The following Lesson Plans, written entirely by Middle and High School teachers, represent the final product of the collaborative project, ‘History of Science in the Secondary School Curriculum.’ The Project was funded by a major two-year grant from the National Science Foundation in cooperation with the National History Teaching Alliance. The Program was structured around a series of collaborations between university faculty and selected participants from secondary schools in Florida and Virginia. Each year thirty teachers (one History and one Science teacher from fifteen schools) attended a three-week Summer Seminar and a series of follow-up meetings throughout the year.
Although several goals were established for the Program, the primary objectives were, first, to heighten concern in public schools for science literacy and an understanding of science and culture by means of sustained discussion among school and university teachers on the status of education in science, mathematics, and technology; second, to establish an on-going History of Science Resource Center in order to enhance teacher preparation, develop tested teaching strategies, and to disseminate resulting materials nationally.
One substantial result of the latter object are the Lesson Plans below. They were written by participants in the Program and are now made fully available (for non-commercial use) either by downloading the files or by linking to this site. The Lesson Plans have a two-fold purpose. First, to help teachers incorporate Science into the History classroom; second, to encourage the use of History of Science in Science classrooms. The following Lesson Plans contain new and useful ideas on how to present traditional concepts in a fresh and creative way. While they vary in application, each unit was classroom tested by as many as three evaluators at various educational levels. They are well-organized and appropriate for the grade level and subject indicated in the ‘Note to the Teacher’ at the beginning of each unit.
Middle and Secondary School educators are invited to join in this effort. The goal is to extend an awareness of the appeal and excitement of Science through History. There is good evidence students will benefit from these Lesson Plans. They can be used as presented here or tailored to your classroom needs. If you extend and improve one of the following Lesson Plans (or develop a new offering) perhaps you would consider contributing to our efforts. The goal is simple. We want to develop and extend an appreciation for History of Science in Middle and Secondary Schools. We want to encourage a cross- disciplinary effort in Science and History classes. We want to bridge the gap between schools and universities. We have much to learn from each other.
Dr Robert A. Hatch – Department of History, University of Florida
NSF Principal Investigator, Program Co-Director
E-Mail: ufhatch@ufl.edu
Available NSF Lesson Plans:
- The ‘Solar’ System Past & Present
- Mineralogy, Astronomy, & Ancient Wisdom
- Aristotelian Chemistry
- Ptolemaic Cosmos vs. Copernican Cosmos
- Ptolemy, Copernicus, & the Church
- Galileo: His Times & Beliefs
- Personality Profiles of the Scientific Revolution
- Aristotelian & Newtonian Motion
- Newton’s Laws
- What was Newton’s Idea of Science?
- Newton & the Enlightenment
- Scientists/Statesmen in Early America
- Lewis and Clark Scientific Adventure
- Learning Like an Enlightenment Thinker
- Origin of the Species vs. Zoological Philosophy
- Darwin as Explorer
- Science & Myth
- Darwin, Politics, & Religion
- Scientific Response to the Origin of Species
- Perception & the Interpretation of Experiences
- Science as a Source of Social Controversy
- Inventions & Discoveries that Influenced History
- Environment & Science
- History & Oceanography
- The Nature of Matter
- Physicists or Philosophers?
- Science & Government: Alliance of Millennial Bliss?
- 20th-Century Astronomy
- Science & Pseudoscience