My classes tend towards utilizing a lot of “real-life” happenings in the world.  It is no surprise that one of my favorite labs had the students watching a short clip from the popular television show Mythbusters where the team uses the scientific method to debunk the idea that sharks prefer the color red.  To view the video, click here: SHARKS

I honestly cannot recollect where I got this lesson plan or idea from.  I checked all my files and could only find the excel worksheet where I use the Mythbusters: Do Sharks Prefer Red? as the backdrop for the lesson plan on the Scientific Method.  If anyone out there knows where I found it, I would truly appreciate a comment so I can give the proper credit.

I did create or recreate a worksheet that starts at the lower level of thinking.  First, we just watch the short 4 or 5 minute video clip.  Then, the students answer some basic “what did you see” kind of questions.  Then, the students have to watch the video a second time and more carefully detail the scientific method stages as they are being used in the video using the video itself as evidence.  Following that, the students take to the deeper level and are required to come up with their own myth to bust and design a scientific method experiment to test it.

These types of lessons really engage my students because they are so “into” media: music, video, and who isn’t into sharks?