Behind false science – The flattest of them all, the Earth

The goal of this lesson plan is to use scientific methods to debunk some widespread myths. Teach your students how to recognize pseudoscientific texts, questionable websites, and unscientific research methods. Evaluate various sources of conspiracy theories and compare them with scientific research and data. This series of lesson plans focuses on debunking common myths and provides activities that will improve students’ communication skills and help them identify the typical features of misleading information.

Learning Objectives:

• Define the terms Fake News, Conspiracy, and Pseudoscience.
• Debunk a conspiracy theory using scientific methods and relevant information.
• Define the main problems of the Flat Earth theory.

Digital Competences Developed: working with QR codes, understanding phenomena through a 3D model, explaining phenomena with a 3D model, verifying statements, evaluating sources, and searching the Internet.

Keywords: Conspiracy, Science, Pseudoscience, Truth, Fake, News, Global, Warming, Flat, Earth, Hoax.

This lesson plan deals with conspiracy theories and pseudoscience, while teaching the importance of identifying, analyzing, and exposing false information and unscientific methods. In this lesson, we will use a bulletin board concept as a hook to grab attention and spark lively discussion.

Before class, ask students to bring their smartphones with a QR code reader installed. They will need it throughout the lesson, so remind them to have enough battery life.

Now for the creative part. Open the “Earth” model found in the Corinth Astronomy library, select the “Crust” layer, and stream the model using a projector or TV. Then write on the board: “The Earth is flat.”

If the model does not load, open it in a new window:
app.corinth3d.com/package/v_esmi_zeme

Find a short online article claiming that the Earth is flat. There are many sites presenting the most typical arguments. Choose one and create a QR code linking to it using http://goqr.me/ (or any similar service). Download and print the QR code with the text “They Are Lying to Us.” Stick it to the classroom door and place several copies on the students’ desks.

You can also use http://goqr.me/ to write short messages (up to 300 characters). Use this to create clues with arguments for/against the Flat Earth theory and for/against the round Earth theory. Generate QR codes and print them small enough to hide under desks, chairs, behind pictures, on bulletin boards, windows, or objects. (Test them beforehand to ensure they scan properly.) This will form part of an investigative activity that teaches students not to trust any single source of information—it takes effort to distinguish fact from fiction.

To enhance the classroom atmosphere, you can play “investigative” background music during the activity.

Final tip: For a fun start, you can make aluminum foil hats for everyone to wear. You can also play Weird Al Yankovic’s song “Foil” during the lesson.

Note: This lesson serves as an extension to previously discussed topics to verify the truth of learned facts.

Duration: 10 minutes

Tools: Smartphones or other devices capable of reading QR codes

As students enter the classroom, observe whether any of them try scanning the QR code and causing a stir. If they simply wait for the bell, move among them and ask whether they tried scanning the code and if they discussed it with their classmates.

Note: Be prepared for some students to approach you personally to ask more about the QR code or the article on the Flat Earth Theory.

Once the initial excitement settles and you are sure students have looked at the material, ask them to take their seats. Begin a discussion by asking what they know about the Earth and its physical properties. Invite them to interact with the Corinth “Earth” model and demonstrate their understanding of those physical properties (the model can help clarify them). Write their statements on the board. Then ask what they learned from the article they scanned via QR code and write down the arguments supporting the Flat Earth theory. However, do not discuss those arguments yet.

Duration: 25 minutes

Tools: Smartphones or other devices capable of reading QR codes

Once you have both the flat and round Earth arguments written down, ask your students to forget everything they’ve learned about the Earth for a moment. Explain that their task is to determine which theory is most likely, by searching for and interpreting clues.

Tell them that you have hidden QR codes around the classroom containing information about Earth and arguments that will help them verify or refute the earlier theories. Encourage them to act like real detectives and search for the QR clues in unexpected places—under or behind objects, furniture, and posters. To make it more engaging (and educational), inform them that they won’t know the total number of hidden clues, so they must decide for themselves when they have gathered enough evidence. (This encourages investigative and critical thinking behavior.)

Finally, tell them that the clues they find are publicly available—it will be up to them whether they collaborate or work alone, whether they share information, and how they interpret the situation based on their collected data.

As students begin searching, you may play background music to enhance the mood and let them work independently for about 10–15 minutes. Observe how they behave—do they form groups or work individually? Midway through the activity, join in the discussion and ask whether they have begun to interpret the information they found and what evidence they already have.

When the time is up, or when students have finished, ask them to summarize their findings and decide which theory seems more plausible, using only the evidence they discovered. Discuss the results and compare them with what students have previously learned about Earth. What was most important for their decision-making?

Duration: 5 minutes

Continue from the previous activity. Talk with your students about pseudoscience—what it is and how it can be defined; how conspiracy theories often arise from pseudoscience. Try to determine how these theories can cause harm in society by reducing trust in scientific data and even leading to real-world consequences or deaths.

Duration: 15 minutes

Preparation: Before the activity, find two articles about Earth theories—one using scientific data and research, and one based on pseudoscience. Print and distribute both among the students.

Instructions:

• Have students work in groups and read both articles aloud.
• Ask them to assess how credible each article seems, disregarding any prior knowledge they may have about the topic.
• Encourage them to identify syntax, words, and terms that differentiate subjective and objective sentences, and highlight key aspects that distinguish serious articles from conspiracy-based ones.
• Emphasize the importance of modal verbs and observe which article uses emotionally charged language. Evaluate which one feels more subjective and which more objective.

The teacher and students discuss what new things they learned and what caught their interest. The teacher may create a mind map on the classroom board or record student observations in another way. During discussion, the teacher summarizes the new knowledge gained and suggests further educational sources students can return to for deeper study and understanding.