National Curriculum 2023 - Physics Curriculum Guide
Note:
‘Perspectives’ are not compulsory content to be taught, but are intended to be suggested topics for exploratory discussion, research and project activities that enrich student learning and further promote critical thinking.
GRADE 11-12
Domain: Astrophysics
Topic: Luminosity
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Standard: Students will be able to: - describe the broad distribution of celestial bodies in the observable universe - explain the evidence for the expansion of the universe
Benchmark I: Explain, with reference to findings from thermodynamics, quantum physics, and relativity: (1) how the relative distances of celestial objects in the universe are mapped (2) proof
for the Big Bang theory |
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Student Learning Outcomes ● understand the term luminosity as the total power of radiation emitted by a star ● recall and use the inverse square law for radiant flux intensity F in terms of the luminosity L of the source F = L/(4πd^2) ● understand that an object of known luminosity is called a standard candle ● understand the use of standard candles to determine distances to galaxies ● recall and use Wien’s displacement law λmax ∝ 1/T to estimate the peak surface temperature of a star ● use the Stefan–Boltzmann law L = 4πσr^2T^4 ● use Wien’s displacement law and the Stefan–Boltzmann law to estimate the radius of a star ● understand that the lines in the emission and absorption spectra from distant objects show an increase in wavelength from their known values |
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Knowledge: Students will know… ● The terms Luminosity, Flux and Standard Candles. ● What kind of objects serve as standard candles and how we can estimate distances using them. Students will understand… ● How to relate the Luminosity of a star with its radius and surface temperature. ● Wien’s Law and the inverse relation between wavelength emitted and the temperature of a surface. ● The relation between Blackbody radiation and the radiation intensity of the light emitted by stars. |
Skills: Students will be able to… ● Apply the equations of the Stephen-Boltzmann and Wein’s Displacement laws to determine properties like distances to galaxies and the physical properties of stars ● Apply the concept of redshift to critically appraise data from emission and absorption spectra of interstellar objects
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Perspectives ● There have been many paradigm shifts in models of the universe. For example, Why was it so counter- intuitive to believe that the Earth was not the centre of the universe? Consider: ○ Ptolemy to Copernicus ○ Arab, Indian and Chinese historical astronomical beliefs ○ Tycho Brahe, Galileo and the Church |
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Learning Activities
The purpose of this activity is to bring to the attention of students the work of Nobel Prize winner Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who made major contributions to the theoretical understanding of the properties of stars. A group of students should be asked to research his life and accomplishments, and share their findings with the rest of the class as a presentation.
The purpose of this activity is to help students practically appreciate the theory they have studied about the luminosity of stars. Students should be allowed to bring their cellphones to class for this session, and should research on the internet how to do long-exposure star photography using their cellphone cameras. Then students should be given a week to try out the photography technique for imaging the sky at night. Then in class their taken pictures should be shared with peers and everyone should discuss how the theoretical luminosity of the stars compares (or contrasts) with their relative brightness in the images taken.
After learning and becoming comfortable with using these laws, students should investigate the origins of their formulation. The Stephen-Boltzmann law was analytically formulated through combining Statistical Mechanics, Quantum Physics and Thermodynamics. It was also first empirically discovered. Similarly Wien's displacement law has an inter-field origin with formulations both theoretical and empirically confirmed. After researching this for themselves, students should have a reflective discussion on:
- How classical reasoning (pre quantum mechanics) can often agree with later quantum mechanical derivations up to certain physical parameters - There is beauty in how different mathematical constants can interrelate with each other in equations to entail new discoveries - Often equations in physics can be derived from more one line of argument and reasoning
As a perspective and awe building exercise, students should identify their favourite stars and calculate how someone at that star would see the Earth as being millions or billions of years in the past. They could calculate the luminosity of the Sun and judge whether life on Earth would be viewable to a hypothetical observer near their favourite state. Students could also identify the constellations in the night sky, and put time stamps on how far back in time the light that we on Earth receive from them. This could lead to a discussion on whether those stars would still actually be there now, and realisation of the dramatic age difference between the constellations seen in the sky.
