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Author Adkins takes us on a thought adventure about Einstein's Relativity Theory. Get ready for a roller coaster of a ride. |
English/Language Arts
Explore analogy
This Minute uses a story to help readers understand a complex scientific concept. Can your students come up with other analogies to exemplify the theory of relativity? Can they think of other things that are explained through analogy or extended metaphor? After discussion, challenge your students to come up with an analogy to explain a difficult concept.
STEM
Explore relativity
The unique aspect of Einstein’s discovery was that rather than testing his hypotheses in a laboratory, he worked through his ideas using “thought” experiments in his mind. The idea of “thought experiments” can be confusing. Try out the Open University’s 60-Second Adventures in Thought, and then ask your students if they can develop their own thought adventure.
Research Skills
Explore web evaluation - readability
One of the core tenets of good web evaluation is finding a source that you can understand - the readability factor. A website might deliver incredible information, but if it is six reading levels above the consumer, the information will be of no use to that individual. This Minute delivers some challenging ideas, and doing some internet digging to explore and understand those ideas more fully will challenge the searcher to use resources they understand. Have your students search for understandable explanations of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and, working in groups, make defensible decisions about which sites are easiest to “read” and comprehend. The results should make for some fascinating class discussion.
Explore analogy
This Minute uses a story to help readers understand a complex scientific concept. Can your students come up with other analogies to exemplify the theory of relativity? Can they think of other things that are explained through analogy or extended metaphor? After discussion, challenge your students to come up with an analogy to explain a difficult concept.
STEM
Explore relativity
The unique aspect of Einstein’s discovery was that rather than testing his hypotheses in a laboratory, he worked through his ideas using “thought” experiments in his mind. The idea of “thought experiments” can be confusing. Try out the Open University’s 60-Second Adventures in Thought, and then ask your students if they can develop their own thought adventure.
Research Skills
Explore web evaluation - readability
One of the core tenets of good web evaluation is finding a source that you can understand - the readability factor. A website might deliver incredible information, but if it is six reading levels above the consumer, the information will be of no use to that individual. This Minute delivers some challenging ideas, and doing some internet digging to explore and understand those ideas more fully will challenge the searcher to use resources they understand. Have your students search for understandable explanations of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and, working in groups, make defensible decisions about which sites are easiest to “read” and comprehend. The results should make for some fascinating class discussion.
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission
