What topic do science teachers most likely start teaching in their first week (or two)? The scientific method, of course. And what do most science teachers not do in their first week (or two)? Show science movies. That’s too bad because good science movies can really get students excited about science. Unfortunately, not showing a science movie on the first week (or two) back makes sense because science movies/videos either (1) don’t teach the scientific method,or (2) are pure fantasy or science fiction. For example, Bill Nye videos are great at providing fun facts and content. Unfortunately, they’re not so great at showing scientific method and process. Back to the Future is awesome at getting students excited about science at the beginning of the school year. But, it also does not talk about scientific method much either (and it’s also pure science fiction). But what if a movie can help teach scientific method and get students excited about science? That would be a movie I would want to show in science class on my first week (or two).

Really good science movies help teach the scientific method by applying it to everyday questions and situations. These science movies help us realize that the scientific method is not just something we do in science class. Instead, the scientific method is a way of approaching and solving our own questions. In other words, the scientific method is made relevant in everyday circumstances in a good science movie. The science movie “Behind the Curve” does this extremely well. As of July 26, 2019, it’s still on Netflix. Below, we outline how we use it. Free video notes for discussion are available for download at the end of the post.

Why watch a science movie about scientific method?

Some people may ask, “Why not just run an activity where students practice using the scientific method instead of watching a movie?” To which I answer, “Absolutely! Use an activity to practice the scientific method.” I totally believe in getting students to practice science skills.

But, it’s also important to show how a skill or an idea can be outside the controlled environment of the science classroom. How can we use the scientific method in the real world in fields like chemistry, biology, or astronomy? And, how can we use the scientific method in other fields like english, history, or psychology? Showing the scientific method in action outside the classroom not only helps reinforce a student’s understanding of the idea, it also makes the skill dynamic, applicable, and relevant to their daily life. Also, movies lead to discussion, and being able to communicate science ideas is also an important skill to develop. A good science movie helps do this.

How does Behind the Curve help teach scientific method?

“Behind the Curve” is basically about conspiracy theorists who believe that the earth is flat (aka. Flat Earthers). Of course, the earth is not flat – it’s spherical (ie. round).! And while we might expect such a movie to show a bunch of scientists talking about how we know the Earth is spherical, the movie does not use scientists that way at all. Instead, the movie shows how both scientists and flat earthers interpret and use the scientific method.

The most interesting part about “Behind the Curve” is the attempt by Flat Earthers in the movie to use the scientific method and experimentation to try to “prove” their claim that the Earth is flat. In fact, Flat Earthers develop and run a couple of “flat earth” experiments in “Behind the Curve”. But, what do Flat Earthers do when experimental results don’t match with what they believe? This leads to an interesting discussion in the movie with regards to personal perception and identity – both of which may blind us from seeing the truth in our world.

Field Notes (for showing the movie)

• Before the movie: Engage. Try our Flat Earth activity, An Awesome April Fools Day Science Lesson for any day (note: no special equipment needed). The activity has students provide evidence for how they know the earth is spherical. (During the discussion, the teacher pretends to be a member of the Flat Earth Society). To connect to scientific method, ask students to come up with an experiment to prove the earth is spherical. The activity can get the creative and scientific juices flowing, and it’s a good introduction to the premise of the movie.
• Play the movie. And, have students take down their own notes. I have students take out a sheet of paper and draw a T-chart. On the left side of the T-chart, they write the heading “What I Know”. On the right side, they write “What I learned”. During the movie, I have students write down 15 points in total on anything that is mentioned in the film.
• After the movie: Have students share from the notes they took. What was the most interesting thing they learned or already knew? If students don’t have much, discuss some of the interesting quotes I have written down in our handouts.
• Extension Activity: Have students do our pendulum lab, which is found in Post #6 on Null Hypothesis. The pendulum lab tests the effect of the mass held at the end of a pendulum on the period of the pendulum. Students typically hold the false preconception that the mass at the end of the pendulum has an effect on period. In other words, students typically believe pendulums swing faster if a heavier object is at the end of the pendulum. In fact, mass has no effect. But, because students hold on to their false preconception so strongly, many often feel they are doing the lab “wrong” when their data shows little difference between period and mass. If you don’t have time to do our lab, then watch Walter Lewin on youtube demonstrate it in his lecture.

Wrap Up

It’s okay to show a science move on the first week (or two) of school. Movies are good to connect with real world situations. And, if the movie challenges our own preconceptions – like in “Behind the Curve”, where flat earthers question whether the earth is flat – it can open up lots of awesome discussion. Discussion that will invariably lead and connect with the scientific method and how we know what we know in science. Click on the link below to download our free handouts. Enter your email up above and join our e-newsletter – we try to email out helpful resources every week. Lastly, share a link of this post with your colleagues if you find this helpful. Thanks in advance.

Until next time, keep it REAL!

Resources

Handout(s): 53 – Movie Notes (Behind the Curve)

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