Asking PBS to Ignore Slave-Owning Family Past

Ben Affleck Asked PBS to Not Televise Family Past

Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/04/19/ben_affleck_asked_pbs_to_ignore_slave_owning_family_past_in_finding_your.html

1)  How do historians get a sense of the past?  What is the most reliable evidence in genealogy?  To what degree should you trust a historian hired by PBS over one from the History Channel?  

2)  Why might Ben Affleck want to have his ancestors' activities hidden from the public?  Who might take offense if Ben Affleck has slave-owning relatives?  Why?   Why might someone be more likely to see his next movie because of his request?  Less likely?  Why might an employee at ancesty.com be excited at this news?          

3)  In what ways is genealogy connected to the Batman story?  How is this connected to science?  To the debate of whether to call the actions of Turks against Armenians 100 years "genocide" or not?    

4)  What might happen if the information was shown on TV?  What if celebrities are hesitant to go on these shows for fear of public response?

5)  To what degree are we responsible for the actions of our ancestors?  Can injustice be meaningfully forgiven many years after the fact?  

Extension Activities:

1)  Students will research their own backgrounds and pick out their most admirable ancestor and the one they might be most likely to keep hidden.

2)  Students may create a fake family tree for a favorite fictional character and describe in biographical detail two ancestors that the fictional character would want to highlight.

3)  Students can research "pedigree collapse" and describe in mathematical terms why it's virtually impossible to not be related to a random celebrity (political, movie, sports, historical)

Basketball Teams Competing to Lose

Tennessee Girls Teams Banned from Post Season

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tennessee-girls-high-school-basketball-teams-banned-both-trying-throw-n312011

1)  What evidence is most credible in determining if these teams were trying to lose?  Is this cheating?  What information would help you determine this?  To what degree is the referee's judgment more important than a parent's?  Is a $1500 fine enough?  How do you know?  

2)  Why might a referee feel differently than a coach in this game?  Why might a 5th grader playing basketball feel differently than a senior on this team?  How might one view this differently if they hated sports?

3)  In what ways is this connected to taking a test in math class?  In what ways is this like a parent letting their child win at a board game?    

4)  What would happen if they competed to the best of their ability?  What would happen if they cancelled the tournament?  What is another strategy they could have used to avoid playing a more difficult team?

5)  What are the short term consequences of this game?  Long term? Have you ever been in a situation that required you to not perform your best?  Is this a bigger issue than just one basketball game?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can research and present a list of sports cheating scandals and make an argument for this situation being on the spectrum of offenses.

2)  Students can create a variant of basketball that requires them to score the fewest points and create a mock training/instructional video for recruitment.

Exoskeleton Boots Put a Literal Spring in Your Step

Ratchet Boots Make Walking 7% Easier

(Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/04/01/these-high-tech-exoskeletons-slip-on-like-boots-to-make-your-movements-more-efficient/ 

1)  What are the main components of the prosthetic?  How do you know?  What is the best way to test the device for widespread use? What evidence would be most compelling in convincing your gym teacher that these should be used in class?   

2)  Why might an athlete view this differently than a military veteran?  In what ways might someone from the 1800's view this differently than someone from today?  

3)  To what degree is this related to history more than art?  How is this connected to religion? 

4)  Is there a reason these should be banned?  What would happen if we had similar devices for all limbs?  What might happen if they were only for children?  

5)  In what ways would you benefit from this device?  Who might benefit the most?  What are the long-term effects of this device on people and then society?    

Extension Activities:

1)  Students create a chart of the most beneficial "wearable tech" (glasses, shoes, watches,  Google Glass, etc.)  and rank them according to intrusiveness.  

2)  Students can write a day in the life of a teenager who lives in a world that has adopted mandatory use of these devices.  

Parents in India Helping Students Cheat

Astounding Images Show Indians Climbing Walls of School to Help Students Cheat 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/03/20/india_school_cheating_wall_climbing_photos_videos.html

By Ben Mathis-Lilley

1)  How do we know these parents are cheating?  What evidence could convince you that this was not cheating?  What is cheating?  Is it always wrong?  How do you know?  Could you believe this was an attempt to promote collaboration?    

