Unit 3, Lesson 8: Elements and Us
Learning Target: I can explain the importance of elements in ancient civilizations and my own life.
Class Activities:
1. Students came in- and picked up the handout, entitled, "How does the presence of elements affect both ancient civilizations and modern life?" They got to work on Part 1, which asks them to recap the previous lesson. Basically, salt is important because it's used to preserve food and bodies. We can also use it today to transmit neutrons, like the Lithium Jamie used in the Radiolab podcast. Gold is useful as currency for its durability, and also it's rare and pretty!
2. We watched a clip on silver (the times are on the handout), then reviewed the info.
3. We watched a second clip on water (from the beginning until about 15 minutes in), then reviewed the info.
4. We did part 4 together, which asked them to trace how they got to Harbor, starting with the Big Bang. Basically, the Big Bang created protons and neutrons, which were brought together in clumps by gravity. In the dense protostars, they smashed together, forming elements and releasing energy in the form of photons. Elements like Hydrogen and oxygen were created this way. Water developed on Earth, humans began developing technology to cross the oceans, they set up new civilizations/cities on the water, and New York became a transport hub for this reason. Etc etc, here we are! Cool, huh?
Papers handed in today:
How does the presence of elements affect civilizations? Handout and exit slip. (The exit slip was a separate 1/2 sheet of paper)
Homework:
None
Note: Apparently the video clips we watched are available on YouTube, but you have to pay for them, which I am not willing to do. ($1.99?! That's almost an egg sandwich!) You can access the clips for free if you create a Big History Project Account (it's free to register), and the clips are located in unit 3. Alternatively, you can simply choose a different YouTube clip on silver and one on water to fill out the worksheet. You won't have exactly the same info, but if you're following the worksheet, you should still be able to answer the questions.
Class Activities:
1. Students came in- and picked up the handout, entitled, "How does the presence of elements affect both ancient civilizations and modern life?" They got to work on Part 1, which asks them to recap the previous lesson. Basically, salt is important because it's used to preserve food and bodies. We can also use it today to transmit neutrons, like the Lithium Jamie used in the Radiolab podcast. Gold is useful as currency for its durability, and also it's rare and pretty!
2. We watched a clip on silver (the times are on the handout), then reviewed the info.
3. We watched a second clip on water (from the beginning until about 15 minutes in), then reviewed the info.
4. We did part 4 together, which asked them to trace how they got to Harbor, starting with the Big Bang. Basically, the Big Bang created protons and neutrons, which were brought together in clumps by gravity. In the dense protostars, they smashed together, forming elements and releasing energy in the form of photons. Elements like Hydrogen and oxygen were created this way. Water developed on Earth, humans began developing technology to cross the oceans, they set up new civilizations/cities on the water, and New York became a transport hub for this reason. Etc etc, here we are! Cool, huh?
Papers handed in today:
How does the presence of elements affect civilizations? Handout and exit slip. (The exit slip was a separate 1/2 sheet of paper)
Homework:
None
Note: Apparently the video clips we watched are available on YouTube, but you have to pay for them, which I am not willing to do. ($1.99?! That's almost an egg sandwich!) You can access the clips for free if you create a Big History Project Account (it's free to register), and the clips are located in unit 3. Alternatively, you can simply choose a different YouTube clip on silver and one on water to fill out the worksheet. You won't have exactly the same info, but if you're following the worksheet, you should still be able to answer the questions.