1. What the Heck?!!
7.0.1

2. We all walk around and live in the same world and sometimes we just look at something and say,
“What the Heck?!”
Photo Credit: wholechildleon.org

3. We make interpretations about how things work by using several ways of knowing.
Photo Credit: theoryofknowledge.net
Write the definition for a “way of knowing” in your notebook then make a list of ways of knowing

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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

19. 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.