2)  Why might Americans and Indians view this incident differently?  Why might a gifted Why might a student from a low-economic family view this differently than one from a wealthy family?  A gifted student versus a student in mainstream classes?  

3)  How is this connected to history?  How is this connected to ethics?  In what ways is this connected to lying about academic credentials?

4)  What if this was in Ohio?  What if this one test determined their economic futures?  What if this was a way of showing support?

5)  What are the long term consequences of this incident?  What are the long term consequences for cheating in your school?  On your sports team?  Should there be harsher penalties for cheating in school?

Extension Activities:

1)  Student create a hierarchy of cheating using scenarios and then distribute their survey to other classes, friends, and family and then analyze the results.

2)  Students can research famous cases of academic cheating (plagiarism, Atlanta standardized test case, cheating on military officers' tests) contrast the incidents, and try to solve one of the issues for future students.

Cervantes' Tomb Discovered

The Remains of Spain's "Prince of Letters" Found

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31852032

1)  What evidence is cited in the article?  What evidence would be most convincing to scientists?  His fans?  Who should pay for the exhumation?

2)  Would a scientist, author, historian, or mathematician most likely find this more interesting?    Why might a Spanish student view this differently than their British counterpart?  Why might some find this disrespectful?  Why might a Mexican student view this differently than a Canadian?  

3)  How is this connected to TV show depicting modern forensic crime scene investigations?  How is this connected to dinosaurs?  How is this connected to literature?

4)  How would this be different if it was Shakespeare?  A Chinese author?  What if Cervantes' body was never found?  What if the body was damaged even further during exhumation?

5)  Why is it important to find the bodies of historically significant individuals?  What are the long term consequences of this discovery?

Extension Activities:
1)  Students can research and identify the most important authors from a variety of languages and countries and present their "Cervantes of their country".

2)  Students can track the similarities and differences of famous grave-site discoveries and mysteries.

3 Men Get Bionic Hands

Advances in Prosthetics

 (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27024-men-have-hands-amputated-and-replaced-with-bionic-ones.html#.VO-QIi7CDIU

1)  How do we know what is true in science?  Is there evidence that this is a promising treatment for many amputees?  What percentage of a body can be replaced before questions of humanity arise?

2)  Why might a person in thee military view this differently than someone who is related to a person born with no arms?  Can I look at it from the recipient's viewpoint?  How is my own experience limited in this story?  How is it related?

3)  How is this connected to sports?  To the military?  Video Games?

4)  How would history change if famous amputees had bionic prostheses?  What if our government banned these prostheses?  What if the government diverted massive funding to researchers studying this?  

5)  Why is this significant?  Is there something more important I should be considering?  If this doesn't affect my life, whose will it impact?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can outline the development of prosthetics and predict future trends and their social impact.

2)  Students can consider "The Ship of Theseus" and draw connections to prostheitcs and ideas in transhumanism.

What Happens When You Stop Checking Your Phone? (Video)

Creativity Happens When You Stop Checking Your Phone

http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/385434/creative-ideas-happen-when-you-stop-checking-your-phone/

-The Atlantic

1)  How many times is "too many times" to check your phone in a day?  How do you know?  What other relevant numbers would help us understand this issue?  Is boredom good?  How could you prove boredom and creativity are correlated?

2)  Why might parents feel differently about this than students?  Why might Nigerians feel differently about this than Canadians?  Whose perspective is most relevant in instituting a school-wide policy on mobile phone use?

3)  How is this connected to science?  How is this connected to math?  In what ways is this issue similar to the rise in popularity of printed materials?  How is it different?  Are doodling and checking Instagram related?

4)  What would happen if your school instituted a policy of "no mobile phones" in your school?  What if parents were held legally responsible for their  child's boredom levels?  What would happen if a "pro-boredom" campaign was instituted at your school?

5)  In what ways is this relevant in your life?  Do you think about your own phone use?  Do others comment on your phone use?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students monitor, chart and present their mobile phone use.  They develop plans for increasing or decreasing their current use as they see fit.

2)  Students write "alarmist" articles about older technologies where where they warn users of the potential effects of over-use (i.e. microwave, automobile, internet)