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LESSON 3: Science Through the Centuries

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LESSON 3: Science Through the Centuries LESSON 3: Science through the Centuries INTRODUCTION LEARNING OBJECTIVES In this lesson, students participate in an historical activity Students will know: demonstrating how current research builds on prior • Social concerns influence scientific research. understanding, and how scientific priorities are influenced by the social and health concerns of the time. This is a “jigsaw” • Scientific advancements build off prior knowledge gained activity in which students are first divided into four different over time. time period groups (1700s, 1800s, 1900s, and 2000s) to Students will be able to: discuss social concerns and medical technology of the time. Each time period is seen through the eyes of four individual • Explain how basic research leads to cures and treatments characters: a citizen, a medical practitioner, a person through translational research. with Type I Diabetes, and a scientist. The students then • Give examples of how serendipity plays a part in science. regroup by character roles to compare themes over time. Lastly, students are introduced to translational research MATERIALS and see that, in many cases, basic research and the resulting application to human health are many decades apart. Materials Quantity Student Handout 3.1—Science through 1 per student CLASS TIME the Centuries Two class periods of 55 minutes each. Possible Answers to Student Handout 1 3.1—Science through the Centuries KEY CONCEPTS Student Handout 3.2—Homework: Ask 1 per student your Elders • Scientific and educational priorities are influenced by the Teacher Resource 3.1—Science through 1 or 2 copies social and health concerns of the time. the Centuries Cards (see Teacher • The history of science shows that curiosity-driven basic Preparation) research paves the way for heath treatments and medical 1 copy is needed for a class with up to 16 advances, even though there may be decades between the students; 2 copies are needed for a class basic research and its resulting application to human health. with up to 32 students • Translational research is the process of connecting Computer with PowerPoint and overhead 1 basic research (“bench” science) to applied research projection (“bedside” science). Science through the Centuries Slide Set 1 found at http://nwabr.org. • Serendipity—making fortunate discoveries by accident— Optional: Ball of yarn 1 plays a part in the scientific process. LESSON 3 © Northwest Association for Biomedical Research SOCIAL NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH | 43 SUGGESTED TIMING 2. Divide the class into four or eight groups. Each group will represent a different century: the 1700s, 1800s, 1900s, and Day Activities 2000s. Assign a century to each group. For larger classes, Day One Students meet in time period groups. two groups can represent the same time period. Students jigsaw into character groups [Note: Divide the class into four groups for a class up with and present. up to 16 students. For a class with up to 32 students, Day Two Continue presentations, if needed. divide into eight groups.] Class discussion on future trends. 3. Tell students that they will be looking at four representative Introduction of translational research. people, or characters, from each time period (a citizen, Closure. a medical practitioner, a scientist, and a person with The timing for this lesson is flexible. It is suggested that diabetes). Through these people, four themes will be students complete the jigsaw portion on Day One, and explored. These themes are: discuss future trends on Day Two. • Who pays for education? Who is educated during this time period? How is scientific research funded? NOTE TO THE TEACHER • Which diseases are prevalent during this time? How is science addressing those diseases? A common student misconception is that medicines, cures, and treatments can be discovered and made available in a • How do scientific discoveries build off previous work? relatively short time frame. • How is the specific disease example of diabetes Students may think that science is marching on towards identified and treated during this time period? “truth.” Although this lesson shows a rather linear 4. For each group, hand out the Science through the progression of scientific thought, make sure that students Centuries cards, found on Teacher Resource 3.1, know that scientific knowledge, in any given era, can be corresponding to the correct century. changed and replaced in the following era. 5. Make sure that students know that, though the cards may represent real people or historical figures and are historically TEACHER PREPARATION accurate, the first person statements were fictionalized. • Make copies of Student Handout 3.1—Science through 6. Allow time for students to read the information on their the Centuries and Student Handout 3.2—Homework: Ask group’s cards and discuss it with their group members. your Elders, one per student. 7. The first batch of slides in the Science through the • To show the PowerPoint slide set, prepare the computer Centuries Slide Set contains select pictures from each time and projection unit. Download the Science through the period. Share these slides with students. Centuries Slide Set. Optional: If time permits, have each time period group • Copy the cards found on Teacher Resource 3.1—Science research everyday aspects of life from their time period. What through the Centuries Cards. It is helpful, but not necessary, does a typical house look like? What amenities are included to copy each century onto a different color paper. Make one (i.e., electricity or plumbing)? What do people wear? copy for a class with up to 16 students or two copies for a class with up to 32 students. Cut up the cards. 8. Have each student in the group choose a character to represent (the citizen, the medical practitioner, the scientist, or the person with diabetes) for the next section. PROCEDURE – DAY ONE Part II: Character Groupings Part I: Time Period Groupings 9. Reorganize groups so that all of the citizens across all time 1. Tell students that they will be participating in an activity LESSON 3 periods are in one group, all the medical practitioners that explores how social concerns have influenced scientific are in one group, all the scientists are in one group, and knowledge and research over the last few centuries. Students all the people with diabetes are in one group. For larger will also map connections between current scientific classes, teachers can have two groups for each character. discoveries and scientific knowledge from years past. 44 | SOCIAL NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH © Northwest Association for Biomedical Research 10. Pass out copies of Student Handout 3.1—Science through while holding on to her end. (She is connected to a number the Centuries, one per student. of people. For example, she is connected to all the people with diabetes who came before her and paved the way for 11. Tell students that each character group will focus on a theme: research; she is connected to the medical practitioner of • Citizens: Who pays for education? Who is educated her time; she has benefitted from work done by Jonas Salk, during this time period? How is scientific research funded? Louis Pasteur, and others.) • Medical Practitioners: Which diseases are prevalent The person she tosses the yarn to (Jonas Salk, for during this time? How is science addressing those diseases? example) should hold on to a piece of the yarn and then • Scientists: How do scientificdiscoveries build off pass the ball of yarn on to someone else he is connected previous work? to, such as Louis Pasteur. With some creativity, all the people in the circle can eventually be linked by the yarn, • Person with Diabetes: How is diabetes identified and creating an interconnected web. This web represents how treated during this time period? citizens’ needs can drive scientific research, how research 12. Allow time for students to share each individual’s can spur new medical practices, how medical practices biographical information within their character group. can benefit citizens and patients, and how patients value Students should share in chronological order. As each new discoveries (such as insulin). character shares, the other students in the group should 18. Students may return to their seats. fill out the row representing the character on Student Handout 3.1—Science through the Centuries. PROCEDURE – DAY TWO 13. After the characters have shared, have each group identify any trends over time they observe. These trends can be Part IV: What Does the Future Hold? written down in the space provided on the handout. [Note: Field test teachers report that this discussion may Part III: Class Sharing and Interconnections take a lot of time. Please dedicate as much (or as little) time to this section as you have available, leaving enough 14. Select one student representing the citizen from class time for instruction about translational research and each time period to come to the front of the room and for closure.] summarize the information on his or her card. Students should present in chronological order. The second batch 19. Ask students, “What do you think the future holds?” or of slides in the Science through the Centuries Slide Set “What trends from the past may predict future directions?” contains the information from the cards. If students have a difficult time envisioning the future, a corollary question is, “How do films and television shows 15. Students not presenting should fill out the corresponding portray the future? What are some of the social and section of Student Handout 3.1—Science through the scientific trends other people envision?” Centuries either individually or as a class. Suggested answers and discussion prompts can be found on Possible Answers to Some possible future social/educational trends include: Student Handout 3.1—Science through the Centuries. • Life expectancy is predicted to increase for both men 16.
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