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Domain: Modern Physics
Topic: Quantum Physics
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Standard: Students will be able to: - Describe the standard model of particle physics - Analyse radioactive decay processes - Explain the processes of nuclear fusion and fission - Explain the postulates and implications of special relativity - Use the quantum mechanical model of photons to explain phenomena
Benchmark I: Explain and apply knowledge of the basic inter-related postulates of and discoveries from: (1) the special theory of relativity (2) the standard model of particle physics (3) quantum
theory |
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Student Learning Outcomes ● understand that electromagnetic radiation has a particulate nature ● understand that a photon is a quantum of electromagnetic energy ● recall and use E = hf ● use the electronvolt (eV) as a unit of energy ● understand that a photon has momentum and that the momentum is given by p = E/c (connect with the idea that light can exert a force) ● understand that photoelectrons may be emitted from a metal surface when it is illuminated by electromagnetic radiation ● understand and use the terms threshold frequency and threshold wavelength ● explain photoelectric emission in terms of photon energy and work function energy ● recall and use hf = Φ + ½(mv^2) ● explain why the maximum kinetic energy of photoelectrons is independent of intensity, whereas the photoelectric current is proportional to intensity ● understand that the photoelectric effect provides evidence for a particulate nature of electromagnetic radiation while phenomena such as interference and diffraction provide evidence for a wave nature ● describe and interpret qualitatively the evidence provided by electron diffraction for the wave nature of particles ● understand the de Broglie wavelength as the wavelength associated with a moving particle ● recall and use λ = h/p ● understand that there are discrete electron energy levels in isolated atoms (e.g. atomic hydrogen) ● understand the appearance and formation of emission and absorption line spectra ● recall and use hf = E1 – E2 ● describe the Compton effect qualitatively. ● explain the phenomena of pair production and pair annihilation ● explain how the very short wavelength of electrons, and the ability to use electrons and magnetic fields to focus them, allows the electron microscope to achieve very high resolution. ● use the uncertainty principle to explain why empirical measurements must necessarily have uncertainty in them |
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Knowledge: Students will understand… ● The particle nature of light and photons as quanta of light. ● The wave-particle duality for matter and energy. ● Distinct experiments that prove the wave and matter nature of light. Students will know… ● The terms: Photoelectric effect, Compton’s Scattering, Pair Production, de Broglie Wavelength, and Emission and Absorption Spectra ● How electron microscopes use the wave nature of electrons to provide higher precision than light microscopes. |
Skills: Students will be able to… ● Apply Plank’s law to determine the energy of photons of different frequencies. ● Interpret energy differences between lasers/lights of different colours. ● Interpret the double-slit experiments and posit and demonstrate various different scenarios of the experiment. ● Use the uncertainty principle to propose the maximum theoretical precision with which a phenomenon can be studied ● Calculate the de Broglie wavelength of macroscopic objects and compare them with microscopic objects.
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Perspectives ● Historical notions of the nature of light, including luminous ether, corpuscles, Newton’s wave model, Huygen’s constructs, and De Broglie’s wave- particle duality ● Is light a wave or a particle or a ‘wavicle’? ● Schrodinger’s Cat, the uncertainty principle and the quantum mechanical picture of the electron cloud around an atom ● How historically has cause and effect in the context of motion been conceived? Consider: ○ Ancient conceptions of cause and effect such as Aristotle's ○ Al Ghazali, Galileo and Newton ○ The paradigm shift from classical to quantum thinking |
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Learning Activities
The purpose of this activity is to help students put the knowledge they have gained of light’s dual nature into context. In this activity, students will be divided into groups and will present on various paradigms throughout history (after researching them) about the nature of light e.g. the outdated concept of aether, and the historical swaying back and forth between being viewed as a particle or as a wave. One group of students should present on what is still not known about the nature of light.
