Era: Age of Revolution

Topic: Scientific Revolution

Title: Scientific Revolution Newscasts

Instructional Time: 90 min. class

Essential Learning:

The scientific revolution changed the way Europeans viewed the world and their place in it.

Essential Question:

What were the new ideas of the Scientific Revolution?

Connection to Today:

Identify and discuss recent scientific and medical discoveries/understandings.

SBI Objectives:

Benchmark 7.1: The student understands how the Scientific Revolution changed the way humans viewed the world. (WHII.6)

7.1Performance Indicators

Students reach this benchmark when they are able to:

  1. Explain the historical connections between the Scientific Revolution and its antecedents such as Greek rationalism, medieval theology, Muslim science, Renaissance humanism, and new global knowledge.
  2. Explain the cultural, religious, and scientific impact of astronomical discoveries and innovations of Copernicus- heliocentric theory, Galileo- used telescope to support heliocentric theory, Kepler- developed planetary motion, Newton- discovered laws of gravity, and Brahe.
  3. Explain the development and significance of the scientific method with an emphasis on reason and systematic observation of nature (Bacon and Descartes).
  4. Describe the scientific discoveries of Harvey (discovered circulation of blood) and Franklin.

Procedure:

  1. Intro – Begin a discussion with the students… How often do you use the Internet? What do you use the Internet for? (email, Facebook/MySpace, sharing pictures/videos, research, etc.) Can you imagine your life without it? How would your life be different? This was a HUGE innovation and changed peoples lives and how they interacted with one another. The Scientific Revolution was a period of time of new ideas and innovations that changed the way people looked at the world and their place in it. Today we are going to look at some of those ideas. While some may not have had the massive impact of the Internet, many of these ideas were shocking or surprising and challenged many long held beliefs that were supported by the Catholic Church. (Remind/Ask students about the power of the Catholic Church and the influence they had over people.)

What happens today when there is a scientific advance or major information that people should know about?? There is a news story about it on the Internet, TV and radio. Your job today is to write and perform a newscast. These ideas are breaking news and you need to convey the key points to the class in a 1-2 min. newscast. The students can report from “the newsdesk”, they can be out in the field, interviewing the scientist or peoples’ reactions to the new idea.

  1. Divide students into groups of 2-3. Give each group a “Scientist Card” with information about the scientist and his discoveries.
  1. Give students 15-30 minutes (depending on the level of the students) to develop their newscast and write a script.
  1. Students will deliver the newscasts to the class. Once each newscast is finished check for understanding with the class. Have the students write down the main ideas on their chart. Then have the next group perform.
  1. If the teacher wants to focus only on the SOL scientists, then have two groups perform a newscast for each of the 5 scientists (Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Harvey).

Assessment:

Informal – How well did the students convey the new discoveries of their scientist in their newscast? Was the information clear and understandable to the rest of the class? After each newcast, ask students in the class to summarize the main points or the main discovery of the scientist.

Materials:

Scientist Cards (attached) – cut them out and have them laminated so they can be reused

Blank Chart (attached)

Paper/pencil (to write out the script)

Differentiation:

  • Modeling - As a class, have the students brainstorm ideas for different ways to perform the newscasts (use the Internet example that the teacher used at the start of class)
  • Lengthen the time allowed to prepare the scripts
  • In teamed classes, pair up lower level students with stronger ones.

Attachments:

  • Scientist Cards
  • Blank Chart

Nicolaus Copernicus

1473-1543 / Polish astronomer
Developed the heliocentric system (the Sun is at the center of the universe, with all the planets and stars revolving around it in circular orbits)
Published his complete theory in De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) in 1543, just before he died
Did not want to publish his ideas because he knew that most scholars and clergy would reject his theory because it contradicted their religious views. He feared ridicule, persecution and excommunication
De revolutionibus was on the Catholic Church's Index of Forbidden Books from 1616 to 1835.
Tycho Brahe

1546-1601 / Danish astronomer
Established observatories to chart the movements of the stars and planets. (no telescope… only the naked eye)
Made the most accurate and extensive observations of the planets and stars at the time
Did not accept the Copernican heliocentric model of the solar system (the Sun is at the center of the universe, with all the planets and stars revolving around it)
Developed the Tychonic System – planets revolved around the Sun, while the Sun revolved around the Earth
His careful observations allowed Johannes Kepler to prove that Copernicus was essentially correct.
Johannes Kepler

1571-1630 / German astronomer and mathematician; assistant to Brahe
Used Brahe’s data to formulate laws to describe planetary motion.
Mathematically proved the heliocentric theory (the Sun is at the center of the universe, with all the planets and stars revolving around it)
Proved that planets revolved around the sun in elliptical (oval) orbits rather than circles and demonstrated that planets move fastest when they are closest to the Sun
Galileo Galilei

