Think: What do you think science is Think: What do you think science is? What image comes to your mind when I say, “Science”? Write down and/or draw in your notebook what you think science is.

What the Heck?!! 7.0.1

We all walk around and live in the same world and sometimes we just look at something and say, “What the Heck?!”

We make sense of the world around us and explanations about how things work by using several ways of knowing. Photo Credit: theoryofknowledge.net Write the heading “Ways of Knowing” in your notebook. We will talk about 5 different ways of knowing.

1. Legend / Culture = a way of knowing Stories passed from one generation to the next These stories often had a “moral” or a lesson for younger generations to learn Example- Aesop’s fables taught about greed, love, sacrifice, etc.

2. Religion = a way of knowing Belief in a higher power Ideas are often recorded and passed down through scripture Miracles may happen based on faith Examples Christianity *Hinduism Judaism *Druze Buddhism *Bahi’i Faith Islam *Shinto

3. Personal Experience = a way of knowing Limited to one’s unique travels, experiences, environment, culture Examples Learning that things always fall downward Learning that fire is hot Learning that ice is slippery Learning that pulling the dog’s ears makes her bite you Photo credit buzzfeed.com

4. Media = a way of knowing Information related through books, magazines, television, Internet Subject to others’ interpretations and opinions BEWARE ! Anyone can post ANYTHING on the Internet and make it appear to be truth

5. Science = a way of knowing Relies on observation Experimentation Things work the same way now as they always have Making models to predict Infer from data

For Instance…Devil’s Tower in Wyoming You’re driving along on a family vacation through relatively flat northeastern Wyoming. Out of nowhere appears this huge rock towering about 400 feet above the other hills. Photo credit: Andrea Harris

For Instance…Devil’s Tower in Wyoming When you get closer, you notice that the greenish- grey tower sparkles in the sunlight. Photo credit: usgs.gov

For Instance…Devil’s Tower in Wyoming You pitch your tent at the nearby KOA and notice that all of the surrounding rock is red sandstone which is very different from the tower rock. There is also a little river at the base of the tower and trees all over, except on the tower. Photo credit: Andrea Harris

For Instance…Devil’s Tower in Wyoming The sides of the tower have tall, vertical columns that look like scratches or like giant strands of yarn. Those are crazy climbers! Photo credit: Andrea Harris

For Instance…Devil’s Tower in Wyoming You say to yourself, “What the Heck?!” How would you explain how Devil’s Tower was formed? Why is it flat? Why do the rocks look like strings? Write your explanation on your exit ticket for today. Photo credit: National Park Service

Legend’s explanation of Devil’s Tower Some young Lakota men were out hunting and lost their way. A giant beast tried to eat the young hunters. The ground rose up to take them out of harm’s way after they prayed to be saved. The scratches on the tower were where the beast tried to climb it. Photo Credit: National Park Service

Religion’s explanation of Devil’s Tower Christianity: God made Earth for the delight of mankind. Devil’s tower exists because it is beautiful and sacred and created by God. Buddahism: Earth is composed of cycles of birth and re-birth. Devil’s tower is just part of the planet’s life cycle.

Media’s explanation of Devil’s Tower Towers like these are remnants of ancient HUGE trees. Cut down by giant humans who once roamed Earth.

Another Media explanation of Devil’s Tower In the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the characters discover that Devil’s Tower is actually a space port for aliens. BTW, this movie is shown every Monday night at the KOA Kampground at Devil’s Tower.

Science’s explanation of Devil’s Tower Look for other towers around the world and identify patterns. Gather information from reputable sources (other scientists’ writings, government agencies, geologists) Conduct experiments about the types of rocks and how those rocks form. Make a model to explain the process. Boren in Czech Republic

Is one way of knowing “better” than another Is one way of knowing “better” than another? Can a person rely on knowledge from more than one way of knowing? Is it OK for one person’s “reality” be different from another person’s “reality”? Turn and talk.