The purpose of this activity is to help students appreciate the implications of Quantum Physics. Alice in Quantumland is an actual book written by Robert Gilmore. Students are encouraged to read the book if they can access it, but it is not necessary for this activity. Students should in groups work to develop a comic strip story of someone who has imaginarily shrunk down to the size of a subatomic particle, and through the illustrations convey their understanding of how different things are at the quantum level compared to human size.
The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to apply their concepts of quantum physics to new scenarios as they do their own research. After being introduced to the idea of Compton Scattering, a group of students should be challenged to present to the class on its medical usage. The group of students presenting should pay special regards to its applications to detecting cancer.
The purpose of this activity is to help students appreciate the power of the electron microscope. Students should be tasked with each finding an inspiring or interesting image of the nanoworld that has been taken with an electron microscope. They should each, in Show and Tell style, present briefly what they found and explain how the unprecedented precision of the electron microscope makes it possible. They should also explain (they should research before) how electron microscope images are then processed by computers and coloured in. |
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Domain: Waves
Topic: Standing Waves
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Standard: Students should be able to mathematically describe how waves propagate and the general properties of reflection, refraction and diffraction
Benchmark
I: Analytically and graphically
explain the nature and effects of simple harmonic motion, the doppler effect,
and attenuation of sound wave intensity in media |
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● Student Learning Outcomes
● explain and use the principle of superposition ● show an understanding of experiments that demonstrate stationary waves using microwaves, stretched strings and air columns (it will be assumed that end corrections are negligible; knowledge of the concept of end corrections is not required) ● explain the formation of a stationary wave using a graphical method, and identify nodes and antinodes ● understand how wavelength may be determined from the positions of nodes or antinodes of a stationary wave ● explain the meaning of the term diffraction ● show an understanding of experiments that demonstrate diffraction including the qualitative effect of the gap width relative to the wavelength of the wave; for example diffraction of water waves in a ripple tank ● understand the terms interference and coherence ● explain beats as the pulsation caused by two waves of similar frequences interfering with each other ● recognise that beats are generated in musical instruments |
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Knowledge: Students will understand… ● The mathematical description of waves in terms of amplitude, wavelength, frequency and phase ● The difference between nodes and antinodes ● Standing waves are generated through the superposition of two or more component waves ● Diffraction is the spreading of a wave through an aperture and depends on the wavelength and the aperture width ● Waves can interfere and the extent of interference depends on coherence, phase difference and amplitude ● Beats are a pulsations caused by two waves of slightly different frequency interfering with each other Students will know… ● The terms: Interference, Diffraction, Beats, and Stationary Waves. |
Skills: Students will be able to… ● Construct and interpret graphs of oscillatory disturbances (for both travelling and standing waves) with respect to time and with respect to displacement from the source ● Apply general wave theory to interpret natural phenomena produced by various kinds of longitudinal and transverse waves ● Use the principle of superposition to recognise beats in wave forms ● Use the principle of superposition to construct standing waves from component waves and vice versa ● Imagine the real-world applications of waves in the industry, military, businesses etc.
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Perspectives ● Implications of waves for wars, surveillance and technological advancement of society in the last century ● Debates about recent advancements in the understanding of waves, including wave- particle duality and gravitational waves, and how they help answer fundamental questions about the very tiny, and the distant edges of the universe ● Should we implement promising technology if we do not know all of its potential implications for our health and the environment? ● Should we alert potential aliens to our existence on Earth? |
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Learning Activities
The purpose of this activity is to help students visually appreciate how standing waves are generated, and how to study their properties empirically.. A group of students can be given the challenge of creating a Rubens Tube; this a pipe with equally spaced holes in it. Gas is made to pass through one end of the pipe, and the other end of the tube is kept closed. The gas escapes through the holes, and these can be set alight with a lighter or matchstick. By sending sound waves of the correct frequency through the tube, the flame columns oscillate as a standing wave is produced in the tube. By then passing music and various controlled frequencies, the behavior of standing waves can be studied.
