Scientific Illusions
Standards – Misconceptions – Activities
The application of magical illusions to address scientific misconceptions is very easily learned. To follow is a collection of five illusions with the standards they are grounded in, the misconceptions they address and may exist in your students minds, and an explanation of just how the illusion is performed and utilizes science to be made possible.
The information is presented first by standard to give a firm understanding of where these ideas could fit into your curriculum. I have chosen NSES standards but your state may have adapted the national standards, created their own, or might not have a specific standard for the science principle. Following the standard is a list of common misconceptions relating specifically to that topic. These lists are not intended to be all encompassing. Your students may have one, some, all, or none of these. “Magic” first gives the action of the illusion and then gives an explanation of how the illusion is performed and how it works based on the scientific principle. These ideas are presented in this way to develop a clear a logical step-by-step process that anyone can follow in order to engage students in learning by challenging their understanding and bringing forward a scientific thought process. The final section, “It’s not magic, it’s science!” brings the illusion back to its founding science. These illusions would not be possible without science and are a very powerful tool in creating thought, dialogue, and imagination.
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.