Lesson Purpose
Scale is incredibly important in understanding Big History. This course looks at history at a larger scale than any other history course that we know of, and studying time and space over 13.8 billion years poses some interesting challenges. One way of dealing with this particular challenge is by using different scales so that each topic can be studied from the appropriate perspective, leading to a greater understanding of that topic. In this lesson, you will be introduced to the course, watch a video on scale, and then take part in a physical activity related to scale. Together, the videos and activity provide a solid sense of how scale can impact the way we view things.
The outcomes of this lesson are: 1.) To define the key course theme of scale; 2.) To explain how the use of differing scales makes Big History different from other approaches to history.
The outcomes of this lesson are: 1.) To define the key course theme of scale; 2.) To explain how the use of differing scales makes Big History different from other approaches to history.
Activity 1 - Powers of 10
Activity Objectives
You will take a quick look at how different things appear from different distances—or, in other words, how scale impacts our viewpoint. Understanding scale is a key part of Big History, and this video is a great visual overview of how changing scales affect understanding. Activity Tasks
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Activity 2 - 'Driving Question' (DQ) Notebook
Activity Objectives
This activity presents the driving question (DQ) for the unit. The purpose of the driving question is to help everyone stay focused on the main learning goal of the unit, and helps you and your class connect to this goal through all of the other big ideas you’ll cover in Unit 1. Each unit has its own driving question, which aligns to the Investigation questions. Activity Tasks
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Activity 3 - Vocabulary Memorisation
Activity Objectives
Remembering the key vocabulary and concepts for each Unit of Big History is vitally important. You need to be able to understand and use key words in discussions, debates and writing to help improve your understanding and communication skills during the Big History course. The full course glossary can be found on this webpage. Activity Tasks
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Activity 4 - Scale of Human History on a String
Activity Objectives
The Universe is 13.8 billion years old, but humans have only been around for tens of thousands of years. While the history of the Universe is huge, relatively few events took place compared to what’s taken place since the beginning of human history. In this activity, you will compare the scale of development of the Universe, based on the Big History timeline, to the scale of notable events in human history. The scale of the timeline of the Universe and its major events compared to the scale of the timeline of human history and its major events can be hard to grasp, and this activity should help you gain a better understanding of it. Activity Tasks
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Activity 5 - Timelines and Scale
Activity Objectives
Timelines can be used as analytical tools in history, and they will be used in this way throughout the course. However, before beginning the analysis process, you have to know how to read timelines. The Big History timeline is more detailed and complicated than the average timeline, and beginning to gain a better understanding of how it works and what it represents will provide you with some of the knowledge you need to both analyse and construct timelines. In this activity, you will review some of the key features of timelines and gain a deeper understanding of the importance of scale in timelines. Activity Tasks
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Challenge Yourself! - Optional Activities
1. Explore this interactive animation that explores the scale of the Universe, from incredibly small to unfathomably large!
2. Watch this outro to the film Men in Black that pays homage to the film Powers of Ten.
3. Check out 'If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel: A Tediously Accurate Scale Model of the Solar System'.
4. Test your knowledge of today's lesson with the short multiple-choice quiz below:
2. Watch this outro to the film Men in Black that pays homage to the film Powers of Ten.
3. Check out 'If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel: A Tediously Accurate Scale Model of the Solar System'.
4. Test your knowledge of today's lesson with the short multiple-choice quiz below: