent to which pupils should be critical of information found on the internet. Pupils read the article The age of the Earth: can you believe everything you read? and answer the questions based upon it. Another activity The age of the Earth: the changing views of science discusses the series of attempts by scientists to calculate the age of the Earth, and would ideally be tackled before this exercise.
teacher’s notes student’s notes
JESEI
teacher’s notes student’s notes
The age of the Earth: can you believe everything you read?

Learning objectives:

that scientists use evidence to determine the probable age of the Earth that over time a range of different ideas has been put forward based upon different observations Timing: 40 minutes

Introduction:

Students often think that there is one correct answer to be found to any particular problem and that there is no room for different interpretations of data. In addition they often do not consider the degree of reliability afforded to different observations and the extent to which science can be certain about the ideas put forward. Finally they rarely consider the social context and its influence upon how scientists choose to interpret (or ignore) data. This exercise illustrates how people with specific beliefs may select or misinterpret scientific evidence to suit the hypothesis they are supporting. The final message from this exercise is the extent to which pupils should be critical of information found on the internet. Pupils read the article The age of the Earth: can you believe everything you read? and answer the questions based upon it. Another activity The age of the Earth: the changing views of science discusses the series of attempts by scientists to calculate the age of the Earth, and would ideally be tackled before this exercise.