1564–1642 / Italian astronomer and physicist
The first to use a telescope to study the stars (1610)
He was an outspoken supporter of Copernicus's Heliocentric theory (the Sun is at the center of the universe, with all the planets and stars revolving around it)
His discoveries frightened the Catholic and ProtestantChurches (they promoted the geocentric theory); worried that people would start to question other Church teachings
After publishing his findings he was called to the Inquisition in Rome (1633); forced to recant his ideas and read a signed confession that admitted his ideas were false
Lived under house arrest, but still continued to work and write, but not publish.
Official opposition to heliocentrism by the Church disappeared in 1835 when his works were finally dropped from the Index.
Francis Bacon

1561–1626 / English statesman and writer
Believed that a better understanding of the natural world will produce practical knowledge that could improve people’s lives
Scientists relied too much on ancient theories; they should experiment! Inductive reasoning; detailed facts leading to general ideas
Helped develop the scientific method (1. Observe 2. Hypothesis 3. Experiment 4. Analyze data to prove or disprove the hypothesis)
Rene Descartes

1596–1650 / French philosopher and mathematician
Believed that scientists needed to reject old assumptions
Knowledge should be gained by using mathematics and logic, rather than experimentation
Everything should be doubted unless proved by reason; wrote Discourse on Method
The one thing he knew was true was that he existed; “I think, therefore I am.”
Developed analytic geometry; algebraic procedures are applied to geometry
Isaac Newton

1642–1727 / English philosopher and mathematician
Developed the Law of Universal Gravitation; all physical objects are affected equally by the same forces, in space and on earth
Every object in the universe attracts every other object… gravity
Wrote The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy or Principia
Developed calculus
Andreas Vesalius

1514-1564 / Flemish anatomist and surgeon
Considered the father of modern anatomy
Most of what was known about the human body was based on Galen’s work with apes and dogs from the 2nd century
Dissecting human bodies was illegal; studying animals was the accepted method of learning about the human body
Wrote On the Structure of the Human Body; was based on meticulous dissection of cadavers (dead bodies); to learn he often practiced on the bodies of criminals stolen from the gallows
William Harvey

1578–1657 / English physician
Disproved many of Galen’s hypotheses (worked with apes and dogs in the 2nd century) Ex: the liver digested food and processed it into blood
From direct observations of humans, Harvey concluded that blood circulates throughout the body, pumped by the heart and returning through the veins; valves maintained a one way flow
Gabriel Fahrenheit

1686–1736 / German physicist and engineer
Developed precise thermometers filled with mercury to measure temperature
The scale associated with this thermometer is called the Fahrenheit scale; 32°F was the temperature for freezing water; 212°F was the boiling point
Robert Boyle

1627-1691 / British physicist and chemist
Regarded as a founder of modern chemistry
Rejected the traditional theory that all matter was composed of four elements (earth, fire, water, air) in The Sceptical Chymist
Defined an element as a substance that cannot be reduced to other, simpler substances
Air could not be a basic element because it was made up of a mixture of several gases
Rejected the chemical philosophy of alchemy (base metals like lead and copper can be transformed into gold)
Benjamin Franklin

1706-1790 / American public official, scientist, inventor, and writer
Proved that lightning and electricity are identical, and suggested that buildings could be protected by lightning conductors
He may have possibly conducted his famous kite experiment and successfully extracted sparks from a cloud, although there are theories that suggest he never performed the experiment.
If he did perform this experiment, he did not do it in the way that is often described, flying the kite and waiting to be struck by lightning, (as it would have been dramatic but fatal). Instead he used the kite to collect some electric charge from a storm cloud, which implied that lightning was electrical
Antoine and Marie Lavoisier

1743-1794 / French chemist
Disproved the theory of combustion; a substance called phlogiston is released during the process of combustion
Demonstrated that during combustion the burning substance combines with a component of air, the gas he named oxygen
His wife Marie (1758-1836) assisted him with his laboratory work and learned Latin and English to translate and summarize important chemistry texts; made illustrations for her husband’s articles

Scientific Revolution

SCIENTIST / WHAT DID THEY DO??
Nicolaus Copernicus
Tycho Brahe
Johannes Kepler
Galileo Galilei
Francis Bacon
Rene Descartes
SCIENTIST / WHAT DID THEY DO??
Isaac Newton
Andreas Vesalius
William Harvey
Gabriel Fahrenheit
Robert Boyle
Benjamin Franklin
Antoine and Marie Lavoisier