The purpose of this activity is to help students visually appreciate how standing waves are generated, and how to study their properties empirically. A Chladni Plate is simply a membrane with grains on it e.g. of rice, that sits on top of a sound speaker. As sound of the right frequency is produced, the Chladni Plate goes into resonance and this causes the grains to shape up into regular 3D patterns. Students can create their Chladni Plates as a project, and then research the properties of sound waves through them.
The purpose of this activity is to help students visualise how resonance occurs in musical instruments. Students can choose any musical instrument of their choice, and then video record the resonance occurring (whether that is in a string or on a membrane). The video should ideally be recorded in slow motion so that the harmonic vibrations and beats can be easily seen. Students should take videos for each of the musical notes of the instrument and then present to classroom their findings; inferring the relationship between resonance and the different musical notes.
The purpose of this activity is to help students visualise how resonance occurs in musical instruments. Place a non-Newtonian fluid on the cone of a sound speaker, and slowly increase the frequency signal sent to the speaker. The fluid will be begin to rise in resonance, and this provides a interesting 3D visual to studying resonance.
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GRADE 9-10
Domain: Forces
Topic: Energy Conversions
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Standard:
Students will be able to: - Differentiate between different kinds of forces and their effects - Use Newton's laws to analyse motion and equilibrium
Benchmark I: Describe
and analyse the effects of forces and momentum on the translational and
rotational motion of bodies in one dimension |
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Student Learning Outcomes ● Explain how an object reaches terminal velocity ● Define momentum as mass × velocity; recall and use the equation p = mv ● Define impulse as force × time for which force acts; recall and use the equation impulse = FΔt = Δ(mv) ● Apply the principle of the conservation of momentum to solve simple problems in one dimension ● Define resultant force as the change in momentum per unit time; recall and use the equation resultant force = change in momentum/time taken F = ∆p/∆t |
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Knowledge: Students will understand… ● Terminal velocity is a kind of dynamic equilibrium in which the resistive force equals the weight ● Changes in momentum can be used to predict the forces of collisions ● Momentum in a system is conserved provided there are no external resultant forces applied Students will know… ● The terms Momentum, Energy, Work and Torque. |
Skills: Students will be able to… ● Use free body diagrams to determine the resultant forces and momentum ● Calculate the resultant force on a system of objects by making using of the momentum formulation of Newton’s 2nd Law ● Apply the law of conservation of momentum to situations involving collisions and explosions
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Perspectives ● Can substantial knowledge of physics help practitioners such as martial artists and sports players improve their crafts? ● Why are quantities such as momentum, charge and energy conserved in the universe? ● Is the universe deterministic i.e. can its future be predicted through Newtonian mechanics? |
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Learning Activities
The purpose of this activity is to apply the concepts learnt about the conservation of momentum. As a game, have students sit on chairs with wheels and have their legs raised so that they do not touch the ground. Give them instructions and let them figure how to use the law of conservation of momentum to carry them out:
The purpose of this activity is to apply concepts of forces and momentum to understand martial arts techniques. Students should in groups research martial arts of their choice (see for example this video for how techniques are related to Physics), and study how the moves or weapons make use of concepts of forces and momentum to maximise their effectiveness. The groups should be ready to then present their findings, try to simulate the moves if safe, and explain using scientific language.
The purpose of this activity is to practise applying knowledge of air resistance and terminal velocity. Students should design parachutes out of available materials such as paper or plastic bags. The challenge is to develop a parachute that will help a typical pen fall from a height of 3 metres (say from the window of a 2nd or 3rd floor of a building). They should first pilot their designs, and be able to justify why they chose their materials and the shape of their parachute in order to maximise air resistance.
