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Estimated class time |
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2 to 3 class periods
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Lesson Objectives |
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Students will:
- Discover different scientific methods for evaluating historical events
- Research and present information on proposed explanations of a historical event
- Evaluate explanations of a historical event based on supporting scientific evidence
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Materials needed |
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- Internet access
- Chart paper, markers
- Video clips are available on the SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Death at Jamestown website, but if you wish to purchase the complete program, visit PBS Shop for Teachers http://shop.pbs.org/teachers/products/SEDE203
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Teaching Strategy |
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Teachers!
Video clips for your students are available here.
 Video Clips
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- Divide the class into four different teams and then propose the problem by directing students to the SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Death at Jamestown site at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/
case_jamestown/index.html. Read through the Background as a class, discussing what the students already have learned from their social studies class about the colony of Jamestown. Bring the focus to the fourth paragraph of the web page which states that "Historians have never fully determined exactly why so many perished. . ."
- Explain that there are four possible explanations for the widespread death at the Jamestown colony and that each team will be responsible for investigating one of them. The four explanations include:
- starvation
- disease
- political unrest leading to murder
- arsenic poisoning
Assign one explanation to each group.
- Explain that at first students will work individually within their teams to find out about their assigned explanation. They will need to find out the details of the explanation, the evidence which supports this idea, and information about what kind of forensics science was used to uncover that evidence. To do this, start by watching the appropriate video clip from the SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Death at Jamestown site at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_jamestown/index.html. The video clips are labeled A through D to coincide with the specific theory that each team will be investigating. After watching the video clips, students should peruse the Clues and Evidence page from this site for supporting details. They should also work through the Explore Jamestown Interactive to determine if it contains any evidence supporting their explanations. Then research the Internet and other available sources for more information on the assigned topic and the science behind it.
- After students have had enough individual research time (based on students' needs and capabilities) allow the students to gather in their teams and discuss their findings. The teacher should circulate through the groups to be certain that students have had success in finding evidence and supporting scientific techniques.
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Regroup the students into smaller groups of 4 (or 5, if necessary) with each group containing at least one person from each of the four main teams. Provide each student in the small groups with a piece of chart paper and markers. The students then take turns presenting what they learned about their topics using the chart paper divided into columns labeled Explanation, Evidence, and Scientific Technique to display their information. Within these groups, the students should then rank the explanations in order of most plausible reason for the deaths at Jamestown to what they think is least likely the reason.
- Have each group present and justify their rankings. Discuss the possibility of finding definitive answers to the mystery. What information would be needed to come to an accepted conclusion?
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Internet Resources |
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Assessments |
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- Participation in team research
- Individual chart paper presentation
- Participation in class discussions
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Extensions |
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- View the video Death at Jamestown in its entirety and discuss.
- Research information on careers in different forensics science fields, e.g. dental forensics, archaeological forensics, dendrochronology, etc.
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Correlation to National Science Standards |
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Standards from http://bob.nap.edu/html/nses/html/6e.html#csc912
CONTENT STANDARD G: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop understanding of science as a human endeavor and the nature of scientific knowledge:
Individuals and teams have contributed and will continue to contribute to the scientific enterprise. Doing science or engineering can be as simple as an individual conducting field studies or as complex as hundreds of people working on a major scientific question or technological problem. Pursuing science as a career or as a hobby can be both fascinating and intellectually rewarding.
Scientific explanations must meet certain criteria. First and foremost, they must be consistent with experimental and observational evidence about nature, and must make accurate predictions, when appropriate, about systems being studied. They should also be logical, respect the rules of evidence, be open to criticism, report methods and procedures, and make knowledge public. Explanations on how the natural world changes based on myths, personal beliefs, religious values, mystical inspiration, superstition, or authority may be personally useful and socially relevant, but they are not scientific.
Correlation to National Social Studies Standards from http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands/:
Standard II: Time, Continuity and Change: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time.
Standard VIII Science, Technology and Society: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of relationships among science, technology, and society.
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SECRETS OF THE DEAD is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York. © 2006 Educational Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
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