Unit Plan
Curated OER

The Science of Psychology

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explain the differences between psychology, pseudoscience and popular opinion. In groups, they describe, compare and contrast the various biological and cognitive perspectives in the field. Using the internet, they describe the...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Scientific American: Make Up Your Mind: Mind Mapping

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Investigate the pseudoscience of phrenology and its attempt to organize and assign different purposes to different parts of the brain. Create a phrenology chart on a bathing cap and compare it to modern understanding of brain function...
Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Birth of American Popular Culture

For Students 9th - 10th
A description of many different forms of popular culture in the first half of the 19th century ranging from sensationalized newspapers to dime novels to pseudoscience. Read about Stephen Foster's music, theatrical productions, and even...
Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Birth of American Popular Culture

For Students 9th - 10th
American popular culture was many-faceted prior to the Civil War. Find out about the explosion of the number of newspapers and magazines, the many kinds of popular entertainment, and even phrenology as entertainment.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Scientific American: Beyond Science?: Healing Touch

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Use the scientific method to investigate the claims of "energy field" therapists. Design an investigation to study the claims of biomagnetic therapy.
Article
Scientific American

Scientific American: Smart People Believe Weird Things

For Students 9th - 10th
This article, published by Scientific American (September 2002), explores how smart people can believe weird and silly things. The article comes to the conclusion that our beliefs are shaped more by our environment than our understanding...

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