The purpose of this activity is to help students apply their concepts of forces and momentum to a real world context. Students should in groups research the data for what kind of injuries and what mechanism of collision is most common in car crashes. They should explain, in terms of inertia, momentum, forces and the position of the passengers in relation to the vehicle, how the physics agrees (or disagrees) with the data from research. Next they should present on what safety features and practices are most important for the top 5 most popular vehicles in their city.
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Domain: Work, Energy and Power
Topic: Energy Conversions
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Standard: Students will be able to: - differentiate between work, energy, and power - use the law of conservation of energy to analyse the viability and efficiency of systems - differentiate between and mathematically analyse kinetic and gravitational potential energy
Benchmark I: Describe and analyse
the effects of energy transfers and energy transformations on a body, along
with the advantages and disadvantages of harnessing energy from natural
resources |
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Student Learning Outcomes ● Know the principle of the conservation of energy and apply this principle to the transfer of energy between stores during events and processes ● Apply the principle of conservation of energy to explain why ideas to create perpetual energy machines do not work. ● Describe how useful energy may be obtained, or electrical power generated, from: ○ chemical energy stored in fossil fuels ○ chemical energy stored in biofuels ○ hydroelectric resources ○ solar radiation ○ nuclear fuel ○ geothermal resources ○ wind ○ tides ○ waves in the sea ○ including references to a boiler, turbine and generator where they are used
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Knowledge: Students will understand… ● Different kinds of energy and their sources. ● The conversion of energy between different forms in the context of the law of energy conservation. ● That work done transforms into energy and vice versa, in accordance with the law of conservation of energy ● The mechanisms of generation, along with the general pros and cons, of electricity from renewable and non-renewable resources Students will know… ● The terms power, work, and frequency. |
Skills: Students will be able to… ● Advocate, through use of knowledge of energy generation, in favour of green, sustainable energy. ● Apply the law of conservation of energy to solve problems, and to disprove pseudo-scientific claims ● Apply knowledge of methods of electrical power generation to assess the pros and cons of harnessing various energy sources in given geographical contexts |
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Perspectives ● Politics of energy in today’s global economies and in the context of climate change ● Political and environmental implications of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy ● Modern ideas about mass- energy, including ‘strings’ and the Higgs Boson ● Historical attempts to defy the classical law of conservation of energy ● Philosophical views over modern non- classical notions of energy ● Philosophical views over modern notions of dark matter and energy |
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Learning Activities
The purpose of this activity is to help students understand how to apply the law of conservation of energy to problems. Research and find memes from the internet that seem to contradict the law of conservation of energy. For example (retrieved from here):
Post these around the classroom and ask students to in pair walk around and brainstorm how they violate the law of conservation of energy. Have a whole-class discussion in which students then provide their justifications.
The purpose of this activity is to help students apply their knowledge of renewable and non-renewable energy to an authentic situation. Ask students in groups do a research project, where they need to:
Have the groups present, but also build upon each other’s ideas and reflect on where they disagree with each other.
The purpose of the activity is to help students understand conceptually P=Fv. Challenge students to research (either in class time or outside): - How the gear system of a manual car works - Justify in which gear a car would be more powerful, and in which gear it would be more efficient going up a slope.
The purpose of this activity is to help students quantitatively verify the law of conservation of energy. Students can either work in groups or individually. Thru should drop balls from fixed heights (that are not so high as to make air resistance significant). The students should record the amplitude of the bounce of the ball after each bounce. If they are allowed cell phones with integrated cameras, they can use that to record videos of the motion. Ask them to justify through their experiment how the KE of the ball is largely being conserved.
