Story: a narrative that is based on some sort of experience or data
LESSON SUMMARY: This lesson focuses on the relationship between science and storytelling. Students will be introduced to this concept through a series of activities including sharing a personal story about how they got their name and developing a creative story using made-up (funny) data instructors provide. This way, students can learn how stories can stem from science in a creative and interesting way. The lesson will end with students thinking about what stories they would like to explore on their field trip in the next lesson.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to:
Orally describe data depicted in a graph.
Produce at least one question and hypothesis about the natural world that can be answered using scientific methods.
Discuss similarities and differences between stories and science.
MATERIALS:
Printed graphs
Worksheets (Appendix III, appendix V)
A computer for Catamount presentation
Colored pencils
Blank paper
BACKGROUNDINFORMATION: When interpreting data from a graph it is important to begin by looking for background information. Context, or background information, can be found by reading the graph title, axis titles, and legend. Next, it is important to look for trends or patterns in the data. Finally, look for any outlying data points that do not seem to fit in. COLORADO ACADEMIC STANDARDS ADDRESSED:
Standard 2: Life Science-Academic Context and Connections.1 1. Communicate scientific information (e.g., about phenomena and/or the process of development and the design and performance of a proposed process or system) in multiple formats (including orally, graphically, textually, and mathematically). (Analyzing and Interpreting Data) (Entrepreneurial: Critical thinking/Problem solving)
ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS: Students will create a story conveying the information depicted in a graph. At the end of the lesson, students will complete a worksheet that requires them to create one question and hypothesis that could be tested at the Catamount Center.
ADVANCE PREPARATION: Instructors will prepare an example story from a graph that demonstrates how to simultaneously represent the data in the graph and be creative. Have worksheets printed and stapled.
PROCEDURE AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS WITH TIME ESTIMATE:
Appendix I
Appendix II
Example Creative Story from Crab Graph: So, my story begins in the far away, magical land of Boston, Massachusetts, and in the middle of summer. Living on the beach, my favorite activity as a child was hopping from one rock to the next out to the furthest point of the jetty. Out there in the wind and sea spray, I would fish or hunt crabs in the small pools that formed during high tide. In the summer of 2005, I became the best crab catcher of all the neighborhood kids. I could detect the smallest movements and in one fearless swipe, snatch up any critter by its pinchers. One evening just as I should have been heading back home, I heard shrieks of delight as the other children huddled around a pool. In three large bounds, I arrived at the spectacle. In the middle of the pool was the most beautiful spotted green shell. Peeking out from the bottom of the shell were two pearly pink pinchers. I flung my arm into the pool, but when I looked to see what I caught, nothing was in my hand. The glistening shell seemed to dance below the ripples of my spastic attempt taunting me. I knew my next attempt had to be a success or I would risk losing my title of supreme crab hunter. Out of my back pocket, I drew a blue wire net. I held my breath as I slid the net into the pool, careful not to disturb the creature anymore. I could see by its twitching pinchers, that it was getting nervous and would dart into a crack at any moment. Just as the being began to move, I repositioned my net, and it ran right into my trap. I had successfully caught this curious crab and protected my reputation. I was extremely pleased with myself until my next-door neighbor Jake Macintyre with a devious look blurted out “Anyone could have done that, but I bet you won’t eat it” … Now I did not want to eat this crab, but I had to prove myself Infront of the other kids, and I never turn down a dare. Staring Jake dead in the eye. I snapped off a pincher and popped it right in my mouth. It was very crunchy, and I only tasted the shell, I wasn’t even sure how much crab meat I ate. But in two quick bites, I swallowed the pincher, opened my mouth, and stuck out my tongue to prove it went down. I loved watching Jake stand there silent and defeated until the thought of dinner and my angry mother crept into my mind. I did not want to get home too late. So, I said goodbye to my friends and hopped back on the rocks to the beach, and scurried home.
The next morning, I woke up feeling drowsier than normal. It was one of those mornings after a crazy dream when you feel exhausted because dreaming seemed to take up all your energy. As I walked into the bathroom and passed by the mirror, I caught a glimpse of silver hair tied up in a ponytail. I snapped my head to the side to see a full head of silver-grey hair… But I was only 5! As pure terror set into my stomach, I witnessed my hair shift to a deep shade of blood red. Word spread fast around town about what had happened. I mean there was no hiding it, anytime my mood changed so did my hair. At first, people were amazed and the adventurous ones went out hunting more spotted green crabs. Fishermen were selling them for $500 dollars or more and shamelessly advertised the amazing things that eating just one could do to your hair. As more people at the crabs, the stranger their mutations got, until Jake Macintyre got his greedy little hands on one of the magical creatures. Poor Jake woke up the next morning with a head full of snakes. Now, this would not have been an issue if Jake knew how to be kind and love his snake hair. But jake was furious about his mutation and tried to cut his snake hair off. The snakes would always grow back and get angrier each time. They would bite his ears, eyebrows, and nose. After Jake’s incident, people stopped eating the spotted green crabs, many stayed away from all crab meat in fear that they might get some treacherous mutation. The following winter, scientists declared all spotted green crabs had disappeared from the ocean, never to be seen again.
Appendix III
Appendix IV
Debrief Questions after class activity: 1. What information were you given? 2. What information were you missing? – background information, procedures… *Note: When we do science, we need to make sure the story fits in with all the background information. But otherwise telling stories and science are not super different.