Teacher's Guide for ODYSSEY^TM Science or Hoax?

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      Summary
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"The 'Paranormal' Hoax," pg. 6

• Throughout history, reports of supernatural phenomena have been revealed as hoaxes. Find out the truth behind Bigfoot, alien invaders, spiritualism, and a notorious haunted house.
• Cause / Effect, Critical Thinking

• A stained piece of cloth in Italy's Turin Cathedral is venerated as the burial shroud of Jesus. Using an array of tests, most scientists conclude the shroud is a medieval hoax, yet it continues to inspire the faithful. A sidebar examines the process of a skeptic's investigation.
• Critical Thinking, Inductive Reasoning

• In 1912, the discovery in England of an anomalous skull, along with teeth and bones, led the scientific community to herald the find as the "missing link" between apes and humans. In the 1950s, the "Piltdown Man" was proved a hoax.
• Critical Thinking, Inductive Reasoning

• ODYSSEY^TM interviews the editor of the Skeptical Inquirer. The magazine's mission is to distinguish pseudoscience from the real thing.
• Critical Thinking

• Since the 6^th century, the myth of the Loch Ness Monster has captivated human imagination. In 1994, a deathbed confession discredited the best-known evidence for Nessie's existence. A sidebar describes cryptozoology, the search for unknown animals.
• Critical Thinking, Inductive Reasoning

• Urban legends are false stories set in the real world. Suburban myths are false beliefs. Urban legends often have a moral, but suburban myths do not. A sidebar challenges readers to distinguish fact from fiction.
• Critical Thinking, Deductive Reasoning

• This article details the history, science, and controversy surrounding the practice of dowsing. A sidebar gives directions for constructing a divining rod. The companion article by James Randi, magician and demystifier of paranormal claims, offers a fortune to a successful dowser.
• Critical Thinking, Scientific Methodology

• Cyberhoaxes fall into categories, including computer virus stories, emotional appeals, pyramid schemes, deals too good to be true, and urban legends.
• Critical Thinking, Analysis

• This article explains the five types of ESP: clairvoyance, telepathy, precognition, retrocognition, and psychometry. A companion piece reveals how psychics use "cold reading" to fool their clients. The "Activity to Discover" on pg. 38 tells how to conduct a fair test of telepathy.
• Vocabulary, Experimental Design

• "On Planet Dupe" challenges readers to find the hoax limb on a dupeberry tree.
• Analysis, Problem Solving

• Two meteor showers light up December's night sky. The winter solstice occurs on the 21st, and North America is treated to a partial solar eclipse on the 25th. Also, look for Mercury and Mars in the predawn hours and Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn in the night sky.
• Observation, Following Directions

1. Ask students to define an urban legend and tell any they know. List responses on the board and share ideas on how the legends might have originated. Do the legends carry a moral? What common fears are involved?
2. "Unidentified Flying Objects" exist, but people disagree about whether some of them are visitors from outer space. Make three lists on the chalkboard: one of arguments for and a second of arguments against. Try to find facts for a third list: actual evidence that supports or refutes the "visitors from space" hypothesis. Why are the first two lists so much longer than the third?

Pg. 10 - "Shrouded in Mystery: The Turin Debate"

• Talk It Over:
  1. What evidence supports the shroud's claim to legitimacy? What evidence suggests it may be fake? In your view, is either body of evidence conclusive? Why or why not?
  2. Investigation of the Shroud of Turin opens a larger debate: Should the shroud be investigated at all? Should a line be drawn between science and faith? If so, where? In what other cases has science angered people by "crossing the line" into matters of faith?
• Connections:
  1. Language Arts: The following words are all found the article: pilgrim, venerated, shroud, array, proteinaceous, fraudulent, authenticity. List the words and find context clues in the article that give hints about their meaning. Use the context clues to frame a definition of each word. Then check a dictionary to see how close you came.
  2. Physical Science: Find out how carbon-14 dating is done. Make a poster that defines half-life, explains the procedure, and gives examples of artifacts that can (and cannot) be dated using carbon-14 techniques.
  3. History: Create a time line of the Shroud of Turin and display it on a wall. Include those dates that are theoretical (its use after the Crucifixion) as well as those which are scientific (the photograph of 1898). Write a paragraph describing each point on the time line. Attach your paragraphs to the time line with string. The result will be a complete "biography" of the shroud.
• Student Assessment:
  1. Reread the sidebar, "Staking a Claim: How a Skeptic Investigates," on pg. 13. In a compare-and-contrast essay, weigh Nickell's methods against the methods of those who set out to "prove" or "disprove" the shroud's authenticity. Use examples from the article in your essay.
  2. Write a letter to Archbishop Serino Poletto of Turin. Tell him what you think he should do about the famous shroud. Should he allow further investigation? Should he let people base their beliefs on faith? Offer specific reasons for your suggestions. (You might even mail the letter!)

pg. 25 - "Urban Legends and Suburban Myths"

• Talk It Over:
  1. How does the author differentiate an urban legend from a suburban myth? Are they the same as superstitions? What common superstitions may have begun as urban legends or suburban myths?
  2. Legends and myths are generally judged negatively. If not actually dangerous, they mislead us nevertheless. Is there be a positive side to such stories and claims? If so, what is it?
• Connections:
  1. History: Research some well-known myths, legends, or superstitions. On one side of a poster, present the "Myth." On the other side, present the scientific "Truth." Display your poster for the class or for the school.
  2. Creative Writing: Write a children's story that reveals the truth about a common urban legend. Illustrate your story and make it into a booklet, or combine it with others from your class to make a children's anthology.
  3. Psychology / Role Playing: One student plays the role of a person hearing an urban legend for the first time, as told by another student from the class. Two others act as two voices inside the listener's brain. One voice accepts the story as real. The other has doubts. Let the two voices argue.
• Student Assessment:
  1. Consider the following statement: "Urban legends and suburban myths exist because we want to believe them." In an essay, either agree or disagree with the statement. Use examples from the article to support your view.
  2. Create an urban legend. Describe the legendary experience and explain why you think it would be successful as an urban legend.

"Do You Believe in Magic?"

Whole-Class Project: Collect hoax / legend / myth stories and write about them as if they were front-page news in a big city daily. Print your articles in columns and publish a class "hoax" paper. Use photos and illustrations to make your hoax headlines more convincing.

"I Believe I Can Fly."

Small-Group Collaborative Display: Organize students into pairs. Ask each pair to select two names for a face-off poster. One name should be someone associated with the paranormal or with a hoax (e.g., Uri Geller, Charles Dawson) while the other is someone associated with debunking paranormal claims (e.g., Kendrick Frazier, James Randi). Divide a poster board in half, and include a photo and a biography on each half. Display face-off posters for the school.

"Daydream Believer"

Large-Group Collaborative Activity: Work in teams of 4 or 5 students to construct an "artifact" and make it look old. You can find varied techniques for aging things on the Internet, and plenty of materials in crafts and hardware stores. Display your "ancient treasure" and reveal the method you used to achieve illusory antiquity.

"I Believe in Little Green Apples."

Community Connection: Invite a member of the local historical society and an amateur astronomer to a "Solstice Party." Gather at your school or an area park on the year's shortest day. Research the Druid traditions of Great Britain and Ireland to add authenticity to your celebration. Use the occasion to study the stars, talk about legends and myths, and discuss local history.

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Updated: 11/21/08 02:05 pm
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