Distinguishing between science and science fiction can be a good reinforcement activity for students learning the characteristics of science. Cognitively, middle school students are able to differentiate between fantasy and reality. But because science is not always intuitively obvious, distinguishing science fact from science fiction can be more challenging. Today’s blog encourages you to use pop culture to help students sharpen their conceptual understanding of the nature of science and ethics in science, particularly in archaeology, and to distinguish between science fact and science fiction.

Though your students were not even born when the first Indiana Jones movie was made, they are probably familiar with it thanks to TV, sequels, and theme parks. On May 22 the fourth movie in the series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, opens and will appeal to middle school students. On May 13, 2008, ABCnews.go.com published `Indiana Jones’: Real Archaeologists Don’t Have Whips.

The news story highlights how the work of Indiana Jones is unlike the work of real archaeologists. It also points out Indiana Jones’s complete disregard for ethics. He seems to leave a trail of destruction wherever he goes, rarely seeking proper permission from local authorities to conduct his work. Despite the departure from reality, the movies are responsible for increasing interest in archaeology as a college major. Several relevant quotes from archaeologists are included in the article.

How to Turn This News Event into an Inquiry-Based, Standards-Related Science Lesson

Ask students if they have ever heard of Indiana Jones. What does he do? Listen for the ways students characterize him and his work, but do not add judgmental comments at this time. Do they include archaeology or the search for clues to past civilizations in order to inform our understanding of both past and current civilizations? Have students read the news story. Allow them to verbally share their reactions.

Ask, what do archaeologists do? Lead students to understand that archaeologists’ work is based on historical science, using scientific theories of physics, chemistry and biology to uncover clues in artifacts that enable construction of “stories” (hypotheses) of past civilizations.

Ask, where do archaeologists go to look for artifacts? Lead students to understand the archaeologists may have to go to foreign countries where the people may be suspicious of western scientists and protective of their culture and its historical artifacts. How then should the archaeologists go about gaining access and how should they conduct themselves once they do? Help students to understand these are important ethical and legal issues. Care must be taken and the proper authorities consulted before one can proceed to excavate an area. Agreements are made, including what scientists may be allowed to remove; what they may be allowed to do to the artifacts; the kinds of tests they may perform on them; how to restore the area once they complete their dig; and what to do with the artifacts once they have studied them.

Ask, to what extent does Indiana Jones seem to attend to issues of ethics? Why? At this time students can distinguish between science and science fiction, using information provided in the news story. Have them create a chart with two columns, one listing the characteristics of science and one listing the characteristics of Indiana Jones, science fiction. Do some overlap? Why do students think science fiction contains some science fact? Ultimately, students should be able to distinguish science fact from science fiction, identify ethical issue in archaeology, and provide a statement of a caution to science illiterates who plan on seeing the Indiana Jones movie. Use caution yourself. You may want to avoid explicitly promoting student viewing of the movie in order to avoid potential clashes with parents!

The lesson described connects to both the History and Nature of Science and the Science as Inquiry content standards of the National Science Education Standards. Here are five additional resources from the National Science Digital Library Middle School Portal related to the nature of science, ethics and archaeology: Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction: Where Real Science Ends…and Pseudoscience Begins; Science Sampler: Reading Science; Ethics Lessons; Teaching Ethics; Why Did the Anasazi Abandon Mesa Verde?

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