Eureka! Materials and People (LS-MT-54)
A cross-curricular approach in the secondary school setting ( 11 -13 years old students) offers a number of opportunities for learning. This Learning Scenario aims to link to the curriculum in Physics /Science, English and Art. It also enables students to widen their perspectives on how metals are used in everyday life for different purposes. Among these uses are coins and historical tags which last for a very long time and which generally can tell a story.
Inspiring students
Complimented with the Europeana resources in use, the metal objects mentioned, inspire students to be observant of the world around them and think critically.
With a cross-disciplinary lesson
This learning scenario provides interesting activities for all the subjects mentioned below:
- In Science/ Physics class, students are given 2 different ‘Detective Cards’ related to coins found from primitive times. They are asked to use group work and come up with a design question that would enable them to identify (1) the purity of the material – Detective Card 1; (2) the material from which a coin is made up – Detective Card 2.
- In English, students are asked to reflect on the story linked to a metal keyring for an Irish migrant after the Second World War. They are involved in a class reading comprehension using Think-Pair-Share and then need to research on the changes that migrants need to adapt to when relocating in another country. A social media article/ writing task is used for students to put down their findings.
- In Art, coin rubbings are used as part of an artwork. The artwork produced is unique as it adapts the texture and shape of the coins used. Research on different coins used in different countries follows and is exhibited on charts to enable sharing of this activity with other students.
Following any/all of the three tasks, students will be able to shout ‘Eureka’ like Archimedes since they are motivated to learn a cultural aspect besides the curricular aim of the task.
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