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Domain: Nature of Science
Topic: Reasoning and Argumentation
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Standard: Students should be able to explain, with examples, what philosophical assumptions underpin the practice of science
Benchmark I: Students should able to: - identify common sources of argumentative fallacies - explain the broad schools of thought about the relationship between physics and metaphysics - give examples of ethical dilemmas that emerge from research and practice of science - explain the broad schools of thought about how science is distinguished from other fields of inquiry |
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Student Learning Outcomes ● Recognize the below common cognitive biases/fallacies that can hinder sound scientific reasoning: ○ the confirmation bias ○ hasty generalizations ○ post hoc ergo propter hoc (false cause) ○ the straw man fallacy ○ redefinition (moving the goal posts) ○ the appeal to tradition ○ false authority ○ failing Occam's Razor ○ argument from non-testable hypothesis ○ begging the question ○ fallacy of exclusion ○ faulty analogy
● Explain, with examples in the context of physics, the differences between induction, deduction and abduction in logic: ○ Deductive reasoning is a logical process in which a conclusion is based on the concordance of multiple premises that are generally assumed to be true ○ Inductive reasoning is a logical process involving making rational guesses based on data ○ Abductive reasoning is an inference that goes from an observation to a theory which accounts for the observation, ideally seeking to find the simplest and most likely explanation
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Knowledge: Students will understand… ● The components of logical arguments (propositions, premises, conclusions) ● The reasons why common argumentative fallacies are not logically sound ● The differences between deductive, inductive and abductive reasoning ● Students will know… ● The terms fallacy, deduction, abduction, induction, propositions, premises, conclusions |
Skills: Students will be able to… ● Deconstruct scientific arguments into propositions, premises, and conclusions ● Identify, with justification, whether a given argument is deductive, inductive, abductive or a combination of them ● Identify argumentative fallacies in a given text about science
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Perspectives ● In public scientific discourse, argumentative fallacies are often prevalent and can mislead society ● Sound science requires sound arguments ● All types of reasoning have pros and cons |
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Learning Activities
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The purpose of this activity is to help
students understand the advantages and limitations of inductive, deductive
and abductive reasoning. Have volunteers from the class opt to take part in a
parliamentary style debate. One team should argue that the Earth is flat (they will
provide the opening arguments), and the other team will then try to argue
that the Earth is round. The teams should be allowed time to prepare their
arguments in advance, and each speaker should have a fixed amount of time.
After the debate, the class should identify by creating a mindmap of the
arguments of both sides of the teams when deductive, abductive and inductive
logic being used, and how convincing were the arguments and why.
- The purpose of this activity is to help students distinguish between inductive, deductive and abductive arguments. Ask students to work in pairs to derive the formula for gravitational potential energy (GPE = mgh), and then identify: - What are your initial assumptions/premises? - Do your initial assumptions require further arguments to justify? How would you justify them? - What is your claim? - What are your arguments? Through these above questions students should be able to identify what elements of their argument they would categorise as inductive, deductive or abductive. These should be discussed and debated in a whole-class discussion.
- The purpose of this activity is to help students recognise argumentative fallacies in authentic situations. The below arguments against climate change should be put up on chart papers around the classroom (one argument per chart paper). Students should counter the arguments after doing their research (from the internet or through their books). They should write their counterclaims on sticky notes, and identify what is the argumentative fallacy behind each of the climate denial claims. These sticky notes should then be posted on the corresponding chart papers, and then the students should examine each other’s answers.
MYTH 1. THE EARTH’S CLIMATE HAS ALWAYS CHANGED
MYTH 2. PLANTS NEED CARBON DIOXIDE MYTH 3. GLOBAL WARMING ISN'T REAL AS IT'S STILL COLD MYTH 4. CLIMATE CHANGE IS A FUTURE PROBLEM MYTH 5. RENEWABLE ENERGY IS JUST A MONEY-MAKING SCHEME MYTH 6. POLAR BEAR NUMBERS ARE INCREASING MYTH 7. RENEWABLE ENERGY CAN ONLY WORK WHEN IT'S NOT CLOUDY OR WINDY MYTH 8. ANIMALS WILL ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE MYTH 9. GETTING RID OF HUMANS WILL FIX THIS |
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