Scientific+Fact+vs.+Fiction+in+the+Movies

= Title: Scientific Fact vs Fiction in the Movies: "10.5 Apocalypse" =

**Authors:** Teresa Brandt and Allison Murphy **Grade Level:** 6th Grade Earth Science

//For additional free online lessons integrating media literacy and critical thinking into the curriculum, go to www.projectlooksharp.org.//

**Summary:** In a single 45-60 minute lesson, students analyze the introduction to he disaster movie "10.5 Apocalypse" to distinguish between fiction and scientific fact in portrayals of basic earth science topics and concepts. Students make and share observations, draw conclusions from document-based evidence and reflect on the credibility of scientific information in entertainment movies.

**Time Needed:** 45-60 minutes

**Objectives:**
 * Students will analyze movie clips to distinguish between fiction and scientific fact.
 * Students will understand and recognize the creator and purpose of movies.

**Materials:**
 * Movie clip of “[|10.5 Apocalypse]” - the opening 3 minutes and 40 seconds till after the ship sinks

**Vocabulary:** Fact, fiction, plate tectonics, earthquake, fault, magma, lava, tsunami, crust, mantle, core, plate

**Lesson Steps**
 * 1) Activate prior knowledge about tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, plate movement, and the layers of the earth.
 * 2) Review the terms "fact" and "fiction." Provide clarification as needed.
 * 3) Have students divide a piece of paper into 3 segments labeled "Fact", "Fiction" and "Unsure".
 * 4) Explain to students that they will watch a video clip. As they watch, they are to record images that represent scientific "Fact", "Fiction" and "unsure".
 * 5) Play the 3 minute 40 second clip from "[|10.5 Apocalypse]." Students should record observations.
 * 6) Give students a few minutes to share their observations with a partner.
 * 7) Ask students to share observations and identify them as scientific fact or fiction. Ask students whether they agree or disagree with each observation to allow for class discussion. If necessary, ask probing questions such as "What do you know about the earth that makes you think that this is fact/fiction?", "What do you know about the depth of the crust?", "Could that really happen?", "Do you think that this is exaggerated?", etc. You may want to clarify correct and incorrect information but keep the corrections inquiry-based by encouraging risk taking and questions.
 * 8) Ask students why they think this video was made (for entertainment purposes). Ask probing questions to lead students to understand that this video is not meant to be educational, but it is used for entertainment purposes. (examples: "Who made this film?", "What did the music, title, credits, etc. make you think about this video?")
 * 9) Ask students if a ship would sink when going over a huge ocean swell like what was shown in the clip (//NO it would not//). Ask students if tsunamis are great cresting waves like shown in the clip or a rapid rise in sea level and return, more similar to a rapid tide (//NOT a huge cresting wave but rapid sea level rise//). Ask students why the film makers might have chosen to include inaccurate information such as the wave and the ship sinking (//because it is more dramatic and their purpose is entertainment//).
 * 10) Ask students to summarize what lessons this activity teaches us about fact and fiction in the movies (//it is important to question the scientific information in movies, to ask questions about the purpose of films, and to assess their credibility//).

//This lesson was produced during 2011-2011 as part of a collaboration between Project Look Sharp at Ithaca College and four NY State BOCES School Library Systems. The initiative brought together pairs of secondary science teachers and school librarians to develop models for integrating critical thinking and media literacy into secondary science content. The project was supported by federal LSTA funds awarded to the NY State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.// //To view additional lessons from this series go to: www.projectlooksharp.org.//